“What are you doing?” I asked, surprised by her actions. “You’re not some superhero in disguise, are you?”
“Of course not,” Joanne snapped in a dark, violent tone. “I don’t know about you, but I plan on getting out of here and derailing Prism’s little plan. After I kill the bitch, of course. Now, are you going to sit there or are you going to get off your sorry ass and help me?”
I got off my sorry ass and went over to the bars. But instead of helping Joanne fruitlessly tug at them, I took the bracelet off my wrist and looked through the dangling silver charms.
“What the hell are you doing? Now is not the time to be admiring your jewelry, Bella.”
“I’m not admiring it,” I said, getting a little snappish. “And it’s not really a bracelet. If you must know, each one of these charms is really an explosive—far more valuable than a bracelet right now.”
Joanne’s sharp eyes locked onto the bracelet. “Did Jasper make that for you?”
“Yes. Do you know him?”
“You could say that.” Her mouth twisted. “He’s my brother.”
“Your brother?!” I screeched.
Joanne winced. “Tone it down, Bella. Your voice is getting almost as loud as your hair.”
I opened my mouth to pepper her with questions, but Joanne cut me off.
“Yes, Jasper’s my brother,” she said. “We don’t have the best relationship, which is why nobody knows we’re related. He doesn’t approve of my life choices, and I’m not too crazy about his.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Joanne snapped, her violet eyes hard and angry. “Can we just focus on getting out of here right now?”
Joanne James, the sister of the city’s master bomber? It boggled the mind, but I decided to save my questions for later. Right now, all that mattered was the two of us escaping in more or less one piece.
“The problem is I can’t remember which charm he said had the least amount of explodium in it. Even if I could remember, the explosion would probably still kill us both.”
Joanne took the bracelet from my cold fingers and flipped through the charms. “Here, it’s this one.” She pointed to one in the shape of a small rose.
“How do you know that?”
“I just know.” Joanne’s mouth twisted again. “And don’t worry about the explosion. We can get behind the cot. We’ll be fine, trust me.”
Joanne seemed to have a lot of faith in Jasper, even if they were estranged. I decided to trust her. I didn’t have a lot of other options. Luck could only get you so far, and then you had to do things for yourself.
“But what are we going to do once we get out of here?” I pointed to the door at the far end of the room. “I heard them lock it. Even if we get through that door too, they’ll be waiting on the other side for us. Anyway, they’re bound to hear the explosion when we use the charm to blow open the cell door.”
Joanne shook her head. “Not with this one. It’ll make a small pop, but that’s about it.” She flipped through some more of the charms. “We can use the high-heel shoe to blast the lock on the next door. It’s not much more powerful than the rose.”
“And then what?”
Joanne hefted the bracelet in her bloody hands. “I’d say we arm the bracelet, toss it in the room with them, and take our chances.”
“That seems like a hell of a chance to take,” I said. “Jasper told me there was enough explodium in that thing to take out half the city.”
“We can modify the charge a bit, but he’s right. There’s enough explodium here to do that—and it should be more than enough to knock out Prism and Hangman. Or just kill them. I’m okay with either of those options.”
I worked it out in my mind. I couldn’t remember seeing another door in the room when we’d been brought in, but surely, there had to be another way off the boat besides going back up to the deck and flying off à la Hangman.
“All right, then,” I said, making up my mind. “Let’s do it.”
With Joanne’s help, I dragged the cot away from the wall and tipped it over on its side. It wasn’t much, just some metal bars with a hard pallet over them, but it was better than nothing.
As we worked, I couldn’t help thinking about Devlin. He’d looked half dead the last time I’d seen him. I didn’t know how badly he was hurt, and it was killing me. I could only imagine how Joanne felt, losing Berkley. I didn’t think I’d be holding up half as well as she was under the circumstances.
Once we had the cot arranged to our satisfaction, Joanne took the bracelet from me. She slipped the rose charm off the silver chain and popped it into the lock like a pro.
“Where did you learn so much about explosives?” I asked. “Did Jasper teach you?”
“Not exactly.”
Joanne didn’t volunteer any more information, and I decided not to pry. She’d been through enough already today.
“What’s the code?” Joanne said. “You have to say it out loud for the bomb to arm itself.”
She knew about Jasper’s code words too? Joanne was full of surprises.
I leaned down to the rose charm and said the magic words. “Luck be a lady.”
Joanne raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t say anything about my unusual choice. We scrambled back around the cot and crouched down behind it.
Pop!
Joanne was right. The sound was scarcely louder than someone clapping their hands together. But it was more than enough to blow the lock off the door. We waited for the smoke to clear, then stepped out of the cell and crept down to the other door. We stopped and listened, but I couldn’t hear anything through the thick metal door—except for some weird sort of humming.
“What do you think that is?” Joanne asked in a hushed voice.
“Probably Prism firing up her laserama. She said she was going to own the city by dawn.” I checked my angel watch. “That’s a little less than an hour from now. She must be getting ready to destroy whatever her target is.”
“What about the Fearless Five?” Joanne asked. “Why aren’t they here yet?”
“Prism has some kind of shielding device on the yacht. Don’t worry. They should find us before too long. They sprayed the sapphire with radioactive tracking paint. They’re probably on their way right now. They’ll save us.”
Joanne’s face hardened. “Like they saved Berkley?”
I couldn’t think of anything to say to that.
“Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to save myself,” Joanne snapped. “Now give me your bracelet again.”
I did as she asked. Joanne slipped another charm—the high-heel shoe—off the bracelet and stuffed it into the lock. I said the magic words, and we scurried back down the hallway to our cell.
Pop! Pop!
The explosion made a bit more noise than before, but not enough to draw immediate attention, because neither Prism nor Hangman came to investigate. We crept back up to the door. A bit of smoke wafted away from the obliterated lock. It reminded me of roses, the same scent Debonair trailed behind him wherever he went. My heart twisted.
We went into the workroom, but the ubervillains weren’t down here anymore. I led Joanne through the halls, retracing the path the ubervillains had made. Our feet sank into the carpet. The only sounds were our labored breathing, and that faint, ominous hum. We passed what looked like a living room, and Joanne motioned for me to stop. She slid inside and picked up a fireplace poker and then a phone on top of one of the tables. My heart lifted. If she could call for help, this whole mess would be over.
Joanne made a disgusted face and slammed down the phone. “No dial tone.”
So we crept on, past room after room. We went upstairs and downstairs, but we couldn’t find another way off the boat—other than going back up to the main deck.
After a whispered discussion, we decided to make a break for it. We reached the door that led out to the deck. Joanne eased it open, and we stuck our heads outside. I didn’t see Prism anywhere,
but Hangman stood next to the laser, making notations on a large clipboard. He’d already stuck the sapphire into the machine just in front of the barrel, and it bathed the whole deck in a harsh blue glow. The machine also hummed, a low, steady drone that made it hard to think.
I scanned the deck, looking for a way off. My eyes landed on a couple of small dinghies lashed to one side. Too bad Hangman stood between us and them. There was no way we could sneak past the ubervillain without him seeing and stopping us—
The smell of roses of filled the air.
POP!
Debonair teleported in front of Hangman. The ubervillain’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“What the hell are you doing—”
That was all he got out before Debonair punched him in the face. The blow was enough to rock Hangman back on his feet, but not enough to knock him down or unconscious. It was, however, enough to make Debonair wince. He looked even worse than he had at the museum. Blood covered his face and costume, and his left arm hung at his side in a weird, twisted angle. Pain whitened his face underneath his mask, and fever and exhaustion brightened his eyes. I grimaced at the sight of the sexy thief, sickened and angry by what the ubervillains had done to the man I loved.
Hangman shook off the blow and leapt at Debonair, and the two started teleporting and flying around the deck like madmen.
POP!
Smack!
POP! POP!
Smack!
It was like standing in the middle of a sound effects machine.
“Where are they?” Debonair demanded, teleporting all around the boat, always just out of Hangman’s long grasp. “Where’s Bella? What have you done to her?”
In between teleports, Debonair would lash out with his one good arm and punch the ubervillain in the face or kick him with his boots. The sight warmed my heart, but it also filled me with nauseating dread. I hated seeing Debonair in danger, especially because of me.
My power pulsed, adding to my sense of unease. I realized there was something missing, or rather someone. Where was Prism?
I got my answer a second later. The ubervillain stepped out from behind the device. She smiled, drew the laserama from her belt, and pointed it at Debonair’s back. There was no time to get to her. No time to distract her or call out a warning. No time to do anything at all. Debonair was going to die just like Berkley Brighton had. Just like my father, James, had.
But somehow, I did something. I reached for my power, imagining Debonair’s feet sliding out from under him, willing it to happen, praying for it to like I’d never prayed for anything before in my life.
And they did.
He took a step, and his boots skidded along the deck. Before I could warn him, Prism pushed the button on her laserama. Debonair hit the floor just as the red beam zapped through the air above his bloody chest. The laser hit one of the dinghies on the opposite side of the yacht. The wood burst into flames.
But as my bad luck would have it, Debonair smacked his head against the deck when he fell. He let out a low groan and tried to get to his feet, but Hangman was too quick for him. The ubervillain put his enormous foot on Debonair’s chest, pinning him.
“Where did he come from?” Prism hissed. “How did he track us here?”
Hangman shrugged. “He must have been teleporting around the city looking for us. It’s been known to happen.”
Prism raised the laserama and aimed it at Debonair’s chest again. “Well, this is the last time it’s going to happen. Ever.” Her finger hovered over the button.
“Debonair!” I screamed.
Hangman and Prism’s heads whipped around to Joanne and me, still crouching inside the doorway. Joanne grabbed my arm, but I shook her off. This was exactly how my father had died—trying to fight off two ubervillains. I didn’t know what I would do if Debonair met his fate. My heart couldn’t take it—not again. I was going to save him—no matter what.
“Leave him alone!”
I walked to the center of the deck, where the ubervillains hovered over Debonair’s crumpled from. I tried not to look at him—or at the blood pooling underneath his body. But my eyes went to his, and he had the audacity to wink at me. Wink! Even though he was facing his own death. His sly sense of humor was just one of the many things I loved about him. One of the many, many things. Which was going to make leaving him that much harder. If we somehow lived through this.
Prism’s reddish eyes narrowed. “Well, well, you’re more resourceful than I gave you credit for, Bulluci. How did you get out of your cell? Not that it really matters, but it’s good that you’re here now to see your champion die.”
“I got out of my cell with this.” I yanked the bracelet off my wrist and held it in my fist. “You put your laser down and step away from him right now, or I’ll blow us all sky-high.”
31
Prism’s eyes fixed on the bracelet. ‘You’re bluffing. That’s just a bracelet, not anything else. You’ve been wearing it for days now.”
I held it up high. “It is a bracelet. And much more. This happens to have been made by my good friend Jasper. You remember Jasper, don’t you, Hangman? You almost beat him to death when you broke into his house.”
Prism’s eyes slid to the other ubervillain, who nodded his head in confirmation. Her eyes glowed red with anger, but she plastered a fake smile on her face and turned back to me.
“Now, Bella, there’s no need to be hasty,” Prism said, trying to make her voice light and pleasant. “I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.”
My hand tightened around the cold metal. “The only arrangement we’re going to come to is the one where you put your laser away and let us off this boat—right now.”
Prism scoffed. “You’re bluffing. You’re not going to set off that thing. You don’t have the balls to do it.”
I didn’t know what to do. She was right. I didn’t want to blow myself up. I didn’t want to die. Not now. Not like this. Then, my eyes went back to the laser, and I thought of all the destruction Prism had wreaked—and would wreak—if somebody didn’t stop her. Of all the lives she would and could destroy.
And I realized that I would die—to stop her. In that instant, I realized what my grandfather had been talking about. Why he and my father and brother really dressed up as Johnny Angel. It wasn’t about getting a kick out of wearing a mask or riding around town raising hell. It was about being strong enough to take on ubervillains. Being strong enough to look out for the weak. Being strong enough to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.
That realization, earth-shattering as it was, wasn’t enough to get me out of my present predicament, though.
“Give it up, Bella. Give me the bracelet.” Prism pointed her laserama at me. “Or I’ll just take it off your dead, burned body.”
Debonair let out a growl and started to rise, but Hangman slammed his foot into the superhero’s chest. Something snapped, and Debonair collapsed against the deck with a low, pained groan. Blood bubbled out of his mouth. The sight, the sound, of his agony sliced my heart like a paper shredder.
I didn’t get a chance to answer, because Joanne chose that moment to pounce. She’d crept around behind the laser during my confrontation with Prism.
“Don’t worry, Bella. I’ll take care of it,” Joanne said, climbing onto the side of the laserama.
“What—What are you doing? No!” Prism screamed.
But it was too late. Joanne reached into the machine and ripped the Star Sapphire from its position. But she didn’t stop there. With her other hand, she swung the fireplace poker at the laser, bashing a whole section of wires and doodads and gadgets. Bits of metal spewed everywhere, tinkling against the floor as if someone were playing a piano. Joanne was stronger than she looked.
“This is for killing Berkley, you bitch!” Joanne screamed.
She kept hitting the laserama with the poker as if her life depended on it. More pieces of metal broke free, smoke spewed out, and flames started to flicker i
nside the device. Joanne gave it one more good whack, then climbed down. An explosion ripped through the laser, and the flames and smoke grew brighter and thicker.
Prism cursed and raced over to her precious device, followed by Hangman. Joanne dashed around the other side to me. Another explosion shook the boat as part of the machine collapsed in on itself. Blue and red sparks shot everywhere. Part of the deck began to burn, and smoke boiled out from the laser.
I dropped to my knees beside Debonair and stroked back his bloody, matted hair. He pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist. My pulse pounded in response, even now in this time of crisis. I opened my mouth to ask him how hurt he was when something blue zoomed down from the sky and wrapped itself around my head.
Frantic, I clawed at the thing for about ten seconds before I realized it was a blanket. I unwound the soft fabric from around my face and looked at it. Unless I was mistaken, it was Debonair’s stadium blanket—the same one I’d tossed off the Skyline Bridge a few days ago. That was a strange occurrence, even for me, but I covered Debonair with it.
“We’ve got to get off the boat,” I said. “Can you teleport us away?”
Debonair shook his head. “No, I’m too weak. I wouldn’t be able to get us to shore. But we can take one of the dinghies. I can row with one arm, well enough anyway. Help me up.”
Joanne put her arm under Debonair’s shoulder, while I did the same on the other side. We dragged the superhero over to the side of the deck to the remaining dinghy. Meanwhile, the ubervillains continued to mess with the imploding machine. I hoped it blew up in their faces—literally. I started forward to hoist the dinghy over the side and into the water. At least I tried to. The wench that lifted the boat up and over the side of the yacht was stuck, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it to move. I turned to ask Joanne for help, but she had other ideas. She picked up her poker and started back toward the ubervillains.