Breaking Bad: Midnight Justice

by Jodi Redford

  “I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to see you, dearest niece, but I think we both know that’d be a crock of shit, given the circumstances.”

  Ruby’s mouth adopted a wry slant. “You’ll get no argument from me there. Oh, and I hear you have a new job title. I’d offer my congratulations, but I think we both know that’d be a crock of shit too.” She took a stumbling step, and the blade pressed to her neck came dangerously close to nicking her skin. Teague’s heart almost stopped.

  They reached the snowcat, and Hugo climbed in with Ruby before Teague was roughly shoved into the facing seat by the minion that’d jumped him back at the train. Once they’d settled in, the vehicle began its ascent up the mountain.

  Hugo kept the blade firmly anchored against Ruby as he eyed Teague. “Very clever hiding amongst us all these years. I admire that kind of craftiness.”

  Teague glared at Hugo, the desire to wrap his hands around the man’s scrawny neck a molten need in his gut. “Can’t say I share your sentiment, you piece of shit.”

  Hugo didn’t so much as flinch at the disparagement against his character. Instead he glanced down at Ruby. “I suppose I should thank you. You’re the reason for my promotion. And the cool twenty million I’ll soon be depositing in my bank account.”

  Ruby’s eyebrows formed a V. “You’re turning us in for the reward?”

  “I’d be a fool to pass that up. I should probably also thank your friends back at the train for making that possible for me.”

  “But…how did you know?”

  “It pays to have connections with the border patrol. They alerted me the moment you bought the train tickets. Quite fortunate you broke down where you did. I was certain it’d be a race to the mountaintop.”

  Teague’s disgust at Hugo quadrupled. “She’s your niece. Does that mean nothing to you?”

  “This is merely business.”

  “You’re a pathetic excuse for an individual. I’ll be doing the world a favor when I kill you.”

  Hugo barked a laugh. “Oh, that’s rich coming from the superhero with a death warrant over his head.”

  Ruby’s foot inched across the space separating them until their toes touched. The contact managed to distract him from murderous thoughts regarding Hugo for the ninety-minute ride up the steep mountainside. The snowcat crawled to a stop, and the minion escorted Teague from the vehicle. He glanced over his shoulder as Hugo and Ruby climbed outside. Tugging Teague back around, the minion marched him to the massive stairway carved into the looming stone fortress. Flickering torches lighting the way, Teague climbed the steps to the front entrance. The minion jerked him to a halt, and they waited for Hugo and Ruby to join them once more.

  Excitement riding his gaunt face, Hugo opened the door and ushered them inside. The little kiss-ass was probably silently cackling with glee over being the one to hand-deliver Teague and Ruby to the queen and collect his fat reward.

  They crossed a vast marbled rotunda swathed floor-to-towering-ceiling with black, gauzy panels that buffeted sinuously with every step they took. At the end of the hall they stopped in front of an ornate oak door inlaid with onyx jade. Hugo pulled the bell cord suspended near the hinges, and a moment later a sibilant voice bid them to enter.

  Hugo twisted the handle and swung open the door. The dim interior revealed an opulently appointed den. The most intriguing object in the space was the woman sitting behind the paper-strewn desk. She possessed an undeniable cold, dark beauty that even her alien reptilian features didn’t diminish. She rose from her seat, and the fluorescent glimmer from the desk lamp illuminated the smoky-black essence swirling in her slanted irises. Teague had seen that substance before—in the vial back at the underground Mole Ninjas’ base.

  Well shit. Looked like Miles had been on to something. That’d give him something to rub Teague’s nose in. Assuming Teague lived past the next five minutes.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The queen’s chilling smile parted to reveal a forked tongue. “At lassst we meet.”

  Surprise flickered through Ruby as she stared at the queen. She’d been expecting a hideously disgusting creature. Not this startling beauty. Still, evil was evil no matter the face put upon it.

  Hugo eased the blade slightly away from her flesh. Despite that, Ruby continued to tremble with fear. She twisted the hem of her top between her fingers, the smooth texture of the cat suit beneath giving her momentary comfort. Her uncle inched her deeper into the room. “As you can see, I’ve brought you the rebels.”

  “Yesss. I sssee that clearly.”

  “Should we take care of the reward now, or after you kill them?”

  The queen stroked her chin. “I think perhapsss I ssshall give you your reward now.”

  A growl came from Teague, and the queen glanced toward him. “There is sssomething you wisssh to sssay?”

  Teague bared his teeth. “Yeah. Eat shit and die.”

  Chilly anger flashed across the queen’s features. “I shall deal with you later.” She snapped her fingers at the minion holding Teague. “Place him in the sssilence box for the time being.”

  Worried what they were going to do to Teague, Ruby struggled against Hugo. Her uncle increased the blade’s contact with her skin, effectively stilling her. She would be no help to Teague dead.

  Teague’s enraged glare seared into Hugo before slashing toward the queen. “It’s me you want, goddamn it. She’s barely a threat to you. For fuck’s sake, she’s a Winston. The daughter of one of your precious czars.”

  Rather than be insulted by Teague pointing out those pathetic facts, her heart cramped with that much more love for him. He was trying to protect her by sacrificing himself.

  “You think I don’t already know all of that?” The Shadow Queen offered a hissing laugh before gesturing to her minion again.

  Tears of frustration filling her eyes, Ruby watched the minion wrestle with Teague before shoving him inside a large, clear, acrylic container situated in the far corner. Teague’s silent shouts went unheard as the minion locked him in. The queen waved her hand toward Ruby, and the minion crossed to her, taking over Hugo’s place with the knife.

  “Where were we?” The queen abandoned her station behind the desk. “Oh yesss. Your reward.” She gestured for Hugo to approach before grabbing a quill and a leather-bound ledger.

  Greed glinting in his eyes, Hugo stopped next to the desk. The queen twirled the quill between her clawed fingertips. “I’m curiousss about one thing. How isss it you did not know of this Light Guardian’sss exissstence? Ssshe is your niece, no?”

  Hugo frowned. “Yes. But none of us knew.”

  “Hm. Mossst unfortunate. For you.” With deadly aim, the queen lodged the sharp quill into Hugo’s jugular. Gurgling on a choke, he flailed and grappled with the quill, his fingers frantically digging into his skin and slipping within the geyser of blood. His eyes rolling back, he slumped to the floor.

  Horror and shock held Ruby immobilized. Although there was no love lost between her and Hugo, she’d never seen anyone so coldly slain before. Was a similar fate soon to be in store for her? She swallowed past the fear lodged in her throat before glancing toward Teague. He wasn’t even looking at Hugo. His entire focus was centered on her, and his face was ghostly white. The realization that he was more concerned for her safety than the revenge that’d been ripped from his hands was a bittersweet moment.

  The queen planted her slippered foot in the center of Hugo’s chest as she yanked her quill from his neck. Fetching some tissues, she wiped the blood-stained point clean before returning the utensil to its stand. “Looksss like I’ll have to hire a new advisssor.”

  Ruby gave the lifeless form of her uncle one last glance. Despite their shared DNA, she felt zero sorrow for his passing. A deadly chill crept into her belly. What was wrong with her that she felt nothing? Like a taunting phantom, her mind turned toward the Shadow substance locked in the file cabinet in the control center. She returned her stare to the queen, nausea roi
ling as she observed that same smoky darkness swirling in those reptilian eyes.

  Crossing her arms in front of her, the queen perched on the edge of her desk. “Your kind hasss given me much grief over the yearsss.”

  Ruby dug deep for the remaining dregs of her confidence. “I’m not going to allow you to oppress any more civilizations.”

  “The only civilizzzation I’m interesssted in isss thisss one, and I already own it.”

  “No, you stole it. Big difference. And I’m here to give it back to those it belongs to.”

  “The humansss? Pleassse. I do them a favor by controlling their pathetic livesss. Without me at the wheel, they’d kill their own kind off within a year with their petty sssquabblesss.”

  “They did just fine before you showed up.”

  The queen’s black eyebrows arched imperiously. “Have you read their hissstory booksss?”

  “Their mistakes are their own to make.”

  Renewed anger streaked across the queen’s features. “They will do nothing I don’t allow. I own them.”

  “We’re not going to be your slaves anymore. Your tyranny ends here. Tonight.”

  “I think not.” Calculation gleamed in the queen’s slanted pupils. “Your uncle, he ssspoke of your failed attemptsss to ssstop my network. You have no power againssst me.”

  The crushing weight of her past failures grew heavy in Ruby chest.

  As if she’d intuited her thoughts, the queen smiled coldly. Confidently. “You come here thinking you can kill me? It will be the other way around.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” The queen stepped forward. “You are but a weak, buzzing gnat. I will sssquasssh you. Jussst like I did every Light Guardian before you.” One claw extended toward Ruby.

  Time to go for broke. Her motions swift, Ruby grabbed the hand holding the blade to her throat and gave it a good zap. The minion yelped and reflexively opened his grip. The blade clattered to the ground, and Ruby flipped the creature so it went flying into the queen. The two crashed backwards into the desk.

  Seizing her opportunity, Ruby slammed every ounce of energy she possessed at the Shadow Queen. The woman skidded across the surface of the desk. Shrieking, she righted herself and hurtled a smoky-black ball of energy at Ruby. The orb crashed into Ruby’s belly, and she staggered, pain splintering through her innards. From the corner of her eye, she spied Teague furiously pounding on the interior of the box. The seal was too tight for his energy to blast through.

  She was in this on her own. No sooner did she have that thought, the queen nailed her with another debilitating shock wave of her black energy. Dropping onto one knee, Ruby gasped through the excruciating agony. A rustling noise announced that the minion had recovered and was preparing to make its move. Steadying herself with one hand on the floor, she shot off a round, earning the creature’s rattling death scream.

  Taking advantage of her momentary power amp, she rapid-fired half a dozen electrical bolts. The queen dodged two but the other four met their target, and she sprawled across her desk. Her body jerked spasmodically several times before stilling.

  Was the queen dead? Unwilling to trust her own eyes, Ruby stepped forward, her approach cautious. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of the queen’s slackened mouth. Ruby scanned for signs of life but spotted none. Unless the queen possessed the ability to stop her own pulse—

  Her eyes flying open, the queen released an earsplitting screech and propelled off the desk, knocking Ruby to the floor. A searing pain erupted in Ruby’s shoulder, and she cried out.

  Straddling Ruby’s torso, the queen leaned down, displaying her evil grin. “I told you I would sssquasssh you.” Her clawed fingers twisted viciously on the hilt of the poisoned blade sticking in Ruby’s shoulder.

  The agony unbearable, Ruby rolled her head listlessly to the side and struggled for consciousness. She met Teague’s gaze as he thunked to his knees in the box. The awfulness of his expression ripped her heart in two. It wasn’t right that he was forced to watch her die just like he had Linc. Moisture welling in her eyes, she whispered what was foremost in her heart. “I love you.”

  Woozy from the loss of blood, Ruby closed her eyes. Was this what it had been like for Luna? For Linc? Waiting for their final gasp to ultimately fade into nonexistence? Her breath raspy, she listened to the blood pounding in her ears, clutching to that last beat of consciousness connecting her to the living.

  She’d said she’d rather be dead than a carrier for evil. Fate was granting her wish.

  The coldness of the floor seeped into her skin. Rather than her senses fading, she was acutely aware of the discomfort in her bones. The pain in her shoulder. The steadiness of her heart.

  How could that be? She was supposed to be dying.

  Slowly fluttering her eyes open, she met the queen’s highly disbelieving expression. And then she knew.

  She wasn’t dying.

  Somehow the poison hadn’t worked on her. Judging from the slackened state of the queen’s jaw, she’d come to the same epiphany. A howl of outrage springing from her mouth, the queen wrenched the blade from Ruby’s shoulder and aimed it for her heart. Ruby snatched the queen’s arm and cuffed her wrist as she sent a bolt of lightning arcing through the hilt of the blade. The metal shone with white-hot heat, snaking currents glinting across its mirrored surface. The electrical stream continued traveling upward, through the queen’s arm, torso and head. Her lips twisted with another horrendous shriek, and a blast of the lightning erupted from her mouth and eyes. A second later, she flopped off of Ruby.

  Not entirely sure the queen wasn’t faking it again, Ruby readied another burst of her power before checking the queen for a pulse. She found none. But the true verification that the despicable dictator was dead came when Ruby struggled onto her elbows and saw the puddle of black, smoky ooze seeping from Hugo’s lifeless body.

  Snapping to her senses, she pushed trembling fingers to the gash in her shoulder. Hand shaking, she lowered her arm and stared at her blood-stained fingers.

  Her red, blood-stained fingers. There was no sign of the smoky ooze. Did that mean it’d never been there?

  Or maybe it’s still in you. Never to leave. Her stomach twisted. Wiping her hand on the carpet, she turned her head and caught Teague’s tremulous expression. Pushing to her feet, she staggered to the box. She sprang the lock, and Teague grabbed her just as she began to fall. Damn it. Didn’t blood loss know it wasn’t supposed to affect superheroes?

  Teague swept her into his arms and carried her from the room. He didn’t stop walking until he’d left the cold, drafty recesses of the fortress behind. Outside, the snow-covered ground was littered with dead minions. It looked like a battlefield. A groaning noise floated to them at the base of the steps. A Shadow Czar staggered from the darkness, his face and arms covered with the oozing remnants of the Shadow substance. He wobbled to a halt, his fearful, pathetic gaze pinned to Ruby and Teague. “What have you done?”

  Holding Ruby close, Teague continued walking. A mournful cry came from the czar behind them. “You fucking assholes. Kill me. I’d rather be dead than powerless.”

  Leaving the man to his due punishment, Teague approached the snowcat that’d been left unattended in the clearing. He climbed into the back with her and tucked her in his arms, rocking her. Soon his warmth and energy soaked into her pores and zoomed along her synapses. The weak sluggishness began to recede.

  His hands trembling, he caressed her cheek and kissed her gently. Reverently. He pulled back and looked at her, his dark gaze tortured. “Don’t you ever almost fucking die on me again.”

  She smiled and stroked his jaw. “I won’t. I promise. But to be honest, I’m not really sure how I didn’t succumb this time around. It was almost like I was immune to her poison or something.” Because I’m evil too. No, she refused to let her mind go down that path. Now. Or ever.

  “Maybe you are. You do have your father’s blood in you. Perhaps its presence in your DNA counter
acted the usual Light Guardian intolerance to the poison.”

  It seemed like a logical-enough theory, and better than the scary one she’d manufactured. Plus she was too bone tired to ponder any other possibilities, so she’d be more than satisfied with the one she’d been given.

  They sat there for another five minutes or so, holding each other. Finally Teague climbed into the front of the vehicle and slid behind the wheel. “You ready to go home?”

  “Only if it’s not to the Winston mansion.” She’d had enough of that side of her family tree to last her a lifetime.

  “No, with me. To our home.”

  The fears and doubts shuffled from existence. The warmth in her heart banished the shadows. “Definitely.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ruby plunked down one of the numerous boxes she’d brought from the Winston mansion in the middle of Teague’s living room. Correction, their living room. It’d been over a month since they’d moved in together, and it still felt surreal. But in a good way. The best way. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched Sabby, Miles and Joe huff and puff as they carried in their own loads. “Sorry, I know they’re heavy.”

  The guys dropped the boxes they’d brought up for her to the carpet. Miles grumbled as Teague strolled in carting three boxes in his arms like they weighed nothing. To him they probably didn’t. “Next time could you live on any other floor than the top of a sixty-story building with a broken elevator?”

  “The exercise is good for you.”

  “Bite me, capeman.”

  Chuckling, Teague plopped onto his leather couch. Catching her eye, he patted the cushion next to him. Taking the hint, she copped a squat. He squeezed her knee and let his palm stay there. The familiar heat and comfort that his touch stirred within her settled inside her heart.

  In the month that’d passed since the Shadow Queen’s death, many things had changed. For the good. The humans had begun returning to their old selves and were relearning the process of controlling their own lives. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but it was a start. As for the Shadow Network, it had begun crumbling overnight. As they’d witnessed on the mountaintop, every minion had died along with the queen, and the human Shadow Czars had become lost children without the guidance and power provided by their dictator. The majority of the czars had been rounded up and imprisoned in the old Shadowtraz prison, while the overflow were being housed in the various orphanages. Those who could be rehabilitated from their criminal ways would eventually be put on a tethered parole and given an opportunity to redeem themselves. It was certainly a better deal than some of them deserved.