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“If they called in prenatal vitamins, they likely aren’t ready yet. I love our pharmacist, but he’s kind of slow. Why don’t we go get something to eat, and then we’ll stop by there, okay?”

“Sure, but I’m running low on money. Flicker usually gives me some every week, but since I’ve been housebound, he hasn’t given me any.”

“My treat,” Isabella said.

“Great. It can be my last meal, like the ones they give people on death row.”

She snorted. “You’re pregnant, not dying.”

“Same difference. Have you met my brother?”

“Torch won’t let Flicker do anything stupid,” Isabella said.

I was glad she had that much faith in her man, but I didn’t think anyone would keep Flicker from murdering me when he found out.

And the compound had lots of land where he could hide my body.

I suppose it could have been worse. At least we didn’t raise pigs.

Maybe he’d at least break a sweat digging a six-foot-deep hole to bury me in.

Isabella stopped at a little café down the street from the pharmacy.

We decided to sit on the patio since it was nice outside.

The way my stomach was flipping around, I didn’t know how I was going to manage to eat anything.

But if I was pregnant, then I needed to make sure the baby got the nourishment it needed.

Oh God. I was going to be a mom! I broke out in a sweat, and my hands started shaking again.

Could I do this? Raise a kid? Where would we live?

I didn’t even have a job, much less a way to afford diapers and shit.

“Take a breath,” Isabella said softly. “Everything will be fine, Laken.”

I nodded and looked over the menu. We ordered our food and drinks, then Isabella did her best to take my mind off things. By the time we’d finished our lunch, Isabella thought my prenatal vitamins might be ready. The pharmacy was close enough that I walked while Isabella waited in the car.

The pharmacist had it ready for me, and agreed to add the fee to my brother’s tab.

Flicker was going to love that, I was sure, once he found out what I’d picked up.

When I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I walked into a hard body and nearly fell on my ass.

Strong hands gripped me and as I looked up, my heart nearly stopped.

Ryker smirked at me. “You seem to like running into me. If you want my attention, there are other ways to do it.”

“Sorry,” I said, my cheeks flushing.

His gaze dropped and he saw the bag with my prescription, and he quickly frowned. Maybe I should have asked for a regular sack to hide the small paper bag.

“Are you sick?” he asked.

“N-no. These are just vitamins.” Not a total lie.

“Vitamins don’t come in a prescription sack,” Ryker said. “What the hell is going on, Laken? Why are you lying to me?”

“It’s nothing, Ryker,” I said, twisting out of his grasp.

“I haven’t seen you lately. I kind of thought maybe we’d spend some more time together before I leave,” he said. “I’d hoped you’d come find me again.”

“Ryker, my life is complicated, and my brother is overprotective. Seeing you isn’t a great idea.”

“I see.” He took a step back. “Guess you got what you wanted then.”

Seriously? He was going to play that card?

The guy was a man-whore from what my brother said, and I’d had no doubt I was just easy pussy for him.

So what did Ryker care if I wanted to spend more time with him?

It wasn’t like he’d fallen in love with me.

And now that I was carrying his child… he couldn’t find out.

He’d think I was trying to trap him, and that’s the last thing I wanted.

“Ryker, I…”

“Laken, are you coming?” Isabella yelled through the window she’d rolled down.

Ryker glanced at Isabella, then back at Laken, his gaze questioning. “You know Torch’s wife? Are you two friends or something?”

“Something like that,” I said.

“So have you been blowing me off for personal reasons or because of the Dixie Reapers?”

“They asked me to stay away from you,” I said, and then wished I’d kept my mouth shut. Now he would pry and likely find out who I was. Not what I needed!

“They asked you to stay away from me?” he asked, his voice low and far too calm. I had a feeling I’d just made a huge mistake.

“It’s fine, Ryker. I mean, you’re leaving soon anyway, right? We had fun, but it was never going to be more than that. I knew that the first time we were together. I never expected more from you.”

“Laken, I --”

His words were cut off as a motorcycle rumbled down the street.

When I saw my brother heading our way, I wished I could hide, but it was too late.

I clutched my prescription sack tighter and sent a panicked look toward Isabella, but she lifted her hands, and I knew I was on my own.

Flicker came to a stop in a parking spot just a few feet from me, and he slid his sunglasses down his nose.

His blue eyes were icy as he glared from me to Ryker, then back to me.

“Laken, get on the bike,” Flicker said.

I took a step in his direction, but Ryker reached out and gripped my arm.

“Just let me go, Ryker,” I said softly. “Please.”

“No. What the fuck is he to you?”

“Ryker, I…”

“Laken,” Flicker said, his voice a deep growl. “Get. On. The. Fucking. Bike.”

My heart hammered in my chest as Ryker tightened his grip on me, and I knew things were about to get really bad.

I had no idea how to defuse the situation.

I frantically looked at Isabella again, and saw that she was on her phone, no doubt calling her husband.

Peachy. And I’d thought things were complicated now?

Once Torch got here, I was beyond fucked.

I’d been told to stay home, and here was I was parading around town. Even worse, I’d run into Ryker. Again.

“She’s not going anywhere with you, asshole,” Ryker said. “I don’t know what you think you have going on with her, but Laken is staying here with me.”

I closed my eyes and mentally groaned. That so wasn’t going to go over well.

I heard Flicker’s bike turn off, and I opened my eyes in time to see him swing his leg over the seat and head toward us.

Ryker pulled me back and stepped in front of me.

I thought it was a little sweet, and really stupid.

He had no idea who Flicker was to me, but he’d just waved a red flag in front of a bull.

I needed to de-escalate the situation, and fast.

I tried to step around Ryker, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Flicker, it’s not what you think.”

Ryker growled and glared at me. “It’s exactly what he fucking thinks. You’re mine until I say otherwise, Laken. I claimed your virginity, and that makes your pussy mine. Got it?”

I narrowed my eyes. That macho bullshit wasn’t going to work. “Um, no. Last time I checked, it was attached to my body, and therefore it belongs to me. I just let you borrow it for a night.”

He arched a brow.

“All right. Two nights.” My cheeks flushed.

“Laken, what the fuck is going on?” Flicker asked. “I told you to keep your ass at home. If I’d thought you were going to run off, I’d have left a Prospect guarding the damn door.”

“She lives with you?” Ryker asked.

“She’s my sister, asshole. Of course she fucking lives with me,” Flicker said.

Ryker tensed. He turned to face me, and his eyes had turned ice cold. I’d never seen such a hard look on his face before, and I wasn’t certain if I was facing the Marine or the biker. But he definitely wasn’t my Ryker in that moment.

“You knew who I was that night, didn’t you? Did you deliberately stick your ass in my face, hoping I’d take the bait?” he demanded, his tone harsh and unforgiving.

“What?” My eyes went wide. He thought I’d what? Set out to trap him?

“So what was your endgame, Laken? You wanted to be Hades Abyss royalty and thought you’d lure me in?

Or were you trying to sweeten the deal I had with your brother’s club?

Because they threw enough club sluts my way that you weren’t really necessary.

Or was I supposed to be captivated by your virgin pussy?

” His eyes narrowed. “Please tell me you took a fucking morning-after pill.”

My heart was hammering so hard I could hear it, and I was certain everyone else did too.

I took a step back, the sack in my hand crinkling as I tightened my grip.

Ryker reached for it, but I gasped and took off running.

No way was I telling him about the baby now.

Not if that’s what he thought of me. Tears blurred my vision as I ran, and a sob caught in my throat.

I’d had no delusions of a happy ever after with him, but it hurt to know he thought I was capable of such a thing.

If I’d had any idea who he was that night, I’d had avoided him like the damn plague.

The last thing I needed in my life was another asshole biker.

I heard someone calling my name, but I didn’t stop.

I ran until my lungs burned, and as I turned to look over my shoulder, I took a misstep and fell off the curb.

The wind was knocked out of me as I crashed onto the street, and I heard the screech of tires and a horn honking.

I tried to stand, tried to get out of the way, but all I did was give the driver a larger target.

The car slammed into my side and sent me flying.

My head cracked against the pavement when I landed, and everything fucking hurt.

“Laken!” I heard my brother roar my name, and then he was kneeling over me. “Laken, Jesus. Please tell me you’re okay.”

“Hurts,” I managed to croak.

My prescription sack had fallen to the pavement. “She dropped this,” a stranger said.

I heard sirens in the background and knew that things must be even worse than I thought. There was warmth seeping into my clothes and I didn’t understand where it was coming from. Before I could figure anything out, everything went black.