These Boots Were Made For Stomping

by Julie Kenner

  He felt safe doing this because, after all, he knew exactly what they’d find there at MeyioSeraph headquarters. Nothing. An up-and-up agency, sans ninjas—at least, sans dangerous ones—just like the one he’d been dealing with all weekend. She’d be disappointed but relieved, and Thomas would probably be back by the time they returned to the convention center.

  Sure, he’d probably get in trouble with his boss for ditching his afternoon meetings, but he was golden boy today for the Kim deal and they owed him. And if he didn’t go, there was no telling what Hailey might do, charging in un-chaperoned.

  Her face brightened at his words, tears actually slipping down her cheeks. “So you believe me?” she asked. “You really do?”

  He swallowed hard, not wanting to hurt her. “Sure,” he lied. “Now let’s go.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  The address turned out to be an industrial building down by the docks. Not exactly the type of place a regular agency would hang its shingle, but maybe they were just getting started. Once they got their Hiro Kim payday, they’d be able to afford nicer digs, that was for sure.

  “Okay, pull over here,” Collin instructed as they cruised in front of the building. “I think this is it.”

  The cabdriver obliged, pressing the button to stop the meter. A receipt spit out. Hailey reached for her wallet, but Collin held out a hand to stop her. “I’ve got it,” he said.

  “Maybe we should keep the cab here,” she suggested. “You know, in case we have to make a quick getaway.”

  “You mind hanging here for a few?” Collin asked the cabbie.

  The cabbie shrugged and reactivated the meter, turning up the radio.

  “Okay, guess that’s a yes.”

  “Now, Collin, I think it’s best if you wait in the car,” she said, glancing over at the building. “After all, you don’t have superpowers.”

  “No way. I’m coming in.” There was no chance he was letting her run off on her own when she was in such a state.

  “Okay, fine. But try not to get in the way. I don’t want you to get hurt.” She popped out of the cab and started toward the ware house. He had to sprint to catch up.

  They walked into the building and into a well-lit lobby that led to a reception area with cushy chairs and a receptionist behind a large desk, filing her red painted nails. Hailey stopped short, a confused look on her face. Obviously it wasn’t the scene she was expecting. She glanced back at Collin. He stepped forward.

  “I’m sorry to barge in here like this,” he said, sidling up to the receptionist and giving her his best smile—the one that had won him so many movie contracts the last five years. “But I’m Collin Robinson from Darken Pictures and I’m interested in talking with your client, Thomas Carol.”

  The secretary stifled a yawn. “No one by that name is in the building,” she assured Collin after glancing down at a sign-in sheet.

  “I know you guys have him!” Hailey interrupted, slamming a fist against the desk. “If you touch a hair on his head, I’ll—I’ll . . . I’ll go Karma Kitty on all your ninjas!”

  The secretary raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she sniffed. “Ninjas? Dear, we are a talent agency.”

  “Look,” Collin replied, trying to smooth things over, “could we at least meet Mr. Redkin? He’s the one who approached me about Thomas’s television rights.”

  “Mr. Redkin’s in a meeting.”

  “Fine. We’ll wait.”

  “It’s likely to be a long meeting.”

  “Well, then, it’s a good thing you’ve got a nice magazine selection.”

  “Mr. Robinson, I’m sure if you just left your phone number . . .”

  Collin led Hailey by the arm and sat her down in one of the cushy chairs. “Could you get us some water?” he asked the receptionist.

  The woman huffed, but rose from her seat to oblige them. Once she was out of earshot, Collin turned to Hailey. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

  “They’ve got Thomas! They could be torturing him as we speak!”

  “Hailey, I think you’ve been reading too many comic books. Look around you. This is a legitimate, respectable talent agency. No ninjas. No evil plans. Nothing.”

  “I don’t expect you to believe me. You never do.”

  He sighed, exasperated. “That’s because your ideas are always so far-fetched!”

  They both fell silent. Hailey gritted her teeth as she grabbed a copy of the latest In Style Magazine, refusing to glance over at her doubting ex. Thomas was probably inside, right now, being brainwashed by the bad guys, and they had to sit in a waiting area for some guy in a meeting who wouldn’t tell them the truth anyway.

  The receptionist returned, handing Hailey and Collin bottles of water. Hailey strained her eyes to try to discover what was going on down the corridor the woman had come from. If only she had gotten that invisibility power. Then she could sneak back and see if Thomas was back there.

  It was then that she remembered her Super Smell. She sucked in a breath through her nose, searching through the myriad smells for something that would signal Thomas.

  A moment later, she had it.

  “Toxic!” she cried triumphantly, turning to Collin. “No one but Thomas would wear that cheesy Britney Spears perfume. He’s here. He’s definitely here.”

  Collin sighed. “Can you just wait, Hailey?”

  But Hailey couldn’t wait. Not when her friend’s life was at stake. She bounced up from the couch and pranced over to the receptionist. “Can I go to the bathroom?” she asked.

  The woman gave her a dirty look but responded, “Down the hall, second door to the right.”

  Hailey avoided Collin’s questioning eyes and headed down the hall. When she got to the bathroom, she opened the door, then closed it again without going inside. Then she slunk down the corridor, sniffing occasionally, to find her friend. Thomas’s smell grew stronger the farther back she walked. Hopefully he was still okay and they hadn’t tortured him too badly yet.

  She weaved through empty cubicle after empty cubicle until she came to a dead end and a door. She sniffed. This was it! she realized. Thomas was behind that door, she was sure of it. Heart pounding, she wrapped her hand around the knob and tried to turn it. Locked. Damn. If only she’d had Karma Kitty lock-picking skills drawn in.

  She froze as she heard voices approaching.

  “Beth says that movie producer is outside in the lobby. Better go see what he wants.”

  “The nerve of the guy, coming here.”

  “Right? He wasn’t alone, either. Had some chick with him. Beth said she was acting crazy and babbling about the ninjas.”

  “Hang on a second. She’s talking about the ninjas, blaming them? She could ruin everything!”

  “Don’t worry, it’s not likely anyone’s going to believe her.”

  “What about the producer? Obviously she’s told him.”

  “Well, he can’t pull out of the Hiro deal now. It’s signed, sealed and delivered.”

  “Thank God you pushed it through in time. Who knew the guy was going to commit hara-kiri when he came out of his hypnosis.”

  “Supposedly the note said he was too shamed for selling out to Hollywood to live. Pathetic, huh? It’s just a fucking comic book.”

  “Artists!”

  “And now we’re going to have to cover up his death. After all, it’s not going to look good for us once it’s announced.”

  “Right. First things first, though. Why don’t you go out to the reception area and talk to Mr. Robinson? I’ll let loose the ninjas, just in case we need them.”

  “As if that will do much good. The ninjas you hired have been nothing but trouble this whole Comic Con. They’re not stealthy, they’re not organized—hell, I even caught them throwing around those plastic shuriken we gave away at the booth because they had run out of real ones.”

  “Annoying. I knew I never should have gone with BudgetN
injas.com.”

  “Totally. But we should be fine. I’ve got at least twenty hanging out in the back room eating sushi. Even sucky ninjas can kick ass if there’s enough of them.”

  “And next year, I suggest we go for pirates instead. After all, everyone knows pirates are way cooler than ninjas.”

  The voices faded. Hailey let out a breath and stepped out from behind the cubicle. What was she going to do?

  Collin glanced at his watch. Hailey hadn’t come back from the bathroom yet. She’d better not be poking around and get herself arrested for trespassing. And if she did, she’d better not mention his name to the cops.

  A man stepped into the lobby. Collin recognized him as Mr. Redkin, the man they’d been waiting for. He rose to greet him; they shook hands.

  Mr. Redkin glanced around the room, then turned to the receptionist. “Beth, I thought you said there was a girl with him.”

  “Oh,” Collin said, before Beth could answer. “She went to the bathroom.”

  Was that a flicker of worry crossing the man’s face? Mr. Redkin turned to Beth again and gave her a slight nod. She nodded back and rose from her desk, heading for the back room. Great. Probably off to inform security. He was going to kill Hailey when this was all over.

  “So, is something wrong, Mr. Robinson?” asked Redkin, smiling a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Collin felt his face grow red. “No, no,” he assured him. “It’s just . . . well, my friend who’s in the bathroom . . . she’s the other half of the Karma Kitty property. And I happened to mention the pending deal with her partner, and she wanted more information.”

  “I see. And what information is she interested in learning?”

  Collin wondered what they’d say if he mentioned the ninjas. Mentioned Hailey’s suspicions. Probably they’d laugh him out of the office. Still, he remembered her earnest face. She seemed to really believe it. Maybe he should at least bring it up . . .

  But before he could speak, a cry cut across the room. A cry he’d know anywhere.

  Hailey. She was in trouble!

  Collin dove toward the hall. Mr. Redkin jumped in his path, ready to stop him. But Collin was expecting this move and had his fist ready. He popped the agent in the nose and followed it with a left-handed slam to the stomach. The agent doubled over in pain. Collin pushed by him and dashed down the corridor. He could hear Redkin laughing behind him.

  “Watch out for the ninjas, Mr. Robinson.”

  Collin stopped short at those words. Ninjas? Hailey had been right this whole time? How could he have refused to believe her? He was a fool. An idiot. And now, because of his disbelief, she was in trouble. He had to save her!

  He ran down the hall, heart slamming against his chest, praying over and over again that she would be okay. He whipped around a corner and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the ninjas with his own two eyes, saw that they hadn’t just been a promo stunt at Comic Con. There had to be twenty of them filling up the narrow hallway. Armed with katanas and throwing stars and even nunchakus. Were they all after Hailey? She didn’t stand a chance.

  Suddenly a whirling dervish burst from the crowd, flying into the air like no normal human should be able to do without a trampoline. Hailey. She came down kicking, knocking two of the ninjas in the head. They flailed backward, a domino effect in the narrow hallway, and managed to fell at least four of their buddies.

  And Hailey wasn’t done—not by a long shot, from the looks of it. She gave a loud cry and flipped backward, landed in a defensive stance. Collin shook his head, unable to believe his eyes. In addition to the ninjas, she’d obviously been telling the truth about her superpowers as well.

  She was Karma Kitty. No doubt about it. He had been such a fool.

  The standing ninjas lunged. There were so many of them. They fell on top of her, punching and kicking. She bravely fought them off, but even with her superpowers, Collin realized she was fading fast. She didn’t have the stamina to fight them all. If only she had some kind of super energy boost that came with the package.

  His next thought hit him like a ten-ton truck. He could draw it! Just like Hailey had told him she had Thomas draw Super Smell in order to help her locate his hotel room; he could give Hailey the power she needed with just a quick sketch . . .

  Wait—what was he thinking? He should be calling the police. Or at least aiding her in the fight. Not that he’d be able to do much against a tribe of ninjas. But anything was more worthwhile then simply picking up a pen.

  Then again, they did say it was sometimes mightier than a sword.

  “Why won’t you believe me?” Hailey’s words echoed in his ears.

  He squared his shoulders. Firmed his resolve. It was stupid. Impossible. Crazy. But he had to give it a try. She was telling the truth about the rest of it; why not this, too?

  He dove into a cubicle and grabbed a pad of paper, his hands trembling as he gripped the pencil. Besides the quick sketch earlier that day, it’d been a long time since he’d drawn Karma Kitty. Could he still make the character come alive on the page and provide Hailey the powers she needed? After all, she had told him only true Karma Kitty artists could make it happen.

  He didn’t have time to play the doubt-in-his-art-abilities game. He started sketching, giving Karma Kitty huge muscles, retractable claws, and fangs, and a more powerful club-like tail. Then he drew a speech bubble of her saying how she’d had her blood reworked to give her ten times the strength and stamina she once had. Didn’t know if that would work, but it was certainly worth a try.

  He finished the drawing and signed his name. His breath came hard and heavy and his heart beat a million miles an hour. This had better work. If it didn’t, Hailey would be dead. But at least she would know that for once, he believed her.

  Hailey battled for breath. The ninjas were on her. She couldn’t hold them off anymore. She pawed and kicked, but there were too many, and even with her powers they were too strong. She was going to die. It was all over. She thought of Collin and all the missed opportunities they’d had because of a stupid misunderstanding.

  But just as she was about to give up the ghost, something happened. She suddenly felt energized, power ripping through her. Her teeth elongated, cutting into her lower lip. A tail burst from her butt, writhing with strength. Her fingernails elongated to sharp claws, and muscles burst from her skinny arms. Karma Kitty had just gotten a makeover!

  She glanced around. Was Thomas somehow drawing? What great timing!

  She jumped to her feet, clawing at the ninjas. She whirled around, smacking them with her tail. As one lunged at her, she bit him on the arm, digging her fangs into his flesh. (Pretty gross, but desperate times and all that!) He fell back, squealing in pain.

  She bit, scratched, and tail-swatted her way through the line. A few minutes later, there wasn’t a single ninja standing.

  She leaned forward, hands on her knees, sucking in a breath. She’d done it: She’d beaten them all. Thanks to Super Karma Kitty. Thanks to . . .

  Collin stepped into view, a pad of paper in his hands. He held it up and smiled weakly. “I uh, gave you an upgrade,” he said, sounding a bit sheepish. “I guess it worked?”

  She stared at him, hardly believing her ears. Collin had given her the new powers? Collin had saved her life?

  She ran to him, throwing herself in his arms, careful not to scratch him with her claws. He stumbled backward. “Whoa!” he cried. “Take it easy on us mere mortals. I gave you a hell of a lot of strength there, kitty cat.”

  “You berieved me!” she cried, covering his face with kisses. “You rearry berieved me.”

  He nuzzled her back, avoiding her fangs, which she had trouble speaking around. “Yes,” he whispered. “And thank God I did. I’m so sorry, Hails. I’ve been such a fool. And, um, you should retract those fangs. You’re getting ninja blood all over me.”

  She giggled and complied. “Come on,” she said, realizing that time for cuddling could come later. “We’ve got
to rescue Thomas. I think he’s behind a locked door down here. With my new strength I should be able to break it down.”

  They ran to the back of the office and stopped at the door. With a well-placed kick, Hailey burst it in. A moment later, Thomas stumbled out.

  “I knew you’d save me, Karma Kitty!” he cried, giving her a big hug. “You wouldn’t let those big bad ninjas take me out.”

  “Actually, it was Collin who saved both of us,” Hailey said, looking over at Collin, who was at this point blushing bright red. “He gave Karma Kitty a little upgrade.” She handed him the drawing.

  “Dude, that rocks. I’m so jealous. You’re a wicked talented artist.”

  Collin’s face got even redder. “Thanks,” he said. “It’s been a while, but . . .”

  “But you did it! And you saved us all. And now we can live happily ever after!” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Collin on the mouth. His lips were hot and hungry and she couldn’t wait to get him alone. This time without ninjas to interrupt them.

  Thomas rolled his eyes. “Can we get out of the lair of danger before you two go all PDA on me, please, please?”

  “Oh yeah, sure. Sorry.”

  They headed out into the lobby, where the secretary was helping Redkin to his feet. The two glared. “Where do you think you’re going?” Redkin demanded.

  “Home,” Hailey said. “And sorry, but Thomas won’t be signing with your agency after all,” she apologized. “We will, however, be calling the police on your little operation.”

  Redkin lunged at her, but Collin was ready for him, stepping in smoothly and clocking him upside the head. Redkin bellowed as he went down for the count. The secretary took one look at them and turned tail.

  “Nice,” Hailey said with a grin once she was gone. “And here I thought I was going to have to go all Karma Kitty on them.”

  “Nah,” Collin said, grinning sheepishly. “I may not be able to take on a congregation of ninjas, but I can handle one measly executive.”

  Hailey kissed him. “Very brave of you,” she whispered. “My hero.”

  Collin kissed her back, “My heroine.”