Page 15

Riot

I’d been dreading this conversation. Sixteen years in prison, and I was practically quaking in my boots because I had to tell a little slip of a woman what I’d done to go to prison.

Not only that, but I also had to find a balance between telling Caleb the raw, gritty truth, and shielding him from the harsher aspects of my reality.

Not to protect myself, though. To protect Caleb.

“You’re a hell of a woman, Violet.” Strange way to start this conversation, but that’s what popped out. I also didn’t miss the slight flush blossoming on her cheeks. “I’m going to give you all the information. Then you’re gonna tell me what you want me to tell Caleb.”

“All right.” She stood from the bed and crossed to the loveseat next to my chair, tucking one leg under her. “You said you were incarcerated for sixteen years.” She looked away and took in a shuddering breath. “I had a thirteen-year sentence.”

“We’re both out now,” I said immediately.

“And neither of us are goin’ back. Get me?

” I tried to keep my voice calm, but the way she looked at her marriage as a prison sentence was the final nail in my coffin.

And I wasn’t altogether certain I could make good on my statement.

I had a feeling I might well be going back to prison before this was over.

She gave me a small smile, adjusted her position, and cleared her throat. “I hope that’s true. I can’t…” She closed her eyes and gave a little shake of her head. “I can’t go back to him. I’ll do what I have to, to protect Caleb, but I can’t take him back to Doug.”

“You won’t have to.” I made my voice as firm as I could to get her attention. “If you believe nothing else, if there is nothing else I can ever do for you or that boy in this world, I promise, you’ll never have go to back to him.”

She shook her head emphatically. “No. Don’t worry about me.

Concentrate on Caleb. That’s why you’re here.

” She tried to put a little bite in her voice, but it was wobbly, like she was trying not to cry.

I had to focus on keeping myself calm. Meditation was one of the useful things I learned in prison.

They recommended I learn discipline to control my temper.

Never thought I’d be grateful for learning how to meditate, but I was now.

“He’s a little shit who needs someone to keep a close eye on him,” I muttered.

Then I realized what I said and I met her angry gaze with mine.

“That came out wrong! I know that sounds bad,” I said, holding my hand out in front of me and moving to the edge of my seat in case I had to get out of her reach.

“But that kid is sneaky. And he’s manipulating you.

Problem is, I can’t say a Goddamned thing to him because I’m kind of in awe of him.

” I rubbed the back of my neck which was flaming hot with embarrassment.

When I glanced up at her there was shock on her face, then irritation. “What do you mean he’s manipulating me?”

“Honey, that kid talked you and Lana into bringing in someone to protect him because he was scared of his father. Right?”

“Yeah. So?”

I let out a breath and sat back in my chair.

“So, he was scared, but not of his father. At least not for his own sake. Caleb knew that, once he spoke out against his dad in court and you left Harrington for good, that bastard would come after you. He knew you’d have a huge target on your back, and he wanted someone physically capable and willing to protect you through this. ”

“Little shit,” she muttered before realizing what she’d said. Then she froze and found my gaze. I really doubt I kept the amusement from my face, but in my defense, I tried. I knew I’d failed when she gave me an exasperated look. “Not a word.”

“Wouldn’t think of it.”

“For the record, your first priority is Caleb.” She gave me a stern look.

I grinned. “You look cute when you make that face.” That startled her. “How about I look out for both of you?”

“You can’t! You can only be in one place at a time!” She pointed a finger at me. “You will protect Caleb.”

“Yep. ‘Cause he’ll be protecting you.”

She seemed to deflate. “That little shit.”

“Sometimes it’s pointless to resist,” I offered helpfully.

“Don’t be that person, Riot.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. She really was too cute. And, oh my God, I was so completely under her spell. When she found out how deeply infatuated I was with her, Violet would likely run the other way as hard as she could and I wouldn’t blame her. “I’m not that person. You know I’m right.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “I guess I do.” For the first time, I thought I saw a genuine smile with no stress. She was sharing a small amusement with a friend over her son.

One look at that soft expression, the ethereal loveliness of her smile, and I saw what I wanted in my future.

Moments like these where she laughed softly at something amusing I’d said.

I cleared my throat. Past fucking time to get down to business.

“So. Yes. I did sixteen years in prison. I was sixteen and my victim was an important person in the community, so they said due to the nature of the crime they wanted to try me as an adult. Because I’d planned on killing the bastard and set him up, the judge had no problem granting the DA’s request.”

She sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide. I almost sighed in despair. Here it came. She’d be horrified and tell me to leave. I’d be stuck in the background. Just like I had been all my life. But I’d still protect her.

“Oh, my God! You were just a boy!” She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch me, but we were too far away from each other. “Where were your parents? Who was advocating for you?”

I frowned at her. “Did you not hear the part where I planned to kill this guy?”

“Well, yeah. But you were still a kid!” She looked as incensed as she sounded, genuinely upset on behalf of my younger self. “There had to be extenuating circumstances.” When I just stared at her, she seemed confused. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“I’m not sure anyone’s ever said that the first time I told them my story.” Even my own lawyer hadn’t asked why I’d done it. They’d only been interested in getting my confession and putting me away.

“Why the hell not? That’s the first thing you want to know!”

I gave my head a little shake, not understanding this woman. “I… don’t know. No one believed me anyway. Like I said, the guy was a pillar of the community.”

“What did he do?”

“This is the uncomfortable part, Violet.” She nodded but said nothing. “The man I killed was my adoptive father. I killed him because I came home from a football game to find my father standing over my mother with a bloody baseball bat.”

“Oh, God,” she whispered, going pale.

“I couldn’t kill him right then. I freaked out initially and hesitated too long. He called his security guy and blamed it on me.” I shrugged. “My instinct was to run, and that’s what I did.

“I came back the next night. The bastard thought he’d locked me out, but I’d lived there my whole life.

Being a mischievous teenage boy, I knew how to bypass the security system and break into and out of that house at three different places.

So I got in, waited until he was getting ready for bed, and I beat him to death. Same as he’d killed my mother.”

Two tears slid down Violet’s cheeks and her fingers were laced so tightly together her knuckles were white.

She stood slowly, releasing her fingers and rubbing her palms on her shorts.

With one cautious step at a time, she approached me and crouched beside me on her knees.

With trembling hands, she reached for my hand resting on the arm of the chair.

She gripped it in both of hers. “Caleb.” She swallowed. “He reminds you of you. Doesn’t he?”

“Are you going to push me away now, Violet?” I hated that it mattered what this woman thought of me.

I’d survived in prison and become a man under harsh conditions.

Even though I probably had a bit of a morally gray streak, I wasn’t a bad person.

I had a strong sense of right and wrong, so yeah.

Even though I’d had a shitty start, I was proud of the man I’d become.

She shook her head. “No, Riot.” She smiled at me, even though tears continued to flow down her cheeks. “I’m not going to push you away. In fact, I think I understand now why Caleb is so willing to trust you, even if he doesn’t fully realize it himself. I think he sees something in you.”

I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. Her grip on my hand tightened. “You aren’t afraid of me?”

“I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid for you,” she whispered. “What you did… I can’t imagine how much pain you were in.”

“The truth is, I don’t regret it. Not then, not now.

” I met her gaze squarely. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, though Caleb made me rethink that sentiment.

It’s a miracle I’m here to protect the two of you and not still in prison.

But you said Caleb threatened to kill Harrington if you didn’t leave. Right?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“What if he thinks --”

“That your confession is the go ahead for him to kill his father anyway?” She finished my thought. “That’s what you’re worried about.”

“Yeah. Your kid’s smart. Too smart. He reads people better than anyone I’ve seen in a really long while. And Caleb’s got the same protective instinct I had.”

Violet nodded slowly. “I could see that. But I don’t think so. He trusts you, Riot. If you tell him not to, he won’t.”

“Do you really want to take the chance? It’s not wrong to want to protect someone you love,” I said softly.

“But there are consequences. Harsh ones. And that’s why I never asked why my lawyer didn’t fight my sentence.

I did it. I killed the motherfucker. If society needed to punish me, fine.

I was man enough to kill someone. I could be man enough to deal with the consequences. ”