Page 48 of Property of Bones

Then again, maybe it’s just the adrenaline of the past twenty-four hours.

“How are you feeling today, Sunny?” Riley asks. “I wasn’t expecting you out of the bed for another couple of days.”

“She’s not supposed to be,” snaps a voice like gravel soaked in gasoline.

I jump.

Jack.

He sounds furious. Dark eyes locked on me like I just danced across a minefield.

“How thefuckdid you get down those steps, Sunny?”

I blink at him, shrug, and offer the only answer I’ve got.

“Uhm... I walked? Slowly?”

Okay, but seriously, what else was I supposed to say? I don’t like to lie.

“In my defense,” I begin, hands up like I’m surrendering to the Biker Brigade Court of Law, “I took the meds you left for me and waited a whole hour. But Ireallyhad to pee.”

I glance between Riley, Abby, and Jack. Riley and Abby look concerned. Jack looks like he might spontaneously combust.

“So, I got up. Only to realize that I had no idea where the bathroom was. By the time I found it, my stomach was screaming at me for food. Probably because of the pills. So, I very carefully made my way downstairs and found a banana.”

Pause. Deep breath.

“And then I figured goingupthe stairs would be a lot harder than coming down... so I just came out here to sit on the porch. I wasn’t sure how long you would be gone and I didn’t want to be a bother. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

I tack on a smile for good measure.

You know…theplease don’t murder mekind.

“Uhm, we’re just going to go check on the baby,” Riley says, rising from her seat with a grace that feels... intentional. Measured. “Is it alright if we bring over lunch?”

I open my mouth to say yes, of course, that sounds great, only to realize she’s not looking at me.

She’s looking at Jack.

Jack.

It should bother me. It really should. The fact that she’s askinghispermission to spend lunch withme.Like I need a babysitter. Or a guard dog. Or some kind of medical/biker parole officer.

But weirdly… it doesn’t.

I don’t know why.

Maybe because I’m starting to understand that Jack’s the kind of man people look to when things go sideways.

Maybe because I’ve never had someone like that in my corner before.

Or maybe because it doesn’t feel like control.

It feels like protection.

And that’s… new.

Jack nods, just once, and the tension in Riley and Abby seems to melt like butter on a hot skillet. They both smile, then slip away toward the house to our right, leaving me alone with the big, broody biker who’s currently staring at me like I personally punched him in the soul.

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