My Vigilante Valentine

Chapter 20

20

vigilante-adjacent

Chris’s van smelled like energy drinks, melted wires, and just a hint of Doritos dust.

I studied the bank of monitors he’d set up, each one showing a different angle of the creepy warehouse where Jax was about to do his thing.

The screens cast an eerie blue glow over everything, making the cramped space feel even more like the covert mobile command center Chris had designed it to be.

“Doing all right over there?” Chris asked, not looking up from his laptop where lines of code scrolled past faster than I could track.

My leg bounced so hard the van shook, but Chris didn’t even look up. “Totally. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because your boyfriend is about to take down a money laundering operation, and you’re stuck in a smelly surveillance van with me?”

“First of all, it’s not that smelly. It’s just… snacky . Doritos are the best.” I wrinkled my nose, not even fooling myself with this I’m-totally-fine act. “And second... he’s done this a million times before, all of which occurred before we came along. He’ll be fine.”

Chris’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Uh-huh. That’s why you keep checking the time like you’re waiting for cookies to come out of the oven.”

I shoved my hands under my thighs, hoping it would keep me from checking my phone again. “I just want to make sure everything goes according to plan.”

“The plan where you stay in the van and don’t do anything crazy?”

“Totally. Yep.”

Static crackled in my earpiece, followed by a classically Jax snort. “Yeah, Menace. Because following orders is totally your thing.”

His dig had zero effect on me because— “ Blade ,” I hissed, my heart-eyes on full blast as I brought a hand to my chest, “did you just code name me?”

Chris tried and failed to muffle his laughter, but there was silence from my earpiece.

I glanced at my cousin. “Think he’s making that face right now?”

Chris’s mouth flattened into a thin line as he tilted his chin down, lowering his eyelids. “This face?”

“That’s the one.”

“One hundred percent.”

“In position,” Jax’s voice finally came through, low and focused now, like he was way above our nonsense.

Still, my heart did a little flip at the sound. Even through the comms, even with his dry delivery and oh-so-serious vibe, his voice never failed to have that effect on me.

It wasn’t fair.

“Got eyes on the loading dock—two outside, three inside. Shipment’s rolling in ten,” Chris rattled off.

“You sound like you watch a lot of cop shows,” I muttered absently as I leaned forward, studying the screens. The warehouse was dark except for a few security lights, but the night vision cameras Chris had set up gave us a clear view of everything.

Including Jax, who was currently perched on a nearby roof like some kind of sexy gargoyle.

Not that I’d ever tell him that.

I doubted he’d appreciate that comparison, and he’d probably scowl extra hard about it.

“Wait,” I said, pointing at one of the screens. “What’s that?”

Chris zoomed in on the area I’d gestured to. “What’s what?”

“That shadow by the side entrance. It moved.”

We watched as the shadow shifted again, and then a figure emerged—another guard we hadn’t spotted before.

“Good catch,” Chris muttered, typing rapidly. “Heads up, Blade—Menace just clocked a guy lurking at your three o’clock.”

I put up my hand, grinning as Chris gave me a high five without even looking away from his screen.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jax whispered. “Nice catch, Menace —don’t let it go to your head.”

I tried not to preen, but come on. The Blade just complimented my observation skills while begrudgingly accepting my code name.

I was allowed to feel a little something.

“When do I get a code name?” Chris asked.

I shrugged. “I vote for Gremlin.”

He balked, but before he could reply, a truck appeared at the end of the street.

Swallowing hard, I watched as the headlights cut through the darkness. The truck moved slowly toward the warehouse, almost like it was trying not to draw attention.

Which, of course, only made it more suspicious.

“Showtime,” Chris announced. “Blade—truck rolling up from the north. Looks like our guys.”

The truck backed up to the loading dock and cut the headlights. Even from this distance, I could tell the two men who got out were armed. They looked like they belonged in a crime documentary—hunched shoulders, shifty glances.

I sucked in a deep breath, desperately trying to channel some of that unflappable calm Jax always wore like a second skin.

If he could be a human Xanax, I could at least try to fake some chill.

Oh, who was I kidding?

My brain was in full tilt-a-whirl mode, and I was about two seconds from vibrating out of my seat.

“That’s a lot of firepower for a simple delivery,” I grumbled.

“Because it’s not that simple,” Jax said in my ear. “They’re definitely moving something big tonight.”

The guards opened the back of the truck, and my eyes widened as they started unloading crate after crate after crate.

It was a never-ending parade… but, of what?

Chris frowned at the crates, clearly wondering the same thing. “Weapons? Drugs? Something worse?”

“If the pawn shop was the front for the money laundering, what’s this?”

Did our side quest seriously just turn into a random, much bigger can of worms within the first five minutes?

I squinted at the screen, watching intently as Jax moved silently across the roof, getting into position.

Even with the night vision, he was hard to track—just a shadow among shadows. The thought of him facing all those armed men alone made my stomach twist.

But he wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

He had us.

In fact… my eyes snapped toward subtle movement on another screen. “Blade—three more coming out of the building. They look kinda twitchy.”

“Good,” Jax replied. “Nervous means sloppy.”

The way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. Not a scared shiver—more like a my boyfriend is about to do something incredibly hot kind of shiver.

And then, he did just that.

One second, he was on the roof.

The next, he was just... gone.

The blur that was The Blade was too fast for even the cameras to track.

Yes, sir.

The first guard went down before anyone realized what was happening. And the next one? He followed immediately after, and then both of them were zip-tied and unconscious before they even hit the ground.

“Show-off,” I muttered.

But my lips were curved into a wicked smile, and yep —I was all about this vigilante-adjacent life.

The remaining bad guys started shouting, guns coming up as they tried to figure out where the attack was coming from.

But Jax?

He was already blurring again, flowing between them like they were the rocks and he was the rapids.

It was beautiful to watch. Frightening to the max, yes, but beautiful.

Kinda like a dance—if that dance involved throwing knives and superhuman speed.

I’d yet to see him bust out the swords, but I guessed that made sense. Jax wasn’t one for slicing people up all willy-nilly, and how often did he come across an opponent who had a sword of their own so it would be a true duel?

“Two on the left trying to be sneaky, Blade,” Chris piped up.

“On it,” Jax replied, and sure enough—those two went down next.

I kept my eyes glued to the screens, watching for any threats he might miss. Not that he seemed to even need the help—he was poetry in motion, taking down the bad guys like he was born to do it.

Which… maybe he was.

The fight was over in minutes. All the guards were down, secured with zip ties, and the truck’s drivers had surrendered without Jax even having to touch them.

“Area secure,” Jax announced.

“Calling it in now.” Chris pulled out a burner phone. “SHPD will be here in five.”

I collapsed into my seat like my spine had given up on its one job, exhaling through my nose in an attempt to keep it together. “That was...”

“Hot?” Chris supplied with a smirk.

“I was gonna say impressive.”

“Sure you were.”

“Exhilarating?”

He pursed his lips. “Getting warmer.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, but before I could say more, something out of place on one of the screens caught my eye.

“Wait...” I leaned forward, inches from the monitor. “Jax, er— Blade , there’s someone?—“

A figure burst from the shadows, and my heart flatlined.

Gun raised.

And pointed?—

Okay, then.

Jax was already on it.

He spun—faster than even my thoughts were spinning—and then a knife flew from his hand and caught the gun, knocking it away with ease.

The man tried to run, but Jax was there in an instant.

He took him down with the same gorgeously scary grace he’d used on the others.

Chef’s kiss.

“Like I said,” Jax drawled through the comms. “Nervous means sloppy.”

I collapsed back in my seat again. “You knew he was there?”

“Maybe.” The smile in his voice was everything and more. “Or maybe I just have good backup.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest as Chris and I shared a grin. “Heck yeah, you do.”

Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer.

“Time to go. Meet you at the spot?” Jax asked.

Chris was already packing up his equipment. “10-4, good buddy.”

“Not a truck driver.”

I giggled, getting up to help Chris break down the command center. We carefully wrapped cords and stored monitors as the sirens grew louder, concealed by the perfectly nondescript Blade Team Machine.

Okay, yeah, we were still working on our version of “Batmobile,” but it would do for now.

By the time we were done packing up, the police were swarming the warehouse to collect their spoils.

And The Blade?

He was long gone.

We drove to the meeting spot—a quiet parking lot behind an abandoned strip mall—and found Jax already waiting.

He leaned against his truck, hood down, looking unreasonably attractive for someone who’d just taken down a weapons trafficking operation all by his lonesome. Well, for the physical part, anyway.

I was out of the van before Chris had fully stopped, practically running toward my man.

Then, I launched myself into his arms—knowing he would catch me—and he did, lifting me like I weighed nothing.

A low chuckle rumbled up from his chest. “Miss me?”

I snorted into his neck. “Nope. You were in my ear the whole time.”

Total lie and we both knew it.

But then, a shudder rolled through me without my permission. I tightened my arms around him, letting the truth slip through. “That might’ve been a little scary.”

His grip tightened instantly, his hand smoothing over my back in a way that probably wasn’t even intentional—but felt like it was. “I had it under control.”

“I know.” I pulled back enough to meet his gaze. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t worry.”

Something in his expression shifted—softened—but before I could pinpoint it, he kissed me.

Hard. Deep. Like this wasn’t the middle of a parking lot, and like I was the only thing grounding him after our first mission as a team tonight.

A throat cleared, loud enough to cut through the haze.

“If you two are done being gross,” Chris deadpanned, “maybe we debrief before I die of secondhand embarrassment?”

I broke away with a laugh that was way too breathless, but I stayed in Jax’s arms, my hands still fisting his hoodie.

Jax exhaled through his nose. “Guess we can put a pin in it.”

Chris huffed. “ Anyway ,” he said, lowering the tailgate of Jax’s truck as if it were his own. Then, he pulled out his laptop and fixed us with a down-to-business stare. “What did we learn tonight?”

Jax didn’t hesitate. “That Luna has an eye for detail.”

I beamed, expecting a compliment tax.

“Then again, I already knew that.”

…Oh.

Okay, then.

Chris smirked. “Not bad, Menace. Maybe we’ll keep you.”

I flicked him. “Like I’d let you get rid of me.”

Jax, still casually holding me hostage in his arms, let out a low, amused noise. “I will say this much—” He sighed. “Having backup isn’t... awful.”

I gasped dramatically. “Be still my heart.”

Jax kissed my temple like it was nothing, and Chris made an actual gagging sound.

We spent the next hour chilling in that parking lot—snacking on the cookies I’d been sure to pack for the mission—in full planning mode. Chris had ideas for better camera placement, I suggested blind spots we’d missed, and Jax… well, Jax actually listened.

The guy who “worked alone” was actually letting us in.

Chris finally shut his laptop with a click. “Not bad for our first time in the field. Though, next time, maybe skip the post-battle PDA? Some of us are trying to work here.”

“Oh, are we on the clock?” I asked, cocking my head.

Chris blinked. “No?”

Jax—who had just started to look vaguely entertained—nodded. “Didn’t think so. Shut up, Gremlin.”

Chris groaned, throwing up his hands. “Unbelievable.”

“Fine, how about Hacker Man?” Jax asked, eyeing Chris like he’d been sitting on that one for a while.

Chris perked up. “That’s actually kinda cool.”

I waved a hand. “Nah. Too obvious. I’m still Team Gremlin.”

Chris shot me a look. “You’re Menace . He’s The Blade . And I get stuck with Gremlin ? How is that fair?”

I shrugged. “Meh. It’s not. But also, give me that cookie. It’s after midnight.”

He dodged me as I tried to reach for it, shoving it into his mouth in one monstrous bite. Then, when he finished choking it down, he shot me a final, teasing glare. “Well, this has been fun, but I need sleep. And tomorrow? I’ll need coffee. Lots of coffee.”

I pursed my lips. “I might know a place.”

“Ya don’t say.” Chris packed up, but he paused before getting into the van. “We’ll meet up tomorrow? Go over everything we know about the next steps with The Valentine Villain?”

Jax nodded. “Sounds good.”

I watched as Chris drove away, then turned to Jax, hands on my hips.

“Okay, but… be for real—can I jump on you again after every mission? Like a post-game ritual? Because that was great for me.”

Jax rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a weary sigh.

I winked. “That wasn’t a no.”

Was he clearly exasperated?

Yes.

But I caught the way his gaze flicked to my mouth.

“So,” I said, shifting gears before we got too distracted. “How does it feel to be part of a team?”

He pretended to think about it, tilting his head like he was actually weighing the pros and cons. “Loud. Chaotic. Two extra voices in my head means a lot more talking than I’m used to.”

I splayed my hand over my heart in mock offense. “Are you saying you don’t enjoy my witty commentary?”

“Menace, if I wanted a podcast in my ear while I fought crime, I would’ve subscribed to one.”

“What? Stop. That might be your best idea yet. We should totally do a podcast.”

Jax pinched the bridge of his nose. “Absolutely not.”

I beamed. “Fine. We’ll work on reducing the chatter next time. But just to confirm—you’re saying being part of a team is a net positive?”

He exhaled sharply, then pulled me close, his hands bracketing my hips in a way that made it very clear he no longer valued having personal space.

“It’s not terrible.” His voice had dropped, low and deliberate. “Especially if it means I get to do this at the end.”

And then he was kissing me again.

Slower this time. Like we had all the time in the world.

But after tonight—knowing this was just a side quest and our biggest battle was still ahead?

One thing was very clear: Menace and The Blade couldn’t afford to take a single second for granted.