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

sighed heavily, releasing the nervousness and anxiety pressing her chest. If her sister decided to try and kick her out, she could fight back and not shed a single tear.

Riley turned the key and waltzed in. The living room looked brand-new, and she was surprised Lydia had the time to leave the place spotless.

Being apart from home for so long didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try and look for her relatives. Her mother could be a cold-hearted and despicable woman, but Riley wasn’t raised to be like her. Even after knowing she wasn’t her birthmom, Riley had tried to treat the woman well. She had, after all, raised Riley as a daughter, despite the little love she felt. Riley still wanted to know how they had survived all these years; they were her only remaining family, and she was certainly going to find out her sister’s doings. Like Mickey had once told her, “You have resources; you might as well use them.” So she did.

Riley passed by the chimney, her fingers brushing the only old item Lydia had kept, the sofa her mother used to sit upon, and admired the family photos that still remained. A Christmas portrait, Lydia’s graduation photo, another of her mother, but none of Riley, as if no photos meant she could be erased from the world.

“Riley?”

She found herself face-to-face with the one she had once called sister, the one she had once called her best friend, her confidant.

The way Lydia looked at her spoke volumes: there was surprise, even disgust; but most of all, pure hatred.

“What are you doing here?” Lydia asked.

“Last thing I knew this was my house.”

“Not anymore, Riley. Leave, now.”

“Oh, and whose fault is that?” Riley taunted, dropping her handbag to the floor.

“You’re not welcome.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time someone said that to me.”

She moved past Lydia, into the kitchen and directly toward the refrigerator. She scanned through it and absentmindedly drank from a half-empty carton of milk. Lydia’s eyes never left her, but Riley wasn’t fazed—she wasn’t going to let her sister be the boss of her now.

“Why are you here, Riley? Why didn’t you just stay where you were?”

“I needed a friend and some family time too,” Riley said ironically.

“With whom? Last thing I remember you weren’t my sister,” Lydia said with a smirk.

Riley figured Lydia intended to hurt her with words and actions, but what her mother and sister had done was unforgivable. At least something good came out of it. They had made Riley unbreakable.

“Enjoy this little moment of quietness while it lasts, dear sis,” Riley said, emphasizing the last word. “Your nightmare is back, for good.”

“Don’t get so comfortable. I’ve still got the power to kick you out.”

“Yeah, I wanna see you try. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to my room. I’ll see you in the morning, roomie.”

Historically, Riley was not a morning person, but things radically changed when she met Santino. Recalling how she’d been when he was alive, she rose from her bed as soon as she opened her eyes, then retrieved her yoga mat and began the exercises they had once done together.

Her husband had taught her some things that she had never considered for herself, and even made her life better too. He had told her yoga was good for her body and soul, and she’d believed him. She believed everything he said to her like it was sacred. Her husband taught her to be strong and confident, to make others respect her for who and what she was. He had made her into a different Riley, and she treasured that dearly.

When her daily exercises were complete, Riley walked downstairs. Lydia had already prepared breakfast—only enough for herself, obviously—and had showered to start her work day.

Riley swayed across the room toward the pantry, poured herself a cup of coffee and then some cereal with milk. Lydia remained just a few feet from her, in silence, clearly judging her every move.

“If you think I’m gonna feed you while you’re here, then you’re wrong. I’m not your mother and you’re not a child. Everything in here is mine, so if you wanna eat then buy your own shit,” Lydia snapped.

“Don’t you have a place to be and people to bother? Haven’t you been called to the hospital as the angel of death already?” Riley asked around her mouthful of cereal.

“How do you know I work at the hospital?”

Riley wasn’t going to tell her that Tony, one of her men, had tracked Lydia and found out she was a nurse at a local hospital. “I saw the uniform. You have it in your room for the whole world to see.”

“What were you doing in my room?”

“Oh, my God, are you gonna question everything I do? If you don’t want me near your stuff, then you might as well lock your damn door. I’m a nosy person, you know.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know?”

“But satisfaction brought him back,” Riley finished with a grin.

“Get a job, Riley. I won’t have you here for free,” Lydia called over her shoulder as she grabbed her purse and walked through the door.

Riley could absolutely get a job; there were a lot of things she could do. She had worked as a waitress, doing dishes and cleaning tables, before her life had changed and she had been offered something better to do—though “better” was not quite the word to describe it.

Work seemed like the perfect way to pretend she was a normal woman, with a normal life, but also a good way to find out just how many things had changed around town; despite having someone who could find things out for her, she wasn’t going to use him for something she could do on her own. Especially since Mickey had a more important job to do.

Either way she was only getting a job to have something to do with her time, because money was not a problem for her. She had plenty