Page 62 of The Vigilante's Lover

The corners of Klaus’s lips twitch. “Feeling okay, Jax?”

I say nothing, instead making my own feint to aim a sharp blow at his diaphragm. He blocks it and tries to throw me like I did him a moment ago. It takes every effort to resist the motion and stay put.

We trade blows and blocks. I can’t gain the advantage.

Finally I grab his hand, and the skin feels strange under my grip. Loose, almost like it’s disconnected. I twist and yank hard. A piece tears away with a sickening sound.

Klaus smiles as he holds up his hand. He’s wearing some sort of very fine, thin glove. It imitates his real skin almost perfectly.

“The latest in Vigilante tech,” he says. “Prosthetic skin as weaponry. Amazing what we can do with it.” His gaze locks on mine. “Like administer contact poisons in complete safety and secrecy.”

Of course. That’s why he’s stalling, and that’s why he’s able to match me.

“I had hoped the bomb would do the job,” he continues, sounding bored. “Apparently I miscalculated.”

So he wasn’t trying to let me escape. He simply had no skill.

“You’re no Sam, that’s for sure,” I growl.

“Yes, Sam. We’ll have to do something about him someday. Colette too, I suppose. Too bad, I liked them.”

I blow off his threat. “And who is we, Klaus? More than you and Jovana?”

“More than you know, Jax.”

He’s relaxed now, thinking he’s won. I run through mental exercises to control my breathing and heart rate. If he keeps talking, I may just pull this off, even with poison coursing through my bloodstream.

“I know Sutherland’s involved,” I say with mock strain.

“Do you now?” Klaus looks bemused. “I bet you have no proof.”

“What I know, others will know soon enough. Especially if I disappear.”

Klaus laughs. “No one is surprised when someone dies on a kill order. How amateur, Jax. You really are hard up these d—”

I don’t let him finish. With as much speed as I can muster, I lash out but deliberately overstep the move.

Klaus moves to counter with a lazy, confident block.

I twist and hook his leg, throwing him off balance.

I catch a look of panic in his eyes as I slip behind him.

I grip him in a headlock and my fingers dig into pressure points.

“Now talk, you son of a bitch,” I hiss, “or I’ll paralyze you from the neck down.” My anger is palpable.

Klaus gurgles and struggles. I press harder and he yelps.

“Stop! Okay! Yes, Sutherland is involved!”

“How? What’s his plan?”

“I don’t know! Ow! God damn it, Jax, I’m telling the truth, I don’t know! It’s all Jovana’s game!” He gasps, his breathing ragged. “I’m just the security guy, that’s all! Covering up, cleaning up! Like always! I swear!”

Klaus never was very brave.

“Where is Sutherland now?”

“I don’t know! Again, Jovana. Ask her!” He sucks in a breath. “Seriously, Jax. You don’t have much time.” He pauses. “You need an antidote. And Jovana has already left. We agreed that if we got separated, she would take off and alert Sutherland.”

My anger cools. I can feel the poison working faster as my blood rushes. I have to stay calm, slow it down.

Klaus coughs, a weak and helpless sound. “What’s it going to be, Jax? Go get your antidote or finish me off?”

I answer him with a sharp blow to the back of the head. He slumps in my arms and I dump him on the cold tile floor. Then I stagger out the door.

The antidotes are in my car. Not the one in the parking lot, but the Aston Martin a half mile away.