Page 2 of Riot

“You don’t even know what I want you to do yet.”

“Got a pretty fuckin’ good idea.Is this supposed to make me feel better about what happened and about what I did?”

Instantly, Lana Thompson was in my face.This was the side of her everyone in the courtroom feared seeing.She’d used the same expression and tone of voice at my parole hearing as she was using now.Only this time, she grabbed hold of my ear and yanked, twisting my earlobe painfully.Sure, I could have made her stop.I could have seriously hurt her.But I didn’t hit women.Not for any reason.

“No.It’s not supposed to make you feel better.It’s supposed to keep that young man out of fucking prison.Now.What are you going to do about this situation, hmm?”Lana’s voice was silky smooth as she purred in a supremely satisfied voice.

“The fuck kind of question is that?Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”

“Can’t you get out of a simple ear hold from a woman half your size?”

“Lana, what the fuck’s your problem?I could fuckin’ break you in half and you fuckin’ know it!”I felt like I was the butt of some joke I didn’t get.

“Exactly!”I thought she might let me go, but she didn’t.Instead, she twisted harder and I had to lean down to keep her from taking my fucking ear off.“You’ll stand there and let me hurt you rather than take a chance on hurting me.”Yep.Definitely the butt of the joke.

“What the fuck do you want me to do?”I snarled my question at her.“I ain’t gonna hit you.I don’t hit women.Or kids.Now, let go of my fuckin’ ear!”

To my surprise, she let me go and stepped back, grinning from ear to ear.“Which was my whole point.”She called out to whoever was in the car.“You see?Come on out.”

I rubbed my ear, trying to get blood moving again as well as ease the ache.As I was working up to a scathing remark to Lana, the doors to the car opened and a boy of about eleven or twelve got out of the back while a short, slender woman emerged from the front.She wasn’t much taller than the boy, and it was a tossup as to who weighed more.

My heart thumped painfully in my chest and I froze.She had short, shaggy curls in a riot of orange around her head, and skin as creamy as milk.Her eyes were the palest blue I’d ever seen and almost too big for her face.But what had me wanting to howl in rage, what had me ready to murder some motherfucking son of a bitch, was the bruise across her cheek, the fingermark bruises on her bare arms, and the cut on her lower lip that stood out like an accusation.

I swallowed as I stood to my full height, still rubbing my ear absently.The kid moved in front of his mother but stood his ground.

“See, Violet?This isn’t a man who’s going to hurt you.”

“What do you need?”My gaze bore straight into Violet’s, trying to pull the information I wanted out of her head so I could go kill someone.Déjà vubut I didn’t care.I’d charge hell with a water pistol and damned the consequences if this woman said to.

“I-I just w-wanted someone strong to be here to support my s-son.”Her voice was melodious and soft.Like an angel whispering.She was obviously nervous, that didn’t make her any less beautiful or courageous.“M-my husband can be…” she trailed off.

“Where do you need me, Ms.Violet?”Because parole or not, there was no way I was leaving this woman to deal with some asshole on her own.

“Come with us, Riot.”Lana took over, ushering me forward, urging all of us toward the courthouse.“All you need to do is what the judge tells you.This is her last hearing of the day, on purpose.I wanted as few people here as manageable, and she agreed.”

“Hoping to keep the spectacle to a minimum?”

“Yeah.I know Doug Harrington will have a whole legal team with him.It’s what he does.Everything is about him.Everything is for show and maximum effect.He’s the big man in the room.The last thing I want is to give him any more ways to intimidate this woman or her son.They need someone just as intimidating on their side.”She hurried us all through the doors and to the metal detectors.All I had on me was my bike keys and the phone.

Once through security and inside the elevators she continued.“Judge Whitmore will give you instructions, but I want you to stick by Caleb’s side like glue unless she backs you off.That means you escort him to the witness stand, and you stay as close to him as Judge Whitmore will let you.If she doesn’t tell you to sit, you stand where she stops you.Keep an eye on as many of Harrington’s entourage as you can.If you think there’s someone we need to watch out for in the future, I want you to tell me.”

“He harassin’ them?”I needed more information, and I knew there was no way I was going to get it all before we got inside the courthouse.

“Subtly.He’s careful about what he does and who can see.Violet’s filing for divorce, which he doesn’t want to grant, along with full custody of their son with no unsupervised visits, which he’s not willing to give up.”

“She divorcin’ him because he beats her?”I glanced at Violet.She winced and ducked her head.Which wouldn’t do.Not at all.“Hey,” I said in a sharp command.She winced again but glanced up at me.“This ain’t your fault, honey.You’ve got nothing to duck your head about.Not to me or anybody else.”I glanced at Caleb before turning my attention back to Lana.“What led up to this?”

“The kid saw.”She shrugged.“Caleb forced her hand by calling her out, telling her she had to leave Doug or he was going to kill the bastard himself.”

“I ain’t a kid,” Caleb grumbled.

“Caleb, honey, hush.”God, how could a woman’s voice be so beguiling?I wanted her to keep speaking just so I had the pleasure of hearing her.Violet could read the fucking phone book for all I cared.

I studied the kid closely.He met my gaze with a defiant, angry one of his own.And, God, this was hitting too fucking close to home.

“Are you tryin’ to kill me, Lana?”I asked her softly.I could see myself when I looked at that kid’s face.Hell, I saw that same look in the mirror most mornings.

She merely raised an eyebrow.“Maybe I’m just trying to keep history from repeating itself.”Lana reached over and released the elevator.It slid smoothly to a stop and opened.A couple people looked on curiously, but no one said anything.

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