Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 169266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Erasmia "Mia" Baxter is her agency's most lethal operative, genetically engineered to have poisonous saliva. But having the kiss of death is hell on her social life. Her future holds no romance, no family, no intimacy of any kind—only killing for her country.
When her special ops group hears rumors that America's first enhanced soldier—Vanguard—may be more deadly weapon than savior, Mia is tasked with infiltrating his inner circle to investigate. What she finds is a former military asset with a hidden dark side—and the only man she can kiss without consequence.
Intoxicated by the obsessive passion rising between them, Mia falls deeper into lust with each new sensual encounter. But the closer they become, the more she realizes there might be truth to the rumors. Vanguard is changing—becoming more violent, more devious, less…human. And the truth of her identity might push him over the edge entirely.
In a world where heroes and monsters are separated by the thinnest of lines, Mia must Is the man she's falling for worth saving? Or is he the weapon he was created to be—one that will destroy her first?
A dark romance special ops spy thriller with a post-dystopian sci-fi bent—VANGUARD has the gripping twists and turns of BLACK DOVES paired with the seductive intensity of Runyx’s DARK VERSE series.
SPECIAL NOTE: this is POST-Dystopian and set in the near future, so it's more The Boys than it is The Handmaid's Tale. And please read the author's note inside the book prior to diving in as topics and situations in the book can be considered controversial and triggering
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PLAYLIST
“As Alive As You Need Me to Be” – NIN
“The Wake-Up” – How to Destroy Angels
“I’m Afraid of Americans” – David Bowie
“Gunshots by Computer” – Saul Williams/NIN
“Lethal Woman” – Dove Cameron
“Copy of A” – NIN
“Runner” – Crosses
“Digital Bath” - Deftones
'”The Last to Know” – Faith No More
“Welcome Oblivion” – How to Destroy Angels
“You Can Have It All” – Florence and the Machine
“Apocalypse Please” - Muse
“My Iron Lung” - Radiohead
“Satellite” - NIN
“Souvenir” – Deftones
“How to Disappear Completely” - Radiohead
“Departing the Body” - Deftones
“You Know What You Are?” – NIN
“Corrupt” – Depeche Mode
“Stockholm Syndrome” - Muse
“Invisible Hand” – Crosses
“I Know You Can Feel It” - NIN
“Cover Me” – Depeche Mode
“Stripsearch” – Faith No More
“Vivien” – Crosses
“Before We Drown” – Depeche Mode
“Master of Puppets” - Metallica
“Absolute Zero” – Faith No More
“Metal Dream” – Deftones
“The Darkest Star” – Depeche Mode
“Innit” - NIN
“End of the Line” – Daft Punk
CHAPTER 1
MIA
LONDON, UK – OCTOBER 2040
The mission was simple—kill the world’s first superhero.
Okay, well, maybe it wasn’t quite simple, and killing him wasn’t the main objective, and the term ‘superhero’ was still up for debate when it came to Vanguard, but I still had my directions to do so if absolutely necessary.
Which, frankly, gave the job a touch of much needed novelty, something sorely missing in the spy business these days. Being a trained assassin for a black ops offshoot of MI6 could feel awfully heavy at times.
Tonight, after months of training, building up our special team, and laying all the groundwork, the plan was ready to be put into action.
I was ready to be put into action.
“Nervous?” Bayo’s smooth Yoruban accent says deep inside my head.
“Not even a little,” I tell him as I stare at myself in the restroom mirror, wiping excess lipstick away from the edges of my mouth.
“Liar,” he says. “BP is 165 over 90. Take a moment to do your breathing exercises.”
I grumble in response, “Yes, Dad.”
He chuckles. “You better stop calling me that, or I might think you have daddy issues.”
I grunt. Having Bayo in my head is both a comfort and annoyance. On one hand, I’m never truly alone, thanks to the device constantly sending and receiving from my left earring, my namesake moth in gold with a tiny diamond in the center. The only way to sever our connection is to remove it entirely, and I’d been instructed not to do that at any point in this mission tonight.
Which is what can get annoying. The last thing I need is for Bayo to hear me on the toilet. Let’s just say we’ve grown really close over the last few years.
Then again, when someone broke down the door to said toilet because my cover had been blown, I was fucking glad he was in my ear.
“Grab a glass of champagne,” he says, watching everything from his hacking of the gala’s security footage. “There’s a waiter approaching you from the left. Use it to cover your mouth.”
I look over to see the waiter and smoothly grab a glass from the gilded tray. “Okay. Now what? Do you see Vanguard or his handlers?”
While I wait for him to answer, I scan the room. Tonight’s event is a gala put on by Prince George for one of his numerous charities, and the crowd is a mix of London socialites, celebrities, politicians, and anyone who cares more about social climbing and being seen than actually contributing to society. The venue is the lavish and ornate Victoria and Albert Museum, and there are gowns and jewels in all directions, competing with the art on the walls.
“He’s in the courtyard with the Prime Minister,” Bayo tells me. “Other side of the reflecting pool.”
“Copy that,” I whisper behind the glass and start walking down the hall. The Raphael court is dim and hushed, tall, midnight-blue walls stretching toward triple-height ceilings, seven enormous Renaissance paintings in their gold frames dwarfing the party goers who saunter past. Everyone’s tones are reverent and low, and I can’t help but focus on the two security guards stationed by the exit, hands clasped at their fronts. I also notice one of the waiters, wide-shouldered with graceful movements, his eyes carefully taking in the scene—not a waiter at all, but another security detail undercover. It’s standard to have this level of coverage when it comes to the Prime Minister and royal family, but something tells me there’s even more now thanks to Vanguard’s appearance.
With him on my mind, I exit the hall and step out into the courtyard. Immediately, I’m met with a cool blast of early autumn air, my ears filled with the sounds of water fountains and laughter and classical music from a violinist stationed amidst the potted lemon trees. I’m much more exposed like this out in the open, and I notice every head that turns my way. I would blame it on the black sequined dress I’m wearing—probably a little much for the event, but there’s always the chance someone is looking at me because they know me.