Midnight Vigilante, Leonor Bass [top business books of all time .TXT] 📗

Riley wanted to run and take her out, hug her tight and never let go.

The cops offered an autopsy report, but she declined. The evidence was right there on Lydia’s body: her bruised face, her broken lip, the blood that still remained on her beautiful face. Riley didn’t need a paper to tell how much Lydia had suffered.

Some people Riley didn’t know had showed up for the funeral. They greeted her and offered condolences followed by a quick hug. Many of them shared their experiences with her sister, saying how much of a good, caring person she was.

It was strange. It was like there was a side of Lydia she didn’t even know, a whole different person.

Later, after the ceremony ended, a woman with blonde hair and green eyes called her name. Riley had never seen the woman before, but she carried a sad expression and teary eyes.

“You don’t know me, but my name is Crystal. Your sister and I were very good friends.”

“Thank you. It’s a pity we had to meet under these circumstances,” Riley mumbled.

The woman’s sudden embrace took her by surprise, but it was welcomed. “I can’t believe this happened to her. She didn’t deserve any of this,” Crystal said, mascara-stained tears racing down her pale cheeks.

“No one does,” Riley replied.

“I told her she had to stay away from that man, but she didn’t listen–”

“What man?”

Crystal covered her mouth with one hand and gasped, as if her words were not supposed to be spoken. “Forget what I said, okay? Just forget it.” She took a few steps away from Riley, who reached out and grabbed her hand.

“If you know something that might help in my sister’s case, I’m begging you, please tell me. Do you think that man you’re talking about might have hurt her?”

“Julius Martinson,” Crystal whispered. Her eyes stopped on the closed casket in front of her where her friend lay, and the doubt Riley had seen cloud her face vanished.

“Are you sure?”

“God, I shouldn’t even be talking to you. If Julius finds out . . . He’s not a good person. Yes, he has done a lot of things for us, for the club even, but,” Crystal said.

“What club?” Riley asked with a frown.

“The club Lydia and I worked, Roxanne’s Red Light,” Crystal said slowly, as if she were talking to a child. Riley’s expression was on of pure shock.

“Lydia worked at a club? But she’s a nurse, I thought–”

“No. She used to work at a hospital but then she quit. A month later she found a job with us, at the club. She dressed as a nurse; that was her act. A sexy nurse. That’s how she met Julius. He went there as a customer, then he started asking for Lydia only,” Crystal explained.

Riley’s mind struggled to understand as Crystal spoke; there was a part still processing Lydia’s death. Now the other half struggled to comprehend truths she never would’ve imagined.

“She was a stripper?”

“I thought, since you lived together, she had told you.”

“No, she didn’t,” Riley replied in a whisper. Suddenly her attention was drawn to a man, sharply dressed with a black suit and two strong men walking by his side.

He stopped behind Crystal, who froze on the spot when the man’s hand landed softly on her shoulder. He was attractive, with blonde hair perfectly combed back and bright blue eyes that could charm any woman.

“Crystal, it’s so nice to see you here. It’s a pity we have to see each other under these circumstances.” He turned his attention toward Riley and outstretched his hand to greet her, which Riley returned a little confused. “I’m sorry for your loss. Lydia was a wonderful woman.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry, do I know you?” Riley asked.

“Forgive my manners. I’m Julius Martinson. I knew your sister very well.”

There he was, the man Crystal had been speaking of, the man who was connected to her sister. A man who, despite being charming and attractive, still carried a gangster kind of vibe, just like she had seen when she met Santino.

Paige was watching from a distance with a look mixed between anger, shock, and disgust. Paige walked over to Riley and took hold of her arm.

“Riley, are you okay? Do you want to go outside?” Paige asked.

“No. I want to talk to him,” Riley said, addressing both Julius and Paige.

“This isn’t the right time,” Paige said quietly enough for only her to hear. “Riley, please.”

“Hey, let her.” Julius smiled and shrugged.

Riley wished Paige would lose the grip on her arm so she could stand closer to Julius, so he could see she wasn’t afraid.

“It’s her sister’s funeral. Have some respect,” Paige said sharply.

“I didn’t know my presence here was bothering someone,” Julius said, pretended to be offended.

“It is. So now that you’ve paid your respects, you can leave,” Paige told him boldly. Julius smirked with petulancy at both women, as if he was the king of the world.

“Very well then. Once again, I’m really sorry for your loss. Such a pretty face like Lydia’s will surely be missed,” Julius said. He turned around and commanded his two gorillas to follow.

Crystal, strangely enough, shadowed them despite how scared she looked.

“He was the last person to see Lydia alive,” Riley said, hearing Paige softly gasp beside her. “He could know something.”

“Whatever he might know, he’ll never tell. He’s Julius Martinson, and discretion is his middle name. Or crime, more likely.”

“You’re talking about him like he’s some sort of god. He’s just a man, one who’s obviously too afraid to walk alone to a funeral, apparently.”

“Come on, let’s go outside for some fresh air, all right? We both need it,” Paige told Riley, who allowed herself to be guided through the doors.

“Tell me about that man,” Riley said as soon as they were out of earshot of the crowd. “I need to know why Crystal was so afraid of him, why you spoke to him like you wanted to slap him more than I did. Most importantly, I need to know