Page 18 of Riot

Hannah and Pippa exchanged a look I couldn’t quite interpret before Hannah said, “We’ll leave you to get settled.If you need anything at all, we’re in the building straight across the walkway.Top floor.There are only two apartments on our floor, too, so we’re pretty easy to find.”She grinned.

After the women left, and Riot had gone to bring back pizza, Caleb went to check out the other bedrooms.I went to the table and started going through the bags.There were two changes of clothes for each of us, toiletries, linens, and toilet paper.

When Caleb wandered back to the main room and the table where I was busy opening packages, he went straight to the fridge.He was too grown up for my peace of mind, but he was still a growing boy.“Did you find anything?”

“I mean, there’s some milk, butter, cheese, and eggs.”He shut the door.“Date’s good on the milk.”

There was a knock at the door.Caleb hurried to the door and looked out the peephole before opening the door and stepping back to let Riot inside with three pizza boxes.

“You’ll have to heat it up because it was in the fridge, but it was from tonight.I can go get something else if you don’t want leftovers.”

“Leftovers are perfect.”I took the pizza boxes from him and moved to the counter.I found three plates and put two slices each on them before heating each of them in the microwave.

No one spoke in the awkward silence.I turned to find Caleb and Riot both sitting at the table staring at each other.

“Took you long enough.”Caleb pinned Riot with an icy gaze.

If Riot took offense, he was good at hiding it.“Pain had to put a quick stitch or three in my side.Figured I’d take care of that before I came back here.”

“So,” Caleb said after a moment, “you were in prison for killing someone.”

My heart stopped.I whirled around from the microwave, nearly dropping the plate I’d just retrieved.“Caleb!”

Riot didn’t flinch.He held Caleb’s gaze steadily, his expression unreadable.“Yeah, I was.”

The microwave beeped, but I couldn’t move.The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.I watched as my twelve-year-old son sized up the convicted killer sitting across from him.

“Did they deserve it?”Caleb asked quietly.

I opened my mouth to stop this conversation, but Riot raised his hand slightly, silently asking me to let this play out.

“I thought so at the time,” Riot answered, his voice low and measured.“Still do, if I’m being honest.”

“Was it someone like my dad?Someone who hurt people?”

Riot’s jaw tightened and for a moment, I wasn’t sure he’d answer Caleb.Then he spoke.“Yeah.Someone like that.”

Caleb nodded slowly, processing this information.“And you went to prison for it.”

“I did.Sixteen years.”Riot held my son’s gaze and Caleb didn’t back down.

“Was it worth it?”

The question hung in the air, raw and complicated.I watched Riot’s face, saw the conflict there, the way he struggled with how to answer a child’s deceptively simple question.“That’s what I wanted to think about,” Riot finally said.“I never second-guessed what I did.Not once.My lawyer got me a deal, and I pled guilty.”He shrugged.“Because I was.”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed and he suddenly went pale.“Riot.Who did you kill?”

“Does it matter?I got sentenced to twenty-five years for what I did.It’s only because of Knuckles that I’m out now.He pulled some strings and shit that got me out early.The man I killed deserved what he got.No question there.A week ago, before I knew I was getting out on parole, I’d have told you killing that guy was absolutely worth losing all those years behind bars.”

Caleb cocked his head.“And you don’t know now that you’re out?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it until you asked me before.The thing is, theonlyreason I’m out is because of Knuckles.If he hadn’t been able to get me out, or I hadn’t met and impressed him, then I would still be in prison.”

“I don’t understand.”Caleb was paying close attention to Riot, and I knew exactly why he was asking these questions.

“If I was still in prison, I wouldn’t be here to protect you and your mom.”

Silence stretched between them before Caleb responded.“But if you hadn’t gone to prison --”

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