Page 173 of The Vigilante's Lover

“No,” I insist, bringing my tone down. “I will handle it. Where is she?”

“Headed toward D.C., same as us.”

“Who is she with?”

Sam fiddles with his phone.

“Sam. Who is she with?”

“The mission is more important than the girl right now,” Sam says.

“I decide that. Not you.”

Sam sighs. “You’re always going off half-cocked.”

“Bullshit. I’m never half-cocked.”

He shakes his head. “We’ll find her in D.C.”

“That’s not good enough for me.” I want her now. I need to see her now. I don’t think I even care about the mission anymore. Mia was right back in Nashville. This isn’t worth it.

She is what’s worth it.

“You’re going to have to wait, bro,” Paulson says from the front seat. “Put your dick away.”

I’ve had enough of this asshole. In less than a second, I’ve whipped off my T-shirt and wrapped it around his neck. “Do not go around disrespecting the ladies,” I hiss in his ear.

“Engage auto-drive,” Sam barks at the car, which has already veered into a new lane.

Paulson clutches at the shirt. I know if he has any training at all, he can tear it away. That wasn’t my point. Now that the car has to calculate with traffic, it slows down to a speed that is barely over the legal limit.

“We need to get back on track to get to D.C.,” Sam says. “Let the asshole go.”

I have no intention of doing that. I want control of this car, or out of it. I need to find out who has Mia and extricate her before any more harm can come to her.

A green sign for the Potomac River whips by. I can see the stretch of blue ahead. We’re about to cross it via a bridge on the interstate.

And I make my choice.

Before anyone can notice my actions, I tie the shirt around the headrest, snatch the Blackphone from Sam, and open the car door.

Paulson tries futilely to lock the car down, but I’m on the roof before he can untangle himself from my shirt. I stand, feeling the wind whip around me. If he goes into high speed with me up here, I’m a goner. But the river approaches fast, and without a second thought, I leap from the roof of the car as we go over the bridge.

I can only hope there’s enough water in the river to handle this dive.

10: Mia

If Jax is alive, then where is he?

Mark and Jovana seem giddy now after watching the video of Jax’s execution. But I can only stare out the window in a bit of a daze. We’re driving incredibly fast now, using that Vigilante super speed, and normal civilian cars get left behind as though they are parked on the highway rather than driving alongside.

“So how are you guys going to fake MY death?” Mark asks.

Jovana stops laughing. “Shut up around her.”

“Come on, you said that by this time tomorrow, it won’t matter,” Mark says. “Can I get blown into space? I want something fantastic.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jovana says. “It has to be easy to place in the record.”