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“That was Bill.”

That got everybody’s attention immediately. Bill worked dispatch over at the station and liked club money more than police work.

“They found the Kings dumped in the alley.”

“Cops asking questions about us?” Tiny asked.

“Not yet,” Shadow replied before his eyes shifted toward me. “But they talked to the clinic this morning.”

Maria. The thought brought back that same strange, tight feeling of warmth in my chest from the night before. I ignored it.

“The nurse?” Reaper asked with a grin. “Good fuckin’ luck.”

Shadow pointed his whiskey bottle toward me. “Go make sure she keeps her fuckin’ mouth shut.”

Reaper smirked immediately. “Careful, Riot. Little nurse got attitude.”

“Yeah,” Ghost muttered. “Think she scared Shadow.”

“Shut the fuck up before I knock your concussed ass unconscious for real,” Shadow snapped.

Ghost only grinned wider.

I grabbed my keys from the table.

“Handle it,” Shadow ordered.

I nodded once and turned toward the door before his voice stopped me again.

“And Riot?”

I looked back.

“If she gives you trouble,” he said coldly, “remind her who the fuck we are.”

5

RIOT

The ride to the clinic should’ve cleared my head. Usually, the bike helped. Wind in my face. Engine vibrating beneath me. Miles of empty road to burn through whatever bullshit was sitting too heavy in my chest, but not that day. That day, all I could see were sharp brown eyes glaring at me over blue latex gloves while she told Shadow to sit the fuck down like she wasn’t surrounded by six bleeding bikers.

Maria.

By the time I pulled up outside the clinic, tension sat between my shoulders hard enough to ache.

A different nurse was behind reception when I walked in. Younger than Maria. Nervous in that sharp, twitchy way people got around men wearing kuttes.

The second she clocked my kutte, her posture changed.

“Maria around?”

She glanced toward the hallway. “She’s on break.”

“Out back?”

A quick nod.

I headed for the rear exit, boots thudding against old linoleum floors. Before I reached the door, voices drifted through the gap beside the frame.