Page 128 of Riot

Because this wasn’t the end.

This was the beginning of the fall.

And I’d be the one to finish it.

Later that day, I pulled up to the back of a bar Brooklyn, already knowing what kind of bullshit was waiting for me. The text just said“Now.”He wanted to remind me who the fuck was in charge. Wanted to drag me in like some dog who’d pissed on the rug.

I was so sick of niggas thinking that they run me. I couldn’t wait until I showed them who the fuck I really was.

Still, I went. Because I had to.

But the second I stepped into that dark, musty backroom, I knew this wasn’t a meeting. This was a warning.

Crack!

His fist connected with my jaw before I even shut the door behind me. My head snapped to the side, vision flaring white for a split second. Blood pooled in my mouth, metallic and hot.

I didn’t think—I reached.

Pulled my piece halfway before the clicks started.

Chkk. Chkk. Chkk.

Three. Four. Five of his boys had their Glocks pointed at my skull like they were ready to decorate the walls with my brains. I could’ve taken one, maybe two if I was lucky, but not all of them. Not without dying right there.

So I let it go. Literally. I raised my hands slow and slipped the gun back into its holster.

Carmelo sneered. “That’s smart, bitch.”

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. But inside, I was screaming. That punch wasn’t just anger—it was ownership. He wanted to remind me that I was his. His little errand boy. His inside man.

But I wasn’t anyone’s fucking property. And to get his twice in the same day was boiling my blood. And I was shuddering inside about having to go back to my woman and tell her that I had failed.

He sat down, legs spread wide like a throne belonged under him. “What the fuck was my sister doin’ there?”

My face twisted up. “What?”

“One of my homeboys saw her. Said she was inside the event, walkin’ around like it was nothing. Dark skinned, pretty girl. Her name is Allure.”

Behind him, one of his boys nodded like he was confirming a weather report.

“Yeah, I saw her when she was running away. I’d recognize her fine ass anywhere.”

“Nigga…” Carmelo barked as he turned to him.

My confusion must’ve read on my face because Carmelo squinted. “Don’t play dumb.”

“I’m not,” I said, and for once I was telling the truth. “I don’t know who the fuck that is.”

He leaned forward, eyes hard. “Well somebody knew her. She was cozy with them niggas. And that matters to me.”

Inside, I was spiraling.

Who the fuck was Allure? Why the fuck was she there?

I didn’t know her. I’d never met her. But she was about to be a problem.

“Is one of your brothers fuckin’ my sister.”

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