Page 51 of The Vigilante's Lover
I lean in close to Mia and take her head in my hand. Her honey hair spills down, dark and wet from the river water. My throat is tight as I push on her eyelids to check her pupils. The blacks are normal sized inside her green irises.
I lay her down more comfortably on the seat and pick up the white vial. I’m sure that dart was probably meant for me. Whoever aimed the shot should be downgraded to floor-mopping duty. Vigilantes should never miss their target.
I tug the cap off the needle and stick Mia gently in the crook of her arm. When the syringe is empty, I recap it and look outside the car. If the Vigilantes are truly tracking me, they will arrive any second.
I wait, counting heartbeats, for either Mia to wake up or a car to bear down on us.
Neither happens.
I lay my head on Mia’s chest, listening. Her heartbeat is less rapid,but her respiration is still slow, too slow. The dart contained more than her slender body could handle. The dose was meant for me.
Damn it. I peer up the driveway. There’s a structure just visible around a bend. I pull an oversized shawl from Mia’s clothing bag and cover her with it. Then I get back behind the wheel and slowly ease the car down the lane.
I assess my own emotional state as we move. I’m more anxious than I should be. I’ve lost my own cold control.
Calming breaths. Stay alert and prepared.
I’m vulnerable, I know, with all my tech disabled. But I just waltzed out of a Vigilante silo with nothing more than a universal passkey. I’m up for this.
It’s the girl. She’s setting off a buzz inside me that doesn’t respond to my training. I want to protect her, keep her safe. And right now, I’ve failed at that.
We pull up in front of an old farmhouse. It’s definitely abandoned, the front door hanging from its frame. I drive around behind it to hide the car. Farmland that has been encroached upon by brush and small trees stretches as far as I can see. To my left is a barn that looks like it is in good shape. I’ll move the car in there once I know Mia is all right.
I kill the car and turn to check on her. Still out, but I’m reassured by the rise and fall of her chest beneath the shawl.
I debate leaving her in the car while I investigate the house and make it secure. But I can’t do it. If the Vigilantes do wander down this drive, they’ll take her. And if she has some unexpected reaction to the poison or the antidote, I want to be there.
The house is two stories. The back steps look solid. The open front door might actually be a suitable ruse, making the house look empty. I just need to secure one of the rooms.
I walk to the back of the car and lift Mia into my arms. The shawl falls away, revealing the creamy skin again. She shivers, which I take as an excellent sign. I tuck the shawl around her and pull her close.
One swift kick at the back door pops it open. The kitchen is dirty but intact. One exit leads to an empty dining room. Another goes to a hall and straight to the open front door. Not secure at all. I turn past the stairs to check and see if there is a bedroom downstairs, but there is only an empty room with a splintered wall piano and an old armchair losing its stuffing.
This is no good. I roll Mia into me and peer out the front window. Still no sign of anyone.
I return to the kitchen and out the back door. Mia starts to stir, taking in a sudden sharp breath. I pause by the car, looking down at her. Her eyelids flutter but don’t open.
She’s coming out of it.
I hurry toward the barn. There’s a giant set of doors out front, but a normal-sized door on the side near the house. Instead of kicking it, I test to see if it will open without damaging it. I grimace when Mia’s bare knee brushes the rough surface as I turn the knob.
The inside is dim, splinters of light coming in through the cracks. The building is cavernous, open, and strewn with hay bales. A rickety ladder leads up to a loft.
Much easier to defend.
I kick at a crumbling hay bale until it falls apart. It’s not quite enough, so I knock a couple others around until I have a suitable pile.
The shawl slides off Mia easily, and I kneel to hold her in my lap as I spread it out on the loose hay. When I set her on it, she immediately curls into a tight ball, shivering. My shirt is pretty dry now, so I strip it off and cover her with it. It won’t be enough, but it will have to do for a moment.
I pull the shawl around her and wait. Her pulse seems normal, and her respiration also seems to have settled. I’m not sure why she’s not awake. I shake her lightly. “Mia, are you all right?”
Her face scrunches in pain.
I’ve only been poisoned once by a Vigilante dart, the torture one, on accident when Sam was testing one of his hidden injectors. Headministered the antidote within seconds, but coming out of it was still an unsavory experience. I imagine Mia is not feeling too well at the moment.
I brush her hair off her face. Finally, her eyes open. “Jax?” she says.
“You were taken down by a medicated dart,” I say, deciding to soften the seriousness of the hit. “You’ll be fine in a moment, but you might feel a little sick.”
