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

I get angry, and if I get angry, someone might get hurt.”

“You’re threatening me in my workplace? You have some balls.”

“I want this case to be solved, and soon. It’s a polite request. If I’m not satisfied, then you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”

Adrian stood from his desk, walked toward the door, and opened it wide. “Get the fuck out of my office before I kick you out,” Adrian said. “You might be almighty and powerful out there, but not in here, not on my turf.”

Julius glanced at Adrian one last time, smirking as he did so before disappearing through the door.

Riley didn’t plan to do it again. In fact, since she started working for Julius, she figured there was no reason to go on another killing spree. Four bodies were more than enough, but then Julius made other plans. He wanted to send men to terrorize everyone, and she wouldn’t allow herself to sit at home watching TV while her town was destroyed.

So she gathered her outfit again, this time with extra precaution for when the hits came; Mickey had given her rings and taught her a trick: if she put the rings underneath her grappling gloves, she could cause more damage.

Something like that would make this much easier.

Riley went out at the same time as her last night of vengeance and waited. There were two different men patrolling the street, ones she recognized from Julius’s office—Owen and Caleb. They were no different than the last men she had seen patrolling the streets of LinHill, except these two looked twice as alert, as if they might fall prey the same way their comrades had.

She emerged from behind the bushes and stood in front them. They stopped their pacing but remained on guard. One of them had his fist ready to attack while the other stood behind him, as if he was trying to stay as far away from Riley as possible. Owen was more afraid than Caleb, or probably more prepared.

“I’m ready for you, asshole. Come on!” Caleb snapped.

And she did. The first strike extended toward his face, her thumb reaching for his eye. He clearly didn’t see that blow coming, or the ones that followed.

He tried to retaliate by stepping forward, but it was like he was waving his arms uselessly in front of him, giving Riley the opportunity to strike his throat with an open palm. Caleb tried to breathe, but choked as he fell to his knees. That same movement gave Riley another chance for a second attack, this time to Caleb’s groin with a strong kick. He fell sideways, wincing and barely moving. He hadn’t had a chance to fight back; Riley wouldn’t let herself be beaten again.

Owen stepped forward, but Riley was ready to attack again, dodging his first strike. She launched forward with a slicing elbow as Owen tried to dodge her, but failed.

They were both breathing heavily. Exhaustion was overtaking Riley, but she wouldn’t stop, not when one of her enemies was almost defeated.

While Owen recovered from her attack, Caleb brought himself to his feet, limping as he moved. Now he looked doubly pissed and was more than ready to attack, but so was she.

Caleb launched forward, but she saw it coming and caught him with a right hook straight to his jaw. He stumbled, and so did Riley, but she regained her balance as he fell down to the ground and stayed there.

As Caleb approached to avenge his partner’s beating, Riley produced her baton. She hit him hard in the face, taking advantage of the adrenaline that suddenly pumped inside her chest, and watched as he spit blood, his movement limited. Riley considered a second blow but hesitated when Caleb produced a knife from his pocket and stepped toward her, taking her by surprise.

The blood that poured from Riley’s stomach was warm, and it seemed to partially numb her. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily, though the mere act caused pain to travel up her body and into her chest. She wanted to scream but fought the urge, worrying about revealing her identity.

Caleb stepped away, and Riley could see through her blurry vision that he was smiling. It infuriated her that he mocked her, as if he had won the fight. Withdrawing her gun, she pointed it directly at Caleb’s head and pulled the trigger. Owen watched from the ground, his eyes wide with shock. He struggled to his feet, trying to escape, but he was no match for her timing and aim.

The next body to hit the ground was his.

Seconds later Riley fell and suddenly found herself staring at the dark sky as tears ran down her face. She couldn’t hold back the pain, and pretending she was all right wouldn’t be an option. But lying in the middle of the street wasn’t going to be one either, so she forced herself to stand, covering her lips to suppress a scream until she was able to stand up straight.

Unable to decide what to do next, Riley stopped, allowing the pain to subside before letting her feet drag her away with no clear direction.

Before disappearing through the dark street, Riley turned around to admire her handiwork. She wasn’t proud of her doings. She had never considered herself a murderer, but her killing spree had become a necessity, not only for her, but for everyone in town.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Riley dragged herself on pure survival instinct. The pain made her eyes blurry, and cold sweat fell from her forehead. No one was around to see her but she walked among the shadows just to be sure.

She didn’t know how, but Riley found herself standing in front of Mr. Eaton’s bar. The sign had already been turned to CLOSED, but she knocked on the glass door until she received a reply, fighting not to succumb to the pain and loss of blood.

As her body began to weigh an unbearable amount, the door swung open and Paige gasped. Riley’s next conscious