Page 63 of Riot

She pulled her shades down the bridge of her nose. “Where the hell did you go last night? Irina’s been blowin’ up my phone since sunrise. She said Allure’s missing.”

I raised a brow. “She ain't missing. She's with me.”

Abra blinked. “With you?” she echoed, like I’d just said I adopted a stray dog.

“Yeah. She needed help. I gave it.”

She let out a slow breath and stepped in closer. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me everything. But... Boaz and Avi got locked up. Did you have something to do with that?”

“Not directly,” I said. “But let’s just say it worked out in our favor.”

She shook her head, muttering, “Damn. They raided Irina’s penthouse. Tore that shit apart. She’s staying with Rollo now. She’s scared.”

“I’ll handle her when the time comes,” I said. “Right now, Allure is priority. You feel me?”

Abra studied me for a long beat, then nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”

“Appreciate it.”

She shifted gears like only Abra could. “So you’re taking care of her now?”

“Yeah. She’s been through some shit.” I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck. “Ten years, Abra. That girl ain’t seen the outside since she was sixteen.”

Her eyes widened. “Jesus.”

“Exactly.”

“Irina never told me that,” she said.

“How well do you know her?”

“We went NYU together. We’ve been getting closer lately now that she’s spending more time in the city.”

“Her father is a dangerous man. And he’s just perverted as Silas. I realized that the other day when Creed and I ran up one of his sons. His son was in Silas’ network. When we killed him, his cousin told us that Boaz had broads in a basement that he uses as sex toys.”

“What the hell?! Irina has never told me that.”

“Yeah…”

“And Allure?” She asked as she looked at me.

“Allure was a servant. She wasn’t used as a sex slave. And since Boaz was in the hospital, Irina snuck her out for the party…” I explained.

“Jesus Christ. Irina’s gonna have to get over it. That girl ain’t never going back.”

“Exactly.”

A moment of silence stretched between us before she cleared her throat. “Speaking of people who need care—have you seen your mama lately?”

I sighed. “I know. I’ve been meanin’ to.”

“She’s not well, Riot,” she said gently. “She refuses to see a doctor. Keeps talkin’ in circles. Says weird shit about your pops. Keeps forgetting what day it is.”

I exhaled hard. “I’ll see her tomorrow.”

“Good.” Abra paused. “She needs her sons right now.”

I nodded, the guilt tightening in my chest like a fucking vise. “Thanks for lookin’ out.”

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