Page 39 of Riot

The second I took my eyes off him, Harrington attacked, tackling me to the ground.The impact slammed me hard against the concrete, but I barely felt it through the adrenaline.Harrington’s face was twisted with rage as he tried to bring the gun down toward my head.I caught his wrist, straining against his surprising strength.

“You think you can take what’s mine?”he snarled, spittle flying from his lips.“The bitch belongs to me!So does the boy!”

“Like hell,” I growled, twisting his wrist until I heard the satisfying crack of bone.He howled, the gun clattering to the floor.I shoved him off me, scrambling to my feet.Blood soaked my shirt sleeve from the graze, but I barely noticed.My only thought was getting to Violet.

She stood frozen several feet away, her face pale with shock.“Quinn!”

“Get out of here!”I yelled, gesturing toward the exit.“Find Caleb!”

Harrington dove for the gun, but I kicked it away, sending it skidding across the concrete.He turned on me with a vicious growl, pulling a knife from his belt.“You’re nothing,” he spat.“Just some ex-con piece of trash.You think she wants you?She’s just using you for protection.”

I circled him warily, keeping myself between him and Violet.“So?”

That seemed to catch him off guard.“Are you willing to die for a little whore who’ll never love you?”

“Absolutely.”

Harrington’s face contorted with rage.He lunged at me, his knife slashing toward my chest.I sidestepped, grabbing his wrist and using his momentum to slam him face first into a steel post.The knife clattered to the ground but he recovered quickly, spinning and landing a solid punch to my wounded arm.

Pain exploded through me, but I’d endured worse in prison.I drove my fist into his gut, then his face when he doubled over.Blood spurted from his nose as he staggered backward.“How the fuck did you get in here?”I demanded, advancing on him.

He spat blood onto the concrete.“Money opens all doors.”

“Not here it doesn’t,” I growled.

“Quinn, behind you!”Violet screamed.

I whirled to see another man entering from the far door, gun raised.I’d seen this man at court.He hadn’t been in the courtroom with Harrington and his lawyer.He’d been outside.Had to be one of Harrington’s bodyguards.

I crouched and dove for Harrington just as a shot rang out.I swear, I could feel the wind from the bullet on my cheek.Violet screamed again as I slammed Harrington’s head against the concrete, knocking him out.

There was another shout.The newcomer raised his gun again, and this time he had a good bead on me.Another shot exploded and I flinched… but there was no pain.

The man jerked, a red stain blossoming on his chest, then he collapsed.That’s when I realized it hadn’t been the newcomer who’d shot.Violet had the gun Harrington had dropped.She clutched it in shaking hands, eyes wide but determined.

“Violet?”I put myself between her and the two men.

“Is he dead?”Her voice was surprisingly steady, all things considered.If she trembled a little, I’d never mention it.She still clutched the gun in one hand at her side.

“I don’t know.How about we get you out of here, then I’ll figure that out.”

“I’ll make sure you get sent back to prison, you son of a bitch.”

Doug Harrington wasn’t dead.I thought I’d knocked him out for a while, though.Guess I was wrong.

“No, you won’t.”Violet sucked in a breath.Standing in the doorway was Caleb.He had a gun in his hand, finger on the trigger.

“Caleb.Good.Get rid of this asshole.He’s a criminal.Probably killed a bunch of innocent people, so you’d be doing the world a favor.”Harrington looked like he fully expected his son to shoot me.

“Riot’s taking care of Mom now.You don’t get to touch her ever again.”Caleb’s voice was steady, though I could tell he realized he’d bitten off more than he could chew.The reality of what he was poised to do was far different from the daydream.Caleb fully understood that killing a man wasn’t a trivial matter.Not when it was your father you were killing.

“Caleb.Come on.”The patronizing look Harrington gave Caleb had my hackles rising for a multitude of reasons.Mostly because I was afraid it would be the thing to set Caleb off.“Be reasonable.You’re not going to kill me.”

My heart pounded, but I didn’t dare move.Not until I knew Caleb wasn’t going to pull that trigger.

“He’ll never stop,” Caleb said, his voice eerily calm.The gun didn’t waver in his grip.Yet another red flag.“He’ll always come after Mom.Not because he loves her.Because he can’t stand to lose.”

“You’re not a killer, Caleb.”Harrington tried to adopt a soothing tone, but it came out calculating and manipulative.“Don’t do something you can’t take back.”

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