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Riley didn’t recognize the man as he cupped Kristi’s head and tipped her face back into the light. Kristi let him twist her every which way as he inspected her, two fingers at her throat.

“Aaron… I’m fine.” Her voice was soft and low.

He brushed a thumb along her cheek. He snapped his gaze to Saint. “I asked you a question.”

“There have been some developments,” Saint said, and tension rippled through him. Saint held Riley, his hands soft, but they were the only things that were.

Kristi’s eyes found Riley’s, and the naked confusion she found pulled her out of Saint’s arms.

“Can everyone settle down for a second and explain what’s going on?” Riley’s voice bounced pathetically around the loft.

Wheeler watched Saint and Aaron and gave her a strained smile. He didn’t look boyish or kind. He looked ready.

He slid forward, careful as she’d ever seen him, and grabbed a puddle of fabric off the back of the couch. He handed the sweater to Kristi, careful not to touch her with Aaron’s fingers still at her throat.

Kristi clutched the hoodie to her chest and wriggled out of Aaron’s grip. “I’m just going to… put this on now…” Kristi tugged the fabric over her head.

“There was an incident…” Wheeler started tentatively, looking to Saint for confirmation.

“Speak faster,” Aaron snapped, and Riley stayed still and small.

Saint remained silent and monitored every breath Aaron took, somehow beside Riley again. Saint’s caution scared her more than anything else had in the last twenty-four hours.

I underestimated them.

“Gio tried to drug me, and Kristi took the drink instead,” Riley blurted.

Aaron’s eyes slid to her, and the floor moved like she was looking down from a great height.

“Tell me more.”

The impulse to spill every thought that crossed her mind hit her with surprising strength.

“Aaron,” Saint said in a quiet reprimand. It did nothing to stop her mammalian brain screaming that she was looking at a predator. That she should run.

Aaron was the scariest among them, hiding behind posh clothes and a soft voice.

Aaron’s in tech.

Yeah. Right.

Riley’s legs quivered and the words tumbled from her mouth.

“We went out. And then Nico was there, it was awkward, and then Gio showed up, and Nico said he was going to apologize and—and it got… worse.” Riley brought her hands up to her lips.

Saint brushed a hand over her shoulder, and she stepped to the side.

“We handled it, got them out. No bloodshed. What’s the urgency, Aaron?” Saint’s voice was low and steady, and it seemed to settle around the five of them, calming the prickling anxiety that filled the room. No one moved.

“We’ve drawn attention.”

The temperature in the room plummeted again, and Kristi’s eyes flicked to Riley’s and then to Saint’s.

Something shifted on her face, and her cocky grin tipped the corner of her mouth.

“Good attention?” she asked, looking at Aaron. “Hmm. Bad attention,” she decided. “Who could it be? Mob? Bikers? Cops? Who else…” She flicked each one off on her fingers.

Riley blinked at her. Who has no instincts about danger? Wheeler walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard, rustling through it.