Page 124 of Riot’s Revenge

“Maria.” His tone told me he wasn’t fucking around.

I finally lifted my eyes and saw the look on his face, and it hurt. Tears spilled down my cheeks.

“I fucked this up. I thought if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t worry. Thought I could deal with it before it ever got close to you.” His thumb moved slowly across the back of my hand. “I get it.”

I watched him for a moment. “Do you?”

“Yeah.” He released a heavy breath. “Should’ve told you.”

“Yes.”

“Should’ve trusted you with it.”

“Yes.”

His mouth twitched faintly. “You’re really gonna make me say all of it, ain’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

That almost earned me a smile before he became serious again. “From now on, I tell you everything.”

I studied his face, searching for a sign that he wasn’t being completely honest with me. “Everything?”

“Everything.”

“Even when you think I’ll worry?”

“Yeah.”

“Even when you think I’ll be safer not knowing?”

His jaw worked. I waited. Finally, he nodded. “Even then.”

“And when it’s club business?”

A pause.

“Anything that affects you, us or our home, you’ll know.”

That was fair. More than fair, considering the life we’d chosen. I searched his face for any hesitation, but there wasn’t any. “Okay.”

“One more thing . . .” I needed to ask, it would eat away at me otherwise.

Riot nodded once and waited.

“How come you keep coming home smelling of perfume?”

Riot’s brow furrowed, then I saw the confusion disappear and a smile appeared.

“I, uh, took one of your old scarfs and sprayed some of the perfume you used to wear on it to take with me in the nights because I missed you.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, and I saw his cheeks redden.

“Oh, I knew I remembered it from somewhere but was too caught up spiraling to recognize it. I’m sorry.”

I looked at his swollen eye, his split lip, the bruises covering his body, and something inside me cracked, because he was here and he was alive. I had spent so much time being angry with him that I’d almost forgotten how terrified I’d been that I might never get the chance. My eyes filled and Riot saw it immediately.

“Nurse.”

“Oh, shut up.” I stepped between his knees.