Page 111 of The Vigilante's Lover
“But this guy. He wasn’t shooting at you?”
“Doesn’t matter. He was a Vigilante. You don’t murder one of your own.” Now his eyes meet mine again.
I have to clear my throat before I can squeak out, “But you’re a Vigilante and they’re trying to kill you now.”
“That’s different. I’m under a kill order.” He sets down the glass without taking a sip and picks up his fork. “They’re following orders.”
“Does a kill order ever get canceled?” I ask, my heart hammering.
“I don’t know,” he says, twisting the fork in his pasta. “There’s never been one for a Vigilante before.”
My back is ramrod straight. My hands are in tight fists. I don’t see any way for us to get out of this. How long can we go before they catch up to him?
My face burns hot. I pick up my fork, trying to quell my nerves. This is what I wanted, right? To have Jax to myself. To go with him no matter the consequences. But now my only home is in pieces. Everything I own is lost.
Suddenly I remember the stash under the pantry floor.
“Won’t the fire department find all the Vigilante things?” I ask. “Won’t they know something was up?”
Jax shakes his head. “It will be handled.”
“Really? You guys control the fire department?”
Jax runs a finger along the top edge of his wine glass, a slow sensuous gesture. I shiver.
“Control is too strong a word, but we have a hand in most everything that matters.”
“I don’t see how the Vigilantes can be such a big secret,” I say. I set my fork down. There’s no point in trying to eat. “People have to know.”
He leans forward, his blue-gray eyes intent on me. “How many unsolved mysteries are there in the world? Cold cases? How many UFO sightings? How many news articles that don’t seem to quite add up?”
“L-lots,” I stammer. “But usually that’s because nobody has all the facts.”
He leans back and sips his wine. “Exactly. Because the Vigilantes don’t allow them to have all the facts. We mete out justice in our own way. People believe in karma, that bad people will have bad things happen. The Vigilantes are those bad things. Wearekarma.”
I clasp my hands in my lap. Jax seems so intense, so intimidating when he talks like this.
“Are you ever wrong?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Possibly. But we have the biggest information network in the world.”
“And all these Vigilantes live double lives? Nobody knows what they really do?”
“Not all of them. Some choose to stay underground completely. Most silo employees are permanent residents.”
I pick up the champagne glass idly, then drain it. The bubbly liquid slides down my throat, chilling my belly. I take in a deep breath, looking around at the room, the beautiful decor, the impeccable table, and this man.
I try to imagine living like this all the time. Anything you want, yours. Everyone around you, ready to serve. Information on anybody, puzzles to solve, crimes to figure out.
People to either rescue or punish. No checks and balances. No judges or juries.
Danger. No room for mistakes.
Still, I want it. I can’t be intimidated or afraid to reach for it.
I wasn’t born to this world, but it feels right for me.
I have to keep Jax close. I have to prove myself.
