“I heard.” Adrian said as he sat in front of Julius on the couch.
“I want him dead, too. I want him shot in the head like he did with my boys.”
When Adrian was about to reply, Riley entered, carrying a tray with two glasses, one with water and the other with more whiskey. Their eyes met and Adrian flashed a soft grin at her; she responded with the same gesture.
“Sorry to interrupt, sir. I brought what you asked,” Riley said. Julius sat up straight enough to reach for his glass, almost knocking the other one down. Riley then turned her attention toward Adrian, without forgetting she was supposed to pretend they barely knew each other. “And I thought you might want a glass of water, sir.”
“Thank you,” Adrian replied. She handed him the glass and their fingers touched, barely, but it was more than enough to feel the electricity running between them.
“Leave now. Go. I need to talk to my brother in private. Leave!” Julius snapped at Riley, who quickly pulled her hand away. Adrian slapped Julius’s head hard, receiving a frown in reply.
“There’s no need for you to be a dick. Knock it off,” Adrian told him and then, turning his attention to Riley, spoke with a soft gentle tone. “You can leave now; I’ll take it from here.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Riley said. He winked at her and she smiled. Julius was too wasted to notice their interactions.
“So you were saying something about your men?” Adrian prompted.
“I’m done waiting for something to be done. I’m tired of waiting for justice to follow its course,” Julius said, but it seemed like he was speaking to himself rather than Adrian.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m giving you a warning: I’m taking down the Vigilante on my own.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. Every time one of Julius’s men died, he made threats toward either Adrian or the Vigilante, but never actually fulfilled them. “All right. And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”
“Do you think I’m going to tell you so you can call your buddies and stop me? I’m not that stupid.”
“Tell me something: have I ever stopped you when you do your crap? No. Have I ever told anyone about your doings? No. Don’t give me the ‘I don’t trust you’ bullshit now, Julius.”
“I’m only saying that the Vigilante will be dead before the month comes to an end, and neither you nor your cowboys are gonna stop me.”
There was something in the tone of Julius’s voice, his demeanor, that made Adrian uneasy. Julius had made threats before, but this time his eyes weren’t wild with fury—they were cold, resigned, and determined.
Adrian knew Riley was probably listening nearby, and he knew she was more than capable of defending herself, but Julius’s words still made his blood run cold.
Chapter Forty-Five
Riley was, deep inside, very grateful for Adrian’s reaction upon Julius’s mistreatments. Though she didn’t really need anyone to defend her, and she knew he understood, she was still happy to know she had someone who would have her back, even in front of his brother.
Adrian stopped by her house just an hour after she arrived, and Riley was a bit taken aback by his display of affection. He gave her a hug, followed by a peck on her lips. She didn’t know how to respond, they hadn’t had time to label their relationship. But it was clear to her that he saw it as something more than an agreement between friends. Not that it bothered her; she was just a bit confused by her own feelings.
“Are you okay?” Adrian asked her. She wasn’t sure if he was asking for the whole situation or what had happened with Julius.
“I’m good. Why do you ask? Is Marcus outside again?” Riley said. Adrian frowned and shook his head in reply. “Then maybe you could stay at your place tonight.”
Adrian stood frozen in his spot.
“Was it the kiss?” Adrian asked her. Riley looked down at her feet, unable to give him a full reply. “Should I just . . .not do it again?”
“Maybe. We were doing it for Marcus and I think he’s clear now that there’s something going on between us, so there’s no reason for all of this,” Riley said. Adrian nodded slowly, but Riley could tell he wasn’t exactly pleased with her explanation.
“Right. I understand. He knows, so the show is over right?” Adrian sounded a bit angrier than Riley thought he would.
“Listen, I told you I appreciated everything you’ve been doing. But playing the happy couple is just an extra, it has nothing to do with my plan,” Riley said. She didn’t want to be harsh but if she didn’t get everything straight things would get out of hand, more than they already had.
“Of course. Now that you’ve used me enough, I can walk away so I won’t be in the way of murder, right?” Adrian replied bitterly.
“Hey! I told you this was a bad idea from the get-go. If you wanted to do this I didn’t force you and you knew it would have to end eventually. This is making me uneasy. I like our friendship and appreciate your help but not . . .the other thing.” Riley couldn’t help blush at the thought of them together.
“You didn’t seem uncomfortable when we were making out and having sex, were you?” Adrian snapped.
“No, I wasn’t. But it’s over. You want to stick around? Then help me with Julius, otherwise you can just leave.” She could see Adrian swallowing hard and rubbing his temples with his fingertips.
If the situation would have been different, if she hadn’t had one goal, she could have accepted having Adrian around as more than a friend. But she couldn’t betray her initial plan and sleeping with him was not part of it.
“Fine. I’ll stay. I made you a promise and I’m gonna keep it,” Adrian said.
“Thank you. Now I need to plan a
