Page 79 of Riot

Her eyes narrowed. “Who?”

“Carmelo Jones.”

“Jones?” she repeated, tilting her head.

“Yeah. Lionel Jones’ son.”

She blinked. The connection clicked. “Lionel… that’s the man Riot killed because he thought he took your father?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Riot put a bullet in his head and dumped him in the Passaic. Word is Carmelo’s been quiet, but I knowhe didn’t forget. He’s been waiting for his shot. I don’t think he knows who did it. So I’m gonna inform him.”

Mimi’s lips curled into a slow smile. “Good. Get to it.”

I didn’t move.

She stepped closer, eyes hard and shimmering. “My sister died trying to love one of y’all,” she said, voice low and bitter. “And none of you ever claimed her. You buried her memory like it was an inconvenience.”

My throat tightened.

“I won’t let her be forgotten.”

I met her eyes and nodded. “Neither will I.”

“Then prove it.”

The silence between us was electric—charged with pain, with purpose, with everything we’d never said out loud.

Then I pulled out my phone.

“Let’s see if Carmelo’s ready to make some noise.”

Chapter 24

RIOT

It had been a few days since that night in the pool.

Since her soft kiss turned something on in me I hadn’t felt in years—maybe ever. Since she let me hold her under the stars like I was more than a weapon, like I was something worthy. And since then, I’d been walking a tightrope.

Because I couldn’t afford to lose my focus. Not now.

Not when the Haim family’s bail hearing was around the corner. Not when Boaz, Avi, and the rest of that sick-ass crew were about to face a system designed to protect men like them. I’ve seen men like them win many time before. Their lawyers were high-powered and shameless. The kind of men who could get a serial killer off on a technicality and then toast about it over steak.

Boaz was going to be out on bail soon.

I felt it in my gut. The court was just a formality.

And I couldn’t let my guard down. I had to protect Allure like my life depended on it. There was something about her thatinvoked my inner protector. She was worthy of being cared for and kept safe.

But I was keeping my pace with her. As bad as I wanted her body, I respected the fact that she was still a virgin and didn’t want to use her. I wanted her to be absolutely sure when she gave her self to me.

The last few days we’ve been getting to know each other more. She told me all about her dreams of being a fashion designer and wanting to create a legacy out of that.

I was determined to help her with that and whatever else she needed. I really liked her. I was claiming her. I ain’t give a fuck if we had just met. From the moment I laid eyes on her at Boaz’s compound I had been taken by her.

She was in the kitchen when I came down, wearing a pair of pink joggers I had bought her. They were tight, holding her curves, like I wished I could do all day. But I had work to get too. Her dark hair was up, lips slick with gloss, looking like sin served on a silver spoon. She didn’t see me at first, too focused on peeling a blood orange at the counter, her eyes narrowed in concentration, tongue pressed against the inside of her cheek.

I watched her a second longer than I meant to.

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