Page 99 of Ryker

Baby. I’m not her baby. “This can’t be happening right now. She can’t die on me.”

I’m not ready to let go.

“She already has.”

No. I refuse to believe it. “When?”

“About two hours ago.”

“Two…” I fall to my knees. Two hours ago, I was chasing my girlfriend across the street, begging for her to listen to my sorry ass excuses about why I’m a sex worker. “Two hours ago. Why didn’t you fucking call me, Nat?”

“I did,” she says as tears fall from her face, too. “You didn’t answer.”

Because my cell was crushed.

Oh my god. This can’t be happening. Gripping the sides of my head, I scream until white dots burst in my vision.

“I’m sorry,” she cries. “I’m so, so, so sorry, Ryker.”

“Sorry for what? For making me a whore? For making my mother an addict to pain killers? For making me take clients so you can get a third of my payout?”

Natalie slaps me so hard, blood wells in my mouth.

“She’s dead,” I spit out like it’s her fault my life’s a wreck.

“It was a mercy,” she says in a low, shaky tone.

Mercy? MERCY?

All the chaos in me stills as I latch onto that one word. Dread pulls me to my feet. “Natalie.” My fists clench. “What the fuck do you mean it was a mercy?”

She looks over at my mother laying still in the bed. Then her eyes flutter as she meets my gaze. “I was just trying to help her, Ry.”

My hands fly up to my mouth. I’m going to vomit.

“She was in so much pain. She was wasting away in here. This is a mercy for both of you.” Natalie cries, stepping back from me and working her way out of the room. “I’m so sorry.” She runs out of my apartment while I let her confession sink in.

One week later, I’m standing beside a dirt hole while my mother’s casket is lowered into it. I didn’t have a funeral service. The only ones at her burial are me, D, Knox, his pops, and Vault. Her tombstone is a beautiful dark grey with her favorite flowers etched into it. I did that so I never have to come back here and lay real ones on her grave.

Dmitri claps me on the back once the service is over. I have no clue how long I’ve stood here, but everyone except D is gone. It’s sunny. Hot. I’m sweating in my suit. “What are you going to do now, Ry?”

“I don’t know,” I say numbly. “Natalie’s gone.”

She packed her shit and skipped town after admitting she killed my mom. Mercy my ass. It was murder and nothing else. I hate her. If I find her, I’m going to kill her with my bare fucking hands. I swore I’d never lay an angry hand on a woman, but Natalie will be my exception. She’s a monster.

“You can come live with me.”

I shake my head. I can’t live with Dmitri. I want to run off a cliff and die.

“Will you live at the apartment still, then?”

Not a chance in hell. I’m not staying in that shithole another night. “No. I’ve got other arrangements.”

“Want me to drive you home?”

“No.” I want him to stop asking me questions and hovering over my ass like he’s on suicide watch. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

D nods and stuffs his hands in his pockets. But he doesn’t leave my mother’s graveside. I suspect he has things he wants to tell her. So do I, but I’ll never say them now. She can’t fucking hear me.

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