Page 83 of My Vigilante Valentine

She asked questions I hadn’t even considered.

She pointed out details in the security footage that could be useful.

She even made connections that had both Chris and me exchanging impressed looks.

Maybe this team thing wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Maybe I was in love.

“One more thing,” Chris said as we wrapped up. He pulled out what looked like modified earpieces. “Comms. So we can stay in contact during the op.”

Luna grabbed one, examining it with childlike wonder. “Best day ever.Do we get code names, too?”

“No,” I said at the same time Chris said, “Obviously.”

She grinned. “Two against one, Batman.”

Why is it always Batman?

I groaned, but there was minimal real annoyance behind it. When she was looking at me like I’d hung the moon just by letting her be part of this, it was pretty hard to betooannoyed.

“We should probably head out,” I said, standing. “Big day tomorrow.”

Luna pouted, but got up too. “Fine. But this isn’t over. We’re definitely discussing code names later. We should get them since you already have one.”

Chris walked us to the door, but just before we left, he caught my arm. “Hey, can we talk for a sec?”

I stared down at his hand, telling myself the key to team harmony was decidedlynotbreaking your teammate’s arm.

Chris must have sensed that because he quickly let go.

I nodded once, then turned to Luna. “I’ll meet you downstairs?”

She glanced between us like she was deciding if she should be worried, but then she shrugged. “Sure. Just remember, Chris—if this is the ‘hurt her and I’ll kill you’ speech, Jax has super-speed, super-strength, super-who-knows-what-else, so you should probably be careful.”

Chris made a face at her. “Luna, justgo.”

She did, and once she was gone, Chris’s expression turned serious. “Look, I know you’re worried about her. I am, too. But Luna... she’s stronger than you think.”

My back went up immediately. Did he think I didn’t know that?

I thought this guy was smart.

“I know she is,” I replied evenly, keeping the rest to myself.

“Do you?” He crossed his arms and stepped up.

Brave man.

I nodded. “I do.”

“Okay, because sometimes it seems like you forget that she’s been running her own business since she was twenty-two. Thatshe’s built something amazing from nothing. That she faces entitled customers, late shipments, and budget constraints every day without breaking a sweat. All with a serious side of ADHD and way too many shoes to keep track of.”

I ran a hand through my hair, torn between laughing and sighing. “I am fully aware of how capable she is.”

“And yet…”

“And yet, all of that stuff is a lot different than facing down criminals.”

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