Page 137 of Ride or Die

Attivia Industries disappeared as the elevator doors closed and she walked out into a steady drizzle, pausing under an overhang. Her lips were numb, and her fingertips tingled.

Riley: Hey K, can you meet me for an early lunch? I have news.

Kristi: You better not be pregnant.

Riley: LOL

Kristi: ...That’s not an answer.

Riley: See you soon.



“And he just said yes?” Kristi leaned over the small bistro table, and her elbow almost knocked over her uneaten soup. “No exit interview? Nothing?”

“Yeah. It took like two minutes.” Riley sipped her latte and ignored how her stomach twisted. Rain fell gently on the awning and mixed with the soft jazz from the open cafe windows.

She’d done it. She was out. With a year buffer.

“And you believe him?” Kristi’s eyes narrowed.

Riley shrugged. “He could have just said no. And Candida already sent over a bunch of forms.” She glanced at her phone. “So, that means I’ll be able to pay off my loans. And not have to deal with Gio or anything. I basically have a free year.”

“You think it’s just going to be that easy? Does he know about—” She dropped her voice and glanced around. “—the spreadsheet?”

Who cares? It’s done.

Riley shook her head. “It didn’t come up. Candida was kind of a bitch about it, so I just left. But I used the voice memo thingy. That’s legal… right?” She pulled up the voice memo. It was a five-minute recording.

“Okay, Ms. Ocean’s Eleven. That was smart. And yes, single-party recording is legal, although I don’t know that legality is going to stop someone like him. But technically, an NDA can’t hide evidence of a crime.”

“I don’t have evidence.”

“Right.” Kristi’s voice was flat.

Riley traced shapes on the table. Keep being smart about this. It’s in your best interest.

Riley changed the subject. “I want to talk about what happened. With us.”

Kristi’s gaze flickered as she leaned back in her chair and slid one leg over the other. “Sure.” Her foot bounced and sent tiny vibrations through the table. “Would you like to begin?” A smile tugged at Kristi’s lips and Riley pushed away the flicker of dread.

Why is this harder than quitting my job at a likely criminal enterprise?

“What you did, with the drink—like, I appreciate you trying to protect me—but please never do that again.” Riley grabbed her water and drained it.

Kristi tilted her head. “I’d do it again.”

“Kristi—”

“No, I would. No question. If you’re in danger, I’ll do it.”

Riley blinked at her. “But we were only in that situation because of you.”

Kristi rocked back. “Excuse me? I roofied myself? Pretty sure Gio is to blame here.”

Riley folded her arms. “You know what I mean.”

Kristi’s hand tightened for a moment, and then she set her glass down. “Riley, it’s a public establishment. We were entitled to be there.”