Chapter Thirty-Seven
Adrian was lost. There was too much his mind had to process in such a short amount of time. Riley being the Vigilante changed everything. He hadn’t wanted to put the Vigilante behind bars before, and the feelings were stronger now. Adrian felt the urge to protect her. His heart beat faster every time Marcus mentioned how much he knew Riley because, despite her being away for so long, Adrian’s feelings for her hadn’t changed one bit. Even when the Riley Spencer he knew was long gone.
There was still part of him that wanted to help her, despite the fact that everything she was doing was wrong. He was more than willing to help her commit crimes if that meant Julius would be long gone, even if he had to become an accomplice.
Adrian stepped into the bar as soon as he got out of the hospital. He was desperate to demand explanations from Riley, though he guessed what the truth was and what her motives were too. He wanted to hear it from her, from her lips. Maybe she could clarify how everything began, because he wasn’t certain if the first killings had been because of him or just because of Julius.
His eyes immediately searched for Riley. He scanned the room but only found half-wasted men, a huge amount of noise, and Paige behind the bar. The minute his eyes crossed hers, her whole demeanor changed. He sensed the nervousness in the way she moved clumsily around the bar and avoided his gaze when he approached.
“Good morning, Detective. What can I do for you?” Paige asked.
“Where’s Riley?”
“I have no idea. It’s her day off, so she could be anywhere.” Paige turned to rearrange the bottle cabinet while Adrian tapped his fingers against the counter.
“I need to talk to her. It’s urgent. Police business, so if you know where she is, I need you to tell me.”
“I told you I don’t know–” Paige said, interrupted by Adrian’s angry fist on the counter, attracting stares from the few morning customers.
“Don’t bullshit me, Paige. She’s your friend. Now tell me where she is,” Adrian hissed.
Paige trembled, her hand shaking while she held the bottle between her fingers. “I think, I think she might be at home.”
“All right then, thank you.” Adrian tossed a few dollars on the countertop, grabbed a bottle, and marched away.
Adrian stared at the bottle of red wine in his hand, closed and untouched, but perhaps not for long. He was desperate for a drink. Everything was falling apart and his heart ached.
Riley the criminal.
Riley the Midnight Vigilante.
Riley a murderer.
Sooner or later, Marcus was going to figure everything out, and Adrian wouldn’t be able to save her. Just the thought rocked him to his very core. He cared too much about her to let her be hurt. Adrian hadn’t been able to save Lydia’s life, but he couldn’t let Riley lose her freedom.
He opened the bottle and drank deeply, letting the liquid burn his throat until it reached his stomach. He savored the moment—it had been four long years since he had a drink.
From the moment the thought occurred to her, Riley knew hiding wasn’t an option. Adrian knew where she lived and where she worked, and leaving LinHill was most definitely not a choice, not when she was so close to her goal. But she was at a loss for what else she could do.
The answer to her dilemma came when she heard an erratic knock on her door. She hesitated, but the knocking grew more insistent, rough and angry, and Riley realized she had no choice but to open the door lest it be kicked in.
Adrian stood on her doorstep, a half-empty bottle of wine in his hand, and before she could speak he stumbled as he crossed the threshold. She gaged at the overwhelming alcohol on his breath.
“You’ve been drinking,” Riley stated, disappointment rising.
A look of anger crossed Adrian’s face as he stumbled through her house.
“You, you’re him,” Adrian slurred, waving the bottle in his hand as he leaned against the side of an armchair. “The Vigilante.”
Riley was taken aback. For Adrian to start drinking again after learning of her nighttime adventures, he must be disturbed in a way that exceeded his professional boundaries. After all, she knew he’d had feelings for her in high school, and she’d dealt with enough cops to know only one thing kept them from making an easy arrest—personal desire, love. With that in mind, she forced herself to soften her usually blunt attitude.
“Adrian, you need to sit down and sleep it off, okay? We can discuss this tomorrow.” She tried to approach him, but he pulled his hand away, stumbling as he backpedaled.
“No! You, we’re gonna talk! Now!” Adrian yelled. “Why? Why would you do this? I told you I was looking into Lydia’s death!”
Riley sighed and shook her head.
“God, you destroyed me, Riley. I cared about you. I fucking cared! I wanted to protect you so bad the minute you came back to LinHill, and now what? What do I do? Fuck!”
“Adrian, I know you won’t agree with anything right now, but . . .”
Adrian moved toward her, slow and stumbling as he rubbed his eyes. “Tell me. Explain,” he hiccupped, “everything. Wh-why are you killing people?”
“I’m not killing people, I’m killing criminals. Men who intimidate and attack like animals! They’re all miserable attack dogs who have done nothing but harm everyone in this town!”
“They work for Julius! JULIUS!” Adrian exclaimed as a wave of nausea hit him. He stopped talking and moving, but he was also furious and heartbroken. “My brother . . .my brother . . .…”
“Your brother killed Lydia. I want to see you try to stop me from getting my sister justice,” Riley said. “I’m only going to give him as much grace as he gave her.”
“I can’t, I won’t let you. No,” Adrian murmured, shaking his head.
Riley watched as he
