Page 52 of My Vigilante Valentine

Uh-oh.

Luna better brace herself…

“But…” Chris trailed off, and I internally fist-pumped the air.

Called it.

He stepped forward, sheepish now. “Lune. You know I’d back your play no matter what the game was. I’ve been doing it since that summer you went full Sherlock Holmes over a runaway cat that you were hiding in your bedroom.”

I tilted my head at Luna, lips pursed.

She waved me off.

“What’s your point?” she asked Chris with a sigh.

“My point, favorite cousin, is that while your plan is really smart, it’s equally dangerous.”

Chris looked at me, and I dipped my chin. “Couldn’t agree more.”

Luna threw up her hands. “Really? You’re both idiots. I don’t need either of you to go all overprotective caveman on me right now.”

“It’s not that simple,” Chris argued. “This is about keeping you safe.”

“And what about keeping everyone else safe?” she challenged, but this time her wrath was directed at me. “What about the next couple this guy targets? What if we could stop him before that happens?”

I tucked my lips between my teeth.

At the vigil, I’d wanted nothing more than to support her while she did what she could to bring this guy down.

I knew having her back was the right thing to do.

Truly, it wasn’t until she started painting a picture of what our fake date would actually look like that I slid back into the “no” camp.

And that?

Well, that wasn’t cool, no matter which way you sliced it.

Luna—1. Cavemen—0.

“Jax,” she added, softer now, “you’ll be right there. Nothing bad will happen to me with you around. I trust you.”

The faith in her voice was the final nail in my coffin.

She trusted me completely… and that was terrifying.

What if I failed?

What if I wasn’t fast enough? Strong enough?

What if?—

“Earth to Jax,” Luna sang, waving a hand in front of my face. “I can literally see you spiraling into worst-case scenarios right now. Stop it.”

I caught her wrist, gentle but firm—just like my next words. “Just tell me you know this isn’t a game, Luna.”

“I do,” she whispered. And she didn’t pull away, just stared up at me with those bright, determined eyes. “I was at that vigil too. I lit candles. I heard people crying. This is real, and I want to help put a stop to it.”

Chris cleared his throat. “She’s not going to let this go. I’ve known her my whole life. When she sets her mind to something...”

---