Page 124 of Monster Mania

“Easy.” Mayhem held her without tightening his grip. “It’s me.” She struggled harder. “Delaney, look at me.”

Her frightened gaze found his, and recognition slowly pushed through the terror. “Mayhem?”

“Yeah. We’re at the clubhouse,” he breathed.

She stopped fighting, but her breathing remained fast and shallow. “I passed out.”

“For a minute,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You don’t apologize for passing out,” he insisted. Her gaze moved beyond him and landed on Riot, and Mayhem felt her body tense. Riot noticed too, and he immediately moved farther away, giving her a clear path to the open gate.

“Delaney, this is Doc,” Mayhem said. “He’s the person I told you about.” Doc was in his late fifties, with graying hair and a permanent expression of disapproval. He’d served as an army medic before earning his nursing degree. The club trusted him with their lives—and with the bodies they occasionally needed patched up without questions.

“Hello, Delaney,” Doc said. “May I examine you?”

Her fingers curled into Mayhem’s shirt. “Is he really a doctor?”

“Close enough,” Doc grumbled.

“He’s a registered nurse,” Mayhem explained. “He worked in emergency medicine for almost twenty years.”

“And I’m standing right here and can answer for myself,” Doc added. Delaney glanced toward the clubhouse. The music had stopped. Several men had gathered in the doorway, watching them. There were too many eyes.

Mayhem turned his head. “Clear the main room.” No one moved. The authority to issue orders belonged to Monster and his vice president. Mayhem could discipline members and handle club security, but he couldn’t empty the clubhouse during a Saturday night party without an explanation.

Riot stepped forward. “You heard him,” he said. “Out back or upstairs. Move.” The men obeyed. They might have questioned Mayhem’s authority in this situation, but no one questioned Riot when he used that particular tone. As road captain, he controlled every run the club made. One wrong decision from him could leave a brother stranded, arrested, or dead. Within seconds, the doorway emptied, and Mayhem looked at Riot. Riot shrugged. “You were taking too long.” There it was—the arrogance that made Mayhem want to either punch him or kiss him—sometimes both. Hell, usually both.

Delaney’s gaze moved between them. Even bruised and barely conscious, she seemed to notice the tension. Mayhem carried her inside. The Madhouse rarely looked inviting. The main room contained a long bar, several battered leather couches, pool tables, and enough Toxic Monsters memorabilia to frighten any law-abiding citizen. Orange lights and fake spiderwebs currently covered the walls. A plastic skeleton wearing a club vest sat at one end of the bar, and Someone had placed a beer in its hand.

Delaney stared at it.

“His name is Larry,” Riot said from behind them. “He prospects harder than most of the idiots around here.” A tiny smile touched her split lip. Mayhem disliked how quickly Riot had earned it. He disliked even more that he understood why. Riot had always known how to make frightened people relax. He could walk into a tense room and have everyone laughing within minutes. Mayhem had spent most of his life developing the opposite effect.

Doc led them to the medical room. “You’ll have to put her on the table.”

Mayhem lowered Delaney onto the padded examination table. When he tried to step away, she caught his wrist. “Stay.” One word shouldn’t have affected him. It shouldn’t have slipped beneath his ribs and wrapped around something he’d buried years ago.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

Doc pulled on a pair of gloves. “I need to ask you some questions, Delaney. Mayhem can remain if you want him here.”

Her gaze moved toward the doorway. Riot stood there with his arms folded over his chest. “And him?” she asked.

Riot straightened. “I can leave,” he offered.

“Who is he?” she asked.

“Riot,” Mayhem answered.

“The one you mentioned earlier?” she asked.

“You mentioned me? I must be pretty unforgettable,” Riot said. Mayhem shot him a warning look. “What?” Riot asked. “She remembered that you mentioned me.”

Delaney studied Riot for a moment. “Are you another officer?”

“Road captain,” he said.