Page 32 of Riot’s Revenge

I waited for the rest of it because there was obviously more.

Maria looked down at the ground. “I finished my shift yesterday and went home.”

A sick feeling settled low in my gut along with a simmering anger.

“The locks had already been changed.”

For a second I thought I’d misheard her. “What?”

“My stuff was outside.” The words sounded detached, almost like she was talking about somebody else’s life rather than her own. “There were boxes. Furniture. Everything, all on the fucking sidewalk.”

I stared at her, trying very hard not to let my temper get ahead of me. “Where is he?” came out anyway.

Her head snapped up immediately. “No.”

“Maria.”

“No. Riot, please don’t.”

“He threw you out, left all your stuff on the street where any filthy rat could take it.”

“He’ll call the police.”

“Good.”

She made a frustrated sound. “That isn’t helping.”

The thing was, from where I was standing, it sounded extremely helpful. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to stay still.

Maria stepped closer and looked up at me. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, exhaustion written across every part of her face. “I don’t need you getting arrested because some landlord turned out to be an asshole.”

The anger didn’t go anywhere. It simmered beneath my skin, waiting for permission.

Maria watched me like she thought I’d get back on my bike and hunt the guy down. Which, admittedly, was exactly what I had planned.

I dragged a hand across my face. “Fine. We do it your way.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Promise.”

My eye twitched.

“Promise.” She said in her nurse voice while folding her arms. Damn, she was cute when she was trying to put her foot down.

I sighed. “I won’t touch him.” In front of you, flitted through my head.

She studied me for several seconds, deciding that was the best reply she was going to get, she nodded.

Only then did I notice the car parked behind her. The back seat was packed with boxes and suitcases. Storage containers, stacked neatly on the front seat. Everything was crammed together so tight, there was barely room to see through the windows. Everything she owned was sitting in the car.

I looked back at her. “Where are you staying tonight?”

The silence that followed told me everything I needed to know.

“Last night, I stayed in my car.” For the first time since I’d met her, she looked completely overwhelmed and did nothing to stop the anger from surging back to the surface.

I glanced at the car again before looking back at her. The problem had already stopped being hers. Now, it was mine.

“Okay.”