Page 60 of The Vigilante's Lover

“I was thinking you could just shuffle Fly and Jovana off to a private room. Leave the boyfriend out here. He could mingle while the boys meet Fly and his sister.”

Anatol laughs, a hearty rapid-fire chuckle. “You do not know this man. He does not mingle. And I do not know if this boyfriend would agree to let Jovana be with strange men.”

“Who cares what he thinks? You represent Lukov, and he wants to meet Colt and Parker, right?”

Anatol nods. “Yes, but—”

“And I bet Jovana, being a fan of fighters too, would want to meet them. That would make Fly happy, right?”

“Well, yes—”

“Then it’s settled!” I smile and grip his upper arm. “You said he was controlling. Don’t you want to tweak his nose a bit?”

Anatol opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks at me, and a dark smile slowly forms.

“You are right, Mr. De Luca. It is time that idiota learns he cannot dictate what she does.” He laughs again. “You go find your friends, and I will go find my boy.” He points to a small hall off to one side. “Down there is a private lounge, find us there.”

“And the boyfriend?”

“You don’t worry about him. Here, I am the boss.” He narrows his eyes then weaves through the crowd to the exit.

I maneuver through the throng back to Colt and Parker. Benny is nowhere in sight. Colt smiles at my approach.

“Mission accomplished?” he asks.

I nod. “Anatol has arranged a private meeting with the two of you, Lukov, and his sister.”

“What about her dude?” Colt says.

“Leave him to me. But don’t mention me to the sister.”

Parker looks like he’s about to ask why, but Colt gives a knowing nod. “You got it, Jax.”

We move to one side, where a mirrored back wall provides a view of the entrance. After a few minutes of nursing drinks and jostling against the crowd, I spot Anatol enter the room, drink in hand. Lukov is right on his heels. A few steps behind the slender fighter walks a dark-haired woman.

Jovana.

Waves of emotion slam together in my head. It takes all my willpower not to rush over and strangle her right then. I have to resist a personal revenge. She is but one piece of this puzzle now.

I almost miss Klaus through the haze of rage clouding my vision. He looks different. Haunted. In the mirror I watch his eyes scan the room, and I put Colt between us before he looks our way.

I nudge Colt. “Don’t turn around,” I say, “but they’re here. Let them get to the back room, then make your way over there.”

Colt’s eyes flick to the mirror. “How much time do you need?” he asks.

“I’ll find you.”

He nods.

In the mirror, I watch the group move through the crowd toward the back hall.

Suddenly Anatol spins around and bumps into Klaus, spilling his drink down Klaus’s suit coat.

Klaus jumps back and curses while Anatol grabs a napkin and fusses with Klaus’s coat, dabbing and wiping.

Klaus pushes him away. I can see the disgust in his eyes as he looks around.

Like any good Vigilante, he suspects a trick. But Anatol’s drink was thick and fruity, and he made one glorious mess of Klaus’s suit. I watch Jovana intercede and speak with him, then she gestures back to the exit.

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.