I had to get to Tidal Wave and stop him. I got shakily to my feet, but Julio’s arms and legs slowed before going completely limp.
“Freezefire!”
He didn’t move.
“You’re next,” Tidal Wave said.
He summoned another stream of water and launched it at me. Seeing red, I slammed my cane down so hard that it punched a hole in the pavement and sank down a good inch. I ducked, bracing myself as the water hit. It struck me with the force of a torpedo, followed by a continuous stream of pressure. I lowered my head and shielded my face with my arm. Leaning into the water, I took two steps forward and lifted my cane.
I shoved my cane into the pavement again and repeated the process, moving forward two steps at a time. Tidal Wave tried to step back, but the ice encasing his feet hadn’t melted yet, and he was trapped. The water pressure increased as he pulled more from the river, but it didn’t stop my momentum. Step by step, I came for him.
Tidal Wave must have remembered how this had ended the first time we’d ever fought, because the stream of water abruptly stopped and fell to the ground. He bent down and turned his full focus to pulling his feet out of the ice before I reached him. But I only needed a few more steps. I grabbed him by the neck and lifted, tearing him free from the ice. Then I squeezed.
Tidal Wave’s eyes bulged. He grabbed my hand, trying fruitlessly to pry my fingers off his neck. Choking noises came out of his mouth, but I didn’t care. I could only think of Julio floating limply in the river below. A vague sense of vertigo overcame me, and I wondered why I didn’t squeeze harder. It would be all too easy. Bloodbath had proven that.
“White Knight.” Agent Lagarde’s voice had an edge of warning to it, but she rushed past me without stopping and climbed into the river. The water level had dropped after all the countless gallons Tidal Wave had thrown at me. Julio floated facedown, but Agent Lagarde grabbed him and pulled his head above water. She dragged him to the edge of the river and tried to carry him up, but it was too steep.
“You’d better pray he survives,” I growled at Tidal Wave. Then I threw him to the ground. I’d aimed to knock the breath out of him but wouldn’t be upset if I’d fractured something. As he lay groaning, I went to the edge of the river and reached down. Agent Lagarde pushed Julio toward me, and I grabbed hold of an arm and pulled him up the rest of the way. He was completely limp as I laid him gently on his back, his eyelids closed behind his mask. I put two fingers to the side of his neck.
He had no pulse.
Chapter 15
I put a hand on his chest, but—no. My arms were shaking. I couldn’t give him CPR. I didn’t trust myself not to push too hard in panic. I’d break his ribcage.
Agent Lagarde climbed out of the river and rushed to his other side. She checked his pulse again then began the chest compressions. Julio didn’t move. She leaned over his mouth to listen for signs of breathing, but she must not have heard anything. She lifted his chin, pinched closed his nose, and blew into his mouth two times.
Nothing.
She started pumping again. I leaned back, dazed, and wiped water from my face. This couldn’t be happening. Not Julio. I shouldn’t have let it come to this. Tidal Wave wanted revenge on me, not him. I shouldn’t have stopped here. I should have kept going to Bloodbath like Julio had wanted. If he woke up, I’d apologize for the dumb macho argument over which of us was in charge. How could I have let something so stupid get so out of hand? If he died, he’d take that anger to the grave. I’d never get a chance to—
Julio jerked and coughed up water. His eyes flew open, and he sat up, gasping for breath.
“Easy.” Agent Lagarde put a hand on his shoulder, looking as relieved as I felt. I put a hand over my heart. The organ was beating so hard that I was afraid it would burst out of my chest like that thing from Alien.
“What…?” Julio coughed again, looking around with muddled eyes.
Agent Lagarde smacked him upside the head.
“Ow!” He rubbed the back of his head. “The hell, Nicole?”
“Don’t you ever let someone almost drown you again,” she snapped. “And how am I supposed to watch your back if you wallop me with ice like that?”
Julio winced. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t do it again. I swear, you and Jocelyn are going to send me to an early grave with fright.”
Grumbling, she got to her feet, and Julio and I followed suit. For the first time ever, these old bones moved faster than his, and I extended my hand to help him up. He took it, and I pulled him into a tight hug, slapping my other hand on his back.
“Jesus, you scared me,” I said in a hoarse voice.
After a second’s tenseness, he relaxed. “My bad.”
A roar of water reached my ears, and I jerked back instinctively. Where was Tidal Wave? The bastard was pulling more water from the river. I was going to—
He collapsed, unconscious, and the water dropped harmlessly back into the river. I turned just in time to see Agent Lagarde push her glasses back up.
Julio nodded at her. “Nice.”
“Agent Lagarde,” I said, “I have a serious question for you.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together over her glasses.
“Why aren’t you a superhero?” I asked.
A bark of laughter burst out of Julio before he started coughing. I gave him a gentle pat on the back, and he put a hand to his throat before swallowing. Once he recovered, I looked back to Agent Lagarde.
She smiled serenely and pushed a few wet braids back from her face. “Honey, there’s not enough money in the world to get me into one of those dumb costumes.”
I blinked, and Julio snorted. Then Agent Lagarde seemed to remember who she was talking to.
“No offense,” she said. “I think you guys are great, and Jocelyn can pull it off, but me? I’d rather wear a pantsuit.”
“I think you’d look good,” Julio said with a smirk.
“Shut up, Julio. Now where’s Rosa?”
Dripping wet, I felt a sudden chill as I remembered Bloodbath’s ultimatum. I checked my watch, wiping water off its face. Less than two minutes left. Could we make it in time?
We found Rosa taking shelter in the gift shop. After a little encouragement, she set off at a fast pace. Once we left Sea Nymph’s Bay, she ducked through a hidden doorway behind a restaurant, and we didn’t venture out into the open again. Rosa led us through a labyrinth of back lots, storage rooms, and narrow alleys. No longer in the tunnels, we ran into a few more civilians hiding in out-of-the-way corners, but we couldn’t stop to offer them advice or encouragement. We didn’t have time.
It didn’t take long for me to start lagging behind the group again. My knee was just a big ball of pain, and the number of times Tidal Wave had knocked me to the ground hadn’t made the rest of my injuries any happier. I felt a festering fear in the pit of my stomach at the thought of facing Bloodbath again in this condition, but what other choice was there? No one else could even last sixty seconds against him.
Rosa led us into a dark kitchen that smelled of grease and French fries. “This restaurant is close to the White Knight ride,” she whispered. “We should be able to see it through the window.”
And hopefully Bloodbath won’t see us, went unspoken.
I pushed open the door cautiously and slid into the restaurant. It looked like a ’50s diner with a checkerboard floor, firehouse-red pleather seats, and signed photos of classic American superheroes on the walls. Despite the power being out, large rectangular windows let in enough sunlight to see by—and would give Bloodbath a great view of me if I wasn’t careful. I crouched down, pain spasming through my knee, and made my way awkwardly across the floor.
It was slow going, especially when I had to avoid a strawberry milkshake someone had spilled on the floor. Julio started out behind me but reached the window first by virtue of being younger, faster, and more agile. But I caught up with him soon enough.
There were d
ead people everywhere. That was the first thing I noticed when I looked out across the courtyard in front of White Knight: Invincible. Bloodbath had obviously spent the most of his time here, and it resembled the scene of his attack back in Washington, DC. Corpses lay sprawled across the ground, some intact, but others ripped to pieces, their blood leaving dark stains on the pavement. Bloodbath drew my attention by being the only thing moving. In his jeans and torn shirt, he paced back and forth in agitation. Behind him knelt five trembling figures in a line, their hands tied behind their backs. A corpse that must have been the sixth hostage slumped beside them.
I took a deep, slow breath through my nose. We were too late. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to storm out there and feel Bloodbath’s bones break under my knuckles. But I had to stick to the plan. Rosa said she could get Agent Lagarde inside the ride without being seen. Bloodbath stood at the ride’s entrance, so as long as Julio and I kept his focus on the courtyard and not the attraction behind him, Lagarde could come out, whip off her glasses, and take down Bloodbath without him even seeing her.
Julio reached the same conclusion. He turned to where Agent Lagarde and Rosa stood back by the kitchen door and gave them a thumbs-up. He and I would wait here for five more minutes, giving Rosa and Agent Lagarde time to get to the ride before we walked into the street to face Bloodbath. At least, that was the plan. But before Rosa and Agent Lagarde could leave, there was a thump from the other side of the door as if someone had just entered the kitchen.
Rosa scrambled back from the door, and Agent Lagarde’s hand went to her side, grasping for a gun that would’ve normally been holstered there. Julio and I were already making our way back across the restaurant in a half-crawl, but armed or not, Agent Lagarde reached for the door.
“Wait,” Julio whisper-shouted, but Agent Lagarde had already slipped through the door.
Her muffled voice barked something, and then there was a crash, followed by the clangs of pots and pans hitting the floor.
Julio and I stopped trying to be stealthy and rushed across the floor. We burst through the kitchen door to see Agent Lagarde clutching a countertop like she’d just pulled herself to her feet, cookware scattered across the floor around her. Her glasses were off, and her glowing eyes fixated on a figure collapsed on the tile. I took one look at the short brown hair and blue T-shirt and felt my heart stop. I raced forward—which was dumb as bricks, because it put me in Agent Lagarde’s gaze. Her telepathic presence hit me like a stampede, and I dropped.
“Nicole!” Julio shouted. “It’s okay. That’s Elisa.”
Agent Lagarde must have put her glasses back on, because her presence lifted, and I was able to breathe again. Beside me, my daughter did the same.
“Holy shitballs! What the hell just happened?”
“Elisa,” I said, half in fondness and half in exasperation.
Her head shot up, and she broke into a wide smile. “Dad!”
She threw her arms around me, and I hugged her tightly back. Thank heaven. Thank heaven she was here and not among the corpses outside. I’d have sold my soul to get her safely out of the park, but at least she wasn’t hurt. Neither Bloodbath nor Dr. Sweet had found her. She was all right.
We held each other, kneeling there on the floor, and I barely noticed my bruises or the aching in my knee. Then I remembered where I was. Julio and Agent Lagarde hovered awkwardly in the kitchen, and Rosa stood in the open doorway to the restaurant. I let go of Elisa and grabbed my cane from where it had fallen, and she helped pull me to my feet.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, the euphoria of finding her vanishing. “Bloodbath’s right outside. You should be hiding.”
“I heard him call you out over the speakers. I knew you’d come to fight him, and you did! You’re so stupid!” She clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at me guiltily. “Sorry! Sorry. It’s just, Mom would call you that if she was here, so I feel like I have to say it for her.”
“Your mom would call me a lot worse.” I smiled briefly at the thought. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I need to face him, and you need to hide.”
“But…” She glanced between Julio, Agent Lagarde, and Rosa as if looking for support. “But didn’t he almost kill you in DC? That’s what I always heard.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” I lied. “Besides, we have a plan this time.”
“Can I help?”
“No,” Julio answered before I could. “You’re a civilian, and we’re not changing the plan now. Dave, the longer we wait—”
“Just because I’m not wearing a stupid superhero costume doesn’t mean I can’t help,” she snapped at him.
“Elisa.” I put my hands gently on her shoulders. “I don’t want you anywhere near Bloodbath. If you want to help, go with Rosa. Someone needs to keep her safe.”
“I like that idea.” Rosa raised her hand. “That’s a great idea. Hi, I’m Rosa.”
“Hi.” Elisa smiled shyly at Rosa before turning back to me, her eyes hard with determination. “But I can do more.” She blinked and looked back at Rosa. “Not that I don’t want to keep you safe or anything. That would be, um, really nice. But…” Blushing, she turned quickly to face me. “But I can help you fight.”
“I know.” I cupped her face. “This isn’t me doubting you. This is me trying to keep—”
“Guys.”
Rosa’s voice was sharp and desperate. We all turned, following her gaze through the doorway to see that Bloodbath had entered the restaurant. He stood there with a gloating smirk and pulled out a syringe that he’d stuck into his arm. The drug Dr. Sweet had made. The syringe fell to the tile floor with a light clink, and Bloodbath closed his eyes. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath, smiling in exhilaration.
Then his other form exploded out with such force that it shattered the windows.
Chapter 16
The light blinded me. By the time I had blinked the bright spots from my eyes, Bloodbath crashed through the doorway. He knocked aside Rosa and Agent Lagarde like they were nothing. Rosa hit the floor and rolled, but Agent Lagarde slammed brutally into a metal countertop, knocking knives and forks on top of her when she fell. Before I could check if she was okay, Bloodbath hit me. For a moment, I felt no pain, just dizziness as the world somersaulted around me. The pain caught up once I smacked into the floor. It started in my jaw and blossomed outward until every injury in my body throbbed in synchronized agony.
Screams and crashes reached my ears. Julio and Elisa. What the hell was I doing lying down when Bloodbath was in the room with them? I sat up and found that it was Bloodbath who’d fallen. His glowing form illuminated sleek, shining ice atop the tile that he’d slipped on. Julio—the genius—must have gotten the floor wet somehow.
“Go!” Julio shouted at Elisa as he rushed to Agent Lagarde.
“Pussy!” Bloodbath shouted. “All you do is run and hide!”
Hold on. Since when could Bloodbath’s other form talk? Worried I’d hit my head too hard, I squinted at the giant glowing figure. Inside the translucent light, I could just make out a smaller, darker silhouette. The real Bloodbath. He was inside his construct now, like a pilot controlling a robot exoskeleton—or some kind of weird Russian nesting doll.
I couldn’t stop a groan from escaping my mouth as I stood. Julio shook Agent Lagarde, but she didn’t stir. Cold, hard dread filled my stomach, both for Agent Lagarde’s well-being and for the rest of us, since she was the only one who had a hope of beating Bloodbath now. He grabbed a countertop to help pull himself up but must not have gotten used to his new strength yet. The metal counter crumpled beneath his hand, and he fell back onto the ice with a curse.
The ground shook, signaling Mother Earth’s arrival—because an amped up Bloodbath wasn’t bad enough. More utensils and cookware came crashing down, and Julio dragged a dazed Agent Lagarde out the door. That was a good idea. Bloodbath was crawling to the edge of the ice, and the quake had gotten so strong that the shelves and cabinets sw
ayed and threatened to fall.
Rosa screamed. She was still on the floor, and a huge industrial refrigerator was about to tip over right on top of her. I moved, but Elisa beat me to it. She reached out one hand and stopped the refrigerator halfway down. Then she shoved it back against the wall and pulled Rosa to her feet. “Come on.”
Rosa stared at her in wonder.
We rushed out the door, through the restaurant, and into the open courtyard. The buildings all around were shaking, and Bloodbath couldn’t be far behind us. Julio crouched over Agent Lagarde, who moaned and clutched a reddened knot on her forehead. She was alive. Maybe there was still hope, yet.
“Keep going!” I yelled at Elisa and pointed to a gift shop across the courtyard. “Hide in there!”
“But—”
Rosa took her hand and pulled. “Hurry! Please.”
Elisa let herself be led away, glancing worriedly at me over her shoulder. No sooner had the girls disappeared into the gift shop than the pavement cracked in front of us, and Mother Earth sprouted from the ground like a strange tree.
“Daphne.” Bloodbath’s huge form smashed through the restaurant’s doorframe. “They’re here. We can finally finish it.”
“Randall?” Mother Earth blinked. Evidently, the whole body inside a body thing was new for her, too.
“Do you have a camera?” he asked. “I want the whole world to see me slaughter them. I want the sheep to know their protectors are gone, that I’ll tear down the establishment hero by hero.”
Christ, I missed the old way Bloodbath’s powers worked. At least then, I didn’t have to listen to his yammering.
“No one’s ever going to forget this day,” he went on, “the day I—”
The White Knight & Black Valentine Series (Book 3): Almost Invincible Page 11