Catgirl: Catspaw (Synne City Super Heroines in Peril Series Book 21)

by JK Waylon

  Heads up, she sent a broadcast message. I have intel that puts Toni Rippa at a drug exchange in one hour. Who is with me for a big heroin bust?

  "Oh man, I misspelled Ripa," she muttered. "I hate misspelling words." She grinned. "First world problems."

  Kunoichi responded first. I'M IN!

  GG and I are on the way. Location? Glory Gal responded. Her, with her sidekick, Glory Girl, made two more.

  UR DA BEST CG, Midnight Avenger replied. REMIND ME TO SUGGEST A RAISE

  That was an old super heroine joke. They weren't paid. A raise of nothing was still nothing. Thankfully, there were some very rich people in the community who'd created a fund to help support super heroines and their causes. Catgirl earned a damned good income as a model and TV spokesperson in commercials, but some of her fellow heroines weren't so lucky and needed a little help now and then. The vast majority of the money raised went to super heroine-backed charities, like women's shelters.

  Catgirl sent them the location of the exchange, and then asked them to meet her atop a nearby office building. It was ten stories tall and just close enough to see their target spot. And then she took off.

  Kunoichi was already waiting there when Catgirl arrived. The Japanese-American beauty looked stunning in her black and gold costume. Kunoichi was apparently a big anime fan, since her costume was a "Kasumi-inspired" sleeveless wrap-dress, with the skirt dropping to her knees. A golden sash cinched and accentuated her tiny waist. Both sides of the "skirt" were cut out to reveal well-rounded hips and shapely legs. Golden opera gloves sheathed her arms, and she wore black lace-up thigh boots. The dress was black with gold trim and golden butterfly decorations. She wore black bracers on both arms and her Object of Power was a black steel choker.

  "Looking good, girl," Catgirl said as she landed. "Love that ponytail."

  The Asian heroine had changed it from bouncy pigtails, which were popular with sidekicks for some reason, to a ponytail very high on the back of her head, with much smaller braids framing her face. Long bangs and an over-the-mouth mask finished her look.

  "Thank you," she said, but before she could say more another pair of heroines arrived.

  "Heads up, bitches," Glory Girl cried happily. "The A-Team has arrived."

  Glory Gal and Glory Girl came to clattering, crunching landings. The top of the building was covered in white rocks. Catgirl hated that.

  The two blonde newcomers were dressed much alike, being mentor and protégé. Both favored white. Like bright, beacon of light in the darkness white. They wore matching masks, opera gloves, and thigh boots, but Glory Gal wore a bustier and shorts costume, while her sidekick rocked a bikini costume. They accessorized with silver earrings, bangles, and wide belts. The belts were their Objects of Power.

  "Does anyone know why roofs are covered in rocks?" Catgirl grumbled.

  "I do," Kunoichi said. "Flat roofs are comprised of layers of tar and asphalt. They are pretty thin membranes, so pebbles are spread atop them as protection from the sun. It can extend the life of a roof many years. Also, the pebbles act as a filter so the drains don't clog up."

  Catgirl gawked at her for a second. "Wow. Ten points to Ravenclaw."

  "Architecture 101's over, girls," Midnight Avenger said as she flew in and landed next to Catgirl. "We have an ambush to plan, and not much time to do it."

  Midnight Avenger wore an all new purple costume, which was a leotard with sleeves, plunging neckline, and cutout over her belly. Her gloves, thigh boots, and mask were lavender. Her silver tiara was her Object of Power.

  "Planning? Isn't that, like, against everything super heroines stand for?" Glory Girl asked.

  They all grinned at her. They were not known for extensive planning. Super heroines were fly by the seat of their pants kind of women. They were very action-oriented, mentally speaking.

  "I'm planning on kicking some major mobster butt," Glory Gal quipped. "But she's right. We need to coordinate this to ensure a fast and safe take-down of the Ripa Family." She looked at Catgirl with lips pursed. "How sure are you that Toni Ripa will be there tonight?"

  "Nothing is guaranteed, but in the past she has personally attended this kind of deal," Catgirl said. Midnight Avenger and Catgirl were the closest things to experts on the Ripa Family the super heroines had. Mostly because both heroines were obsessed to the point of spending most of their time and energy trying to bring that evil house down. "I got my information from an informant named Johnny. His stuff is usually spot-on."

  "Johnny?" Midnight Avenger said, getting a faraway look in her lovely brown eyes. "Yes. He's good."

  "Good isn't quite the word I'd use," Glory Gal said, staring at Midnight Avenger while shaking her head woefully. "I guess some of us enjoy doing business with him more than others."

  "Meow," Midnight Avenger said, clawing the air.

  "Hey. Catgirl here," Catgirl said. "If 'meow' doesn't apply to me, cut it out."

  They laughed.

  "Back to business," Catgirl continued. "The Ripas conduct their meet and greets just like most Families in the city. Dark alley. Each side enters from different ends and meets in the middle. The exchange of money and contraband is conducted in the middle, lit by headlights. So, we'll need two heroines to drop down and block their escapes. The other three can take out the participants."

  "This is how we'll do it," Glory Gal said, taking charge. "Kunoichi, I want you to drop down behind the Ripa vehicles. Maybe flip one over to block their escape. Glory Girl, you'll do the same behind the other bad guys' vehicle. That'll ensure no one escapes. Meanwhile, Catgirl and Midnight Avenger will drop down to either side of the exchange. That'll distract them while I drop down last and right next to the contraband, dead center of the bad guys."

  "Why do you get all the glory?" Midnight Avenger asked.

  "Duh. Glory Gal," she said, winking. "Let's get into position, girls."

  Chapter 5

  "Boss, Paulie just reported in," Toni's driver, Edward, said. He was sitting behind the wheel of the parked SUV and staring at his smartphone. Her lookouts were ordered to text him if they spotted anything. "He just watched five masks move into positions above our ambush site."

  Toni was sitting in the backseat of the midnight blue Cadillac Escalade with Dynamo. She was on the right side, legs crossed. Toni at least looked relaxed, while Dynamo was sitting on the edge of her seat. The super-powered mob enforcer was in her black bikini and boots costume, while the Boss was dressed in a black leather outfit with a very short skirt and black hose.

  "Which ones?" Toni asked.

  There was a short pause as Edward sent her question to Paulie.

  "Catgirl, Midnight Avenger, Glory Gal, Glory Girl, and Kunoichi," he replied.

  "I was kind of hoping for Ms Amazing, but Midnight Avenger and Glory Gal will do nicely," she said. She glanced at Dynamo. "I'm depending on you. Go for those two first, then Kunoichi, and then Catgirl."

  "What about the sidekick, Glory Girl?" Dynamo asked, eyes narrowed. "I'll take her if you don't want her. I'll make her my evil protégé. Dyna-Dyke's got a nice ring to it."

  Toni stared at her a long moment. How badly had the Solis Family corrupted that former heroine's head anyway? Dynamo swore she was strictly heterosexual prior to capture, but leaned heavily toward lesbian now. And she was really gung-ho for BDSM.

  "I had plans for that little minx, but you deserve a little plaything, too," Toni said. "She's yours, but only if all of the others are captured tonight, too."

  Dynamo's face lit up. Toni hoped her favorite minion would try extra hard to complete her assignment. Sometimes Dynamo didn't appear to try as hard as she should. Toni blamed the lobotomization for killing the former heroine's drive.

  "Awesome," Dynamo said. "I put thirty men with tasers and chloroform in the buildings to either side of the alley. They will attack as soon as they hear my first bolt."

  "Perfect. Those airheads will all look up when you arrive," Toni said. "They'll be so concerned with you that they
won't see the mundane, but effective, threat sneaking up behind them."

  "They'll all be down and out before they know what hit them," Dynamo said, and opened her door. "I'll hover over the ambush site and wait for you to spring the trap."

  Toni watched as Dynamo flew out of the SUV. One brow rose with annoyance.

  "Edward, would you be kind enough to close Dynamo's door?" As he obeyed, the mob boss shook her head. Speaking of airheads…

  She considered ways to train Dynamo to be more focused. At the moment, she enjoyed being evil too much. Dynamo actually had fun fighting super heroines. It was all a game to her, even with all her obedience. If Toni could get Dynamo more focused and less fun-loving, she could wipe out the super heroine population of Synne City in a week. Hell, she might even be able to take out Dynamo's hot and sexy cousin, the City Witch Jazz.

  Picking up her phone, Toni called another enforcer. Franco Delmonico was Paulie's older brother. He'd just moved to Synne City after his Family got taken out by the New York City super heroine corps. New York spoke highly of him. She'd decided to put him in charge of the men on the ground as a test. If the plan worked like she wanted, they would take out most of the city's heroines that night.

  "Franco," she said when he answered. "Five masks are waiting on the roofs above you: Midnight Avenger, Glory Gal, Catgirl, Kunoichi, and the sidekick Glory Girl. Dynamo is moving into position now. You know what to do."

  "Yes, ma'am," he said. Franco sounded confident. Unfortunately, her men were always confident before going into battle with super heroines. That rarely worked out well. "My men are all in position and eager to pounce."

  "Don't fuck this up, Franco," she said, eyes narrowing. "I want those heroines. I want their masks in my hand."

  "You'll get 'em, Boss. Guaranteed."

  Toni ended the call, and then dialed Jacob Ricci. Jacob was playing buyer for the meet. He was driving a van with twelve thugs hidden inside.

  "Party's started, Jacob," she said. "Move out. I'll meet you in the alley."

  "On my way, Boss."

  Ending that call, Toni grinned at Edward. "Let's go."

  Chapter 6

  A smile tugged at Catgirl's lips when a dark SUV turned into the alley. A van followed it in. The two vehicles slowly drove to the middle of the alley and stopped. Then their headlights went out.

  Catgirl got all tingly inside and out. Glory Gal might've taken charge of their little ambush, but she was the one who'd made it happen. She'd dug up the details. She'd gotten everyone else in on the game. So she'd sweep up the lion's share of the credit during the follow-up press conference.

  "My street cred just went up," she whispered. Better, she'd rise in the super heroine pecking order. And best of all, Toni Ripa would finally pay for all of her crimes against society, and especially her crimes against Catgirl and Midnight Avenger. "You won't escape justice again."

  It still irked her that last time, Toni's lawyer managed to get all charges against her dropped on some minor technicality. At least her father and brother were incarcerated pending trial, bail denied them. They were trying to strike a deal with the DA, but even that couldn't cut all their prison time. She wondered if Toni could still keep her position as boss if the elder Ripa actually went to prison. All signs said she would, but Synne City mob politics were brutal and very misogynistic.

  Across the alley, her former mentor waited in a three-point stand. Midnight Avenger had an even greater reason and desire to take down the Ripa Family. They'd almost broken and tamed her. The Ripas left the African-American beauty just a hair's-breadth away from being brainwashed and turned. Catgirl had noticed a change in her personality. She was more prone to question herself, had a shorter temper, and had gone from very flirty to sexually aggressive.

  Catgirl knew some of the sexual torments they'd forced the busty super heroine to endure. The black-clad heroine wasn't sure she would've lasted as long as her mentor had. The vision of Midnight Avenger impaled and locked into that BDSM torture device still haunted her. Just thinking about it at that moment made her pussy ache and moisten.

  "No, no," she said. Must concentrate on the job at hand.

  Glory Girl was at the corner of her building, watching the end of the alley where the next set of vehicles would enter. Kunoichi was over on Midnight Avenger's building, above the other end of the alley. Not exactly an original setup, but hey – why change what worked?

  Lights at the other end of the alley alerted her.

  "Looks like this party is about to start," Glory Gal said, sounding quite pleased. "Keep alert for Dynamo. I can't image that little vixen would be left behind."

  Catgirl looked up and all around. Unfortunately, Amazons couldn't see in the dark any better than regular people. Dynamo could be hovering above them, and they wouldn't be able to see her. Not a comforting thought.

  The newcomers' van eased up the alley until about fifteen feet from the SUV before stopping. The SUV's headlights came back on, before doors opened on all vehicles. Two men and a woman got out of the SUV. It was too dark to see if it was Toni Ripa, but she was a dark-haired woman in all black. Two men got out of the van behind the SUV, and two men slipped out of the newcomers' van. They met in the middle.

  "Hello, Toni," Catgirl whispered. "So pleased to see you."

  She could see them plain as day now. One of the men from Toni's van carried a suitcase. He placed it on the ground between the two groups and opened it. It was full of plastic-wrapped packages. Then one of the other two men opened their own suitcase, revealing greenbacks upon greenbacks.

  "Looks like a crime has been committed," Glory Gal said, switching her phone off. Her job was to get the whole thing on video. That done, the platinum blonde beauty pushed the phone back into her thigh boot. "Halt in the name of the law!"

  At Glory Gal's shout, all five super heroines leapt off their perches. Catgirl spotted Glory Girl and Kunoichi streak down behind the vehicles to ensure no one escaped. Midnight Avenger moved first, so she hit the ground on the other side of the alley first, barely five paces from the drug exchange. Catgirl landed on the other side of the bad guys, her landing popping loud enough to make Toni's head whip around. The mob boss's huge eyes sent pangs of pleasure rippling through Catgirl.

  Glory Gal landed right next to the two suitcases. She released a flurry of super-powered punches and kicks, sending the men flying back and away from the evidence. Men pulled pistols, but no one fired. Shame, she really wanted to add attempted murder to their charges.

  "You are all under arrest," Glory Gal said imperiously. She locked eyes with Toni. "I'm going to enjoy slapping the cuffs on your ass, Ms Ripa."

  "In your dreams, Glory Slut," Toni snarled.

  "How did you know?" Glory Gal said with a smirk. She held up a pair of handcuffs. Catgirl was surprised, since super heroines in Synne City generally carried zip-ties to secure prisoners. Zip-ties were easy to hide down in their thigh boots. Cheaper, too. "We've all dreamed of this moment for a long time. I even bought a special pair of handcuffs just for you."

  "They'll look even better on YOU," a familiar voice called from above.

  "Watch out!" Midnight Avenger cried.

  Too late.

  Ka-Boom!

  "Aaiiee!" Glory Gal cried as she was consumed by a flash of lightning.

  Catgirl watched in horror as the vivacious masked vigilante collapsed. Toni immediately leapt forward, snatched the cuffs out of Glory Gal's limp hands.

  In mere seconds, Glory Gal had been rolled onto her belly, silver power belt removed and wrists cuffed. Depowered and secured before any of them could blink.

  "No!" Glory Girl screamed.

  And all hell broke out. Before any of them could charge into battle, men in black surged out of the surrounding buildings and trucks. Some had guns in their hands, while others held white cloths.

  "Watch out for chloroform!" Catgirl shouted. "Behind you!"

  Glory Girl was racing toward her captured mentor. One of the men in
black pointed his gun at her, and pulled the trigger. Catgirl wasn't concerned about that, until it actually went off. Its sharp report was that of a taser, not a pistol. The beautiful blonde sidekick cried out in agony, and collapsed into a jerking fit. Men piled atop her, and removed her belt immediately. Depowered, Glory Girl was easily beaten the rest of the way into submission.

  Catgirl heard more taser pops. Midnight Avenger tensed up, head back and back bowed. Kunoichi cried out in surprise and pain. And then something sharp punctured her latex-sheathed ass, and it felt like a billion volts ripped through her body, mind, and soul. It lasted forever and ever. She didn't even remember falling to the ground. The next thing Catgirl knew was her body jerking uncontrollably as men seized her arms and dragged her back up.

  All of a sudden, Dynamo was in her face.

  "You won't need this anymore."

  The turned heroine pulled Catgirl's silver cathead, her Object of Power, off of her choker. The redhead wagged her brows at the depowered heroine, before striding over to Midnight Avenger. Catgirl watched with bleary, tear-filled eyes as the African-American beauty's silver tiara came off. Midnight Avenger cried out as she was depowered.

  "Kneel and deliver," Dynamo said.

  "Ugh. Ooooh," Midnight Avenger said, eyes huge and body trembling.

  Catgirl was forced toward Toni. She fought the two goons holding her the whole way, but they were both bigger and stronger. And she was still suffering from the aftereffects of the taser. Midnight Avenger was dragged up before Toni first, and then forced to kneel. Catgirl was forced to kneel next to her. Then Glory Gal was dragged back to kneel on the other side of Midnight Avenger.

  "What a beautiful sight," Toni said.

  Then Kunoichi came around the vehicles, between two men struggling to hold her. Dynamo went over to them, shoved them all back against the wall, and pushed her face in close to Kunoichi's. Catgirl didn't hear what the evil Amazon said to the Japanese-American, but Kunoichi instantly stopped struggling, eyes huge. And then the men were able to add her to the line of kneeling, captured super heroines.