Page 131 of Riot

I blinked, glanced down at the name flashing across the screen.

Carmelo.

My chest hollowed out.

“BRB,” I said to Riot, holding up my phone. “It’s my brother.”

He nodded without looking up, still scrolling through whatever headlines had his jaw tight and his temple ticking.

I stepped into the hallway, heart already racing.

“Hello?”

“What the fuck were you doing at that vineyard today?”

His voice was low, furious. No “hey,” no small talk. Just a bullet to the chest.

I swallowed. “How do you know I was there?”

“Don’t fuckin’ play me, Allure,” he snapped. “You know I got eyes everywhere. You were walking around like you belonged there. Smiling. Laughing. Like shit was sweet.”

“I—”

I didn’t even know what to say. Because Ihadbeen smiling. Had been laughing. I’d let myself pretend. Just for a second. That Riot’s world could become mine.

“That’s our fuckin’ enemy!” he barked. “You got any idea who those niggas are?”

I froze. “Who?”

“Riot and Creed King,” he bit out. “Those two are responsible for our father’s death. You cozyin’ up to a killer.”

I went still.

My brain couldn’t even form a response.

“What are you talking about?” I finally breathed. “That’s not true.”

“It is true,” he snapped. “You think I don’t check shit? They had beef for years, Allure. One of the brothers, Havoc, admitted it to me. That’s who you’re fucking with now. The same nigga who put a bullet in our daddy’s head.”

My throat clenched.

“No,” I whispered.

But he’d already hung up.

Silence swallowed me whole. My hand fell to my side, phone sliding from my fingers and landing on the hardwood with a dull clack. My pulse throbbed behind my ears. My head buzzed. The floor tilted. Nothing felt real.

I turned—slowly.

And there it was.

Riot’s Glock.

Sitting on the edge of the dining table like it had been waiting for me all along.

My legs moved before my brain did. I crossed the room, each step louder in my head than the last. I wrapped my fingers around the grip and lifted it. Heavy. Cold. Real.

“Yo, you good?” Riot’s voice drifted from the kitchen.

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