Page 120 of Riot

“Yeah,” I answered, already feeling my back stiffen.

“Mr. King,” a voice said, clipped and tight. “This is Dr. Weiss, we spoke briefly yesterday. I’m calling with preliminary results from your mother’s scans and bloodwork.”

I didn’t sit down. Just paced.

“Go ahead.”

“You were correct. There’s a mass in her left lung, about four centimeters. It’s malignant. The biopsy confirmed it’s late-stage adenocarcinoma. But… there’s more.”

“More?”

“There’s evidence of chronic lead poisoning in her blood. Her levels are extremely elevated, consistent with long-term exposure.”

I stopped pacing. The blunt went limp between my fingers.

“Lead?”

“Yes. We’re not sure of the source yet, but given her age and her symptoms, it’s likely environmental. Paint, water supply, possibly the soil. Has she lived in an older property long-term?”

I exhaled slow through my nose. “Yeah. Same mansion for over 20 years.”

Dr. Weiss sighed. “You may want to test the home. We’re seeing signs of neurotoxicity too. The memory lapses, paranoia, confusion, those aren’t just from the cancer. She’s been slowly poisoned, Mr. King. For years.”

Everything in me went still.

I knew that house was a coffin, but I didn’t know it was literally killing her.

“Thanks for the call,” I muttered, and hung up.

My jaw flexed hard as I stood there, phone still in my hand. Lead poisoning. Motherfucking lead. All this time I thought it was just the weight of grief and age breaking her down. But the house... the house was a silent killer. Slow, patient, cruel.

And now she had cancer on top of it.

I didn’t hesitate. I called Madeira, my house manager and aunt, and gave her the rundown.

“She can’t stay in that house another night,” I said. “I want her moved into the north wing on my compound. Have her room prepped, sanitized, everything hypoallergenic. Get a private nurse—one that can deal with oncology. And call Von. I want the house tested—walls, pipes, paint, soil. I want a hazmat report by the end of the week. If that place is poisoning people, I need to know what else is buried in the bones of it.”

“I can’t believe my sister has cancer.” Madeira said. “But we’ll take care of everything.”

“Yeah we gotta fix this.”

“We will. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

I hung up and stared out the window, heart pounding with something bigger than rage.

This wasn’t just about my mothera being sick.

Somebody built a cage for her and painted it pretty.

And now that shit was falling apart.

But if that house did this to my mother...

I was gonna tear it down brick by goddamn brick.

Chapter 41

ALLURE

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