Page 18 of A Kingpin’s Weakness

My eyes stared out into the dark, watching the wind shift in the trees like it held answers.

My mind wandered to Noah. Where he was. What he was doing.

Probably out with the same crew that got him caught up the first time.

Jo wasn’t gonna keep him out of trouble.

Hell, Jo couldn’t even keep herself out of trouble.

Maybe I should stay. Maybe if he won’t come with me, I’ll come back here, but only if I can get my own place. There’s no way in hell I could live under Jo’s roof with all her damn drama.

Seth and I stayed on the phone for the next few hours.

Not constantly talking, just there. Connected.

Sometimes that’s all you need. Someone on the other end, breathing, existing with you in the same quiet space.

He handled his business, moving through meetings and S3.

I cooked dinner, ate alone in the kitchen, then curled up on the couch with some Netflix noise while I waited for Noah to walk through the door.

He never did. At 9 p.m., he sent a quick text:

Staying at a friend’s house. Catch you later. No explanation. No check-in.

I stared at the message longer than I should’ve, then told Seth I was tired and calling it a night. After we hung up, I called RJ because that’s what I always did when the world felt unsteady. I filled him in on the weekend. On Seth.

RJ had a radar for bullshit when it came to men. He liked maybe two of my exes, and even those he side-eyed at times. But with Seth? Something was different. RJ was actually here for it, and if I wanted to explore whatever we had going on, he’d support it.

And that meant something. Because if Seth wasn’t just another “right now,”

maybe… just maybe he could be a “what’s next.”

Later that Night

“I see I’m going to have to teach you how to respect me.”

The voice sliced through the darkness like a knife. At first, I thought I was dreaming but the pressure on my throat was real. I couldn’t breathe.

Panic lit up every nerve in my body. My limbs flailed, kicking, swinging fighting but the weight on top of me was too strong. All I could see was a shadow. A faceless monster holding me down.

Shit. Stormi, did you forget the dresser? Did you even lock the door? My lungs screamed for air. My heart pounded in my ears. A scream got caught in my throat as tears spilled from my eyes. I was drowning in my own bedroom.

Then his voice cut through again, low and cruel. “Stormi, you hear me?”

It was Ronnie. He let go of my throat, only to pin my wrists down, his face finally visible in the pale moonlight.

“Get the fuck off me, Ronnie! Have you lost your rabbit-ass mind?”

His eyes didn’t flinch. “See, yesterday you thought you had a choice. But the truth is, you don’t.”

“You got me fucked up.”

“No, baby girl. You got it twisted. You will be mine. I promise you that.”

I twisted under him, legs kicking at the sheets. “Fuck you. Let me go, Ronnie.”

“Or what?” he asked, grinning like this was some kind of game.

“I’ll scream.”

He laughed like I’d just told a joke. “Them motherfuckers in there so high, you think they’ll care? You think Jo gonna come save you? That woman can’t save herself.”

He was right. Jo was probably strung out on the couch or passed out in her room. My screams would echo through the hallway and fall dead on the floor.

“I know you gonna be amazing,” he whispered, voice turning sick. “Pure. Untouched. I should call you Mary.”

My stomach turned. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. My body went still; not because I gave up, but because I was too afraid of what he might do if I moved the wrong way.

Is this it? Is this how I lose my virginity? Under this man’s control, like I’m some object to take? My chest tightened again not from his hands this time, but from a full-blown panic attack. The air in the room felt thin. I was trapped.

“Ronnie, please,” I whispered, my voice small, cracked. “Please don’t do this.”

He stared at me for a beat, then finally released my wrists.

“You got 24 hours to let that nigga Seth know who you belong to,” he said coldly.

I belong to nobody. I wanted to scream. But right now, survival came first. He stood up like he’d just kissed me goodnight.

“Sweet dreams, Stormi.” He leaned in to kiss my lips. I jerked away at the last second, and he caught my neck instead. I felt his lips on my skin and swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

When he finally walked out, I didn’t even cry. I was too stunned. I launched out of bed, ran to the door, slammed it shut, and locked it. This time dragging the dresser in front like I should’ve done in the first place.

My body was trembling so bad I could barely hold my phone as I dialed RJ. He answered instantly.

“Hey, Stormi what’s wrong?”

“Ronnie, he just left my room.”

“Stormi, are you okay?”

“No. He choked me while I was asleep. I couldn’t even fucking breathe. He didn’t stop until he saw the tears.”

“Where is he now?”

“He left. I locked the door. The dresser’s in front of it now.”

“I’m on my way.”

I pressed the phone to my forehead, breathing hard. “How the fuck did I forget to lock the door? And slide the dresser?”

“You didn’t,” RJ said. “We were on the phone when you did it. That means he found another way in.”

I turned toward the open window, the curtain fluttering like a ghost. The window. Or someone else let him in. That made my skin crawl even worse.

“Stormi,” RJ said carefully, “maybe it’s time to go home. Noah’s doing better. You don’t need to stay in this chaos.”

“I want Noah to come back with me,” I whispered.

“Stormi, he’s not.”

I didn’t respond.

Maybe he was right. Maybe I was holding on to someone that didn’t want to be saved.

I glanced at the clock. 2:06 a.m. This was my life right now.

Trapped in a house with a predator, surrounded by people too broken to protect me.

I was done taking Ronnie’s threats lightly.

Next time, I might not be lucky enough to get out with just a bruised neck and a sick feeling in my gut.

“You can always talk to Seth,” RJ offered.

“I’m not dragging him into my mess.”

“He’d end it. You know that.”

“They’re friends.”

“No, Stormi. Seth is Ronnie’s plug. That’s business. Far from friendship.”

I exhaled. “Still. Seth’s a hothead. And he has a son. He can’t afford this kind of trouble.”

“I’m pretty sure Seth has handled worse and came out clean.”

“That’s what scares me,” I whispered.

“What does?”

“His lifestyle. I don’t want to be a part of it. I’ve tried so hard to stay away from that life. I won’t survive it a second time.”

“I’m at the door, Stormi.”

“Okay.”

I hung up and practically sprinted to the front door.

“RJ”

The second it opened, I crashed into his arms like my body had been waiting for permission to fall apart.

“Stormi, you’re okay.”

“I hate it here. I really, really hate it here.” I cried, sounding like that exhausted teenage girl who was balancing a life she didn’t ask for.

“I know. I’m sorry I called you back.”

“I would’ve come back regardless.”

“Let’s get your stuff and go.”

Packing didn’t take long. One suitcase, one duffle. RJ grabbed both. I clutched my purse and phone like lifelines. The drive to his place was quiet; my brain wasn’t. I wanted to go home. Back to peace. But I wanted Noah to come too. And that complicated everything.

Ring. Ring.

I flinched. The sound of my phone sliced through the silence. My phone lit up on my lap like it had something to say before I was ready to hear it.

“Is that Ronnie?” RJ leaned forward, peering at the screen.

I shook my head. “No. Seth.”

“Did you call him?”

“No.”

“You gonna answer?”

I stared at the screen. My chest squeezed. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s gonna know something’s wrong.”

The phone stopped. My breath didn’t. Then it lit up again. Second call. Like he had this shit on a timer.

“What the fuck,” RJ muttered.

“You think he knows?” I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice cracked.

“How?”

“Shit, I don’t know.”

“Do y’all talk this late?”

“No. I told him earlier I was going to bed.” And I did. But sleep doesn’t visit again when you’re trying to outrun the monsters that linger at night.

Seth: Stormi stop playing with me.

I showed RJ the screen just as the third call came in. My heart dropped. He wasn’t letting this go.

“Just answer,” RJ said softly, like he knew I was unraveling.

I swallowed and hit accept.

“Hey.”

“Stormi, where you going?”

His voice was calm. Too calm. That kind of calm that comes right before something explodes.

“Huh?” I asked, even though I’d heard him. Every word hit like a pin to my ribs.

“I said where you going. It’s 2 a.m., and your location’s moving.”

I blinked. “How do you know where I am?”

“We share locations. You have mine too.”

I sat up. “Since when?”

“You never noticed?” he asked, sounding half-hurt, half-accusing. “Stormi, where are you going?”

“To RJ’s house.”

A beat of silence. “What happened?”

“Why do you think something happened?”

“You’re leaving your place at 2 a.m. to go to another dude’s house. Make it make sense.”

“Jo’s having a party. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Stormi.”

“Yeah?”

“Dinner tomorrow night.”

“I don’t know. I might be leaving tomorrow.”

“What time?”

“I gotta book the flight.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Noah’s better. I don’t need to stay here.”

We pulled up to RJ’s townhouse. He hadn’t even put the car in park when Ari burst through the door, barefoot and frantic.

“Stormi, you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

My stomach dropped.

“Hurt you?” His voice wasn’t calm anymore. It was glass cracking controlled, but splintering fast. “Stormi, what the fuck going on?”

“It’s nothing. That’s the TV,” I said quickly, hoping my lie sounded better out loud than it did in my head.

Seth’s voice came through the phone, low and smooth: “I’m pullin’ up.” The call cut out. I stared at the screen.

“He’s on his way,” I mumbled.

“Who?” Ari asked.

“Seth.”