Page 81 of The Vigilante's Lover
I sit there, jumping at every little sound, until the terror starts to settle into a manageable sort of low-level anxiety.
I pull the second box close to me. When I flip these latches, I have to smile at the contents. A pen. A notebook. Two men’s clip-on bow ties, one black, one red. A bulky necklace that is a cluster of big red beads. And an oversized onyx ring.
I slip the ring on my finger. It’s big. Really big. The black oval is set in a gold base. I try it on my thumb and it still slips off. Something about it makes me think of Jax, though, so I leave it on.
The light outside my back door clicks on, timed for sunset. I wonder if the Vigilantes really are monitoring the room, and if they’re watching me go through their things. That Sutherland guy didn’t seem to want me to know anything. Colette played along when she knew they were listening.
It’s all such a puzzle.
I’m tired. I close the box. Maybe I should sleep a little and go through the rest of the pantry tomorrow.
I pause by the door. Should I close the hatch? Something tells me I should. I can almost see the pulsing light on a panel somewhere, alerting someone that the door is open. I walk around to the back side and hang on to the heavy lid as I let the bar fall. Then I lower the hatch into place.
The two black boxes seem obvious on my counter. If Shirley comes over, which inevitably she will, she’ll ask about them. I open a low cabinet and hide them inside.
I shove the rug by the back door as though I’m about to take it out for a cleaning. Now everything seems normal.
I clasp my hand around the black ring as I head back to my room. Too little sleep. Too little food. Coming down from that crazy freak-out I had when I saw the guns. I need to rest.
Tomorrow I can figure out what I’m doing next. How to find Jax. I know he doesn’t want me. But I want him. I should never have walked out of the barn. I should have made Colette take me back.
I gave up too easily.
I kick off the shoes, mad at myself. I’m going to fix this. I’m going to find my way back to him.
I don’t bother shutting off any lights anymore. I can sleep fine in brightness and it’s too uncomfortable to be alone in the dark. Especially now that I know about the guns. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to figure out how to use one.
Or not. God. It’s so frightening.
Jax invades my vision as soon as I close my eyes. Him at the hotel, holding the drink, watching his jacket fall from my body.
In the hay, braced over me, shirtless, working my body.
Soon he’s invading my dreams. I can feel the rope again, tight on my wrist. I smile to myself, reveling in the rush of pleasure and anticipation.
Then something pinches against my skin and I startle awake.
The room is dark.
It shouldn’t be dark.
I left the lights on.
I try to move, but I’m immobile. I’ve been tied. It wasn’t a dream.
I can’t see anything. The room is pitch black. Even my clock is off.
The electricity has been cut.
“Jax?” I ask, even though I know better.
Silence.
“Colette?” I ask hopefully.
A light flares, the striking of a match.
It moves through the air, illuminating a hand. It rises to a mouth, a cigarette, and a face.
