Page 159 of The Vigilante's Lover
“Let’s get back on the road,” Sam says. “We can update you en route.”
“He’s a lousy driver,” I say. “Let me take the wheel.”
Paulson snorts. “You’re coming off the juice dart. No way are you taking over my car.” He heads back to the driver’s side door.
“Chill, Jax,” Sam says. “They dosed you hard so you’d pass for dead. Had to bring your respiration down to untrackable levels. You’re bound to feel like shit.”
“I feel fine.” It’s a lie. I can still feel the slowness of my responses. But I can fake it.
“Get in the back,” Sam says. “I’ll let you know where we are with this.”
I open the door and sink into the leather, angry that Paulson is along for the ride. I want to ask about Mia, if she’s been picked up. But not around him. Someone should probably know who she is, that she’s the descendant of Vigilante One. More than just a special. The granddaddy of specials. But I say nothing.
Sam gets in beside me, and Paulson drops the car into high-speed auto-drive. The scenery whips past.
I sit back. “So, anybody figure out why Sutherland’s recruiting Vigilantes and faking their deaths?”
“No idea,” Sam says. “But there’s a lot of them, all foreign recruited.”
“Anybody tracking where they go?” I ask.
“We’ve got a watch on their cars. A few have headed toward D.C., but most go inactive after a couple days.” Sam passes me an Identipad.
“Is this safe to use?” I ask.
Sam nods. “It’s Paulson’s. We had to bring him along since I’m deactivated.”
“Why this bozo?” I ask, not lowering my voice. Paulson should know I don’t trust him.
“He’s got a vendetta against you, which makes him perfect for throwing off suspicion that he’s helping. He was also part of your death, and we want as few people as possible to know you’re still around.”
Right on all counts. Still, I wish Carter had brought in some other Vigilante. Any other Vigilante.
Sam taps the pad to bring up the screen. “Now if I had to guess, either these supposedly dead Vigilantes are together somewhere, or they’ve all gone on missions.”
“No telling what Sutherland is using them for, but if it’s anything like with Klaus, it isn’t good,” I say. “How the hell are we supposed to find invisible, off-grid, supposedly dead Vigilantes?”
“We’re looking for slipups,” Sam says. “And we might have found one in Germany.” He swipes at the screen. “A Vigilante killing. By another Vigilante.”
I narrow my eyes. “Where’s Jovana?” The last time a Vigilante died by Vigilante hands, she was there. And convincing me to make the kill.
I want to strangle her.
Sam swipes at his forehead. “Jovana’s off grid.”
“But I saw her in Nashville.”
“She’s a special. Specials aren’t tracked.”
“Did they find Klaus after I dropped him at the fight?”
Sam turns to me. “He was there?”
“He was the one who poisoned me. Mia didn’t tell you?”
Sam rubs his eyes. “She was a little panicked trying to get you an antidote.”
“So Klaus is still out there.”
