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

“I guess I did my thing,” Riley said. Julius was frozen to his spot, shocked at the sudden change of events.

Riley stood just a few feet away from him, her handy-dandy knife tight in her hand, more than ready for use. “Come on, aren’t you ready to make me pay?”

“You, you wouldn’t dare,” Julius said softly. He was scared: his voice trembled. Riley knew he had never been brave enough to do anything on his own. That’s why he had his men, why he never left the house, because he was a fearful, pathetic man.

“I wouldn’t dare to kill you?” Riley hissed, wiping the blood from her lips and limping from the soreness of her body as she walked toward him. She couldn’t disregard the pain she was feeling, but she was willing to endure it momentarily if that was what it took to kill him. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. All the men I had to kill to get to your sorry ass were absolutely worth it. All the fights, even this one. I’ve been dreaming of seeing you pay for what you did to my sister.”

“Okay, okay, listen. Riley, I didn’t do it, okay? It was Dorian! He was the one who killed her and threw her body away. I had nothing to do with it,” Julius said, speaking quickly and falling to his knees, begging. The denial of his actions and the reminder of how her sister died made Riley angrier and Julius more terrified than before. “I’m sorry.”

“No. You don’t get to say sorry. You don’t get to apologize for being a fucking scumbag! You, you turned me into this. You destroyed everything that I was, my life, my family, and you don’t get to say how fucking sorry you are.”

She raised her arm high, the knife so tight in her hands it made her knuckles white. It was the moment she had waited for. She wasn’t going to hesitate, not now.

In a quick motion, the knife sliced into Julius’s neck, and he fell to the floor. Blood covered his chest, his face, and the ground around him. Julius struggled but in a matter of seconds there was no life left in his body.

Julius Martinson was dead.

Riley fell to her knees, crying with despair. She had fulfilled her dream, as twisted as it was; the revenge she had set upon had been done and now she could leave in peace. But she had turned into a murderer, one who would have to pay for her crimes whether she liked it or not.

Adrian ran inside Julius’s house as quickly as he could, Marcus following him closely. There was no need for him to kick the door open or even knock, for it had already been unlocked.

His heart beat hard with anxiety and fear. Adrian knew what Julius’s fate would be before he even set foot into his house; he knew what Riley’s goal had been from the beginning, but just thinking she would add another body to her list made him tremble. Adrian didn’t care that the other man on her list was his brother; he had deserved his fate since he pointed a gun at Lydia’s head.

A few sobs guided him toward a half-lit room. His breath caught in his throat upon the sight: Riley was sitting with her back against the wall, the bodies of Dorian and Julius around her. She was covered in blood, her face bruised and battered, but she was very much alive.

“He’s dead,” Riley told him. Adrian walked further into the room, Marcus following behind him. Adrian kneeled in front of her and examined her face before he helped her get up from the floor. Riley turned toward Marcus, both of her hands closed together “I’m ready. You can take me now.”

“You need to go to the hospital first. Right, Marcus?” Adrian said. Marcus looked around the room and nodded.

“Take her out. I’ll take care of this,” Marcus said.

Riley looked at her surroundings one last time before Adrian was able to lead her out. There was so much blood she was momentarily taken aback but it was even harder to believe she was the one who had done it.

Chapter Fifty-Two

The rumor that Julius and the last of his men had died spread like butter on hot bread. Everyone talked and speculated about who had done it; some said it was revenge for a business deal gone wrong, others said Dorian had betrayed Julius, killing him before committing suicide. Others pointed directly toward the Vigilante.

Riley had imagined how Julius’s murder would happen so many times she’d lost count. But she had never pictured the aftermath.

She was still a criminal, despite how others saw what she’d done as the Vigilante. She had killed too many people and had to face the consequences.

“No one knows who you are. There’s no point in hiding, you know?” Paige reminded her over a cup of coffee.

“Marcus knows, and he hates me. This is the perfect time for him to grab me and lock me up for good.”

“What about Adrian? Can’t he do something to protect you?” Paige asked. Riley shook her head.

“I knew this would happen. Everything has to come to an end, and this is mine,” Riley said, a hint of melancholy in her voice.

“But you saved us! You did the unthinkable, but for a good reason. If it wasn’t for the Vigilante, we would still be living in fear. This must count as some sort of self-defense.”

The door to Riley’s house opened, abruptly ending the conversation. For a moment Riley and Paige both thought this was it: the LinHill police department had come for her. Paige extended her arm to cover Riley’s hand with her own, and both women waited for the mystery caller to enter.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Adrian said as he walked into the room, placing a kiss on Riley’s cheek before he walked