Page 49 of Riot

I looked like a woman who had options.

When I stepped out, Riot was already shirtless, lounging on the bed in a pair of black basketball shorts. His tattoos caught the light—bold, detailed ink running down his arms and chest like armor. His abs were carved, his shoulders broad, and that damn grill flashed when he looked over at me.

My heart began to race.

And there it was again.

That heat. That ache between my thighs that only he seemed to trigger.

“You good?” he asked.

I nodded, climbing onto the far side of the bed. I didn’t trust myself to say more.

He sat up slightly, checking his phone. “I’m gonna monitor the situation with Boaz. I got someone on the police force up there. He’s solid. Might be able to give me the real play-by-play before anything hits the news.”

I watched him from the corner of my eye, the glow of the screen highlighting his jaw, the curve of his neck.

“You need anything?” he asked, already rising.

“No. I’m okay.”

“Alright,” he said, walking toward the door. “Try to get some sleep. You’re safe now.”

The door clicked softly behind him.

But sleep?

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

Not with my thoughts racing—about the girls in the basement. About Irina, dancing and clueless. About what would happen once Boaz found out I was gone.

And about Riot.

The man who risked his peace for my freedom.

The man who didn’t even know what kind of spell he was putting me under.

I curled into the sheets, pulled his shirt tighter around my body, and closed my eyes.

Just for a little while.

Chapter 14

RIOT

Sleep didn’t come to me last night.

I stayed up with her on my mind. Work on my mind. But mostly her.

After Allure went to bed, I sat in the leather chair by the window in my office, watching the moon shift across the sky. My body was still, but my mind wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

I’d hit my boy Von right after we got in last night. “Yo, has Boaz Haim’s compound been hit?”

It was a while before he responded but I knew he would get to me eventually.

Von was one of the few people in law enforcement I actually trusted. We’d grown up in the same streets, ran different corners of the same city, but ended up on opposite sides of the badge. Still, loyalty was deeper than occupation, and he’d proven himself enough times for me to call him when shit got real. Besides, I kept him on payroll and he was paid generously.

At 6:07 a.m., his name lit up my phone. I answered before the second ring.

---