by Maren Smith
Derrick really hoped it was the latter.
Slipping and sliding in the shadows, some which weren’t big enough for him to step through but which he could clearly see her through, Derrick followed her all the way to the waterfront. Interesting. He’d once thought that Big Daddy must be hiding out somewhere here, but he’d never been able to actually find the man. The harbor was huge, bringing in big business for the city, and Derrick could have spent years searching the shadows, trying to find Big Daddy. There were just too many buildings, too many basements, too many possibilities.
He had tried, in the past, but had always given up after several days—or even weeks—of fruitless searching. There were better ways to spend his time.
Chaotica parked the car and scampered into the warren of ship containers, making him grimace as she risked her bare feet on the hard concrete. She was definitely getting a spanking for that. Just watching her mincing steps made him tighten his lips; he wanted to spring out of the shadows and pick her up—carry her to spare her feet—but he couldn’t.
She was going to pay for that too. Derrick hated feeling helpless.
Sneaking between the containers, Chaotica made it all the way down to the wharf.
Understanding dawned. And was confirmed when she jumped into a small motorboat. She started it as easily as she had John’s car and Derrick almost had to admire her easy skills. Yes, she was a little villain, but she was damn good at it. If he could help her funnel all those skills to legal endeavors, she’d be a force to be reckoned with on the side of good.
The motorboat easily slipped through the darkness to one of the many large boats docked offshore. No wonder he’d never been able to find Big Daddy’s hideout. He’d been searching the wrong place entirely.
It was pretty brilliant, even if he was a little reluctant to admit that. Then again, Big Daddy was his nemesis for a reason. Occasional brilliance was to be expected. It still pissed him off though.
Well, now he knew.
Now he just had to defeat Big Daddy and get his girl back… then convince her to stay. Filled with determination, Derrick slipped into the shadows, jumping through them to the boat Chaotica had stolen and hitching a ride with her. There, he could hover in the shadows on her boat until he knew where he was going.
Watching her, he was pleased to see that she didn’t look sure of herself at all. In fact, she kept glancing over her shoulder and muttering to herself that she was being an idiot.
“I could be tucked in right now,” she kept saying under her breath.
Derrick’s heart swelled with hope.
Chapter 9
Sneaking through the ship’s interior, Chaotica pushed away her desire to go running through the halls yelling for Big Daddy. She wanted to get the lay of the land before she revealed that she was there. Especially since she wasn’t even sure she should be here. Part of her yearned to be back in the little girl’s room in Pluto’s house, which just made her feel even guiltier.
Every time she heard a noise, she froze, waiting to make sure it wasn’t someone coming toward her and using her powers to hide herself just in case it was.
She was also still a little worried about Pluto following her. Even though she hadn’t seen a tail anywhere on her way here, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. At red lights she’d taken the time to feel through her stolen clothes, but she hadn’t been able to find any tracking devices.
Tucking the end of one of her braids into her mouth, she chewed on it as she crept down another hall, toward the room Big Daddy used as his operational headquarters. It was the biggest room on the ship and also where he had all his computers set up.
Moving closer, she could hear his voice. He was talking to someone.
Pausing to listen, she recognized the sultry tones of Nox. The supervillainess lived in Olympia and ruled that city’s underworld with one delicate but devastating fist. Chaotica gritted her teeth. She loathed Nox. Big Daddy thought it was funny how jealous Chaotica became whenever he talked to the woman. She was a major force in her own right and she had her own city, but she insisted on flirting with Big Daddy right in front of Chaotica.
Big Daddy didn’t flirt back exactly, but he didn’t ask her to stop either. Whenever Chaotica had complained, he’d just laughed and called her his little jealous baby. Sometimes she thought he enjoyed pitting the two of them against each other.
No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t shake her dislike of Nox though. It didn’t help that the woman was practically the opposite of Chaotica in every way... and Chaotica didn’t really feel like she came off better in any of the comparisons.
Chaotica was short and not very well endowed. Normally she liked her body, she was proportionate and cute, but Nox was tall and deliciously curvy. Heck, even Chaotica thought she looked like sex walking on two gorgeous, mile-long legs. Her eyes were a bright, blazing blue that contrasted sharply with her silky black hair and pale ivory skin. Even more so when she was wearing her signature, elegant black dress. She looked like a blue eyed Morticia Addams, with all of the sex appeal and an extra dose of evil.
She’d also made it pretty clear that she didn’t like Chaotica with Big Daddy. As if that was somehow her business.
Scowling, Chaotica crept closer, wanting to hear what they were saying.
“Why are you being so difficult?” Big Daddy asked, sounding aggrieved. That didn’t surprise Chaotica, what did surprise her was that Nox was apparently being difficult. Considering how well Nox and Big Daddy usually got along, it was a surprise - and an unwelcome one for him.
Don’t see me, don’t see me...
Moving as quickly as she dared, Chaotica slipped into through the open door. Big Daddy was alone, standing in front of his comm-screen with his feet firmly planted and his fists on his hips. While she’d seen that particular pose directed at herself often enough, she’d never seen him facing off against Nox this way.
The stunning woman had her arms crossed in front of her chest, which had the effect of pushing said chest up into even more spectacular cleavage than usual. Silky curls framed her face and her make-up was done to perfection, but there was a frown marring the perfection of her face. She wasn’t backing down at all from Big Daddy’s glare and somehow her indifference to his threatening posture made her seem even more intimidating than him.
“I asked you a simple question.” Nox lifted one perfectly arched brow, her crystal blue eyes bright and focused. “Where is your little friend?”
Ugh. Nox meant Chaotica. She hated when Nox called her that.
“She’s not part of the equation anymore,” Big Daddy growled.
Wait, what?
“If you want to come to Olympia, then I need to know what happened to her.” Nox’s steady gaze was uncompromising.
Big Daddy shook his head, his voice full of disdain when he answered. “She’ll likely be in jail by the end of this week, she won’t be a problem unless I can’t find somewhere to lay low for a while and change out my ships. Otherwise she’ll be able to lead them back to me. So it’s no skin off your back, okay?”
Nox’s eyes flashed with displeasure as she drew herself further upright. “You let that girl get caught and you’re not even going to attempt to rescue her?”
Wait, what? Chaotica felt like her thoughts were skipping like a CD, repeating themselves, because none of this was making sense. Nox didn’t even like Chaotica. Why would she care?
“Why do you care?” Big Daddy demanded to know, unintentionally echoing Chaotica’s thoughts. She strained forward, not wanting to miss the answer.
The expression on Nox’s face was foreboding. “Because you drew that poor thing into this life. She’s smart and more powerful than you give her credit for. If she was caught, it was because she sacrificed herself for you. She’s your responsibility and you’re abandoning her. If you set aside your own people so easily, why would I want to trust you in my city?”
Woah... that actually sounded like No
x cared what happened to Chaotica. At least, in regards to how Big Daddy treated her.
And if Nox, of all people, thought that Big Daddy wasn’t treating Chaotica the way he should...
“She’s not ‘my people,’ she’s just a needy chick who latched on to me.” Big Daddy snorted derisively. “The little fool wants a Daddy and thought I would do. She was a nice piece of ass while she lasted, but she’s not mine.”
There was a rushing sound in Chaotica’s ears, blocking out whatever Nox’s response was.
A needy chick?
A little fool?
A nice piece of ass?
Not his?
Part of her wailed in denial, in pain, at hearing what Big Daddy actually thought of her.
The rest of her was righteously pissed. All the times she’d bent over backwards, trying to earn the smallest word of praise from him... all the times she’d set aside her own desires, her own wants, to put him and his first... all the times she’d stifled herself in order to fit what he wanted her to be...
Rage surged up inside of her, obliterating the hurt.
That... that... fucker!
Screaming her fury, Chaotica flew forward, directly at Big Daddy’s big, broad back. She wasn’t looking for a piggyback ride though, nope. She was looking to mess him up.
Chapter 10
Hearing Big Daddy’s opinion of Chaotica infuriated Derrick. The man had definitely never deserved her. Even though it might make things easier on Derrick if he was going to claim her as his own, he wished she hadn’t had to hear the man’s assessment. It had to hurt her, and Derrick didn’t like the idea of her being hurt.
But he still hadn’t been expecting her to go flying through the air out of nowhere to attack Big Daddy.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Both Big Daddy and Nox jerked in surprise at her war scream, Big Daddy spinning around with unnatural swiftness, which was the only reason he managed to catch Chaotica as she attacked.
“Asshole!” Chaotica screeched, and Big Daddy bellowed as she raked her nails across his face. “You used me!”
Derrick’s powers swelled, physically pushing him through the shadows and into the room. He was expending extra energy to move the process along twice as fast as it normally was. Hopefully, he’d still have enough energy for the fight once he got in there, but he couldn’t take his time about it—not when Chaotica might be the one to pay the price if he did.
“You little bitch!” Big Daddy snarled, drawing his arm back and punching her in the stomach.
She didn’t make a single noise, just dropped, both of her arms moving to cover her soft center protectively. Derrick bellowed in outrage, burning his powers to shove himself into the room. He still didn’t manage to get to the villain before Big Daddy had delivered a kick to Chaotica’s side.
Derrick crashed into Big Daddy just as he was drawing back his foot to kick Chaotica again. He was so intent on punishing the curled up, vulnerable woman at his feet, he hadn’t even noticed Derrick’s arrival. The other man grunted as Derrick slammed him aside. He was already off balance since he’d been about to kick Chaotica and the two of them went tumbling across the floor.
Unfortunately, Derrick couldn’t even spare a second glance to see if Chaotica was okay.
There was a reason Big Daddy was his greatest foe—the man was smart, super-fast, and super strong. He was also a damn good fighter. On most days, they were fairly evenly matched, although Derrick usually had a slight edge because he could use his shadows to alert him to the other man’s flexing muscles, allowing him to anticipate Big Daddy’s movements by the way he shifted, before he’d actually moved.
But he’d never faced Big Daddy after burning through his powers like he had today. Usually he took the time to manifest at a rate that didn’t tax his strength. Rushing had cost him.
The shadows alerted him, the same way they always did, but now Derrick’s muscles burned as he moved to block Big Daddy’s attempt at wrestling him into a headlock. He barely managed to get his fingers between his throat and the other man’s forearm.
He couldn’t afford any weaknesses against Big Daddy and it occurred to him, he was likely to lose this fight.
Hooking his leg around Big Daddy’s, he managed to roll both of them and used that momentum to get out of the headlock. Both of them broke apart, springing to their feet. Big Daddy got there a second before Derrick did.
The villain’s eyes narrowed, studying Derrick’s posture, obviously sensing that something was different. Dammit. Derrick even felt weaker than usual, although he hoped that Big Daddy wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at him. Right now, he almost hoped the villain would take the opportunity to get away again.
Derrick could—and would—hunt him down later. Right now, he was weak and distracted. He’d positioned himself between Chaotica and Big Daddy, making himself into a human shield to keep her safe, but that meant half of his attention was at his back too. The shadows were watching her, reassuring him that she was still breathing and conscious, but he didn’t know how badly hurt she was... and he didn’t know whose side she’d ultimately come down on.
If she even took a side.
Although, if she did sneak away, as long as she didn’t unbraid her hair, he’d be able to find her eventually. Which probably wouldn’t give him very long.
Feinting left, Big Daddy suddenly swerved right. The shadows warned Derrick, but he still barely managed to evade the blow. He hit back, managing to direct Big Daddy right back to where he had been standing.
“Are you protecting her?” Big Daddy asked, his voice taunting. Derrick knew that the other man couldn’t see his expression, not with the shadows covering his entire face and body, but somehow Big Daddy knew the answer anyway. “What, you had her for a few hours and now you think she’s on your side? She’s a little opportunist, a criminal. It’s in her blood. Just because she’s pissed at me doesn’t mean she’s going to be one of the good guys.”
Derrick didn’t answer and Big Daddy’s gaze hardened.
Legs, the shadows whispered, indicating a kick was coming. As before, the warning barely allowed him to evade the maneuver.
His slower than usual response didn’t go unnoticed. Grinning now, Big Daddy moved in for the kill.
On the ground, Chaotica held her stomach, straining to breathe. Big Daddy’s fist had completely knocked the wind out of her. It hurt enough that she could barely feel the afterburn from Pluto’s spanking in her bottom anymore. Which just made her even madder. That lingering burn had made her feel good.
This... did not.
The kick to her side had hurt too, but until she could breathe, she couldn’t really focus on that, although her ribs were aching in an unpleasant way as she tried to draw in a deep breath.
Ow, ow, ow.
Screw you, Big Daddy.
She finally managed to get in some real air, and she wheezed as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Nox had disappeared from the screen, which was now totally dark, and Big Daddy and Pluto were fighting in the dim light. Pluto’s back was to her, like a bulwark between Big Daddy and her.
He’d jumped in to save her.
Or maybe just to take down Big Daddy.
But the fact remained that he had definitely saved her by jumping in when he did. There was no way she’d have been able to fight back, and Big Daddy would have just kept kicking her.
To her death?
She didn’t know. But she wasn’t sure. Which, really, told her everything she needed to know.
Scowling, she began to crawl across the floor over to the bin where she’d kept her things. Even though her breath was short that actually didn’t hinder her. Moving slowly meant she kept the fighting men from noticing her.
Don’t see me, don’t see me, don’t see me...
Well, actually, she still didn’t know how Pluto had detected her last time, so maybe he could see her? But she knew Big Daddy couldn’t see her when she cloaked herself, and that was what mattered rig
ht now.
When she reached her bin, she peeked over her shoulder. Neither man even glanced her way, they were too busy pounding each other. Actually, it kind of looked like Big Daddy was mostly pounding on Pluto. The vigilante was defending himself, but he wasn’t getting any hits in, unlike the last time she’d seen the two fight.
Was he injured too?
A new sense of urgency gripped her, and she gently pushed the top of the bin open. She was moving as quickly as she could, but it still felt far too slow. Shoving her hand into the bin, she groped blindly... stuffie... stuffie... wood! Grinning, she wrapped her fingers around the shaft and yanked.
Hello Harley!
That’s what she’d named her bat, after she’d gotten it at a Harley Davidson celebration. Big Daddy had taken her for a ride. That had been a good day. But it was over now, and Harley was going to help her get a little payback.
Holding the bat in an easy grip, she turned around to see that Pluto was definitely losing the fight. Like, really badly. Big Daddy was straddling the vigilante’s chest and doing his best to choke the life out of him. Pluto was still putting up a good fight, but the outcome was inevitable.
Da-da-da-da.... swing, batter-batter!
The bat connected to the back of Big Daddy’s head with a sickening thud.
Chapter 11
Defeat.
It had a bitter flavor. Not that he’d have the opportunity to taste it for very long, because it seemed as though Big Daddy really was going to end him today. Derrick struggled, trying to knee Big Daddy, to pry the hands from his throat, to punch the other man in the face—whatever he could do to avoid being strangled to death. His shadow armor kept his windpipe from being crushed, but it couldn’t do anything about the lack of air flowing to his lungs.
