Free The Vigilante's Lover: A Romantic Suspense Thriller (The Vigilantes Book 1) by Annie Winters, Tony West

I’ve never seen a woman act like this. Temptress, then shy girl. It’s entertaining, at least.
    Mia slides from the covers fully dressed, but the sweater hugs her curves in all the best places as she moves toward the bathroom.
    She insists on closing the door, pointing to the device on her neck. I nod. It doesn’t matter. There’s no way a half-trained Phase One can escape me, and I’m done playing games about it. There is no window in the bathroom. If she exited either door, I could drop her unconscious in seconds.
    I head to the main room and pull out the Vigilante tech kit Sam gave me. I pick up my watch and check the band. With just the right motion, two short, sharp prongs slip out. The tips glisten with contact poison. Handy.
    The bathroom door opens and Mia emerges, looking rather resplendent despite her disheveled hair. The dress gives with every motion and seems to ripple over her body. She moves with an inborn grace.
    Mia holds out her arms where the long trail of ropes are looped around her delicate wrists. “Ready to lead me out of here like a slave girl?”
    I approach and her surprise is palpable as I untie her wrists and free her fully from her binding.
    “Why didn’t you do that earlier?” she asks as she rubs the marks on her skin. “Would have made things easier.” She glances back into the bathroom.
    I chuckle. “It would have, yes. But where’s the fun in that?”
    “You’re an ass,” she says.
    For a moment, camaraderie courses between us, like we’re on the same team.
    But we’re not. I can’t forget that. Not for an instant.
    “We will be walking out of here together.” I let my voice go cold. “Remember that I can sedate you at any time, so I suggest you behave yourself. A woman fainting won’t raise an eyebrow from the staff.”
    She frowns, the easy teasing gone. It’s best that we both remember our place in this scheme.
    “I need my shoes,” she says.
    I wave in the direction of the bedroom. Mia heads there, looking confused and torn. I have an urge to touch her, give her some sort of comfort. Damn, this girl is vexing.
    I’m starting to sense that maybe she had juvenile training early on and this faltering temptress trick is something new. Still, shoddy work. I feel increasingly certain that she’s part of Jovana’s brood, and not true Vigilante. The program is unsurpassed in matching a trainee with his or her natural gifts, and they would never place a half-prepared Vigilante in a safe house.
    Mia comes back, teetering unsteadily on stiletto heels. “This is a new look for me,” she says.
    Great. She’ll be incapable of walking more than five feet. No matter. We have to get moving.
    I touch a button on the table and within minutes, a man enters. With only a faint nod from me, he gathers my packed suit and another red bag that contains additional outfits for Mia.
    When he has gone out ahead of us, I say, “It’s time.”
    She has walked to the French doors and turns, backlit by the morning sun. Her hair is glorious and wild, the red dress giving her a sultry silhouette. Yes, she will make one hell of an operative, in time.
    I step forward and take her hand. She makes an obvious show of looking away but does not resist.
    We walk the hotel hallway in silence. Mia concentrates on her balance as we go down the elevator and arrive at the back entrance.
    The Lexus is already waiting in the pull-through, the driver’s door hanging open. The attendant opens the front passenger door, and Mia hesitates for a second before climbing in. I slip into the driver’s seat and pull away the moment he closes her door.
    I’m not sure how much I should warn her about what we’re about to go into. If she’s a Vigilante, she’s been to syndicates before.
    I consider the possibility that Mia’s information board will be as blank at the silo as it was on the Identipad. If that’s true, I’ll ask them to hold on to her for me. I’ll get to the bottom of who she is on my own.
    If