Page 35

RIOT

When I pulled up outside the brownstone, she was already on the steps waiting for me.

Allure looked good. That soft pink dress from the boutique hugged her curves like it was made for her.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and my dick twitched just from the way she smiled.

I leaned across the seat, pushed the door open, and let her slide in.

Her smell enraptured me when she leaned in to kiss me, I grabbed a handful of her thigh and kissed her back passionately.

She exhaled, smoothing her hand over mine. “You think she’s okay?”

“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “I”m sure her father is pissed at her for letting you get away. He’s probably put two and two together and figured you were the one to snitch to the cops. There’s no proof of that. I handled that.”

Allure’s face tightened. She looked out the window, lips pursed, mind probably racing through everything Irina had done for her. Risking her ass to sneak her out. Only for Allure to disappear as soon as she got a chance.

“I hope she’s not too mad at me.”

“She’ll get over it.”

We pulled up to Rollo’s spot and parked in the back. He met us at the door, tension already sitting on his shoulders like a loaded weapon.

“She’s in the den,” he said. “But… brace yourself. She’s not doing good.”

We walked inside, and as soon as I saw Irina, I felt the air shift.

Her eye was swollen shut. Purple and deep.

The skin around it looked ready to split again.

She had a fresh bandage wrapped around her head and was pacing the room like her thoughts were chewing her alive.

She looked crazy. I felt bad for her because I knew that her father did this to her.

How the fuck could someone do this to their own flesh and blood.

But then it hit me, I wasn’t too much different…

Allure rushed forward. “Irina, oh my god, what happened?”

Irina turned on her so fast it made me take a step forward.

“This is your fault!” she screamed, voice shrill and cracking.

“What?”

“You fucking left that night! You got me in trouble!”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he would do this to you,” Allure pleaded

Irina’s eyes flared, bloodshot and wild, her bandaged head tilting as she sneered.

“You want to know what happened, Allure? My father had Avi hold me down and cut off part of my fucking ear. Then he beat me until I couldn’t stand.

That’s what happened. And you, Riot! I know you killed my brother Raz and my cousin!

They pulled their bodies out of the river. My father is pissed.”

Allure gasped, stumbling back like the air had been punched out of her lungs. “What? No, Irina…”

“They dragged me out the house. Threw my shit on the street like I was a dog. I’ve been cut off. No money, no protection. Nothing.”

Allure’s hands flew to her mouth, eyes filling with tears. “Irina, I’m so sorry.”

But Irina wasn’t done. She stepped forward, finger shaking, her voice rising with every word. “Sorry? Sorry doesn’t put my life back together. Sorry doesn’t fix my goddamn face. Sorry doesn’t erase what you started!”

“I didn’t start this…”

“You did!” Irina’s voice cracked into a scream as she swung on her. The first slap caught Allure across the cheek, sharp and raw. The next one never landed.

I moved in quick, grabbing Irina by the collar of her jacket and yanking her back so hard her feet scraped the hardwood. I slammed her against the wall and let her drop to the floor like trash. She stumbled, wide-eyed and breathless, looking up at me like I was the devil come to collect.

“Touch her again,” I growled, voice low and deadly, “and I will drag you to the fucking curb and stomp your head through the concrete. Don’t fuckin’ test me, Irina. I don’t play about her.”

Allure was behind me, still stunned, cradling the side of her face. I felt her hands graze my back, trying to pull me off that dark edge, but I wasn’t done.

“You want the truth?” I snapped, turning back to Irina. “Yeah. I handled your brother. Raz was a pervert. Just like your father. Same sick blood in his veins. Same twisted taste for young girls. I don’t regret it, and if I had to do it again, I’d do it ten times over.”

Irina collapsed onto her knees, shaking, her sobs ripping out of her chest like they were breaking free from years of denial.

“They were my family,” she cried. “I have nothing left now. Nothing. Look at me! Look at my fucking ear!”

I didn’t look. I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t care, but because I’d seen worse. I’d done worse. And sometimes justice wasn’t clean. Sometimes it came with blood and screams and broken pieces.

But I knew one thing for certain.

Allure wasn’t going to carry the guilt for Irina’s pain. Not when the real monsters were still walking free.

I stepped back and reached for Allure, pulling her into my chest, letting her hide from the mess behind me. She didn’t need to see Irina like that. Didn’t need to take on another ounce of weight that wasn’t hers to hold.

“You’re safe,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Ain’t nobody gonna touch you.”

Not Boaz. Not Avi. Not even the girl who once saved her.

Behind me, Irina’s sobs had turned to gasps. Choked, guttural things that sounded like they were trying to claw their way out her throat. I didn’t care. Not after what she did. But Rollo stepped up, his voice low and calm like a man trying to stop a fuse from sparking the dynamite.

“Yo, Riot. Chill,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Let me handle it.”

I didn’t move at first. I kept my grip on Allure, jaw clenched, body hot with the kind of rage that could take me somewhere I didn’t want her to see. But Rollo’s voice broke through.

“She’s broken right now. But we can still use her.”

I pulled back from Allure slowly, making sure she was steady before I turned to face Irina again.

She was curled up on the floor, hair a mess, face wet, her one good eye was locked on the floor. The bandage on her head was soaked through at the edges. Her hands trembled as she tried to pull herself together, but it was clear, she was on the edge of something dark and steep.

Rollo crouched beside her. “Listen to me. You want to feel better? You want to make this right? Help us. Give us what we need. You know Boaz. You know how he moves. Where he hides. Who he calls. If you give us that, we’ll take him down. And we’ll protect you. And we’ll compensate you.”

Irina looked up slowly, her lip trembling. “What? You’ll pay me to betray my own family?”

“This ain’t about money,” I cut in. “This is about survival. Your father left you out there to die. You’re not family to him anymore. You’re a liability.”

She let out a bitter laugh, half-crazed, like she was unraveling right in front of us. “He once said I was his jewel. His little princess,” she murmured, eyes glassy. “Then he had Avi slice off part of my ear and throw me in the fucking street.”

Allure flinched beside me.

I stayed quiet. There wasn’t a damn thing to say to that.

Rollo pressed. “You want to get back at him? Then help us. Otherwise, you’re out here with no money, no allies, no power.”

Irina’s whole body went stiff, then she shoved Rollo’s hand off her shoulder and stood.

“No,” she spat. “I pick me. That’s it. That’s all.”

And just like that, she stormed out. Slammed the door so hard the picture frames on the hallway wall rattled.

Rollo cursed under his breath and turned to me. “I’ll go after her. Try to calm her down.”

“You better,” I said. My voice was low, calm, but lethal. “Because if she becomes a problem, I’ll handle it my way. And next time, I won’t just throw her across the room.”

Rollo nodded. He knew I meant that shit. I wasn’t making threats. I was making promises.

He grabbed his keys and went after her.

The silence that followed was thick. Allure still hadn’t said a word. She stood there with her arms folded across her stomach like she was trying to hold herself together.

I reached for her hand again. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

She nodded. Quiet. But she came with me.

Whatever Irina was now, she wasn’t their problem to carry anymore.