Page 129 of The Vigilante's Lover

Klaus finally throws up his hands and stalks out of the room. Anatol looks very pleased with himself as he hustles Lukov and Jovana to the hall. They quickly disappear down it.

“C’mon, Power Play,” says Colt. “Let’s go meet some fans.”

I wend my way to the exit. Klaus will be heading to a lavatory to clean up, and the closest one is just down the hall from the party room. I pause at the door and listen. No telling how many people are inside.

I push open the door. The sound of water gushing into a basin echoes against the tile. Cautiously, I peek around the corner and an arm flies at my face. My own arm instinctively meets it in a block. A hand grabs at my own, but I twist away and jump back to measure up my assailant.

“I’m disappointed in you, Jax,” says Klaus. “Did you honestly think I didn’t see you in there?”

“Must have been after Anatol gave you a daiquiri bath,” I say. “It certainly wasn’t before.”

Klaus’s eyes are dark with anger. His lean body is taut with tension. The faint odor of stale cigarette smoke clings to him. His coat lies piled on the counter, one sleeve under the faucet to trick the sensor and keep the water running.

“You should have stayed put, Jax,” he says.

“And let you and Jovana have all the fun? Not a chance.”

Klaus rocks from one foot to the other. He knows he can’t take me in a straight fight. He’s looking for an opening, or stalling for time until someone comes in. Maybe Jovana.

Fine by me. Two birds, one stone.

Klaus feints left, but I step right and intercept his true action. He curses and tries to hook my leg. I step aside and let his momentum help me throw him into a bathroom stall door. The impact echoes in the small space.

He comes at me again. I block his blow, then grunt in surprise as he lands a sharp kidney shot. How did I miss that? I twist and block his kick to my ribs, but in turn accept a weaker blow to my shoulder. I spin away to reassess my footing on the slick tile. My shoes are not the best for impromptu martial arts.

The edges of my vision seem fuzzy. I inhale deeply and the uptick in my heartbeat alarms me. This skirmish should barely wind me. I know my capabilities.

Something is wrong.

12: Mia

The gun rests in my lap, blue and cold.

I’m terrified of it.

The car rumbles lightly at my feet. I wish it were electric and silent instead of gas powered. I want to disappear. If anyone notices me, comes after me, then I have to use the gun.

My breathing speeds up just looking at it.

I think about what Jax said. There’s no antidote to a bullet.

Why didn’t he just give me a dart shooter?

I’m going to find one myself.

I turn around and reach for his knapsack.

The inside of the car is dark and I don’t dare turn on the light. I hold up the bag so the lamps in the parking lot will shine on it.

There are a lot of things inside. I reach my hand in. Out comes one of those wands they seem to use a lot. They detect stuff, but I have no idea how to use one.

I reach for something else.

The dart binoculars. Now I DO know how to use those. I wonder what the range is. It might not be good. And the tiny dart might not do much. That might be why Jax didn’t give it to me. It’s probably hard toaim.

Gah. I need training. I’m going to make him teach me.

I feel around in the bag and my hand closes over something small and cold. I pull it out.