Sloane knew Lance wasn’t the type of man to be easily shaken and wasn’t surprised by his response. “I always thought the police were supposed to find the criminals, not bother innocent people at the hospital. Why do I suspect that whatever I say, you won’t believe it?”
“I prefer to check everything for myself. But the noise brought onlookers out, and so far, from what we can gather, people saw you leave, but not enter. You’re both quite stunning. It wasn’t hard for them to describe you. It was even easier to find your identities. So forgive me if I intend to verify your account. Someone who isn’t part of the police force is investigating Phantom, causing trouble and risking the lives of the citizens in our city. I don’t know if you two are involved, but if you are, I’ll find out. I’ll come back to talk to Professor Radcliffe later. And to both of you. Mr. Sorenson. Miss Friday.” With one last salute, the lieutenant turned on his heels and walked out.
It took a few breaths for Sloane to clear her brain from the confrontation and turn to Lance. “Do we need to be worried?”
Lance rolled his shoulders, but Sloane suspected it would take a little more than that to calm him down. “I’ve heard rumors about him since he switched squads. Straight as an arrow and persistent. Don’t worry about Luke. Kelly might know our names, but he’s got nothing on us.”
“Yeah, I got that. All bark and no bite. But for how long?”
Lance shrugged. “The positive side is if the cops are using Luke’s list, it means they’ll need to find another way to distribute Phantom and Luke is safe from now on.”
With a sigh, Sloane knew that even if she could relax over Luke’s safety, they’d still have to watch their backs. As civilians, cops looking for them could be annoying, but as the Vigilante, it could turn dangerous. So far, the authorities had left the Vigilante alone, but the wind could turn quickly on that front, too.
Melina returning with a comforting smile settled the situation for the moment, but in the back of her mind, Sloane knew that reality could hit with a vengeance, so the present moment, and seeing Luke, were the most important things in her heart and the world.
Epilogue
“I swear that if what I just stepped in is a pile of shit, you’re gonna regret it, professor.” Sloane knew she sounded grumpy, but she was smiling in the darkness as she followed Luke through a tunnel.
She could tell Luke was smiling when he answered without turning his head. “I doubt it, but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you if that’s the case.”
He definitely would, but she had to agree with his assessment. The place they were in looked deserted. In the last few months, after things had calmed down and Luke didn’t have lectures, they’d escape and explore one of his urbex spots outside Chicago, just for fun. The strangest thing was that Sloane very much enjoyed their little escapades. Exploring with him, underground or in abandoned places, forced her out of her head and into the moment.
As they advanced deeper, and emerged into a vast space, there was no room in her mind but that. The site was spectacular, even only lit by their headlamps and flashlights. The ceiling had crumbled to the ground, making the vault look like a post-apocalyptic cathedral with its steel beams still up. If they weren’t so deep, Sloane would’ve sworn she could see starlight between each chunk of darkness.
“There’s no graffiti on the walls. I’ve seen it so often, now that there isn’t any, it’s strange.”
Luke nodded. “This place was discovered by a friend of mine who hasn’t shared it with many people yet, only the experts among us. I wanted us to be one of the first to see it.”
Everything softened in her, and she came closer, taking his hand. “I love it. This was a great idea. That means your dear Quincy won’t suddenly appear before us?”
She was teasing, but since their first encounter with the grumpy homeless man, and his discovery that he’d been a war veteran, Luke had made it his personal mission to help him. Up until now, Quincy had refused any direct offers of help, but Sloane knew the man she loved was as caring as he was stubborn and he wouldn’t let it go until he got what he wanted.
Luke chuckled, squeezing her hand quickly before removing his headlamp and setting it down, aiming it at the ceiling. Taking off his backpack, he crouched and retrieved a camping light and turned it on before putting it near a side wall where a few blocks had fallen. Luke then retrieved a blanket, setting containers of food on it. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty certain we’re the only ones here.”
“I knew I loved you for a reason. Only you could pull off a romantic picnic in such a creepy place.”
A grin split his bearded face and he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “An unconventional date night for an unconventional lady.”
Sloane removed her backpack, putting it against the wall as she watched him set everything up. Luke had bulked up over the last few weeks, partly due to the fact he’d been training more and more with the team. Not that he had any intention of being one of them, but they need to be ready for anything and the sense of camaraderie made him come around often, and Sloane loved to spar with her man. The Marine warrior he’d been quickly returned, and her friends began to take him more seriously when he came to train. She felt stupid, but it made her proud to see Luke kick the annoying Devin on his ass or giving Joshua a run for his money.
The image of him all sweaty and out of breath on the mat heated her lightening quick, so fast that before she realized it, Sloane reached for him.
Surprised, Luke turned his back on the food to indulge her in a deep kiss, only to come up for air once. “Wait, babe. I had it all planned out...”
Her hands were already unzipping his coat and sliding under his sweater. “I want you more than food, more than wine, more than dessert.”
She swallowed his chuckle at her words. Her sweet tooth wasn’t to be messed with, and she’d combined her two favorite treats one night, him naked and enough chocolate, whipped cream, and strawberries to fall into a sugar coma, but licking every delicious inch of him had been worth it.
“Wow, I’m flattered, Ms. Friday. But I was serious here...”
Not having it, and with lust flooding to her veins, she quickly changed his mind and got him to focus on more urgent needs. Soon, his hands pulled at her clothes too, and the kiss turned ravenous. It was satisfying to have the logical and organized professor undone with the same desire she felt for him.
By the time she kicked off her boots, Sloane was dripping wet and impatient to have his hands on her, despite the cold.
Completely bared and shivering, she waited while Luke unfastened his cargo pants, but he didn’t push the zipper down before he lunged at her, his mouth crushing hers. Sloane nipped at his bottom lip.
“You’re lucky you’re already naked, woman. Because I would’ve torn your fucking clothes off for biting my lip like that.”
Without allowing her to answer, his mouth descended upon hers again, rough and demanding as he lifted her and pressed her against the wall. Between the heat of his naked torso in front and the frigid wall against her back, something snapped inside her. Her mouth was hungry for his taste, her hands, unable to reach every part of his body finally settled for his hair, grabbing hard as he pushed her sex against the harsh metallic tab of his pants. She had to have him. It was a matter of life and death and her sanity.