Page 88 of Love & Vendettas

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about finally finding a man who loves me, wants me, and who I have something to offer. My man and I are gonna be on top of the world. We’re going to dominate this fucking city and take control from Zaire’s hands.”

Fury runs through me, and I step closer to her.

“Riley, if you cross Zaire up, you know he will dead your ass!”

“No, he won’t. We just want a piece of the pie,” she states solemnly.

“Who the hell are you working with?” I ask.

“That doesn’t even matter.”

“What the hell did Zaire or I ever do to you for you to want to betray us, Riley?”

“You took my kid! You took Zayn!”

“Riley, you were sixteen-years old, suffering a mental breakdown, and wanted to abort the kid when you were six months along! Your crazy ass tried to do that shit too!”

“I’m not crazy! You had no right to take my kid!” she cries.

“I did what was best for you and Zayn!”

“You did what was best for you!” Riley screams, grabbing her keys and purse.

“Where the hell are you going?” I ask, stalking behind her.

“Away from you! Some place where I can get some peace!” she shouts.

I watch her run down the stairs, and I stand at the top of the second-floor landing, listening until the door slams closed.

When Riley calmed down in the hospital from her mental breakdown, she insisted she did not want the baby. When I suggested that Zaire and I could adopt him, she was ecstatic. Our entire family was overjoyed with that suggestion, especially my parents.

Not once had a word ever come up about it being a problem in all these years. We told Zayn the truth when he was nine. He took it all in stride, still loving Riley, and still loving us.

40 – BONFIRES AND BROS

Jamal and I get out of the car, passing Malik’s car. I know that Janel rode over with him, and I know that wherever the fuck they’re hiding right now, they’ve got us in their sights.

Parker gets out of his car, placing his gun in the back of his waistband. He’s looking around suspiciously as we all step up toward the former site of the Hovel.

Charred wood and scraps of metal are all that remain of the former shack.

Jamal kicks what looks like to have been a doorknob and asks, “Thinking about building on this same site?”

“Nah. I’ve been talking to a couple of architects and a project manager over at Gray Construction Management. We’re looking at another property on the outskirts of town. It’ll be a useful place for business and handling business,” I explain, referencing Denver’s construction firm.

“Where’s everybody?” Parker asks as we pass up the rubble and debris from the Hovel.

“Right back there.” I point to where a bonfire has been set up.

From where we’re standing, we can see the fire and see Malik standing and facing a chair. A large board has been erected behind the chair, but we can’t see who’s in the chair.

Parker walks past Jamal and me, eager, I’m sure, to meet whomever we’ve got hemmed up for questioning about Ghalen’s death. The moment that he rounds that large board and comes up on the chair, he stops and stares at Malik, before looking back at Jamal and me.

“The fuck’s going on here?” he asks, pointing to an empty chair as Jamal and I approach.

I see the minute when recognition dawns in his eyes that this is a setup. He quickly reaches for the gun in his waistband. There are three guns aimed at him: Malik, who is standing behind him; Jamal, who’s stepping away from beside me; and Janel, who steps from behind a tree.

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