“Who?”
“Santino Marcone.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “A dead guy? Really? I don’t know what they taught you in that big city, but usually dead guys aren’t the ones who commit the crimes. When was your last psych eval?”
“Santino might be dead, but his wife is not,” Marcus replied.
“Riley, again? Seriously? What, are you just trying to pin something on her, or are you really that bad at getting chicks to talk to you? I mean, okay, fine, her husband was a mob boss, and she inherited a whole lot of shit, but don’t you think blaming her for someone’s death is a bit too far?” Adrian tried to disguise his fears with pointed digs at his partner, but Marcus ignored the bait.
“It seems obvious to me. She might have the gun in her possession, and it wouldn’t hurt to get a warrant to search her house.”
“Based on what? Your perpetual hate toward her? Oh, I get it, she turned you down, and this sick accusation is your definition of revenge? You need to give her a break, Jung. She’s been through a lot, and you’re not making her life any easier.”
Marcus frowned. “What’s going on with you and Riley? You like her or something?”
“Yes. I do, actually, quite a lot,” Adrian said sincerely.
“Right. Okay, so now I get why you’re defending her so much. You’re letting personal affections get in the way of doing your duty to protect and serve this town,” Marcus said. “I wonder what the captain would think of this bit of information.”
“I’m not defending her. I’m just saying that your hatred doesn’t let you see beyond Riley and whatever might have happened between you two. You gotta focus on someone else, give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“I already did that once with her, and I’m not making the same mistake again,” Marcus said.
“What happened the first time?” Adrian asked, scared to know the truth.
Marcus waved a hand to silence Adrian’s inquiries. “That’s a story for another time. Right now, we have to focus on what she’s doing here.” He walked toward the door, beckoning Adrian to follow.
“If you think Riley shot Noah Kirkland you’re wrong. I’m saying because she was with me when it happened,” Adrian said. Marcus stopped in his tracks and turned toward his partner.
“What are you talking about?”
Adrian shrugged. “I’m saying that Riley was with me when Mr. Kirkland died. With me as in with me.” He raised his eyebrows, hoping to convey his meaning.
“And when were you going to tell me this?” Marcus asked with a frown.
“Hey, I’m not the type to kiss and tell, but considering you have her as your prime suspect, I thought you should know she has an alibi.”
“How very convenient. You, her seemingly sole defender, happen to be her alibi? Allow me to have my doubts.”
Adrian chuckled and raised his hands. “Think whatever you want. It’s not like I’m gonna give you details about who I sleep with, but right now I find it absolutely necessary.”
“Alibi or not, I’m still going to keep an eye on her. I know her better than you do, and I know the kind of things she’s capable of,” Marcus told him.
Adrian stepped a bit further toward him, already comfortable with his role as the defensive fake-boyfriend. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Marcus smirked as he slipped through the next door. “You’re the one hanging out with her. Why don’t you ask her?”
Adrian knew some bits and pieces of Riley’s story but he didn’t know the whole picture. He didn’t dare to ask either, figured things were way too personal. But now that Marcus had turned on the inquisitive switch in his brain, the more he spoke about Riley, the more he wanted to know about her past.
Maybe the conversation they had postponed was to take place sooner than he thought, with more questions on his part.
Chapter Forty
Riley wiped the counter for the fifth time in a row, mindlessly scrubbing away at the clean bar top to distract herself from moments she couldn’t erase from last night. She couldn’t help but fret because she knew the only way to keep a secret was to keep it to herself. Would Adrian reveal her identity to his brother and ruin her plan?
Adrian was changing everything within her, awakening pieces she long thought had died with Santino, and she was scared she might gain something only to lose it later. She wasn’t ready to have feelings for anybody, especially if he might get hurt. Adrian was too much of a good man to be dragged into her mess.
She would have to ignore what her heart was screaming at her, no matter how much that hurt.
“You’re gonna scratch the paint off the counter if you keep doing that,” Paige joked as she stood next to Riley. “Are you worried about Adrian?”
“I shouldn’t be. I mean, he was completely wasted when he got to my house, and I know that isn’t like him.”
“Yeah, it a shame he’s drinking again. Six years of sobriety into the trash, just like that.”
As if on cue, Adrian walked into the bar, wearing sunglasses. Riley knew he was hungover, even though he didn’t complain when Paige loudly greeted him.
“We need to talk,” Adrian addressed Riley.
“Well, hello to you to, Detective,” Riley replied.
“Hi. We need to talk, now,” Adrian demanded. Riley attempted to ignore him, but he made himself noticed by grabbing her hand. His touch felt like fire on her skin.
“You can go. I’ll cover for you,” Paige told her.
“Thanks, Paige. Let’s go.” Adrian guided Riley outside by the hand, pulling her urgently behind him. He looked around to ensure they were alone. “Marcus Jung,” Adrian sighed with more than a hint of fear in his voice. “He’s got a tab on you.”
Riley laughed. “Why am I not surprised? Marcus has been a hassle for years. What did I do now?”
“Your gun, the nine
