AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m grateful he stepped in when he did, but I would never stand for someone who murders people,” I said.
The mayor’s shoulders relaxed.
“I was hoping you were going to say that because I want to propose something to you. As you may know, I’m running for reelection,” the mayor started, voice filled with tentative hope. “There are several problems that need to be fixed in this city. Some are harder, like emergency response times.”
Emergency response times were an evolving issue in this city, thanks to the increased volume of violence.
“Some are quicker fixes. This Vigilante is making a mockery of our judicial system. What’s more, he’s a liability. A threat to public safety. It’s only a matter of time before he kills an innocent person.”
Would he? I wasn’t sure about that. He’d killed Dominic, but after what Rinaldi said, I was starting to wonder if Dominic was as clean as I thought. Moreover, I could tell by the mayor’s tone that he didn’t mean the Vigilante would get it wrong and accidentally target the wrong person. He meant hunting and ending innocent people.
“I’ve decided my top priority will be to locate and expose this Vigilante, and I’m organizing my campaign around it. As such, I’ll be releasing extra funding to pay for overtime and other resources needed to hunt this guy down, but we need to put public pressure on him. The more people that are looking for him, the harder it will be for him to hide.”
“You want the media all over this.”
“Precisely. Which is where you come in.” He motioned to me with his champagne flute. “I would like you to become the face of this initiative.”
“Me?”
My stomach began to swirl with unease. I’d done that press conference and thought that part of it was behind me. Now I had Franco to worry about, plus my dad’s case, not to mention a looming, anonymous threat hanging over my head.
And then there were my growing feelings for Hunter. Which I was failing at beating down, by the way. Taking on a city initiative was the last thing I had time for.
But the Vigilante had killed my friend, and not getting involved would be a betrayal to Dominic. No matter how clean or unclean he might have been, he didn’t deserve to be killed like that.
“What does that entail, sir?” I pressed.
“Practically speaking, a few press conferences. Some speeches to keep this alive in the media, keep people looking for him.”
A few speeches. That didn’t sound too overwhelming, I guess.
“Why me?” I wondered aloud. “Wouldn’t the media pay more attention to someone of your status?”
“I’ll be giving speeches as well, of course, but I need someone else up there on that podium alongside me. Telling the story and fighting the fight to give reporters something to talk about.”
“I’m honored you thought of me, sir, but wouldn’t Hunter be a better fit? He’s a prosecutor, and I’m a defense attorney.”
“That’s the whole point. A prosecutor getting a hard-on to put the Windy City Vigilante behind bars won’t make people blink. But people see a defense attorney step up and call for his arrest? They take notice. Your voice is louder because it’s unexpected. It’s more likely to create a change in public opinion of the Vigilante.
“Plus, the public needs a heroine who has been personally affected by the criminal we’re hunting. Someone who lost a longtime friend to him, for example.”
As I looked at his glass of champagne, watching the bubbles flee from each other, a surge of anxiety washed over me. People in fancy outfits laughed and smiled all around us, but all I could do was frown at the request to help hunt down the killer that took my friend’s life.
Yet had saved mine.
“You’ve seen him twice, Luna. Be on that stage with me when I declare war against him.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek.
“Do you not want the Vigilante captured?” the mayor asked.
“I do.”
“Then why the hesitation?”
I sighed. “To be perfectly honest, sir, I’m worried these public speeches and press conferences will require a lot of time.” Time needed to dedicate to my father’s case. As much as I’ve advocated for the Vigilante to go down, I didn’t want it to come at the expense of my father’s freedom.
“I can work around your schedule.”
