by Ekeke, C. C.
“Hirsch knows nothing.” Rikki turned to Delgado imploringly. “Let me kill him, then Diablo.”
Her nasally voice set Greyson off. “Why should anyone trust you?” he roared.
Delgado’s men cocked their guns. He didn’t care. “She betrayed one of her oldest colleagues!”
Rikki purpled, clawing for her handgun.
“Enough!” Delgado's stare swept the room. “I’ve allowed this shit too long.”
Delgado snatched a gun from one guard, marched up, and pointed it at Greyson’s brow. “Tell me, Hirsch, why you shouldn’t die.”
Greyson froze. Alone and powerless, he felt ridiculously small. The specter of death was certain. These past many months surged through his mind in a sludge of distorted, gruesome imagery. What was worth saving?
The mission, a voice broke though the mush. Lauren. Saving this world from the false idols destroying it. The reminder jolted Greyson back to the gun pressed to his forehead. Confidence renewed, he took as chance. “I know Diablo’s identity.”
Shock rustled through the gathering.
Delgado was unmoved, gun still pointing at Greyson. “Who?”
Greyson scanned the room occupants, lingering on none, then faced Delgado. “Only you.” This knowledge was the only thing keeping him alive. He wouldn't waste it yet.
Delgado narrowed his eyes in understanding. Someone in this room. He lowered his gun, to Rikki’s audible dismay. “Leave us. Except you, Rikki.”
His children weren’t happy. “Father—” Cristóbal protested.
“Out.” The barked word made his son recoil.
Hernando gave his brother a playful shove toward the door.
Fleeting pain contorted Cristóbal’s face, swallowed before anyone saw—except Greyson. Gotcha.
Soon the door closed behind the last guard, leaving Greyson, Delgado, and Rikki.
“Who?” Delgado pressed.
Greyson smirked. “One of your top lieutenants.”
Delgado’s face shifted slightly, meaning he’d held the same suspicions. “You claim that one of my lieutenants is sabotaging my cartel. Yet offer no proof.” His finger caressed that gun trigger.
“Let me take down Diablo.” Greyson wouldn’t beg, knowing the value of self-respect. “I’ll leave enough of him alive to get your proof.”
Delgado leaned back, considering this. Greyson waited with bated breath.
“Patron,” Rikki gestured aggressively at Greyson. “It’s Hirsch’s fault that more supers have entered your territory.” She pounded her chest to show toughness. “Let me kill them and then him.”
Delgado afforded her a glance like a rat needing to be poisoned. “If you’ll betray your own team so readily, then you’re not trustworthy.”
Rikki’s eyes widened. She drew her gun cat-quick, thanks to years of training. Delgado moved faster.
One shot rang out. One body fell.
Greyson jumped back, heart stuttering.
Delgado knelt beside Rikki’s body, features blank. “One last chance.” His voice was sharp like a knife. “Or she’ll have company.”
Greyson nodded, reminding himself to breathe.
“My men will unlock those restraints.” Delgado rose and walked away.
Greyson couldn’t look away from Rikki’s lifeless eyes staring at nothing. A bright crimson rivulet trickled from the hole in her head.
He recalled the seed he’d planted with the traitor, propping up ShocKing and his team so Diablo would recruit them. Part two of Greyson’s plan depended entirely on Delgado.
“I need something,” he called out. His breaths were quick and shallow from nerves and exhilaration.
Delgado turned around, dangerously close to amused. “Which is?”
Greyson didn’t flinch from Delgado’s piercing glare. If I don’t ask, I’ll either get captured or killed. He planned on neither happening. “Twenty of your sicarios.”
Chapter 34
“Oh my God,” Jordana exclaimed a fourth time.
Hugo nodded, elbows on knees. “I know.” They sat on a bench inside the 5-Cities Promenade. Jodie wore fashionable attire from her summer job at Baywood Park clothing store. His heart felt lighter after telling Jordana the truth about the basketball party. He’d tuned out the droves of humanity surging by, focusing on Jordana as she processed this.
“For months, I thought Brie wanting to make up was a lie…” She massaged the back of her neck.
“Everyone did,” Hugo remarked. “You didn't know about Abby or Spencer?”
She shook her head, ponytail swinging back and forth. “I get Abby’s reason.” Her voice was thick with regret. “I’m not proud of what me and the girls did to her.” Jodie looked Hugo in the eyes. “Spencer? I don’t get.”
Hugo leaned back. He felt beyond idiotic believing that Spencer had been de-bitched. Or that he could trust her. Simon and Jodie were right.
“I’m gonna find out why she betrayed Brie.” Hugo instantly regretted verbalizing that.
Jordana frowned. “Spencer?”
Hugo nodded, shifting awkwardly in his seat.
Jodie’s expression changed. “Because you’re sleeping with her.”
Neither spoke for several moments, the mall hubbub filling the silence. Hugo never realized how selfish and stupid his no-strings-attached lifestyle was until now. All to keep from getting hurt. Yet he’d never cared about hurting others. It took every iota of willpower to not turn from the blast radius of Jordana’s anguish. Thank God she didn’t know about Abby.
Jodie straightened in her seat with a hostile carriage. “I can’t do this anymore.” Her stare held no affection. “Dating you was a huge mistake.”
That struck Hugo harder than Vulcan’s sledgehammer. He’d never imagined such pain, including his breakup with Presley. Besides a flinch, Hugo somehow kept his face vacant. “Okay.” The reply was flat and detached. He stood.
His coldness left Jodie bewildered. “That’s all you have to say?”
Hugo looked down at her. “You were right,” he said. “This was a mistake.” Cracks were forming in Hugo’s defenses. He turned to leave or else the heartache would burst through.
Jordana threw up her hands. “Seriously?” she cried, startling a few bystanders.
Hugo walked away with urgent strides, putting space between him and Jodie. God, his chest felt about to collapse. He hid inside an empty bathroom stall before the tears blurred his vision completely.
Two hours later, he sat outside his porch, hollowed out.
Mom, her boyfriend Greg, and AJ were inside, laughing over dinner.
Hugo couldn’t go inside and spoil that mood with his agony. The only avenue he saw was confronting Spencer. Hugo forced himself to call after five aborted tries, praying she didn’t answer.
Spencer answered almost immediately. “Hello, lover!” She sounded breathless.
Dammit… Hugo clenched his teeth. “I wanna see you,” he replied, not hiding his need. “Today.”
Spencer’s breath hitched. “Today’s booked,” she said. “Tomorrow morning?”
Hugo would lose his nerve if he waited. “Can't wait. It's important.”
“I’ll make time, then.” Spencer’s voice grew cautious. “What’s wrong?”
Dread seized him. “Tell ya in twenty minutes,” Hugo replied hastily and hung up. “Shit.”
He walked to the divide between his house and the next-door neighbor, scanning for onlookers.
He reached Pendleton Towers where Spencer lived in under a minute. The next nineteen were spent lapping the high-rise to find any courage. No luck.
His heart on fire and in his throat, Hugo entered, checked in, and went up to Spencer’s floor. With each floor the elevator passed, the ding shuddered through Hugo. He balled up his fists to relax, clenching hard enough to turn coal into diamonds. The final ding sounded as the elevator slowed on Spencer’s floor.
She was waiting in the common room when Hugo entered the penthouse. This eased his wounded heart. Spencer d
ressed like she was going somewhere fancy, her inky-black bob tucked behind both ears. She stared at the wall-high common room windows, her tanned skin glistening under the blazing sunset.
Spencer turned, and brightened. That hurt even more, knowing what came next. Hugo approached her with sheepish hesitance. “Hey, Spence.”
Spencer marched over, draping her arms around his neck. “Bogie…” The gusto behind her kiss surprised Hugo. But the rhythm of her pulse, the warmth of her flesh, and that intoxicating fragrance swept him away. Hugo held on to her waist, his body responding on instinct. He wanted to enjoy Spencer as long as possible before everything went to hell.
When they finally broke for air, Hugo felt lightheaded. Spencer looked euphoric.
“Everything's booked for Italy,” she whispered, standing on her tippy-toes, caressing the nape of his neck. "Just bring your passport, your luggage and you."
Hugo stared back, confused. Then memory stabbed through. “Right. Italy.” His heart sank further.
Spencer's face held such need. “I wanna be with you, Bogie. And only you.” She pulled him into another ravenous kiss.
Her declaration was a gunshot to Hugo's chest. He’d have wept again if any tears were left. Spencer walked her fingers down his chest to take his hands. “Now…what did you want to tell me?” Her cobalt-blue eyes twinkled with anticipation.
Hugo wavered. Why ruin this? But he’d ignored Spencer’s schemes too many times. Not again. “I know you betrayed Brie at the basketball party,” he blurted out.
The joy drained from Spencer’s face. “Oh.” Her voice went flat. “Abby snitched, right?” She let Hugo’s hands drop and walked away, shaking her head. “That slut can’t keep her mouth or legs shut…”
Hugo felt their connection withering. Right now, he didn’t care. “Brie was one of your closest friends.”
Spencer stopped near a wraparound couch. “Brie was my first friend when I came to San Miguel,” she corrected acidly. “We rode horses at the same stable. She was so kind and beautiful.” Nostalgia laced her voice. “I had a huge crush, asked her out. Brie declined but still wanted to be friends. We were ride-or-die ever since.”
Hugo was even more confused. “Then why betray her?”
Spencer faced him with a scornful stare. “I own that I’m a selfish, heartless bitch,” she admitted, hugging herself. “But I care for the people I love.” The faint smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes. “Remember the first conversation slash therapy session we had?”
“After the Halloween Party.” Hugo’s thoughts drifted back to last fall. He’d started training with Lady Liberty but still did solo sprint workouts across town. One night, Hugo had reached the old Liberty High location, finding Spencer half-naked near her Land Rover, trembling from a seizure. She’d ingested some bad combo of drugs. Hugo had driven her car to his house. Thankfully, Mom had been home to care for Spencer. The conversation that followed had been awkward, combative yet liberating for them both. Hugo shrugged off the memory, refocusing on Spencer. “You had that huge meltdown.”
Her eyes fell. “After you told me about your dad’s suicide. And that Brie knew about it.” She looked up from under her eyelashes with such shame. “When sophomore year started, Brie joked about you killing yourself. And I laughed.”
Hugo didn’t begrudge Spencer’s past insensitivity. “You couldn’t have known.”
Spencer dismissed the clemency and trudged between her couches. “As you and I got close, I stopped numbing myself with drugs, started noticing things I’d closed my eyes to. Like how Brie had become this blackhole, sucking the joy and energy out of everything. Lia got the worst of her tantrums.” She looked disgusted.
Hugo had grown impatient. “What does this have—”
“Let me finish,” Spencer interjected curtly. “You befriending Jodie was driving Brie insane. I figured it was sour grapes over you two falling out.” A smirk pulled at Spencer’s lips. “So, I riled Brie up about Jordana’s betrayal, while privately supporting Jodie for standing up to her. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying you right under their noses.”
Hugo backpedaled from her fiendish glee. What the hell was wrong with this girl? “Why?”
“Some people collect stamps or run 5Ks,” Spencer remarked, cocking an amused eyebrow. “I like causing trouble.”
Hugo opened his mouth to berate her, but that would only distract from getting answers. “Then what?”
“By mid-December, I finally got Brie to tell me why Jodie befriending you bothered her,” she answered. “You took Brie’s virginity.”
Hugo guiltily averted his eyes. Brie actually told someone? He didn’t know how to process this as a new puzzle piece clicked in place. “That’s why you ended things before Christmas.” He turned to her.
Spencer tilted her head sideways. “I didn’t realize our tryst was a betrayal. Until it was.”
She watched him a few moments longer, content at his embarrassment before pacing around more. “You helping me deal with my issues inspired me to seek out Abby Dunleavy and apologize.” She looked almost remorseful. “Abby opened my eyes to how badly my squad had tortured her.”
Hugo rubbed his forehead, feeling weary. He’d have praised Spencer under different circumstances. “What finally turned you against Brie?”
She spread her hands. “The day of the library bombing, I see Lia in the bathroom crying.” Anger shook through her voice. “Brie had used her as an emotional punching bag again. Worse than usual.” Spencer’s expression frosted over. “After that, something in me went dead. And I started planning Brie’s ruin.”
The manipulation felt ugly and sour in Hugo’s stomach. But one last piece to Spencer’s scheme remained. “What lie did you tell Briseis?”
Spencer was giddy with anticipation. “That Jodie wasn’t over you calling her Jodie Big Cans in eighth grade. And she planned on humiliating you in front of the whole school. Brie reacted exactly how I expected. She wanted to destroy Jodie. So, I executed my plan at the party, getting Brie drunk, but having Baz rescue her from getting seriously hurt,” she noted before Hugo could ask. “Our video recording of that night was the final piece.”
She plopped down on a couch, her gaze never leaving Hugo. “The next morning, after Abby brought Brie here, I told Brie that the girls and I were done with her.” She brushed off her hands with dismissive contempt. “That was the last time we spoke directly.” Her eyes were lifeless and so cold.
Nausea overpowered Hugo from head to toe, the smells and sounds in this penthouse bludgeoning his brain. He didn’t trust himself to talk or he might vomit.
“I did this for Lia. Jodie. You.” Spencer was actually painting herself as the hero. “Brie deserved it.”
Hugo shook his head to clear it and only felt more overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to say.” His voice sounded tired and croaky. The flood of sensations waned, leaving a rhythmic thud from a guestroom upstairs. Another heartbeat. Hugo rose to his full height.
Spencer folded her arms petulantly. “And now you hate me, right?”
Hugo barely noticed, honing in on that heartbeat. He looked to the stairwell. “Who else is here?”
From the corner of his eye, Spencer popped up from her seat. “We’re alone,” she answered. Her pulse skipping revealed the falsehood.
Hugo narrowed his eyes. “Liar.” He strode toward the stairwell.
Spencer scurried after him. “Where are you going?”
He ignored her, driven by this heartbeat, heading upstairs to a second-floor guestroom.
Spencer tried blocking him, barking angrily.
Hugo calmly swept her aside with one arm and grabbed the doorknob.
Locked. Twisting with more force, he broke it, and pushed the door open.
Jennifer Thomas, lying face down next to a queen-sized bed.
“Oh my God.” Hugo lunged forward and knelt, cradling J-Tom’s body. Her head lolled back, wavy red tresses pooling on the floor.
She was pale and limp. Hugo
almost assumed the worst if his hypersensitivity hadn’t detected a heartbeat and shallow breaths.
“Wake up!” Hugo shook J-Tom gently. She sagged in his arms, unresponsive.
Fear became fury. Spencer hurting Jen Thomas, who loved her unconditionally, was the last straw.
“What did you do?” Hugo growled low in his throat. He whipped around.
Spencer stood behind him. Her dark-blue eyes had turned pitch-black.
“You weren’t supposed to see that.” Spencer snaked out both hands, black lightning bolts exploding from her fingertips.
Chapter 35
Panic seized Hugo as midnight-black energy zigzagged toward him.
He tossed J-Tom’s body onto the bed, fractions of a second before several lightning forks stabbed through him.
Hugo's bones ignited—just like in Nipomo, but far less intense. Spencer was the Nipomo attacker?
Hugo had no time to ponder, his nerve endings on fire. Suddenly, he was sailing...until a wall buckled against his back. He slid to the floor in a groaning heap. His insides felt charbroiled. But Hugo had the strength to push up to all fours.
Across the room, Spencer stared in confusion and lowered her hands. “How are you conscious?”
Hugo lurched up on wobbly legs. This girl’s gall was staggering. “You said you were powerless!”
Spencer’s eyes narrowed. “I lied,” she admitted casually. “Security Protocol.”
As soon as she uttered that, Hugo sensed a low hum at the edge of his consciousness, blanketing the entire condo.
But Spencer aimed glowing hands at him again. The smart play was to rush in, knock her out, and run. But that would leave J-Tom at Spencer’s mercy. Hugo glanced at the limp body on the bed, then back to his attacker. “Spence…” he pleaded with an outstretched hand.
“Relax.” Spencer assured with a bitter smile. “When you wake up, you won’t remember about my powers. Or this conversation.”
More dark energy forks exploded from Spencer’s fingers. And Hugo moved, the world slowing drastically. He dashed around the bed, tossing J-Tom over his shoulder.
Then he hurtled past Spencer through the hallway, down the stairs to the front door…