Page 69 of SINS & Riley (Dante & Riley #2)

RILEY

T he back door slams open, and my instincts take over.

I don’t care who it is. Andre. The Keenans. God help them if they come near these kids.

Misha’s on one side of the room, Katya on the other.

I shove Dominic toward Misha, then lunge for Katya, hauling her under me as we huddle in the corner. The room scatters. Somehow, everyone here knows the drill and hides.

The curtain stirs. A man steps through.

Dante.

My breath comes ragged, panic misfiring in every direction. The words tear out, raw and misplaced. “You followed me?”

He doesn’t even blink.

Two strides and I’m airborne, scooped into his arms, cradled like I weigh nothing. His chest is iron against me, his voice rumbling in my ear.

“I’m always following you.”

He presses a hard kiss to my temple, and my heart stutters. For once, I’m grateful.

He jerks his chin at Dominic. “I’ve got the van out back. We’re all going. Now.”

* * *

By the time we reach the hospital, my nerves are shredded raw.

Everything blurs.

Doors slam. Nurses rush me down a hall. Monitors shriek. A cuff bites into my arm, wires snake across my belly, sticky and cold against my skin.

The world spins out of control and I’m so delirious, I swear I hear Dante’s voice. “Can you do a paternity test?”

That can’t be right.

The nurse replies. “Yes. She’s far enough along.”

What?

He knows he’s the only man I’ve ever been with. So why the hell would he?—?

The fury’s right there, ready to ignite. But I choke it down. Because I’m the basket case unraveling, and at the moment, he’s the one holding me together.

If this is what he needs to stay, to fight for me, then fuck it—he can have it.

I can’t confront him now. Not when I’m clinging by a thread.

The second the nurses and doctor slip out, it’s just us. His arms crush me close, like if he holds tight enough, he can keep me from scattering into pieces.

Tears streak hot down my face, my chest jerking against his shirt. “It’s too soon.” The words rip out, jagged. “I can’t—” My breath stumbles. “I can’t have the baby now.”

“Shh.” His mouth brushes my hair as he rocks me.

And we wait.