“But the community has really pitched in. Several superheroes, including Swifte, the Invisible Ingénues, Pistol Pete, and Halitosis Hal, have been working to get the museum whipped into shape so it can open back up to the public as soon as possible…”
Grace loved the museum almost as much as I did. She launched into a detailed account of which items had been damaged and what was being done to repair them. I didn’t know if Grace was genuinely aware of what she was saying or just talking to fill the silence. She took a breath, and Grandfather interrupted her.
“You and Grace can chat more about the museum tomorrow. Grace is going to join us for dinner, aren’t you, darling?” Bobby pressed a kiss to her wrinkled hand.
The older woman patted her coif of silver hair. A blush painted her cheeks a delicate pink. “Well, if you insist, Bobby.”
“I do insist,” he said, pressing another kiss to her hand. “And Bella does too, don’t you, Bella?”
“Of course,” I murmured.
We made some more polite, meaningless, let’s-pretend-I-didn’t-see-you-two-having-sex chitchat. Thankfully, Grace announced she had a dinner date and had to go, ending the awkward torture session. We said our goodbyes, and Bobby offered to walk her out. They started whispering to each other as soon as they left the room. A giggle followed, along with some smacking noises that sounded suspiciously like French kissing. My grandfather, French kissing! The thought was almost too much to bear.
I gave Bobby and Grace a few minutes to get out of sight. Then, I left the living room and went looking for Carmen and Lulu. I found them in the kitchen, sitting at the table. Lulu had her laptop out, scanning through the blueprints Jasper had given us. Bobby joined us several minutes later, his silver hair mussed and his shirt unbuttoned once more.
“Grace? Grace Caleb? She’s your mystery woman?” I asked my grandfather the second he stepped into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t think you’d approve,” Bobby replied.
“It’s not that I don’t approve. I just didn’t think she was your type.”
From our time together planning the museum benefit, I knew Grace Caleb was a reserved sort of woman. She drank tea and baked blueberry scones and never said a bad word about anyone. She was quiet and shy and retiring. And she never went anywhere without her angora sweater and string of pearls. Grace even wore gloves on occasion. The white, frilly kind with fifty-year-old lace.
She was nothing like my grandfather, who was loud and boisterous and full of life. Bobby liked to drink, all right, but tea wasn’t his beverage of choice. Try Brighton’s Best whiskey. He’d rather have chocolate cake than scones, and he always said exactly what was on his mind—whether you liked it or not. Hell, Bobby still occasionally borrowed my brother’s motorcycle and took it for a spin through the streets of Bigtime—in the middle of the night.
But everyone says opposites attract—and the two of them were definitely opposites. Besides, I couldn’t talk. I’d done the one thing I’d sworn to never do—get romantically involved with a superhero. If, of course, you considered a one-night stand any sort of real involvement. The jury was still out on that one.
Bobby’s face fell at my comment, making me feel about five inches tall. So, I added to my statement. I could never bear to see my grandfather sad or upset, especially when I was the cause of it.
“But she is a lovely woman, Grandfather. If she makes you happy, then I’m thrilled for both of you.”
Bobby smiled and squeezed my hand. “She does, Bella. Very much so.”
I opened my mouth to grill Bobby about how they’d met, how long they’d been together, and what her intentions were toward him.
“Hey, guys, come check this out.” Lulu cut me off. “I’ve pulled up the blueprints Jasper gave us.”
I filled Bobby in on what Jasper had told us, and we all crowded around Lulu’s laptop to get a look at Prism’s device. The computer hacker was right. It did look like something out of a science fiction movie—only much more sinister. The laser was about thirty feet long and resembled a bulldozer with a barrel on the end. Mirrors and power amplifiers and batteries decorated it from top to bottom. A seat in the middle of the device lay behind a control panel, and the whole cab section swiveled around so you could take aim at whatever you wanted to.
“This must be where the sapphire goes,” Lulu said, pointing to an empty, rounded space on the blueprints just inside the end of the barrel that delivered the laser. “She’s going to use it to increase the laser’s power and its range.”
“How catastrophic are we talking?” Carmen asked, her eyes fixed on the monitor.
“Let’s just say if I had a choice between the laser and Bella’s shiny new bracelet, I wouldn’t know which one to pick,” Lulu said. “This thing could do major, major damage to anything in its path. Cars, buildings, people. The heat would be so intense it would fry anyone within a foot of the beam.”
“Terrific. Just terrific,” Carmen muttered.
I shook my head. I’d never understood why ubervillains (and superheroes too) felt the need to create these elaborate contraptions. Gadgets, names, clothes, shoes. Simpler was always better. And why couldn’t they just use their maniacal genius for good or world peace? Even if there wasn’t any profit in it?
Carmen paced around the table. “All we have to do now is figure out what Prism’s going to do with the laser and where she’s hiding it. And that’s always the hardest part, unfortunately. Just when you think you’ve got things worked out, something unexpected happens—which makes everything else that much worse.”
Bobby looked at me. “Maybe you should go back to the Fearless Five headquarters, Bella, until this is all settled. Hangman is dangerous enough, but I really don’t like the sound of this Prism person.”
“I’m not going back,” I said. “I’ve already had this conversation with Carmen. It might be days or even weeks before the superheroes figure out what the ubervillains are up to. I can’t hide that long, and I don’t want to. These people have upset my life enough already. I won’t let them hold me hostage any longer. Don’t worry, I’ll be safe here with you.”
“But the Fearless Five can protect you. I can’t—not anymore. Not like I used to.”
Bobby’s green eyes clouded over, growing dark and sad and weary. Being Johnny Angel had been one of the most exhilarating times in my grandfather’s life, and he still missed it.
“Don’t worry, Grandfather,” I said, holding up my new bracelet. “I’ve got plenty of protection—enough to blow most of the city to smithereens. If Hangman or Prism comes anywhere near me, they’ll get a nasty surprise, one they won’t recover from.”
Of course, the down side was I probably wouldn’t recover either. No matter how lucky I was.
*
In the end, I convinced the others to let me stay home. Carmen and Lulu left to go back to the F5 library to further analyze the blueprints, leaving Grandfather and me alone in the house—albeit with an open line to the superheroes. Lulu rigged up some device so that all we had to do was whisper the word help anywhere in the house and the Fearless Five would get the message and come immediately.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, though. No ubervillains crashed through the front door. No laser burned the house to the ground. No one made threatening phone calls telling me to give up the sapphire or else. All I got were the usual, insistent requests from Kelly Caleb and the city’s other reporters for an exclusive interview on my horrific kidnapping and heroic rescue. I turned them all down.
Abby Appleby phoned too, wanting to see how I was doing—and wondering if I was upset with her because the benefit hadn’t gone off exactly as planned. I assured Abby that I didn’t blame her for things not going the way they were supposed to. Abby might be the city’s best event planner, but even she couldn’t stop an ubervillain from crashing a party.
Johnny also called that afternoon.
“Hi, Johnny,” I said into the receiv
er.
“How did you know it was me?” My brother’s familiar voice filled my ear.
“Caller ID, of course. Besides, Grandfather said you were going to call.”
“Well, I had to check up on my baby sister.” Johnny turned to more serious matters. “How are you, Bella? I know the last few days must have been rough, especially for you. Do you want me to come home?”
Johnny knew how much I hated the whole superhero-ubervillain lifestyle. He’d seen the stress and toll waiting up for our father had taken on me over the years. But instead of pretending Angel didn’t exist, Johnny had gone a different route—he’d refused to take over being Angel from my father. It was the only thing the two of them had ever fought about. Like me, Johnny hadn’t wanted any part of heroes and villains. At least, not until our father had been murdered. That’s when my brother had suited up as Angel and gone out to track down his killers.
Now, Johnny occasionally roamed the streets as Angel, usually to watch Fiona’s back when she was out being Fiera. He liked the rush of being a sometimes hero, but he wasn’t obsessed with it like our father had been. I was glad Johnny wasn’t going to turn Angel into a full-time hobby, but I still worried about him on the nights he did go out.
“No, don’t come home,” I said. “Stay. Finish up your business, and enjoy your vacation.”
“Are you sure?” Johnny persisted.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m fine now. Physically, at least.”
“Why do you say that?”
I bit my lip, wishing I hadn’t said anything.
“Come on, Bella,” Johnny wheedled. “Tell me what’s wrong. This is your big brother here.”
I sighed. I’d never been good at hiding things, especially from Johnny. He knew me better than anyone. “I sort of…met someone.”
“That’s great, Bella. Although I’ll have to meet him before I give him the official big-brother seal of approval,” Johnny joked.
“There’s a problem. He’s a superhero. More or less.”
“Ah.” Johnny’s voice rang with understanding. “That complicates things, doesn’t it? Especially for you.”
“Doesn’t it always?” I sniped.
“So, how serious is it?”
I hesitated. I wanted to tell Johnny it wasn’t serious at all. That it had been a one-time lapse of judgment on my part and nothing else. But for some reason, I couldn’t do that. I might be good at pretending things weren’t exactly what they seemed, but I tried not to out-and-out lie to myself. “I don’t know. It’s too soon to tell.”
“Well, superhero or not, he better treat you right. Or he’ll have to answer to me,” Johnny said. “And Angel.”
An image of Johnny mowing down Debonair with his motorcycle flashed through my mind. My brother beating up the man I’d slept with. That was just what I needed. Not. It was definitely time to change the subject.
“So, where are you at now? Are you having fun?”
“We’re having a wonderful time. We flew into Athens today. Fiona did a little sightseeing while I met with some of our investors. Now, we’re back at the hotel. We just ordered room service.”
Dishes clinked and rattled in the background. “You mean Fiona ordered room service. How many meals did she get this time? Ten? Fifteen? Or everything on the menu times three?”
Johnny just laughed.
*
That night after dinner and a long bath, I sat at the window seat in the hall, sketch pad and charcoal pencil in hand. A cool breeze skipped through the open window, fluttering the white-lace curtains and kissing my face. I stared outside at the orchard below. Moonlight streamed through the leaves and branches, making them seem as though they’d been dipped in silver. A few birds called to each other in the trees, while squirrels and rabbits chattered from their hiding places in the tall grass.
Dozens of drawings littered the cushioned seat and floor around me, but they weren’t of the garden or the impressive view below. They were of him.
Debonair.
I couldn’t get him out of my mind. His voice. His lips. His touch. I might not be in the Lair of Seduction anymore, but, in a way, I was still his prisoner—helpless to stop thinking about him. Helpless to stop wondering where he was, what he was doing. So, I’d spent the last two hours doing sketch after sketch, as if that would help me make sense of these strange feelings I’d developed for the sexy thief.
My nose twitched. The smell of smoked roses filled the air, and I knew he was here. Watching me.
“Hello, Debonair,” I said in a quiet voice and put down my pencil.
He stood in the shadows along one side of the hall, his eyes glowing in the darkness. My eyes traced over his muscled form from head to toe. My power flared, and I remembered the delicious things he’d done to my body—and that I’d done to his. For once, I didn’t mind the static sensation. Or the fact my hair was about two feet tall.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my heart smashing against my ribs.
He stepped closer. The moonlight hit his hair, making it gleam. The color of his eyes intensified to the bluest blue I’d ever seen. His gaze was much more powerful than an ubervillain’s laser could ever be.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ve been looking for you for hours now.”
“I was with the Fearless Five,” I explained, hating myself for reassuring him. “They checked me out and made sure everything was all right. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
He let out a breath, as if he’d been holding it in with worry. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re okay.”
I didn’t offer up any more information, and he didn’t ask me any more questions. Instead, Debonair shifted on his feet, as if unsure of himself. Gone was the cocky, self-assured thief I’d first encountered. In his place was someone I didn’t quite recognize. Maybe he didn’t know what to make of our night of passion any more than I did. The thought gave me hope.
His eyes fell on the drawings on the floor, and he picked up one.
“What’s this?” he asked, his eyes scanning the paper.
I snatched the drawing away from him, hating the fact he’d seen it. That he knew how much he’d affected me. How much he still affected me. Even now, after everything that had happened, I wanted to reach for him. To press my lips to his. To lose myself in his embrace. Somehow, the thief had stolen away all of my reason, my logic, my sensibilities. And I liked it. More than I would have thought possible.
But my feelings didn’t change the fact that he was one of them—another super-something-or-other who dressed up in leather and roamed the streets. I could never be with him—not again. I could never have a relationship with someone who would eventually get himself killed. I’d gone through that heartbreak with my father. I wasn’t going to go through it again. Not even for someone as sexy as Debonair.
The thief snapped his fingers, and the drawing popped out of my hand and back into his.
“That’s not fair,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.
He gave me a sly smile, seeming a bit more like his rakish, charming self. “Whoever said life was fair?”
He studied the drawing, then picked up several more from the floor. “What’s not fair is you keeping these to yourself, Bella. You have a remarkable gift. Your work should be in all the museums in Bigtime.”
“Why? So somebody like you could steal it?”
He drew nearer. The silver and black rings around his irises shimmered in the faint light. “The only thing I steal, Bella, is kisses. And I find that most of those are freely given.”
Just the sound of his husky voice made my fingers itch.
Suddenly, he was holding me, and we were kissing. His lips, his tongue, his touch. It overwhelmed me. I found myself kissing him as frantically as he did me. I moaned as his hands roamed over my body, igniting all sorts of hot feelings that made me want to melt into the floor—and drag him down with me.
But I couldn’t stop the nagging feeling he was using me. Again.
>
“No,” I said, breaking off the kiss and pushing him away. “I don’t want to be just another couple of notches on your belt. Or sex handcuffs or whatever you use to keep track of all the women you’ve slept with.”
“You’re not another notch to me,” he protested. “I don’t do that sort of thing.”
I barked out a laugh. “Please. You’re Debonair. One of the most notorious rogues in all of Bigtime. Seducing women is what you do. You’ve practically made it an art form.”
A sad smile curved his lips. “You don’t understand, Bella. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“So you don’t go around kissing random women then?”
“Oh no. I do that. It’s sort of part of my job.” He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic about it.
“And, of course, the kissing naturally leads to other things.”
“Are you jealous, Bella? You have no reason to be. There’s no other woman for me but you.”
My heart leapt at the words, but I forced myself to be calm. He might have come here tonight to check on me, but he probably thought he could get lucky again too. I knew a thing or two about luck—all kinds of luck.
“What are you saying?” I asked, trying not to sound too eager or hopeful. “That you want to go steady or something? If so, you’re out of luck.”
“What about the other night?” he asked, looming over me in the darkness.
I put a hand on his chest, stopping him from coming any closer. “The other night was an aberration, nothing more. I wasn’t myself, and you were. Let’s just chalk it up as one big mistake. I don’t date superheroes or ubervillains or anyone who wears a leather mask late at night. I’ve told you that before.”
Debonair arched an eyebrow. “Why not? Most women enjoy that sort of thing. The mystery, the leather, the, ah, superpowers.”
“You would know, wouldn’t you?” I snapped.
Debonair looked away and sighed. “How can I get you to believe me when I tell you that I’m not the playboy you think I am? That I do have feelings for you?”
“Tell me who you really are.”
His eyes widened. Fear and panic shimmered in the blue depths. “I can’t do that. You know I can’t do that.”
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