Until he laid back on the couch, exhausted, and whispered her name in the sweetest way despite the disappointment she must have made him feel. The way he had fallen asleep, with her name on his lips, sent shivers down her spine.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Adrian woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon, and the warmth of a blanket covering his body. His head throbbed profusely, his mouth was dry, and even the soft light that trespassed the curtain made his eyes hurt. It had been years since he’d had a hangover, and it was that small detail he hadn’t remembered when he picked up the bottle yesterday. When he’d been so desperate to ease his heartache.
Now came the moment of regret, pounding in his skull with each beat of his heart.
Adrian sat upright on the couch, slowly so as not to anger his stomach. He could hear Riley in the kitchen, moving plates and cups as softly as she could, a kindness he appreciated.
Riley. With a jolt, he remembered where he was and the things he’d said to her. Before he could decide how to make amends—a step in his recovery with which he’d always struggled—she was walking into the living room with a cup of black coffee.
“Good morning,” Riley said, her voice probably a bit louder than necessary. “How’s the head?”
“Worse than I remember,” Adrian replied.
Riley sat next to him on the couch, closer than he expected, causing him to shiver.
“How long have you been sober?” Riley asked.
He laid his head against the back of the couch and rubbed his temples, ashamed of his weakness and lamenting his nausea. Nonetheless, he felt certain that Riley wouldn’t judge his second-ugliest truth, even if she had reacted so strongly when she learned of his connection to Julius.
“Six years. God, I can’t believe I messed up,” Adrian complained. He could feel Riley’s eyes on his face as he let the truth sink in, then her hand gently came to rest on his arm, making his skin buzz.
“Was it all because of me?”
He struggled to meet her gaze, and when he did, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He couldn’t blame her for his weakness; it wasn’t her fault that his heart had gotten ahead of his mind.
“No, you had nothing to do with this. It’s just me,” Adrian admitted. “I should have been stronger than this. I know better than to do this.”
“Hey, staying sober for six years, it’s a huge deal. You had a relapse, just one, and that doesn’t make you weak in any way.”
Despite the way he’d barged into her home and begun yelling at her, demanding an explanation and insulting her, Riley still seemed to care about his well-being, and suddenly he found himself in uncharted waters. No one had ever worried about Adrian Castelló.
Adrian felt his heart tighten, and something deep in his core ignited, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Thank you,” Adrian said after a brief silence, moving to stand. “I should probably go now.”
“You don’t have to, really. I made breakfast, if you want something in your stomach,” Riley said.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Adrian replied, pulling the blanket aside and slowly getting up from the couch. Riley followed him on his way toward the door, then he stopped midway to look at her one last time. “I really am sorry about all this.”
“It’s okay, there’s no need to apologize. You weren’t yourself,” Riley said, offering a reassuring smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay a bit longer? I don’t mind.”
Adrian gave her a weak, yet charming smile that made Riley’s heart skip a beat, much to her confusion and pleasure alike.
“Perhaps some other day, and we can finish our conversation with no alcohol in the way,” Adrian said as he opened the front door, the sudden morning light worsening his headache, reminding him the hangover was far from gone.
“Okay. You know where to find me,” Riley replied.
Adrian walked a few steps away before he stopped, turned, and came back to the doorstep, where he placed a soft kiss on Riley’s cheek.
She stood there, frozen, cheeks slightly flushed.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Adrian dragged his feet to the station, through the hallway, and straight to his office. He didn’t want to hear or see anyone, and prayed for a moment of silence and solitude.
“You’re late,” Marcus said from behind his desk.
Adrian gave an exasperated sigh when he realized he wasn’t going to get his moment alone, and squirmed when he remembered his companion.
“Sorry, Mom. I should have called you,” Adrian sassed. Marcus narrowed his eyes, looking at Adrian as if he had dirt on his face. “What?”
“Are you hungover?”
Adrian refused to explain his behavior to anyone, and remained silent, instead busying himself with the papers spilling onto his workspace from Marcus’s files. “What’s all this?”
“These, my friend, are the ballistic results from Noah Kirkland’s murder,” Marcus replied with a proud smile as he waved the sheet of paper in front of Adrian.
“So, are you gonna tell me, or am I gonna have to guess?”
“The gun used to shoot Mr. Kirkland is the same used to kill our other vics.” Marcus spread crime scene photos of each of Julius’s men who had died at the hands of Riley, a.k.a., the Midnight Vigilante. “A nine-millimeter CZ84 Combat, to be precise.”
“Okay. That’s a pretty specific type of gun, but almost everyone around here carries, and there’s no central database for who carries what,” Adrian said.
“Yes, but I hardly doubt anyone in LinHill is truly skilled enough to handle one like this. We’d just need to look at people with extensive criminal backgrounds or connections.”
“Like Julius’s men.”
“Julius’s men are being killed, right? Which leads me to this wild idea.” Marcus sighed, causing Adrian to dread his partner’s
