Page 27 of Tainted Truth

My brows squish together, and I lean back so I can see his face.

“There was . . . DNA evidence, but the fucker wasn’t in the system.” He glares over my shoulder. “There was a man who lived down the street. Darryl Williams. He was leading the charge in our neighborhood to help find witnesses, evidence, things like that. He had also begun dating my mom a few weeks before. He’d come by with flowers and other things my mom liked.”

My stomach hollows out and the breakfast sandwich Zane left outside the door is ready to make a reappearance.

“None of us noticed how he paid Izzy too much attention. He finally slipped up in front of the lead detective on the case when he mentioned the color of Izzy’s socks. That wasn’t public record, and my mom was catatonic during the whole thing, so we know she didn’t tell Darryl that detail. The detective was able to get a warrant to swab Darryl’s mouth. His DNA was a match. After he was arrested, they found a hidden door behind a bookshelf in his living room. It was full of child pornography.”

I clutch Rio tighter while his hands begin to shake.

“He only served two years.”

“What?!” I rear back in disbelief.

That asshole is still out there? How many children has he hurt since then?

“He was able to get a lawyer who wanted to make a name for himself. The guy was able to appeal the conviction and get the DNA evidence thrown out.”

“Oh my God.”

The horror this man has endured. This happy, charming, fun man.

Myhappy, charming, fun man.

“But then I caught up to him. Thatcabrónkept his house while he was in prison and thought he could move back in without any repercussions.” Rio looks me right in the eye as he says, “One night, while he slept, I snuck in and handed out the justice Izzy deserved. Gabriel followed me and helped me tie that asshole to a kitchen chair and I bloodied my fists with his filth.”

Tears spill down my cheeks as Rio’s pain, coated in anger, rolls off him and fills the room.

“Getting raped in prison was supposed to be enough? That’s not nearly enough! He took my sister! My Izzy!” He pounds his chest, emphasizing the last two words. “My mom didn’t get out of bed for months. Elena didn’t speak for a year. And two years in prison was all he got? Fuck that.”

My bottom lip wobbles as I listen to him.

“I can’t unsee what I’ve seen, Spencer. Uncles corrupting nieces, mothers selling children, neighbors kidnapping infants down the street. It never ends. There are too many, and there’s not enough on our side to fight them all. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop. I’ll never stop. I’ll tear every fucker limb from limb, because this devil doesn’t just thirst for their blood. He bathes in it.”

Sheepishly, I ask, “So, you only kill bad people?”

“Yeah, Mama. Only bad people.”

Understanding spreads through me.

I’ve always believed that knowledge is power. But what people forget is that knowledge also comes with responsibility.

What would I have done? If the man who had killed my baby sister got off because a lawyer was able to convince some idiots that the police were wrong, what would I do? If I had witnessed what Rio has, how would that change me? Could I kill the people responsible too?

I’m not sure I can answer these questions.

Murder is wrong, but isn’t that what the government is allowed to do? They can hand out the death penalty like free candy to convicts if they wish. What’s supposed to happen when the justice system fails? What happens when a killer goes free?

While I battle back and forth in my mind, Rio watches me silently. I don’t like that he’s quiet—that’s not the man I know. He always knows how to lighten the mood.

I guess I’ll just have to do that for him.

CHAPTER 10

SPENCER

Rio waits unsuspectingly while I gather my courage. I’ve never initiated intimacy with a man before, but with Rio, I want to.

He watches me carefully. “Did I scare you?”

---