Innocent.Pure.Those were the two wordshe’d used to describe her.He nearly asked her out a couple oftimes but always lacked the courage.Ryker told himself thatbringing her into his world would only doom her.As it turned out,her being in the same building as him and River eventually led toher death.
Rage thickened in his vision.Ryker mighthave helped Gino making men sing, but the Familia and he alwaysdrew the line when it came to women and children.They might bemonsters in suits, but they followed a certain code.
“You fucking idiot.”He fisted River’sshirt.“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
River tried to bat him away, but Ryker wasso much bigger.River pouted.“I know I messed up, okay?No one’sgoing to miss the bitch.We just wanted to play with her, that’sall, but she had a bite to her.Besides, the Familia—”
“Shut the hell up,” he interrupted.
He curled his fingers into a fist andsmashed it across River’s nose.River’s shriek followed by thesatisfying sound of breaking bone made him curb his temper alittle.
We wanted to play with her.He’dalways brushed aside Gino’s comments about River’s attitude aboutwomen, but he should have paid more attention.There was that oneincident two months where Gino’s men had to pay off a strip clubowner because his brother got a little too rough with one of thegirls.
Ryker always made excuses for River.In hismind’s eye, he kept seeing their mother on her deathbed, clutchinghis hands and making him promise to always look out for River.Evenshe had known something wasn’t entirely right with River, thatsomething was lacking.
He’s different from the other kids.There’ssomething missing in him, but that’s why you’re here.Promise meyou’ll always look out for him, Ryker.
Ryker hated to think his kid brother wascapable of violence because in his eyes, River was still the same,gawky, gap-tooth, awkward kid who followed him around.
He’d been so busy doing jobs for the Familiaand paying the bills that he never realized his brother had turnedinto this.
“What the hell, bro?”River sputtered.
Ryker flat out told River the truth.“TheSeverins don’t give two shits about you, or me for that matter, ifthey decide I’m no longer useful to them.I know what Gino’s goingto think, how he’d deal with this body.He and the guys would wipethis place clean, and take you, me, and your useless dick friendsout in body-bags.”
Footsteps.Ryker whipped out his gun andfired at the two cowards who’d begun to make their way to the door.One cried out in pain.He wasn’t worried about the noise.Thecouple next door continued to hurl obscenities at each other.
They lived in a kind of rathole wheregunshots weren’t something to be concerned about.Just a week ago,a homicide occurred on the tenth floor and it took the cops twohours to arrive after the witness made the call.
“You asshole, you shot my knee!”
Ryker ignored them.
“You just shot Kenny,” River said.“Forwhat?Because you’re worried about your precious reputation?”
Something gripped his left leg, and helooked down.Time moved in slow motion.He stareduncomprehendingly, at the broken fingers clutching his leg, to onehalf-closed brown eye staring up at him, a silent plea in it.
He let out a breath.His angel was alive.How was that even possible?
River always did things half-assed, and foronce, Ryker was glad.Gino used to assign them both tasks, butRiver always screwed up some way or another.River sneered at him.Fuck.River might be high most of the time, but sometimeshis brother could be alarmingly perceptive.
River knew.Knew this woman was special tohim.It wouldn’t shock Ryker that River picked her for a reason.His anger cooled, his breathing turning even.He flashed River asmile that meant nothing.Ryker had gone to that special place whenhe killed.Numb certainty filled his entire body.
Ryker loved his brother, had defended him somany times to Gino and the rest of the Familia.He’d refused tobelieve them when they said there was something rotten in River.This wasn’t the same River he defended from school bullies back inelementary school.This River seemed to completely lackempathy.
“Tell me, brother.Why did you pick her?”heasked in a voice that lacked emotion that he wondered if he reallyuttered those words.
“Because no one would miss the bitch,” Riverbegan, but then his expression turned ugly.River smiled back athim, and Ryker wondered who this stranger was, who wore hisbrother’s skin and shared his name.
“You know why,” River answered.
Ryker raised the revolver, aiming it rightbetween River’s eyes.The extreme hate in River’s gaze told himthat his brother had gone off the deep end.When he took his firstlife, it had gutted him, but it had been quick.River and his palsgot off hurting this woman, taking their time hurting her.
“You’re not really going to shoot me.I’myour fucking brother.You’re going to choose a half-dead cunt overme?”River practically yelled at him.
The hold on his leg tightened.He couldn’teven imagine what kind of courage and strength, of willpower ittook for her to latch onto him.She barely could see out of thatblack eye.She probably mistook and saw him as some kind of savior,but it didn’t matter.
I’m sorry, Mom.
