Page 110 of My Vigilante Valentine

“It’s over,” I said, making sure for the third time that the restraints were secure. No chances. Not with him.

“We didn’t prove his point,” Luna said, staring down at him. Her voice was steady and sure as she came closer. “You came because that’s what partners do. What teams do. And I stayed for the same reason.”

I stared up at her.

She knelt down, meeting my gaze with fierce determination. “And love? Love isn’t weakness. It’s what made us fight harder tonight. Made us better.”

I couldn’t look away from her. She was dirty, disheveled, but gloriously unbroken—and my heart swelled with an emotion too big to name.

She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

She was right. Every word. And even though I felt it, too, she was the one with the thing for words.

So, I did the only thing I could to let her know I felt the same. I reached up, slid my hand into her hair, and brought her forehead to mine.

She’d get it… because she got me.

“Hate to interrupt,” Chris said in my ear. “But the police are on the way, along with a hazmat team, for that gas. SWAT, too, but I’m guessing you lovebirds don’t plan to stick around to chat with them?”

“We’ll meet you back at the shop,” I told him. “Unless you want to leave? That way, I might forget to chat with you about letting her run off alone?”

It was mostly to mess with them, and the look Luna gave me was totally worth it.

As was the silence on the other end of the comms.

I pulled back to look at Luna. “You okay?”

She smiled—that bright, impossible smile that had drawn me in from the start and hadn’t let go since. “Better than okay.Although...” She glanced down at The Valentine Villain, who was still out cold. “Next year, maybe we just do dinner and a movie?”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed.

The sound echoed through the dusty room, and it felt good. Right. Like maybe she was onto something when she’d once told me we’d have fun doing this together.

“Deal.” I stood, pulling her with me. “Though knowing you, you’ll find us some trouble to get into anyway.”

“Probably,” she agreed cheerfully. “Good thing I’ll have a superhero handy.”

“Not a superhero.”

“Keep telling yourself that, honey.”

The sirens grew louder. Time to go.

But… I lifted a hand, flexing to test my abilities. The Villain’s last shot of gas had faded enough that I was about seventy-five percent back to…not-normal.

It would have to be enough.

I scooped Luna into my arms, cradling her against my chest. “Hold on.”

“Yes, please,” she whispered, and I could feel her wry smile against my neck.

Then we were gone, leaving The Valentine Villain to face justice while we disappeared into the night.

Together.

As a team.

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