Vigilante

VIGILANTE

It was a dark and stormy night. The girl walked home, glancing around nervously. There could be evil men waiting to jump out at her, ruffians just waiting to… aw, snap. Stop it, Serenity Desler! Serenity berated herself as she clutched her trench coat tighter around herself and tried to ignore the dark alleys she was passing.

“Hey, there, baby.”

Serenity whirled around to face a greasy man, leering at her. She paled and reached into her purse for mace –

Only to be suddenly grabbed from behind, a hand thrust onto her mouth. She screamed, but it was no use. HELP! Her mind cried.

Suddenly, the man who had been holding her was suddenly ripped off her, and the greasy man in front of her yelped as he was tossed into garbage bins a few yards away. Serenity, her hair dripping into her face, stared at her rescuer as he rose to his full height.

Whoa. Talk about tall, dark, and handsome. He fits the profile perfectly, she mused as she looked at his raven locks that fell to his shoulders, his black clothing that looked almost ninja-like, and his intense blue eyes.

“Who are you?” She asked.

He didn’t answer but reached out and grabbed her hand, yanking her along the alley.

“Wait! Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere.” She shivered at his deep yet toneless voice.

“That’s not good enough!” She snapped, trying to break from his iron grip.

He rounded on her and said sharply, “Those men were undercover for the mob. They were after you.”

Siri paled. “It’s because I exposed them a few months back. I thought they were all in jail.”

“Think again.” He continued to pull her along. “I’m taking you somewhere safe.”

“Who are you?” She demanded.

He turned slowly back. “Someone who’s different.” He whirled around and added, still toneless, “Next time you shouldn’t project your thoughts so loud. I could hear them from a mile away.”

She stared at him.

- - -

“What do we got?” Connor asked as the team entered the central area.

“A strong Neuro,” Andre said grimly. “Alexander Gray’s a trained soldier and knows several different forms of martial arts. FBI reported him missing a week ago – but they told us to be careful – he can hear thoughts.”

Jane raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

“Very,” Andre said grimly. “We have reason to believe he’s here. A man witnessed a man looking like him rescue a woman under attack by two men last night. Says he took off with her along.”

“Who is she?” Connor asked.

“Don’t know. The witness says she might be the journalist Serenity Desler, but we have yet to find proof of that. Ladies and gentlemen, finding Gray is our number one priority,” Andre said. “FBI wants him found pronto.”

Jane nodded. “Right away, boss.” She smirked at the look on Andre’s face.

- - -

Serenity shivered and looked to her silent companion as he stared out to the city. She frowned and curled up tighter. “How long do we have to stay here?”

“However long it takes.”

“What does that mean? I do have a life.”

“Until those men are back in jail. I suspect it’ll take around a month or two.”

“A month!” She gaped. After getting no response, she asked, “Why are you protecting me?”

He was silent for a moment. “It’s my job.”

“Protecting damsels in distress?” She said wryly.

“Maybe.” He didn’t smile.

Jerk.

“I heard that.”

- - -

“So they both had dark hair?” Jane asked the witness later that day.

“Yeah,” the man nodded. “He was like a superman. Took out two guys without blinkin’. Then he dragged her off down the alley.”

“A regular vigilante," Jane remarked dryly. "Could you tell if they knew each other?”

He shook his head. “Didn’t look like it. The girl looked kinda mad.”

Jane held out a picture of Serenity Desler. She was beautiful: slim, dark hair, and hazel eyes. “Is this her?”

“Yeah, that’s her!”

- - -

Siri was tired, hungry, and annoyed. I just wish we could find a car –

“Do you ever stop complaining?” Her companion demanded as they trudged through a section of the woods just outside the city.