Page 65 of My Vigilante Valentine

“Next time,” he murmured, but his attention was elsewhere—scanning the streets, watching the shadows.

His eyes darted from one dark corner to another, never resting for more than a moment.

Always vigilant.

Always protecting.

I should’ve found it overstimulating—the way his attention was everywhere all at once, but instead, it just made my heart do that flip thing it seemed to specialize in whenever he was around.

He was so attuned to the world around us, ready to take down anyone who might jump out and sayboo.

“You know what would’ve been perfect after that pasta?” I asked, mostly to distract myself from how good he smelled.

Oh, and how freaked out I was that we were actively putting ourselves in the water like a worm on a hook right now.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Their chocolate lava cake. Wednesday brought me some on my birthday last year, and it was basically heaven on a plate. Dang it. We should’ve just ordered dessert before our meal so we could’ve shared a slice. It would’ve been peak romance for you to feed me a bite from your fork.”

His gaze whipped to mine, and I could’ve sworn his hand flexed on my hip of its own free will.

“What? It just would’ve helped sell it.”

He shot me an exasperated look, but there was a hint of fondness in it that made my pulse flutter. “If we don’t wrap this up tonight, we’ll have to try again. So… yeah. Next time.”

“Promise?”

“If it means that much to you.”

Before I had a chance to tell him that it did, Jax’s entire body went rigid, his arm tightening around my waist as he stopped walking. The sudden change in him sent a chill down my spine, and I felt my own body tense in response.

My heart skipped, then started racing. “What is it?”

“Shh,” he breathed, head tilted slightly like he was listening for something I couldn’t hear.

But then I heard it too—footsteps.

Quick and deliberate, and getting much too close for comfort. The sound echoed off the buildings around us, making it impossible for me to tell which direction they were coming from.

Before I could process what was happening, Jax spun me behind him, putting his body between me and whatever was coming.

Orwhoever.

A figure emerged from the shadows of a nearby alley, and fear clawed at my insides, scraping my lungs and making it impossible to breathe.

And then I saw the mask.

It was blood red, with exaggerated features that reminded me of creepy vintage Valentine’s Day art—like a cherub that looked more demonic than angelic. But this was also worse because someone had twisted those already unsettling features into something nightmare-worthy.

The eyes were black pits, soulless and empty, and the design of the mouth was stretched into a grotesque grin that revealed rows of too many jagged teeth.

It was all wrong. Too wide. Too sharp.

Toohungry.

“Run,” Jax growled.

But my feet wouldn’t move. They were frozen to the spot, just like the rest of me.

---