Sidekick Returns

by Auralee Wallace

  I kept my eyes straight ahead, but the heat from his body rolled down my side, doing unspeakable things to my unspeakable places.

  ‘I just realised something,’ Ricky whispered in my ear.

  ‘Wh—’ I started to say, but my voice cracked. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘These past couple of weeks have been crazy. I’ve gotten into every club that used to keep me out. I’ve spent more money than I knew existed. I’ve scared the crap out of every one of those blue blood snobs who used to treat me like garbage.’

  I slowly looked up to meet his gaze.

  ‘But you know what?’ he said, thickly. ‘All I really wanted was this.’

  ‘Oh boy,’ I whispered, as Ricky’s mouth moved towards mine. His lips gently brushed my own, before pressing in for more, and as I leaned back against the bed and felt Ricky’s weight settle on top of me, my thoughts devolved into a mushy string of intangible phrases like, Hmm, good. Warm. That’s different. Oh yes. But somewhere deeper, there was a sense of something bigger, weightier going on. Ricky wanted me—really, really wanted me—every last bit of me.

  Yup, Ricky thought Bremy St. James was A-okay. It was just so unlike …

  Pierce. Pierce who was always questioning my choices. Pierce who was always trying to break up with me. Pierce who had something going on with my sister … something that he had kept hidden from me.

  Waves of chills ran over my body as my lips moved with Ricky’s. No, I wasn’t feeling guilty about this. Not one bit. And yet …

  ‘Bremy?’ Ricky suddenly whispered, in the place where time had no meaning.

  ‘Yes, Count? I mean, Ricky?’

  ‘You’re vibrating.’

  Chapter 41

  ‘Yes, vibrating … and thrumming too,’ I purred. ‘Definitely thrum—’ Suddenly I shot up from the bed and grabbed my chest. Shoot! That wasn’t me vibrating! It was the pager! This was terrible! Where had the time gone? I rammed one hand down my front, rummaging around for the little device. Bart was giving me the warning to get out! My time was up! Thoughts raced through my head. I scanned the room for hidden cameras, but being hidden, that was useless. Maybe my father wouldn’t care that I was talking to Ricky … who was I kidding? He would totally care. He’d know I was up to something, and then he might make a move on me now instead of drawing out whatever game this was we were playing. Dammit! He’d never make the mistake of underestimating me again! Who knew what he’d do to me this time! He could kill me, or … worse! He’d imprison me and force into the sweats Ryder had been wearing! I needed to get out and fast. But I still hadn’t gotten anything useful out of Ricky. I jumped to my feet and yanked at the white fur-like throw at the bottom of the bed.

  ‘What are y—’

  ‘Get off!’ I shouted. Ricky rolled to one side with wide eyes as I yanked the throw out from under his butt and threw it over my head.

  ‘Br—’

  ‘Brenda!’ I shouted, before dropping my voice to whisper, ‘My name is Brenda.’

  Ricky stared wide-eyed at me.

  ‘And keep your voice down,’ I hissed from the small gap I had created with the sides of the blanket, clutched to my face. Who knew how sensitive the equipment was that my father was using these days. My eyes darted about the room again. This wasn’t safe. I lunged for Ricky and slammed him back on top of the bed, throwing the blanket over our heads.

  ‘Well, don’t just lie there!’ I shout-whispered. ‘Make it look like we’re making out!’

  ‘We were just making out,’ he replied uncertainly.

  ‘And now, we’re going to make it look like we’re making out.’

  ‘Can’t we just make out?’ Ricky asked, eyes darting around at the blanket. ‘Maybe with more oxygen.’

  ‘No!’ I snapped. ‘Now, move your hands around!’

  One of Ricky’s hands landed awkwardly on my butt with a smack.

  ‘Around!’ Fingers moved up and down my back.

  ‘Good. Now, we need to make this quick.’

  ‘Okay.’

  I began with, ‘You’re an idiot.’ Ricky moved his lips to talk again, but I cut him off. ‘My father is never going to let you keep this money. He will, in fact, probably kill you once he’s through with you. You’re only here because he knows that I cared about y— Never mind, he’s trying to throw me off balance. So you need to help me stop him.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talk—’

  ‘Save it! I know he paid you to become Big Shot.’ My brain was trying to get the information out super fast. ‘He wanted you to start a crime wave in the city … a crime wave for Jenny to stop.’

  ‘I—’

  ‘Shush,’ I said, tapping a finger to his lips. ‘But what’s his endgame? And why hasn’t he killed Ryder?’ At least, I was assuming he hadn’t killed Ryder. ‘Ricky, what does my father have planned for you next?’

  ‘I don’t know if—’

  I felt my eyes go wild. ‘Did you not hear the idiot part? What does he have planned for you next?’

  ‘I … I don’t know. Plans are supposed to be delivered to me, here, any minute now.’

  ‘Dammit!’ I jumped to my feet, blanket still covering my head. I then spun and ran for the door.

  ‘Bre—Brenda, wait!’

  ‘Ricky you have to trust me,’ I shouted backing away. ‘You need to be careful.’

  ‘Talk to me,’ he said, quickly closing the distance between us. ‘Tell me what’s going—’

  ‘I really have to go.’ I hurried back, taking one last look at his unstyled hair and unbuttoned shirt. ‘But … where are you going tonight?’

  ‘The Kobra Klub.’

  I smiled. ‘Of course you are. I’ll meet you there.’ I jumped into the elevator waiting at the penthouse floor. ‘We’ll talk more. But until then … please, be careful. You can’t trust my father.’

  ‘Bre—’

  The doors slid shut. I peeked up at the camera mounted behind a discreet dark bubble on the wall. The elevator counted down the floors. Fifteen. Fourteen. Maybe Bart was able to keep the system down. He could be a bit of a drama queen. Maybe I was still in the warning stage. Yeah maybe. I couldn’t shake the feeling, though, that when the elevator doors opened again, men with St. James Industries logos would be waiting with a straightjacket to take me away. Ten. Nine. Then I’d be done for. Ryder too. And then the city wouldn’t be far behind. Gah! Stupid hormones! Four. Three. But on the bright side, while that was all very bad news, who knew I’d become so important?

  Two. One.

  Ping!

  I closed my eyes tight and cringed as the doors slid open. I cracked one eye to take in the view my blanket gap provided. Nothing. Nothing but lobby.

  Relief washed over me.

  Now, I just needed to make it to those big glass doors across the lobby. I glanced to my right. Nothing there to stop me. Then to my left. Nothing—but the doorman leaning on the concierge desk looking at me very sceptically.

  I skidded to a stop. ‘Um … I’m just—’

  He cut me off with a dismissive wave. ‘Sweetheart, you just need to walk the shame, not talk it.’

  I huffed a breath and resumed walking. ‘Don’t forget live with it,’ I muttered, trying to ignore the tickle on my neck where Ricky’s lips had been. ‘You gotta live with it too.’

  I pushed my way through the glass doors, and made it two steps onto the sidewalk before I saw the car. I threw the blanket off my head. Normally, a car wouldn’t stop me in my tracks—not even a silver Aston Martin convertible. But the person in the white catsuit leaning against it …

  My phone buzzed. I pulled it out without looking and swiped Answer.

  ‘Is that who I think it is?’ Bart yelled.

  ‘Yup.’ It was all I could say. My chest … my chest was filling up with too much … dammit.

  ‘Bremy!’ my phone shouted. ‘Listen to me. Do not get into that car. Do you hear me? Do not g—’

  I swiped the screen and looked up at the mirror image
in front of me.

  ‘Need a ride?’

  ‘Sure, Sis.’ I took a step forward feeling like I was falling into the looking glass. ‘Why not?’

  Chapter 42

  Minutes later, I found myself speeding down the city streets with my twin sister. She was weaving through traffic like a race car driver. A year ago, the idea of this would have been … our greatest dream come true. Now … I didn’t even know what to think.

  Thick, thick tension hung between us—vodka Jell-O shot thick, but less fun. There were so many things I wanted to say to her. And maybe that was why I was so quiet. I couldn’t get just one of them out. I shot a look over at Jenny, her eyes focused on the road. She was so beautiful. More beautiful than I ever was … or would be.

  Should I start there? With how much I missed her? Or maybe I should tell her about how hurt I was? I mean, yeah, I screwed up, but I thought we were closer than one mistake. Which then lead me to how mad I was. Oh, and I was mad. I closed my eyes and exhaled. No point starting there. More than anything else, I just wanted things to be normal between us again. I’d say whatever it took to get us to that place.

  ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ Jenny said, breaking my thoughts. ‘I mean, I’m glad you got in the car.’

  I nodded, then paused a moment before saying, ‘You’re taking me to him, aren’t you?’

  Jenny turned her face from the road to look at me. She nodded once then turned back.

  ‘Well, I hope he let you design my jail cell.’ I looked out my window. ‘You know what I like.’

  ‘It’s not like that. And you know it.’

  I chuckled. It was an ugly sound.

  ‘If you really believe he’s going to lock you away in some dungeon,’ she snapped, ‘then why did you get into the car?’

  Tears filled my eyes. ‘Why do you think?’ My father’s words at the museum had never been far from my thoughts. He had said my sister’s life depended on me. I always get what I want, Brianna.

  Jenny’s eyes filled, mirroring my own.

  ‘I just don’t get it,’ I said, struggling to keep my voice even. ‘I get that I screwed up, but that’s it? I just get one chance with you?’

  Jenny said nothing.

  ‘And how can you stay with him knowing … knowing what he did to our mother?’

  A muscle at her jaw flexed.

  ‘Is it worth it?’ I pressed, voice gaining force. ‘Everything he’s done for you?’

  Still nothing.

  Hot anger flashed over me. ‘Tell me! Is it worth it?’

  She spun her head to look at me, eyes flashing. ‘Yes! Is that what you want to hear? Yes!’

  I closed my eyes, sending tears streaming down my face. ‘I know it was hard, but you were perfect the way—’

  ‘God! Shut up, Bremy!’ Suddenly Jenny yanked the wheel hard to the right. Horns blared as we clung to the turn rocketing us towards a tunnel. I gripped the dash as Jenny accelerated us underground. Once we were under the concrete dome, she backed off the gas. ‘The tunnel should interfere with reception. I need to talk quickly.’

  My eyes darted over her face. ‘Wh … what?’

  ‘I’m staying with him, so that I can stop him,’ she said quickly. ‘But it’s good to know I had you so easily fooled.’

  ‘What? I don’t underst—’

  Jenny punched the gas, and we hurtled forward, the wall lights blending into a solid stream.

  ‘He’s working on something bigger than you can possibly imagine. I need to get enough proof to give to Pierce so we can expose him.’

  Vertigo swept my body. I brought a hand to my forehead. ‘Pierce?’

  ‘I have to do these treatments,’ she said, voice flat. ‘I need him to trust me.’

  ‘I don’t understand. I can’t—’

  ‘You can help me, Brems.’ Her voice softened. ‘We can do this together … as equals.’ I met her pleading eyes with my own. The car seemingly leapt out of the tunnel into the glittering lights of the city.

  ‘You’re not anybody’s sidekick.’

  Jenny brought a finger to her lips, but said, ‘Just hear what father has to say. Do it for me.’

  I collapsed back into my seat, mind spinning. Everything was happening so fast. I couldn’t keep up with all the developments being thrown at me. I had never in my life felt so off balance. I didn’t know who was with me or against me … who I could trust. More anger swept over me. It was exactly what he wanted. I was a rat scrambling through a maze, while my father loomed over top, watching, controlling everything.

  We didn’t say another word the rest of the drive.

  From the city streets, Jenny steered us to the highway, which led us to roads through smaller towns, then by fields, and finally to a forest. She stopped the car at the dead end of a dirt road. The Aston Martin’s headlights illuminated two steel doors dug into the side of a hill, surrounded by trees. We both got out of the car, and I followed Jenny as she walked towards the doors. She took a card out of her pocket, but before she could swipe the keypad, I threw my arms around her and hugged her for everything I was worth, and then a little more. We stayed liked that a few moments, before she whispered, ‘I know.’

  I leaned back. ‘Do you?’ She touched my cheek with her fingertips and nodded, sending tears once again spilling down my face.

  She pulled back, and I wiped a hand over my wet cheeks. Once her card had activated the keypad, she leaned forward, and a beam shot out, scanning her eyes. The doors then made a loud clunk and swung back into the hill.

  ‘Ready or not,’ she whispered.

  I followed her through the entrance into a sloping concrete tunnel that, I could only assume, led to Hell. The tunnel itself was large enough for a truck to drive through, but, at the moment, it was deserted, and each one of our steps echoed down into the darkness.

  ‘It was a secret government bunker,’ Jenny said. ‘St. James Industries bought it back in the seventies. In a nuclear attack, the facility could have housed several hundred people for years.’

  The tunnel seemed to go on for miles and got colder with every step.

  ‘How do we get in?’ I asked, eyeing the seamless walls.

  ‘Here.’ Jenny moved to a blank spot on the wall. What the hell was she doing? She placed her hand on the smooth, concrete surface, and a palm scan suddenly beamed to life. A moment later, the outline of a door appeared.

  ‘Whoa,’ I said under my breath.

  ‘Ready?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘Not in the slightest.’

  ‘We can do this.’ She pushed the door open, and I shielded my eyes against the glaring white light that poured out from within.

  Chapter 43

  When I could finally see, I was stunned by the sight of a crazy, big facility, bustling with scientists in white lab coats. Dozens of honeycombed labs were sectioned off with glass, all connected by thin roads buzzing with gleaming golf carts.

  ‘I’m totally disappointed,’ I said struggling to talk over the heartbeat in my throat. ‘I really thought St. James Industries’ secret lab would be underwater. Or at the very least, have one of those volcanos with a skull carved into it.’

  Jenny let out a small laugh. ‘Well, hold off your judgment a little longer. You haven’t seen the dungeons yet.’

  ‘Seriously?’ I asked, wide-eyed. She smiled bigger.

  ‘Not funny.’

  ‘Come on,’ she said, walking ahead. ‘We’re up here.’ I followed my sister down one of the pathways between honeycombs, staring into the small labs. It all looked very normal and science-y, but I was totally expecting, any minute, we’d come across a lab with a mermaid in a tank or a chained werewolf. It had that kind of vibe.

  I jogged a few steps to catch up to Jenny. ‘Um, do you think that maybe you could fill me in on why I’m here now?’ I asked, while mentally rehearsing the route we were taking.

  Her face tensed. ‘He wants to talk to you.’ I so hoped this conversation didn’t involve a straightjacket and something
in a syringe. ‘I’m not going to let him hurt you,’ Jenny said. ‘Trust me.’

  She led me into a hexagonal-shaped room, larger than the others, and teeming with scientists. A few stopped to look as we entered, and I did not like the expression on their faces. Anticipation. A few were practically drooling.

  ‘Why are they staring at me like that?’ I whispered to Jenny.

  ‘I think it’s that you’re fresh blood, like, literally,’ she said, grimacing a little in commiseration. ‘You’ve got my DNA written all over you.’

  I looked back around at all the scientists. Well, I refused to be intimidated. I hopped up on one of the long white counters and cleared my throat loudly. ‘You’re all going to die horribly. You know that, right?’

  They froze.

  ‘If James Bond doesn’t kill you, your fearless leader will.’ I pointed at a photo of my father mounted on the wall. ‘It will be some demonstration like, Oh, look at my new laser pen that turns people into petrified mummies or something, and then he’ll fire it at … you!’ I said, pointing at a random scientist. The young man startled a wee bit.

  ‘… Just to be all cool and evil.’ I finished with some warning jazz hands.

  The group stayed frozen. Well, maybe not completely frozen. A few were giving me the slow blink.

  ‘Mark my words. That’s how it will go down.’ I stopped to pick at a fingernail. ‘You should probably run while you still have the chance.’

  Nobody ran. So frustrating. They were just as bad as the Bremy-lemmings back at the float. I sighed. I couldn’t save anybody.

  ‘Brianna.’ The voice sent chills down my spine. ‘Please, stop scaring the help.’

  Chapter 44

  I jumped to my feet and whirled around.

  ‘Well, somebody should tell them the truth,’ I said after a breath. ‘At least they can’t say I didn’t warn them.’ My father stood in a doorway, wearing a dress shirt rolled at the sleeves and grey slacks. The look of the outfit was casual, almost friendly. The look on his face was not.