Vigil by V. J. Chambers Read Free Book Online

treatment facility for people with mental illness. “But he’s been in and out of there more than once. It will only be a short stay in the facility, trust me.”
    “He’s dangerous. Something has to be done.”
    He moved closer, his lips inches from mine. “I’m doing something.”
    “What are you doing?”
    “I watch him. I keep girls away from him. They haven’t found any more bodies in weeks have they?” And then he was kissing me. His tongue darted into my mouth.
    His lips were warm. I felt like I was sinking into him. And he was delicious.
    His mouth moved away from my lips. He kissed my chin. My neck.
    I gasped. “It’s not enough. You can’t watch him all the time. He has to be off the streets.”
    “There’s no way to do that,” said Vigil in between kisses. His mouth found my earlobe.
    Shudders went through me. “There has to be.”
    “No.” His tongue ran around the rim of my ear. His voice was husky and soft. “Not unless I kill him.”
    The words hung heavily between us.
    I closed my eyes.
    “And I won’t do that,” he said.
    I turned my face to his. I captured his lips again. “Because you’re too noble to kill?” I murmured.
    His mouth claimed mine. For several seconds, there was nothing in the world but the sweet darkness of his kiss. Then, he pulled away. “Because… he and I are connected.”
    He sat down next to me.
    We weren’t touching anymore.
    I was tingling all over, still worked up from his kisses. I took an unsteady breath. “Connected?”
    He wouldn’t look at me. “You can’t see it?”
    “What, just because you’re both wearing masks and running around in the city at night?” Okay, so maybe they were connected. Maybe they had a lot in common.
    “Not just because of that.” He sighed. “I guess that’s a symptom, not the cause.”
    I struggled to collect my thoughts. “So, you want me to sit on the biggest story of my career because you have a… a connection with a serial killer?” That was a ludicrous idea. What was even more ludicrous was that I was actually considering it. If he started kissing me again, I’d probably agree to everything he said.
    He turned to me. “I know that breaking the story about Barclay would be big for you.”
    “It’s a career-making story.”
    “What about me?” He folded his arms over his chest. “I got you on the front page, didn’t I? Am I a career-making story?”
    Henry seemed to think he was pretty damned important. “I…” My gaze ran over him. Damn it, why did he have to be so distractingly gorgeous?
    “I’ll cooperate with you however you want. I’ll give you as many interviews as you want. I’ll even give you a phone number where you can reach me. I’ll be at your beck and call.”
    My breath caught in my throat. Did he mean that to sound as sexy as it did? And would there be more kissing if I agreed to interview him?
    “But you keep Barclay out of it, and you let me handle it the way I’ve been doing it.”
    I tore my gaze away from him. “I can’t.”
    He sighed. “Because it’s personal.” I heard him get up. When he spoke again, his voice was further away. Across the room. “You want him dead, don’t you?”
    I didn’t answer. Maybe I did want Barclay dead. But I mostly wanted him locked up.
    I looked up at Vigil, who was standing with his back to me. He was just as exquisite from behind. I had the sudden urge to go across the room to him and press myself into him, flattening my breasts against the hard muscles of his back.
    But I didn’t move.
    “I can’t let you write about him.” He turned to look at me. “I promise he’ll never kill another girl again. Can’t that be enough?”
    I didn’t know. I tangled my hands in my lap. “Things are more complicated than that, though, aren’t they? What about…? You and me, we keep… doing things.”
    He glanced at the floor, looking almost abashed.
    “Not that… I mean you’re a very good kisser.”
    He chuckled. “Do you want to