Page 117 of The Vigilant

He appeared from behind an SUV, walking directly toward Sutton. Fucker had probably never fired a gun before and wanted to get as close as possible.

“I should’ve killed you in the alley,” Sutton said, and my legs pumped faster.

“Yeah, you should have,” Kang snarled back, and I made it through the rows of cars just as he pulled his gun.

“Sutton!” I roared and fired.

Three shots. All straight into his chest.

The gun clacked to the ground. Kang’s knees hit the concrete, and then the rest of him followed forward, the thud seeming even louder in the silent residue of death.

And Sutton just stood there. She didn’t turn. She didn’t look at me. She just stared at him.

The man in the apartment. The man who’d been there guarded instead of Mara. Dead. And we still had no idea where she was.

My arm lowered. The weight of my weapon was almost unbearable in my hold. I gave her a moment—and myself. It seemed every time I blinked, all I saw was Kang’s weapon aimed at Sutton. A weapon I now picked up off the ground and tucked into the waist of my pants. Noticing the corner of his phone in his other hand, I took that, too, hoping like hell I could find something useful on it.

The last thing I did before I went to her was fire off a message to Rob and Creed that it was only Kang in the apartment, that there were more bodies to clean up, and that I was taking Sutton back to the garage.

I didn’t hear any sirens, but I wasn’t going to take the chance of having the cops anywhere near Sutton right now. The very last thing I’d let happen was for them to cart her back to jail for, at best, violating her parole and, at worst, accessory to murder.

The air evacuated my lungs as I finally faced her.

She still stood silent—staring. Now, I noticed the bruise on the side of her face and the cut on her lip. No matter the setback, I couldn’t regret shooting that motherfucker. Not after this.

“Sutton,” I rasped low and reached for her arm, the touch jolting her out of her trance.

She turned to me, and as furious as I was for her going after Kang on her own, the glisten of tears in her eyes killed me.

“I had to do it,” I rumbled, as though saving her life needed explanation or justification.

Her throat bobbed. “I know.” And then a tear slipped free.

“Fuck.” I let out a hiss and grabbed the back of her neck, hauling her to my chest.

I felt how she fought it—the need to cry—to sob. To let go of everything she felt she had to hold inside.

“We’re going to find her,” I said and held her tighter. “We’re going to find her, I promise.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sutton

She wasn’t there.

I tried to get my brain to move past the fact, but the single thought repeated in my mind like a broken record the entire ride back to Sherwood.

Mara wasn’t at the apartment. Only Kang.

It made no sense. It made so muchno sensethat when I walked into the bedroom of the penthouse and heard the water running in the bathroom, I thought for sure I was going to walk in to find Mara soaking in the tub like she loved to do. My guard had dropped just long enough to cause me to hesitate when I saw Kang standing outside the tub instead.

He reacted faster. Seeing me—my knife—he grabbed a towel and threw it at my face. My arm swung out, his cry confirming that I’d caught him with my blade, but just as I pulled the towel from over my eyes, he shoved me from behind and I fell, my face crashing into the side of the tub. My lip split. My face throbbed. My eyes popped with stars.

What would’ve happened if he hadn’t heard Tynan’s roar from the other room and realized he was outnumbered?

“Sutton.”

I lifted my head off his back, realizing we were back at the garage. Parked. Sitting.Waiting for me.

---