Chapter 228: Try And Run

>>Riona

I lifted the tray slightly. “Getting more drinks,” I said after altering my voice, afraid he might recognize my voice like I recognized his.

I prayed it was convincing enough.

Niall’s brows furrowed. Then he took a step forward.

I straightened my back instinctively, my grip tightening around the tray as my pulse throbbed in my ears.

Another step.

He was studying me now, looking at me longer than I liked. I could feel it, the way his gaze lingered on my face, like something was nagging at him.

I turned away, reaching for the door handle again.

“You didn’t introduce yourself,” he said.

My fingers curled into a fist.

I forced a small smile, tilting my head just enough to look at him without giving him a full view of my face. “Didn’t think I needed to,” I replied, keeping my tone light. “I’m just a server.”

Niall didn’t respond right away.

Then, just as I thought I was in the clear, he moved.

Another step closer.

Too close.

I could feel the heat of him now, the presence of someone who had once known me—who could still know me, if he just looked a little harder.

I had to leave.

I turned sharply. But his hand shot out, fingers curling loosely around my wrist.

I went rigid. The tray dropped from my hand and everything fell on the floor, much of it shattering.

The room felt too small, too stifling.

“Wait a minute!” He stared at me as I tried to hide my face with my hair, letting the locks cover me. “You-” He reached out towards my face, his fingers going to remove my locks from my face.

His hold wasn’t tight, but it was enough to stop me. The second Niall’s grip loosened, I ripped my wrist free and bolted.

I heard him curse behind me.

“Hey—!”

I didn’t wait. I shoved the door open and slipped out into the main casino floor, weaving through tables and gamblers, my pulse a wild drum in my ears. The air was thick with cigarette smoke, laughter, and the chiming of slot machines, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heels against the carpet and the rapid footsteps following behind me.

“Riona!” He called out my name

My breath hitched.

He knew. Of course he knew! He saw me!!

I didn’t dare turn back. I pushed forward, slipping between two men at a blackjack table, ignoring their annoyed grunts.

“Stop running!” Niall’s voice was closer than I expected. I twisted to the side, barely dodging a waiter carrying a tray of drinks, then ducked behind a group gathered around a roulette table.

I needed to lose him.

“Riona, stop!” His voice rang out over the noise of the casino. “I just want to talk!”

Like hell. He’s a cop! He’s going to put me back in jail!!!

I spotted an opening near the high-roller section and sprinted toward it, slipping through the golden curtains before the guards could notice. The room was dimly lit, quieter than the rest of the casino, but I didn’t get far before I heard him again.

“Damn it, Riona!”

I ran past the poker tables, ignoring the surprised glances from the elite gamblers, then burst through the exit doors into a hallway lined with VIP rooms.

I could hear him gaining on me.

I turned a sharp corner—

And nearly slammed into Riker.

His eyes flicked over me, his sharp instincts kicking in instantly. Then he looked past me, saw Niall barreling through the hallway.

“What the hell—”

“No time,” I breathed, gripping his arm for balance before pushing off again.

I barely made it three steps before I heard Riker’s voice behind me.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Move,” Niall barked.

I glanced back just in time to see Riker’s expression shift, his stance immediately changing. He immediately knew what was off and came running after us.

I burst out of the hallway and onto the main casino floor, where the crowd swallowed me whole.

It was packed. A sea of people, shoulder to shoulder, moving between tables, cashing in chips, laughing, drinking, losing, winning—it was absolute chaos. The scent of alcohol, sweat, and cigarette smoke clung to the air. I forced myself to keep moving, dodging past a group of businessmen at the craps table, squeezing between a couple wrapped up in each other, slipping past a drunk woman waving a handful of bills in victory.

Behind me, I heard him.

“Riona, don’t—!” I ignored Niall’s voice and kept going. “Don’t go that way!” he shouted, more desperate this time. “There’s someone here you won’t wanna see!”

My heart pounded.

I didn’t know what he meant. I didn’t care.

I needed to get away.

I shoved through a tight circle of men watching a poker game, muttering rushed apologies, and darted past a security guard who barely spared me a glance. Niall was still coming after me, his footsteps heavy behind me, his breath ragged.

"Riona!" he called again.

I didn't stop.

I turned sharply, nearly colliding with a waitress carrying a tray of champagne. The glasses wobbled, liquid sloshing dangerously close to spilling, but I twisted my body just in time and kept running. I heard the crash behind me—the tray must have gone down—but I didn't dare look back.

Niall was still there, pushing through the crowd, shoving people out of the way. He was bigger than me, stronger. He didn’t have to weave through the crowd—he just bulldozed through.

But there was someone else too.

Riker.

I caught a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye. He was trying to catch up, his expression tight, his sharp gaze locked onto Niall. But the crowd was working against him.

Unlike Niall, Riker didn’t have the luxury of throwing people aside. He tried pushing through, dodging, maneuvering—but every time he gained ground, a body moved into his way, slowing him down. A woman in heels stumbled into his path, forcing him to steady her. A group of men laughing loudly cut him off, oblivious to the chase happening right beside them.

I didn't have time to worry about him.

I needed to focus.

I was almost there.

The exit was just ahead—so close I could feel the cool draft of the night air sneaking in through the slightly open doors. If I could just push through the last few feet, past the last table, past the last few bodies between me and freedom, I could disappear.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

!!!

A strong hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me back with enough force that I nearly lost my balance. My breath hitched as my momentum died instantly, my body jolting to a stop. Before I could even think to struggle, another hand grabbed my other wrist, trapping me completely.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

“Niall.”

He stood in front of me, his grip firm but not bruising. His face was set, his dark brows furrowed, his chest rising and falling heavily from the chase. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. His gaze locked onto mine, eyes scanning my face like he was trying to make sure I was real.

I twisted in his grip, trying to yank my arms away, but he didn’t let me go.

"Let me go," I hissed, my voice lower, harsher than I meant it to be.

He didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t loosen his hold.

“Riona…” His voice was quiet, but there was something raw in it. A tightness, a disbelief. He looked at me like he was seeing a ghost.

I clenched my jaw.

I had been prepared for a lot of things tonight. But not this. Not him. Not Niall standing in front of me, holding me like I would disappear if he let go.

His fingers tightened slightly.

“You just… vanished,” he said. “I thought—” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “You were gone, Riona. You were gone, and now—now you’re here, standing right in front of me.” He smirked, but I found that smile of his very nasty, “It was you in the hospital too, wasn’t it?”

!!!

My heart dropped at his words, “What?” My voice cracked on the last word.

“The one pretending to be a nurse in Milo’s room. It was you, wasn’t it?” His eyes pierced into me.

I refused to look at him. How did he know?! How! I tried to be so careful!

Refused to let myself feel anything about this.

“Niall, let go of me,” I said again, keeping my tone even, ignoring the way my pulse was hammering against my skin.

But he didn’t, “I should have caught you there!” He stared at me, his grip steady, his expression unreadable, “If only I had-” He didn’t get to complete his words

Riker reached us in seconds.

He grabbed Niall by the collar, yanking him away from me with enough force to make him stumble. “Get your hands off her,” Riker growled, his fist already pulling back, ready to strike.

But before he could throw the punch—

The sound of a slap cut through the air.

!?!?

Sharp. Loud. Final.

All three of us froze.

My heart stopped, then started again too fast, slamming against my ribs as my head jerked toward the noise. The chaos of the casino floor faded into the background. The flashing lights, the hum of conversation, the clatter of chips—all of it disappeared the moment my eyes locked onto the scene at a nearby table.

And I saw her

Ava.

My sister sat there, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her face turned away from the man sitting across from her.

And then I saw him

Milo.

A sick, twisting sensation curled in my stomach.

Ava and Milo. Together. They were both at a table together.

My vision blurred at the edges, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. I felt Niall shift beside me, but I barely registered it. The entire world had narrowed to that one table, to the moment Ava turned back, her expression unreadable.

I took a step forward, my pulse roaring in my ears.

What the hell was she doing here? What the hell are they both doing here together?!