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Chapter no 6 – RAYLAN

Broken Vow (Brutal Birthright Book 5)

R

iona and I take an Uber over to Callumโ€™s apartment, with a detour by the Gallo house. I donโ€™t like us hopping in and out of hired cars. I want to be able to drive Riona myself, in a vehicle I know

So we borrow one from Dante.

Itโ€™s the same Escalade he and I drove around in last time I was in town. I sink down into the driverโ€™s seat, into the dent made by Danteโ€™s bulk. Riona seems similarly at home in the car, setting her water bottle in the cup holder automatically before she buckles her seatbelt.

โ€œDrive around in this car a lot, do you?โ€ I ask her. โ€œWhatโ€™s that supposed to mean?โ€ she says.

โ€œYou seem to know where everything is.โ€ Riona gives an irritated sniff.

โ€œWhat?โ€ I say.

โ€œThereโ€™s nothing romantic between Dante and me.โ€ โ€œI never said there was.โ€

She rolls her eyes.

Iโ€™m driving us up Lakeshore Drive, the water spooling away beside us on our right. Riona looks out at the lake, which is flat and gray today, almost the exact same color as the cloudy sky.

โ€œI know he was carrying a torch for Simone all along,โ€ I say.

โ€œThatโ€™s not why!โ€ Riona snaps. โ€œI mean, I knew he was in love with her. He said he wasnโ€™t, but it was obvious. All I thought was that I hoped it worked out someday. It made me sad to see him hurting like that. There wasnโ€™t anything romantic between us either way. We were just friends. We still are.โ€

โ€œAlright,โ€ I say. โ€œI believe you.โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t care if you believe me or not. Thatโ€™s the truth.โ€ Riona is quiet a moment. Then she says softly, โ€œHe respected me. So often men act like you have to prove yourself to them. When I showed up at the jail after they arrested himโ€”you know about that?โ€

I nod. When the Griffins and the Gallos were fighting with the Polish Mafia, the Polish boss Mikolaj Wilk framed Dante for murder. Riona got the charges dropped.

โ€œDante trusted me to help him. Even though we barely knew each other. And our families had been enemies not long before.โ€ Riona links her fingers gently on her lap. She has lovely handsโ€”pale and slim with clear polish over the shell-pink nails. โ€œWeโ€™re alike in a lot of ways. Disciplined. Hard-working. Unemotional. People respect that in a man. But with a woman, they say youโ€™re cold or harsh.โ€

โ€œPeople say that about Deuce, too.โ€ โ€œThey donโ€™t hold it against him, though.โ€

I think about that. How attributes are viewed in men versus women. How women are criticized for behaviors that might be seen as virtues in men. You see plenty of that in the militaryโ€”guys getting complimented for their โ€œleadership skills,โ€ and gals getting called โ€œball-busting bitchesโ€ when they give the same orders.

โ€œYouโ€™re right,โ€ I say, after a moment. โ€œAnd youโ€™re right that I shouldnโ€™t have assumed that you and Dante couldnโ€™t just be friends.โ€

Riona glances over at me, surprised that I actually agreed with her for once.

โ€œPeople are always telling me what I should want, or what I should feel,โ€ she says.

โ€œIs Dean one of those people?โ€

That was the wrong thing to say. I can almost see her barriers coming up again.

โ€œYou were lying when you said you didnโ€™t like art,โ€ Riona says. โ€œYou were laying a trap for him, so you could make him look stupid.โ€

โ€œFor a smart guy, it was awfully easy to make him look dumb.โ€

โ€œYou didnโ€™t like him as soon as he made that comment about the military.โ€

โ€œEverybody thinks they know whatโ€™s it like to be in the army โ€˜cause they watchedย Saving Private Ryan.โ€

Riona nods slowly. โ€œRight. And everyoneโ€™s a lawyer because they watched

Suits.โ€

I laugh. โ€œWell . . . that was a pretty good show.โ€

Riona smiles just a little. โ€œI watched it for the clothes. Donna knew how to dress. Joan fromย Mad Men, too. They donโ€™t always do the redheads right on TV, but with those two . . . โ€

Iโ€™m sorry that weโ€™re already pulling up in front of Callumโ€™s place. Right when Riona was actually starting to relax a little. It takes me a minute to be sure weโ€™ve got the right place, because the building looks like an old church, not an apartment complex. But Riona assures me this is the spot.

I never met Callum on my last visitโ€”he was busy watching the birth of his son. I know all about him, though. Heโ€™s married to Danteโ€™s little sister Aida. Heโ€™s the oldest Griffin child and heir to the empire.

I can tell straight off how much he cares about Riona. He brings us up to his cozy kitchen, which is small but warm, with exposed brick walls and

butcher block counters. Plenty of the original church remains, including the long roof beams, and several stained-glass windows.

Despite how late it is, Callumโ€™s still dressed in slacks and a white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up. He keeps his voice low as he pours us all a drink, mindful of Aida and the baby asleep in the next room.

โ€œHowโ€™s Miles?โ€ Riona whispers.

โ€œGetting more stubborn by the day.โ€ Callum smiles. He pours us each a glass of red wine.

โ€œTo family,โ€ he says simply.

This time, I take a sip. The wine seems especially good after the ribeye. Itโ€™s funny eating and drinking like this. The two months before I hardly had a single good meal. Now Iโ€™m in the lap of luxury. Iโ€™ll have to be careful not to let it go to my head. Hunger gives you an edge.

โ€œAlright,โ€ I say, setting down the wine. โ€œWhat do we know about the diver?โ€

Callum opens his laptop and plays the security video for me.

Even though I can see that it upsets Riona, she watches the whole thing over again without taking her eyes off the screen.

โ€œHow did you get away from him under the water?โ€ I ask. She explains about the hairpin.

โ€œThat was lucky,โ€ I say. โ€œAnd smart.โ€

As the diver climbs out of the pool I say, โ€œHe looks about six-two, two hundred pounds. Does that sound right, Riona?โ€

She nods. โ€œHe was strong. Young, probablyโ€”less than forty. Dark eyes.โ€ She pauses for a moment, remembering. โ€œI think he was left-handed,โ€ she adds.

โ€œWhy do you say that?โ€

โ€œWhen I was laying on my back, his arm came over my neck this way . . . โ€ she mimes it crossing her throat from left to right. โ€œI think that was his dominant arm.โ€

โ€œGood.โ€ I nod.

โ€œNot much of a description,โ€ Riona says skeptically. โ€œItโ€™s better than nothing,โ€ I say.

We all watch the diver pick up her phone after he gets out of the pool. โ€œHave you tried tracking the phone?โ€ I ask Callum.

โ€œYes,โ€ he says. โ€œIt turned on briefly in Greektown. Then it disappeared again.โ€

โ€œWhat kind of info is on that phone?โ€

โ€œA lot of things,โ€ Riona says. โ€œPersonal and banking info. All my work emails . . . itโ€™s password-protected, but you know that doesnโ€™t mean shit to somebody who knows what theyโ€™re doing.โ€

โ€œCould the phone have been the target?โ€

Riona shrugs. โ€œSeems like there are easier ways to steal it.โ€

I turn to Callum again. โ€œDo you know who brokers hits in Chicago? If this guy was hired locally, a broker could tell us who the diver was. And maybe who hired him.โ€

โ€œI know someone.โ€ Callum nods.

I want to go along with Callum for that. So I say to Riona, โ€œCan I take you over to your parentsโ€™ place tomorrow? Just for a couple hours.โ€

โ€œSure,โ€ she says, without much enthusiasm.

โ€œAlright,โ€ I say. โ€œNow what about enemies. Who has a grudge against you at the moment?โ€

โ€œAgainst Riona specificallyโ€”nobody,โ€ Callum says. โ€œAgainst the Griffins

โ€”a whole fuck of a lot of people. Top of the list are the Russians. My father

killed their last boss, Kolya Kristoff. The new one is an old-school gangster out of Moscow. His name is Alexei Yenin. He worked as an interrogator for the KGB, so as you can imagine, heโ€™s as vicious as they come.โ€

โ€œDrowning isnโ€™t the Russianโ€™s usual style, but I could see a former KGB officer being a little more subtle than most,โ€ I say.

โ€œRight.โ€ Callum nods. โ€œStill, itโ€™s weird if they targeted Riona.โ€ โ€œWho else?โ€

โ€œMaybe the Hartford family,โ€ Riona pipes up. โ€œWhoโ€™s that?โ€ Callum asks.

โ€œA couple of months ago Enzo Gallo asked me for help. Or, more accurately, one of the other Italian families needed help,โ€ Riona says, with an expression of distaste. โ€œBosco Bianchi was driving drunk and high with a couple of sixteen-year-old girls in his car. One of them went through the windshield. She was put in a medically-induced coma. Boscoโ€™s toxicity test went missing, and I got his confession thrown out. The DA settled for eight months in medium-security. The girl never recovered.โ€

I can tell Riona feels bad about the girl. And sheโ€™s embarrassed that she facilitated Boscoโ€™s deal, but she doesnโ€™t shrink away from admitting it.

โ€œVirginia Hartford was taken off life support last week,โ€ Riona says. โ€œSheโ€™s got a father and an older brother. If I was them, I might want revenge.โ€

I write that down, same as I did the information about the Russians. โ€œOkay,โ€ I say. โ€œWeโ€™ll check that out too. Anyone else?โ€

A longer pause, and then Riona says, โ€œMaybe Luke Barker.โ€ โ€œWhoโ€™s that?โ€

โ€œHe was a senior attorney at my firm. He got handsy with me at the company Christmas party and Uncle Oran fired him.โ€

โ€œWhere is he now?โ€

โ€œI have no idea,โ€ Riona says coldly.

โ€œAlright,โ€ I say, marking his name down, too. โ€œThatโ€™s a good start. Weโ€™ll run down those possibilities starting tomorrow.โ€

Itโ€™s getting close to midnight. I can see Callum trying not to yawn. He gives his sister a hug, telling her, โ€œWeโ€™ll figure it out, Ree. Donโ€™t worry.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m not worried,โ€ she says. โ€œI just want to know, one way or another.โ€ โ€œSay hi to Aida for me,โ€ I tell Callum.

โ€œIโ€™m sure Iโ€™ll get the chance in an hour or two when Miles wakes us up,โ€ Cal says.

Riona and I get back into the Escalade and head back over to her apartment building.

โ€œWe can park in the underground parking,โ€ she says. โ€œI have an assigned spot, even though I donโ€™t have a car.โ€

I can see why Riona picked this condoโ€”itโ€™s a lot like her corner office. High and lonely with a stunning view. I can tell she likes things that are aesthetically stark, and completely within her control.

Itโ€™s only once weโ€™re alone in the apartment that Riona seems to realize Iโ€™ll be sleeping here, within the bubble of her personal space.

โ€œIโ€™m fine on the sofa,โ€ I tell her.

โ€œRight,โ€ Riona says, with an expression of discomfort. โ€œIโ€™ll get you some clean sheets.โ€

I unbutton my shirt and shuck it off, planning to wash up and brush my teeth at the sink like I usually do.

Riona comes back surprisingly fast, carrying a stack of fresh bedding. Her eyes flit across my bare torso and Iโ€™m surprised to see her blush. I didnโ€™t take her for the modest type.

โ€œHere,โ€ she says, shoving the bedding at me and not meeting my eye. โ€œWhatโ€™s wrong?โ€ I say, not able to resist teasing her a little. โ€œNothingโ€™s wrong,โ€ she says brusquely.

Iโ€™m pretty sure I got the honest Riona to tell a fib. โ€œDo you need toothpaste or anything?โ€ she mutters. โ€œNah. I brought my Dopp kit.โ€

โ€œAlright. Goodnight, then.โ€ โ€œGoodnight, Riona.โ€

She retreats into her bedroom, and I hear the muffled sounds of water running, and light feet padding around as she readies herself for bed.

Because Iโ€™m a nosy fucker, I poke around her living room a bit.

Itโ€™s alarmingly clean. Unlike Dean, Riona would do just fine in the military. Her books are lined up with soldier-like precision. I couldnโ€™t find a speck of dust with a hundred white gloves. Even her remote is set at a perfect ninety- degree angle on the television stand.

All that order makes me wonder. In my experience, when somebody clings that tightly to a sense of control, itโ€™s because something happened to them at some point in their lives that made them feel powerless.

I think of Riona describing Luke Barker and how he got โ€œhandsyโ€ with her at the Christmas party. Her voice was as calm as ever. But I donโ€™t feel calm, thinking about it. I feel a stab of something very like anger. I want to put Luke at the top of my list of people I plan to talk to.

I lay out a crisp, clean sheet on top of the sofa to protect the cushions. Then I lay down and slip into a light slumber. A soldierโ€™s sleepโ€”the kind you wake from easily.

 

 

RIONAโ€™S SCREAMย jolts me right off the couch.

Before my eyes are even open, Iโ€™ve jumped up and Iโ€™m running to her room.

I rip open her door and flip on the light.

Sheโ€™s tangled up in her sheets, ripping and clawing at them where theyโ€™re wrapped around her throat.

I pull her out of the bedding, wrapping her up in my arms instead. Sheโ€™s only wearing a light silk camisole and shorts, and sheโ€™s shivering, from cold or from fear.

โ€œShh,โ€ย I tell her. โ€œItโ€™s alright. Iโ€™m here.โ€

Embarrassed, she tries to pull away from me. But I keep my arms around her, pulling her against my chest. I can feel her heart hammering away against my bare skin, and her slim frame shaking.

โ€œI thought I was drowning,โ€ she gasps out.

Again I feel that flood of anger that a man put his hands on this woman. Riona is desperate to seem strong and independent. But the truth is sheโ€™s fragile in the way that all women are fragileโ€”smaller than men, and vulnerable to violence.

I have a sister. Iโ€™d fucking kill anyone who tried to touch her.

And I feel that same drive to protect Riona. To keep her safe. Not just because Dante asked me to. Because she needs it. She needs my help.

โ€œIโ€™m here,โ€ I tell her again. โ€œNo oneโ€™s going to hurt you.โ€

I can feel her heart beating wildly against my forearm. It feels like a bird caught in a cage, struggling to get out. Rionaโ€™s whole body is shaking.

But after a minute, she stops fighting and she sinks down against my chest, allowing me to hold her. Allowing me to warm her with my arms, so her shivering stops.

I donโ€™t think sheโ€™d ever allow this, if she werenโ€™t exhausted and terrified. In fact, sheโ€™ll probably be embarrassed in the morning.

But right now, she accepts my comfort.

I hold her like that for almost an hour, until her body goes heavy and warm with sleep.

 

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