Page 141 of Secret Vendettay

“Yeah, but the Vigilante and Franco were both in that main room when I escaped. They were both alive.” I mean, of course it crossed my mind that the Vigilante might’ve been gearing up to kill Franco, but evidently, that wasn’t the case.

What if Franco escaped? Worse, what if he’d killed the Vigilante?

Worse?Why did that word come into my mind?

Because he saved your life. Again.And I didn’t want him to die.

Yet, I was also disturbed. He didn’t just kill those men. He tortured them. He cut off a man’s arms with an axe, for God’s sake.

And even more horrifying, he looked like heenjoyedit.

The Vigilante wasn’t just a killer. He was…something far more tormented than I’d realized.

“It’s possible the Vigilante heard the sirens and took off,” the detective said calmly.

“Then where is Franco?”

“He may be hiding somewhere in that warehouse. Or he might have gotten away on foot. We’re bringing a canine team out here, and we’re setting up a search perimeter now.”

“But Franco had a head start to that search. What if he got away?”

“Luna…”

“Franco threatened Hunter Lockwood! And now Franco’s missing!”

“I hate to state the obvious here, but it’s possible the Vigilante killed Franco somewhere in that warehouse and we just haven’t found his body yet.”

But that didn’t make any sense. The Vigilante had Franco right in front of him. With cops closing in, he wouldn’t have taken the time to drag Franco to some other area of that warehouse. He could’ve sliced his throat in a matter of seconds and then fled. If he’d acted quickly, it would be entirely possible that the Vigilante had slipped away before this place was surrounded.

The more likely scenario was that he’d fled to save himself from arrest, likely believing Franco was too injured to simply run off and that police would undoubtedly nab him.

But then Franco must have somehow managed to get away.

“Hunter’s in danger,” I repeated. “He’s not answering my calls or texts. Something is wrong!”

“Officers have already been dispatched to his office and the courthouse; trust me, we’re looking for him.”

“But he wasn’t there?”

My mind raced, wondering where Franco might attack Hunter.

“In speaking with his colleagues, it sounds like Hunter left work early. We have an officer en route to the Lockwood estate right now.”

“One officer? That’s not enough!”

“Luna.” The patience in her tone was waning. “You need to trust us. We’ve got this.”

“When you get to his house, you’ll go inside, right?”

“If the officer sees enough evidence to determine probable cause, such as a break-in or signs that indicate Hunter is in there with his life in active danger, of course.”

“If?” I snapped. “They need to bust down the door!”

“Without any signs of a break-in or any obvious danger, we can’t barge into people’s houses without a warrant. You know that.”

“I’m staying there, and I give you permission to enter.”

“It’s not your home, but, Luna,” she said, placing her hand on mine, “we’ll track him down, okay?”