Page 116 of Riot

Creed stood nearby, his usual stoicism dialed to max. And beside him, a tall, elegant woman with a blonde bob, I immediately recognized—Sloane. Riot had told me all about his brother had found true love and that I would be his date to their upcoming wedding.

I walked over fast, feet quiet on the tile.

Riot looked up and everything in his face softened. That was all the permission I needed. I slid into the seat next to him and placed a hand on his knee.

“You came,” he said, his voice a little rough.

“Of course I did.”

His leg bounced under my hand. He was holding something back. Riot never showed nerves. But right now, it was all over him—in the tight line of his jaw, the wildness in his eyes.

“She was acting out this morning. Saying wild shit… that people were trying to kill her. Talking about the past.” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “She was spiraling. But then… I hugged her.”

He looked at me, and I saw it. The moment he’d decided something wasn’t right.

“I smelled it.”

That stopped me.

“Smelled what?” I asked, my voice low.

“Cancer.” He said it flat, no hesitation. “It’s in her. Lungs maybe. Could be her brain. I don’t know. But I know what death smells like, and it’s all over her.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“I told her we were coming here, and she begged me not to. Said no more doctors. But fuck that. I’m not losing her on some technicality. I had to pay the doctor off just to get them to run real tests right away. They were trying to brush her off like she was just old and tired.”

Sloane stepped forward. Her voice was smooth as silk, but her eyes were sharp. “They’re running a full panel now. MRI. PET scan. Bloodwork. Everything.”

“I pulled some strings,” she added, glancing at Riot. “And if they find anything, she’s staying here.”

I squeezed Riot’s hand. “You did the right thing.”

His face twitched, like he was trying not to feel anything, but the way his fingers curled around mine told me more than he ever would out loud.

“I’m not ready to lose her,” he said finally, barely above a whisper.

“I know,” I whispered back.

He stood suddenly, looking at Creed. “Let’s go talk. We got too much shit coming up to let this fall apart.”

Creed nodded and followed him down the hall.

I stayed back with Sloane, who gave me a look that was part curiosity, part approval.

“You’re Allure, right?”

I nodded. “And you’re Sloane.”

She offered a small smile. “Nice to finally meet you. He talks about you.”

That caught me off guard. “He does?”

“All the time.”

I looked down the hall where Riot had disappeared and felt my heart catch.

He talked about me.

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