Page 51 of Havoc

He grunted. “That’s ‘cause guys aren’t supposed to talk about their fuckin’ feelings. Comes off weird.”

I laughed. “No, it doesn’t. Where did you even get that idea?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Just... doesn’t always come naturally.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. But still—thank you. You deserve appreciation.”

He reached for my hand again, and we started back down the trail. At the waterfall, we stopped, this time staying outside. I settled on one of the sun-warmed rocks and hugged my knees, listening to the rush of water. Havoc eased down beside me, resting his forearms on his thighs.

“You can ask,” I said quietly.

He glanced sideways at me. “Ask what?”

“If Slater and I were ever a thing. If we had sex. If I did something to trigger his obsession. They’re valid questions. I’d want to know if I were you.”

He turned his head, meeting my eyes. “That’s not my business. None of that justifies what he did. You said no. He didn’t listen. That’s all I need to know. I’ll beat his ass for it, if I ever get the chance.”

I swallowed hard. “There was never anything between us. Like I told you and Storm—he just showed up one day and wouldn’t leave me alone.”

He nodded. “Doesn’t matter if he was an ex, or a friend with benefits, or if you’d flirted with him once five years ago. No means no. The only thing your innocence does is make him look even worse.”

I looked down at my knees, fighting the old guilt that still whispered in the back of my mind. “Rationally, I know that. I’ve told clients that a thousand times. But it’s hard not to feel like... like I brought it on myself somehow. Like I wasn’t alert enough, didn’t draw a hard enough line early on.”

Havoc’s voice dropped, low and fierce. “You couldn’t have predicted this, Riley. He’s a wild card. They don’t play by rules. They pretend to be nice until it suits them not to be.”

“He seemed so normal at first,” I whispered. “Helpful. Offered to walk me to my car after work. And then when I didn’t respond how he wanted, everything shifted. Got mean. Got dark. And I didn’t catch on fast enough.”

“You’re not the problem,” Havoc said, his tone absolute. “He is.”

“I didn’t understand what was happening until he had me up against my car, pulling at my shirt. And I still couldn’t believe it, you know? Cops are supposed to be safe. It felt like the ground gave out under me.”

“You fought back,” he said, his arm coming around me. “You screamed. You kicked. And you got away. That’s what matters.”

“I think if Dae hadn’t been there... if she hadn’t yelled and recorded him... I might not have made it out of that parking lot.”

He held me tighter. “But you did. And now he has a whole club coming for him.”

A chill breeze moved through the clearing, tugging at my hair. I glanced up. The clouds overhead had darkened.

“Looks like rain,” I said. “We should probably head back.”

He nodded, rising and offering his hand. I took it, and we stood facing each other in the soft wind.

“I feel like something broke inside me when that happened,” I whispered. “Like maybe... my faith in the world. In people.”

He pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my head. “Of course it did. He betrayed every part of what he was supposed to stand for. But you’ll heal, Riley. You’re strong. And you’re not alone.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, I almost believed that was true.

Chapter 16

Havoc

By the time we reached the cabin, something felt wrong. I sensed it before I saw it—like the way the air stills before a storm, the quiet creeping into your bones. The birds had gone silent. No rustling in the brush. Just silence, thick as fog.

Riley froze beside me, wide-eyed. She felt it too. I raised one hand, palm out, to keep her behind me. My other hand slid to my waist, fingers curling over the holster there.

That’s when I saw it—the outline of a patrol car creeping along the driveway, half-shielded by trees and brush. It moved slowly, too slowly. Deliberate. My gut twisted. Slater.

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