Page 23 of Riot

“Wow.That’s high praise.”

“Deserved.”

Again, there was an awkward silence between us.Riot didn’t rush me or even anticipate my questions.He simply sat in that chair, resting his arms on the sides, and waited.

“I’d like to know…” I stopped, unsure how to phrase my question without accidentally offending him.

“I’m not going to pounce on you, Violet.I’m not gonna get mad at anything you ask me.As a mother of a boy Caleb’s age, you have every right to want to know as much as you can about the ex-con you’re gonna be stuck with for the foreseeable future.”He grinned, not repentant in the least.“So, you ask all the questions you want, honey.”

It was ridiculous how much I liked him calling mehoney.A couple of the other guys had used that endearment too, but none of them said it to me in the same tone of voice Riot did.Now was not the time for fantasies about the hot biker.Especially when, first, I was married, and second, I had a preteen son in the next room.Also, there was the fact my husband was probably going to retaliate for the legal victory today.

“I’d like to know what you’re going to tell Caleb tomorrow.”

He raised an eyebrow.“What doyouwant me to tell him?”

“I don’t know.”I sat on the edge of the bed, my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.“I’m handling this all wrong.”

“Talk it out as best you can.I hate you had a nightmare, but I wanted to talk with you about this before I spoke with Caleb.Probably for the same reasons you’re thinking of right now.”

“I’m sorry, Riot.I’m convinced you’re one of the good guys.Like therealgood guys.The kind of guy who does what has to be done, no matter the consequences to himself.”

He shook his head.“I’m not sure I’d go that far.But in this case, yeah.I didn’t care what happened to me.”

“I don’t want to hear this, do I?”It wasn’t a question I needed answered.

“Probably not.I’ll be honest with you, Violet, I don’t think I should tell Caleb my story.Earlier I promised him I would, but I should have thought the decision through.Having done that, I’m not going to lie to him.There might be things I omit, but I won’t lie.”

“No.Caleb would never trust you again.”

“I’ll tell you the unfiltered version now, if you want.Then you can decide how you want me to present it to Caleb.”

“Are you even real?”The question slipped out before I realized I was going to say it.“No man is this patient and understanding.”That last was grumbled under my breath.

Riot’s warm chuckle filled the room and dispelled the last of my tension.Yeah, the conversation was getting ready to get serious, but there was something about Riot that put me at ease.It was a dangerous thing to trust a man like Riot.I knew that without a doubt.I also knew I trusted him with my life.And my son’s.“I hope so.Otherwise, I’m not sure who you’re talking to.”

I stared at him for long moments.This man was like no one I’d ever met before.I’d been around killers all my life.While I had no doubt this man was as dangerous as any one of them, he was different.He had a moral code.I could also tell he wasn’t proud of his past.Or, at least, he thought his past would be something we’d balk at.He’d been correct.Both Caleb and I had both been nervous, but Riot had proved to be more than what was on the surface.So, I decided if he was going to have to spill his guts, I’d go first.

I took a deep breath and began.“My mother was the daughter of a low-level soldier with the Russo family in South Florida.Ritchie, the son of the patriarch, got my mother pregnant.Mr.Russo didn’t approve of my mother, but Ritchie was his youngest son and the baby my mother was carrying was his grandson.”

“Grandson?”Riot raised an eyebrow.

“Surprise!Granddaughter.Not grandson.My grandfather wasn’t impressed.He tried to talk my father into making my mother have a home birth, but he refused.Despite my grandfather’s obsession with the family business and blood ties, my father loved my mother.I’m not sure if he ever loved me, but my mother did, so Ritchie let her keep me.Pretty sure my grandfather intended to kill my mother’s child if it was a girl.”

“Sounds like real winners, those two.”

“My father and grandfather?”I snorted a laugh.“Oh, yeah.Parent and grandparent of the year.Anyway, Mr.Russo needed a tie with the Harrington family here in Nashville.As I understand it, the arrangement benefited Mr.Harrington far more than it did Mr.Russo, so when I was offered to Doug, his father jumped at the offer.”

“The head of the Harrington family is your husband’s father?”

“Yes.But there’s no love lost.It’s why Doug got saddled with me instead of Nevada.Nevada Harrington is next in line to lead the family and his father’s favorite by far.I think Mr.Russo thought Mr.Harrington would marry me to Nevada.As I understand it, that was the plan.There was a rush to finalize their deal for some reason, so Mr.Harrington agreed to the terms before doing his research on the granddaughter no one knew anything about.Once he did, he changed plans so I’d be marrying the misfit brother instead of the one who had the real power.It left Nevada free to secure a similar deal with an enemy of Mr.Russo and get payback for them pawning off a useless woman no one wanted.”

“Sounds pretty Goddamned miserable for you.”

“I’m surprised I haven’t had an accident before now.The only reason is Caleb.I got pregnant really quickly after I married Doug, so they didn’t want to do anything until after I had the baby.From the very beginning, Caleb didn’t want anyone but me so they let me live.The older Caleb got, the more protective of me he got, which vexed his dad to no end.”

“Oh?Didn’t like him attached to his mom?”

“No, I think it was that he thought Caleb should follow in his shoes.He should want to be with his father instead of his mother.”

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