Masked (Superheros Undercover Book 1)

by J. D. Wright

  While Majestic was in between sneaking glances into the living room and calculating her next move, the pantry door behind her began to slowly creak open. Before she could register the noise, she was grabbed by two strong hands and pulled inside the dark space.

  Majestic’s gasp was muffled by a gloved hand clamped down over her mouth. Angry, she elbowed her captor in the ribs but he barely loosened his hold. Then whoever was holding her leaned down closer. She could feel warm breath on her ear and she couldn’t suppress a chill from running over her.

  “I guess we both had the same idea,” a male voice said into her ear.

  But this wasn’t just any voice. It was one Majestic recognized. And despised.

  “Oh, no,” she said, spinning around to face him. “Orion?”

  “In the flesh. Err…in the suit. Whatever.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her harsh whisper loud enough for Whiskey to hear.

  “Who else is there?” Whiskey asked. “It’s dark so I can’t see them.”

  “It’s my worst nightmare.”

  “Oh, him.” Whiskey replied with a chuckle. “Behave, Majestic.”

  “Aww, come on,” Orion said, tilting his head. Even in the dark, she could see his mischievous smile. “Worst nightmare? That’s a little bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”

  “Answer my question,” she said, poking his chest with her finger. “Why are you here?”

  “Like I said, we must have had the same idea.”

  Majestic registered what he meant. “Oh, no. Get your own target! This one’s mine.”

  Orion didn’t budge. “Technically, I was in the house first, so wouldn’t it make him mine?”

  “I’ve been watching this place for hours.”

  “So have I,” he returned.

  “How did you even get in here?”

  Orion leaned closer. “Why? Afraid I’m outsmarting you already?”

  Majestic let out a growl, but her breath caught when Orion’s hand closed over her mouth again. A noise outside of the pantry distracted her before she could shove him away. Someone, either Jergon or his wife, had entered the kitchen. And from the increasing sound of shuffling feet, was heading straight for them.

  Neither of them moved as a shadow passed in front of the slight crack in the door. The sound of the refrigerator opening beside them and fluorescent light shining across the tile told them that, whoever it was, they were raiding the fridge. There was a sound of a bottle being opened and chugging as someone downed a lot of liquid in a short amount of time.

  If Majestic had to guess, this was probably Jergon, starting his alleged nightly drinking binge that usually accompanied his domestic abuse arrests. Little did the man know, but he would be arrested tonight, either way. She just hoped to prevent any harm from coming to the man’s wife first.

  The refrigerator closed with a slam that rattled the pantry door, but thankfully, whoever was on the other side had no interest in grabbing a snack to go with their drink. There were footsteps as the person crossed and left the kitchen. The moment whoever it was returned to the living room, the couple’s arguing picked right back up where it left off and the shouting again commenced.

  Once the coast was clear, Majestic realized that Orion’s warm hand was still over her mouth. She quickly shook him off and gave him another jab to the ribs just for spite.

  “Keep your hands to yourself,” she snarled.

  “Just trying to protect our cover,” he returned. “You should probably keep your voice down unless you want to be caught.”

  “I don’t need advice from you, Starboy.”

  “It’s Orion.”

  “That isn’t any better.”

  Orion sighed but his smile stayed perfectly in place, much to her annoyance. His relaxed demeanor only further fanned her flame of irritation that he was here and trying to steal her target. She refused to let her very first catch be compromised by this guy.

  “So, now what?” he asked, leaning against the mostly bare shelves behind him. “Who’s leaving?”

  “You are.”

  “Nice try, but I don’t think so.” He crossed his arms. “We could flip for it.”

  “Flip for it?” She couldn’t believe her ears. “I am not going to gamble away my target. That isn’t happening.”

  “Well, I’m not going, either. So we should come up with a compromise.”

  Before Majestic could give a sharp reply, Whiskey cut in, “Majestic, hear him out. Unless you want to start all over—”

  “Fine,” she said, responding to them both. “What do you have in mind?”

  Orion peeked through the crack in the door before continuing, “We both want the perp and only one of us can get him, right?”

  “Yes?”

  “What do you say to a little…friendly competition?”

  “Oh, dear,” Whiskey said quickly. “Not what I had in mind.”

  Majestic ignored Whiskey’s voice in her head and listened to her own stubborn will. She tilted her head up and stared into Orion’s eyes. In the dark, the gleam in his usually bright blue eyes was darker and all the more wicked.

  “If this is some sort of trick,” she warned, “you’ll regret it.”

  “No trick,” he said, holding his arms up. “Whoever apprehends the man first—”

  “Gets the catch,” she finished. “Deal.”

  She held her hand up, but Orion didn’t shake it. Instead, he placed his hands above her head and leaned down so close that his lips were a hair’s breadth away from hers.

  “Maybe we should seal it with a kiss instead,” he whispered.

  Majestic placed her hand on Orion’s chest and began to run it down his body, over his tight abdomen that the supersuit seemed to cling to like a glorious second skin. Then without warning, she slammed a quick punch into his stomach. Orion gave a short gasp and let out a winded laugh.

  “Okay, never mind,” he said.

  Majestic slowly pushed the pantry door open enough to slip out. She eased through the opening and took a swift peek around the refrigerator. Jergon’s wife was standing on the other side of the tall counter and being subjected to her husband’s rants about the beer in the refrigerator not being cold enough.

  “Asshole,” Orion muttered.

  Majestic had almost forgotten that her major annoyance was standing behind her. And while she agreed with his sentiments, she had to focus on her job. Now, the stakes were higher, and her time was limited.

  A blur passed behind her and she turned to see that Orion had abandoned the kitchen for the hallway. Majestic shrugged. If he wanted to go the long way around, let him. She would have Jergon apprehended before Orion even found his way back.

  Taking this as her cue to act, Majestic dropped to the ground and rolled out from behind the refrigerator, ducking behind the counter. Then she leaned up and focused on the shelf of books on the mantle behind Jergon’s head. Summoning her power, she gave the thick books a mental pull and they flew off of the shelf, hitting Jergon in the back of the head, one right after another.

  “Ow!” the man hissed. “Shit! Fuck! What the—”

  Majestic shot up from behind the counter and, using her power once more, she pulled the back of Jergon’s red flannel shirt up and over his head, temporarily blinding him while he cursed and frantically tried to uncover his eyes.

  One thing Majestic didn’t count on, however, was Mrs. Hanson. The woman leapt to her husband’s defense, trying just as hard to get him unstuck from his shirt. However, by the time Majestic realized what was happening, it was too late. She lost her hold on the shirt and Jergon grabbed his wife. His hand instantly produced a switch-blade knife and the sharp blade went straight to his wife’s neck.

  “Don’t come any closer,” he spat, blinking to adjust his eyes to the dim room again. “Stay away or I’ll kill her. I swear it!”

  Orion had been enjoying watching Majestic work from his dark corner on the other side of the room. The apartment’s si
ngle bathroom connected the hallway to the living room, and he’d snuck through it in order to gain access. In all of the commotion, no one had noticed he was even there, and he’d been waiting for an opportunity to swoop in.

  However, what happened next took everyone by surprise. For some reason, the wife decided to help the bastard and he’d taken her hostage with a knife. Orion highly doubted this was part of Majestic’s plan. It seemed neither of them was going to be scoring an easy victory tonight.

  “Get out of here!” Jergon shouted, tightening his grip on his wife. “Leave now or I’ll slice her fucking throat!”

  “You don’t want to do that,” Majestic said carefully. “Whiskey, are you getting this?”

  Whiskey? Orion wasn’t sure who she was talking to. It must be her agent. Speaking of agents, his own was not thrilled with the turn of events, either.

  “Please tell me that son of a bitch did not just pull a knife on his own wife!” Jewel rang into Orion’s ear. “You have my permission to punch his lights out.”

  “I just might,” Orion murmured.

  He inched closer to the couple, whose attention was still on Majestic while she tried to calm the situation. Her method, however, wasn’t exactly subtle.

  “You are in violation of the court,” Majestic said. “Let your wife go and come with me or you can add even more to the list of charges against you.”

  “I’m not going back to jail!” the man thundered. “I didn’t hurt my wife. Ask her. She’ll tell you those damn domestic charges are bullshit!”

  “Yeah, nice try,” Majestic snorted. “I’m really going to believe that, coming from a guy who has a knife to his own wife’s throat. Just put it down and no one has to get hurt.”

  …Damn nose is itching…

  Orion’s ears perked up at the thought he most certainly knew had come from Jergon. He focused his power and listened, ignoring the wife’s internal squeals and curses.

  …Gotta scratch it…can’t let go of Paula or the bitch will get away…

  This could be his chance. Orion edged a bit closer to the man and caught Majestic’s eye. She did a good job of hiding her surprise at seeing him, though. She continued to distract Jergon with even more taunting jabs.

  “Maybe after I arrest you,” Majestic added, “I’ll let your wife take a few swings at you. Or she could use that knife to chop off your, ahem…manly parts? I’ll just pretend I didn’t see anything and you deserve more than that for putting your hands on her.”

  …What the fuck? Sick girl. Need to scratch my damn nose!

  Orion blinked at Majestic. He too, was stunned by the suggestion, and he suddenly wished he hadn’t pissed her off before. She was one dangerous super. But thankfully, so was he. And when Jergon finally decided to lift his arm up and quickly scratch his nose, Orion was ready and waiting.

  The moment the blade left the woman’s throat, Orion swooped in and activated his new weapon, titanium fists. His wrist-cuffs transformed into a metal glove that instantly expanded to cover his entire hand and lower arm. All it took was a swing of his arm, perfectly aimed at Jergon’s head. When the fist met the man’s face, Jergon went down hard. The knife flew into the air and Orion dodged it by a hair.

  The other result of the punch was one Orion hadn’t counted on. Mrs. Hanson went flying toward the floor and there was nothing he could to do to stop her fall. Luckily, Majestic’s reflexes were quicker. She sent a nearby ottoman zooming across the floor. It slid under just in time to catch Mrs. Hanson. The woman gripped the ottoman for dear life as she cried into it.

  The sobbing woman was the only noise in the apartment for several seconds. Orion straightened and realized Jergon was knocked out cold. Majestic stepped up beside him and looked down at the man.

  “How did you know he was going to do that?” she asked, looking up at Orion. “Take the knife away from her?”

  “Umm, mind reader, remember?” Orion said, trying to play it cool, when really his body was shaking and heart pounding from the shock of what had happened. He’d managed to save the woman and he was grateful he hadn’t frozen under the pressure. But now it was over, and his body was catching up with him.

  “Are you all right?” Jewel asked. “I’ve alerted the police and let them know Mr. Hanson has been disarmed. Wait for their arrival.”

  Majestic spoke to her agent too. “Yeah, he’s down. Okay, I’ll wait.”

  Orion’s gaze met hers, and they stared at each other for a moment.

  “I—” he began, but she held up a hand.

  “You got him,” she said. “He’s yours. I’ll give my statement and be on my way.”

  “No way. All I did was punch him. Your talking distracted him and kept him from doing something crazy.”

  “It’s my fault he took her hostage.”

  “You couldn’t have predicted the coward would hide behind his wife.”

  “Maybe not, but—”

  “We did this together,” Orion insisted. “Either we both take credit, or we leave now and let the cops handle it.”

  “But the reward…”

  “We’ll split it.”

  Majestic studied him with curious eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, she gave a curt nod and walked over to help Mrs. Hanson pry herself off of the ottoman. Orion took the opportunity to search Jergon for more hidden weapons and tie the man’s hands and feet together in case he woke.

  The police were swarming the apartment a few minutes later, and after giving their statements, Orion and Majestic were instructed by their agents to wait outside for a representative of the S.U.C., who arrived less than a minute later.

  A short round man in a too-tight business suit handed both Orion and Majestic a small ticket of some sort. Then he asked them to stand together for a photo. Before either of them could argue against it, a flash lit up the dark street and the chubby man bid his farewell.

  “What is this?” Orion asked, looking at the small red ticket. It looked like a carnival ride voucher.

  “Your payment,” Majestic said. “Your agent will know what to do with it.” She stuck hers down into the neck of her suit and Orion smiled at the knowledge that her ticket was now between her breasts. But after seeing her handy work earlier, he decided not to mention it.

  Instead, he stepped up beside her and gently nudged her elbow with his.

  “We make a pretty good team, you and me,” he teased, wiggling his brow.

  “Don’t flatter yourself, Starboy.”

  “It’s Orion,” he insisted.

  “Are you reading my mind?”

  “No, why?”

  “Too bad, because I called you something a lot worse in my head.”

  Orion laughed and held out his hand. “Until next time?”

  Majestic looked up at him and smirked. “There won’t be a next time.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  To his disappointment, she didn’t argue. She just turned on her heel and strolled away. He couldn’t help watching her go, but once she disappeared into the night, he felt lonely without her mocking retorts.

  Orion walked over to where he’d hidden his new ride, a dark blue motorbike with a white stripe down the side. He put on his helmet and straddled the bike, then kicked the stand and started it up. Those summers spent racing dirt bikes with his cousins in the country had finally come in handy.

  “You did good,” Jewel said into his ear. “Come back to the lair and let’s get you your reward.”

  “Got it, boss.”

  He pulled out and started down the street. He didn’t care about the reward, but he certainly did feel like celebrating his first official catch.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lunchtime in the Lawson household on Saturday was filled with lots of laughs, mostly at Vada’s expense. She loved her family, but sometimes she wished they didn’t know everything that happened in her life. As far as her first apprehension as a super, everyone found the story to be incredible, yet hilarious.

  “You showed up at the plac
e and there was another super there?” Josh asked with wide eyes. “Like waiting there to take that guy down too? What were the odds of that?”

  “Yep,” Vada said, having answered the question twice already that day. “Just waiting there too.”

  “And he refused to leave?”

  “He was already in the house,” Michelle said, stifling another laugh. “He probably had dibs on the criminal.”

  “Not so,” Bill argued with a smile. “All that matters is who catches the bad guy first. Right, muffin?”

  Vada sighed. Even the wink her father gave her didn’t lessen the sting of having had to share the credit for her first catch. Looking back, she should have just let Orion take him and moved on to her next target. But her stubbornness tended to rear its ugly head whenever Orion was around. Why that guy got to her so easily she couldn’t explain.

  “Then what happened?” Josh asked. He piled mashed potatoes on his plate, then snagged a chicken breast from the bucket in the middle of the table.

  “Then she made a deal with Orion,” Garret said. His voice rose when he said “Orion” and he made smoochy noises at Vada.

  “Shut up!” Vada summoned a pillow from the couch and flew it straight at the back of Garret’s head. He went invisible at the last second and the pillow went right through him. It took all of her power to stop the pillow before it hit the food on the table.

  “All right, you two,” Bill said. His voice was hardly convincing. Neither was the giant grin on his face. “Ease up on your sister. At least she did catch the guy.”

  “With a little help,” Michelle added. “How did it happen again?”

  Vada glared at her mother. “You read the report. And I already told this story about ten times today.”

  “Just one more time,” Josh pleaded with a pouting lip. “I promise I won’t laugh.”

  “Fine.” Vada took a deep breath and then launched into the story. She told how she got in a few good shots at the man’s head, but then he’d taken the wife hostage, and after several terrifying minutes, Orion read the man’s mind and knew when to strike. “One punch and the man went down. The woman was hysterical, though.”