Authors: Jennifer Estep
25
Devlin stared at me. His face paled. Sweat beaded on his forehead. A bit of nervous laughter escaped his trembling lips.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” I demanded.
Devlin took off his glasses and rubbed his temples.
“I could barely summon up enough courage to call you and ask you out, even though I bid on you at the auction.” Devlin put his glasses back on. “I’m a total klutz when it comes to women. And you think I’m
Debonair
? Of all the superheroes in Bigtime, he’s the one I’m least like.”
He let out a few more nervous giggles, trying to pass off my accusation as nothing more than a joke.
“Well, that’s funny,” I replied in a calm voice. “Especially since I have proof that you are, in fact, Debonair.”
I drew the drawing and the check out of my purse and showed them to him. “See? The two signatures match perfectly. Care to explain that?”
Devlin quit laughing. He looked at the two scraps of paper, then at me. I got the impression he wanted to teleport away. Somewhere far, far away.
I reached over and slid the glasses off his face. “You don’t have to hide from me. Not anymore, Devlin Debonair Dash.”
He looked at me, really looked at me, and I realized I was staring into the face of the man I’d slept with. The face of the man I’d come to care about.
Devlin tucked his glasses in his pocket. His mouth twisted. “Of course I do. I have to hide from everyone.”
I thought about what Lulu had said—how finding out a superhero’s real identity ruined the mystery, the fantasy, for her. Maybe Devlin thought that way too. “Why do you say that?”
He let out a harsh, self-deprecating laugh. “Because if people found out I was really Debonair, they’d be angry with me. Think I’d betrayed them in some way. That I’d lied to them all these years. They’d laugh and snicker and point their fingers, especially the women. I couldn’t stand that.”
“Why do you even do it?” I asked. “Why be somebody like Debonair?”
Devlin stared down at his scuffed wingtips. “I’m not like the other men on the society scene in Bigtime. I’m not that rich, at least not anymore. I’m not that handsome, and I never know the right thing to say. I can’t even tell a good joke. Half the time, I forget the punch line. I’ve always been awkward and self-conscious, particularly around women. I’ve never felt like I fit in, not even in my own family. Debonair is a way for me to be everything I want to be. Suave. Smooth. Cool. Confident. Everything I’m not in real life. It’s an escape from being average, boring, nerdy Devlin Dash, if only for a few hours at a time.”
“I see.”
And I did. I understood Devlin better than he realized. I used to dream of being Johnny Angel, and I’d seen the effect a secret identity had on people like my father. To some, it was better than the most potent drug. More desirable, more addictive, and much more harmful. At least, it had been to my family.
“I don’t think people would laugh at you if they knew the truth. You’re a very interesting, special man in your own right, Devlin.”
He gave me a wan smile, as if he didn’t really believe me.
“And your powers?” I asked, wanting to know the rest of the story. “How did you get your powers?”
Devlin looked out into the shimmering water. Memories clouded his blue eyes. “You know my grandmother, Grace, raised me. My parents died in a sailing accident when I was thirteen. What you don’t know, what very few people know, is that I was with them when it happened. We were out on the bay, when a sudden storm swept up. My father tried to turn the boat back to shore, but the sail snapped. Lightning danced across the sky, coming toward the boat. I knew it was going to hit us. Right before it did, I felt this odd sort of power grow inside me. My vision grew fuzzy, hazy, almost like I was standing in a sea of fog. The next thing I knew, I was in the middle of the bay, trying not to drown. A second later, lightning struck the boat, and it exploded. They say my parents died instantly. They never found their bodies.”
“But you didn’t die.” I squeezed his hand, willing him to go on with his story. “You survived. How?”
Devlin drew in a deep breath. “Cap’n Freebeard and his Saucy Wenches saw the explosion and came to help. They found me clinging to a piece of debris. They rescued me and kept me safe until Grams could come and get me.”
Devlin watching his parents drown, discovering his power, being taken aboard Freebeard’s love boat. That would have had a major impact on him. The shock, the trauma, the stress. It was the beginning of him becoming Debonair.
From his story, it sounded like Devlin had a natural, genetic mutation that gave him superpowers, unlike Carmen Cole, who’d developed hers only after being dropped into a vat of radioactive waste. Or Henry Harris, who’d been struck by lightning. Or a dozen other legends I’d heard. Devlin was more like me than I’d realized.
“I know why you were in Berkley’s house that night. You were stealing the painting so you could restore it, weren’t you? That’s why you steal all the art you do.”
He nodded. “I take the paintings, restore and preserve them, and then return them to their owners—or to the nearest museum. There’s no real harm in it. I do it because I can’t stand to see beautiful things wasting away. I suppose I’m an art lover, like you. I always have been.”
I took a deep breath and moved on to what I really wanted to know. “I understand why you saved me from Hangman. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what I don’t understand is why you kept me in the Lair of Seduction. Is that standard operating procedure until your seduction techniques work? Or was there a special reason we slept together?”
“I kept you in the Lair of Seduction because I wanted to keep you safe and . . . because I wanted to spend time with you.”
“But why?”
I had to know. I just had to know.
Devlin stared into my eyes. “Because I’ve been in love with you for a long time now, Bella.”
My heart leapt up into my throat, and my stomach flipped over. “You’re
what
?!”
He took my cold hand in his own. “I’m in love with you, Bella Bulluci. I have been ever since we went out all those months ago.”
“But—but why? We only had dinner that one time. You barely knew me then. Or know me now. Or . . . whatever.”
“I’ve been interested in you ever since we chaired that art exhibit out at Paradise Park.”
“But that was months ago!”
“I know.”
I shook my head. “But you never called or asked me out. You didn’t even talk to me that much when I’d see you at events.”
A wry smile twisted Devlin’s face. “Like I said before, I’m not very good with women. But after that, I started watching you. Talking to you when I could. And I realized what a special person you are. How warm and kind and caring.”
“But why didn’t you say anything before?” I asked. “I would have gone out with you. I would have given you a chance.”
“I couldn’t. I was too afraid. You’re so beautiful, so sophisticated, so elegant. I thought you’d just laugh at me.”
With all the messes my jinx created, I knew what it felt like to be made fun of. I gripped his hand tighter. “I would never laugh at you.”
He squeezed back. “I know that now, Bella. When you put yourself up for auction at the museum benefit, I decided to bid on you.”
My eyebrows rose. “You spent twenty thousand dollars just to have a date with me?”
“I’d spend that much and a thousand times more.”
I didn’t know whether to be flattered or frightened by the fervor in his voice.
“When we had dinner earlier this year, I thought we had a wonderful time. You smiled at me and seemed interested in what I was saying. You even laughed at my jokes. Nobody ever laughs at my jokes.” The smile left Devlin’s face. “But you never called me afterward like you said you would.”
“I was going to,” I said in a soft voice. “That night after dinner, I found out my father had been killed. Murdered, actually. I was a mess after that. It’s no excuse, but I forgot all about you. Afterward . . . other stuff just kept happening.”
“What other stuff?”
I grimaced. “Superhero stuff. My brother was kidnapped by ubervillains a couple months after my father was killed. It was a stressful time, to say the least.”
Devlin looked puzzled. “Who kidnapped your brother? I didn’t hear anything about that, and Kelly didn’t mention it to me.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” I said, glossing over the details.
We sat there for several minutes before Devlin spoke again.
“What about now, Bella? I know we haven’t exactly gotten off to the best start, but I want to be with you. Do you think there’s a chance you would want to be with me too?”
His voice sounded so fragile, so small, and yet so hopeful it broke my heart. Because the answer to his question was no, and it always would be.
“I don’t want to get involved with a superhero,” I said. “I can’t, Devlin.”
“Why not? I don’t understand why you hate superheroes so much.”
I closed my eyes, debating whether I should tell him my family secret. I supposed it was only fair, since I knew his deepest, darkest one. “Have you ever heard of Johnny Angel?”
“The guy who rides his motorcycle around town?” Devlin seemed startled by the abrupt change in conversation. “The one who wears the black leather jacket with the angel wings on the back and hangs out with the biker gangs?”
I nodded. “Well, let’s just say Johnny Angel is sort of a Bulluci family tradition.”
His blue eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
“My father died because he was Johnny Angel,” I said. “He tried to help some friends stop a couple of ubervillains, and they killed him for getting in the way.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
I shrugged, used to hearing the condolences. “Not many people do.”
Devlin stared at me. “You’re afraid the same thing will happen to me. That Hangman or some ubervillain will kill me.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I already have a bit of a soft spot for you, Devlin. I don’t need—I don’t want my heart to be crushed again by a superhero. And it would be if we starting seeing each other.”
“But I’m not a superhero,” Devlin said. “Not really.”
I shook my head. “You’re close enough. You go out and break into museums. Steal things from people. Teleport around the city and pick up sexy superhero awards. You even have an archenemy in Hangman.” Sadness tinged my voice.
“Bella—”
He started to protest, but I put a finger to his lips, shushing him. “No, Devlin. It would never work out between us. Trust me. Please. We can’t be together. Not now. Not ever.”
Devlin stared at me for a long time, his eyes dark and sad. Then—
POP!
He vanished.
Just like always.
I waited for him to return. To realize my finding out his secret identity wasn’t the end of the world. To tell me being a superhero wasn’t that dangerous. To ask me to reconsider. To demand we be together, now and always. But he didn’t.
And part of me wanted him to, no matter how I tried to pretend otherwise.
I waited half an hour before I realized he wasn’t coming back. At least not tonight. Maybe not ever, given the hurt look I’d seen in his eyes.
But it was for the best. I didn’t want to have a relationship with a superhero—or semisuperhero in Debonair’s case. I’d spent too many nights sitting up praying my grandfather, father, and now Johnny would come home safely. I wasn’t about to do that again. Not for anyone. Devlin would come to understand that in time, I hoped.
So, I wrapped his coat tighter around my chilled shoulders and headed back to my car. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts I didn’t even notice the Benz was on fire until I was twenty feet away from it.
I stared in horror at the flames leaping out from underneath the hood. Why was my car on fire? I hadn’t been anywhere near it for the last hour. There was no way my luck could have caused it to spontaneously combust. Even I wasn’t that jinxed. At least, not usually.
I whirled around, but I didn’t see anyone standing in the shadows. No superheroes, no ubervillains, no regular, old-fashioned gawkers come to check out all the commotion.
I stared at the burning car. Through the dancing orange flames, a line of fire zipped straight up the hood to the melted windshield. It looked almost like the car had been cut in two before it exploded. What could do that to a car? Especially a behemoth like my Benz? I didn’t know of any ubervillains who were that powerful. Had someone new come to Bigtime?
My power pulsed. My fingers itched. My hair expanded to gravity- and conditioner-defying heights. Static energy wrapped itself around my body like a glove. Something very, very bad was about to happen.
“Ah, Bella Bulluci. Just the woman I was waiting for,” a feminine voice called out.
A woman stood behind me. She wore a buttercup yellow suit that reminded me of Fiera’s costume—except it was made out of shiny leather. She wore matching boots with it, sort of like galoshes young kids were always forced to endure. The bright ensemble made me grimace. I thought Fiona was bad, but yellow leather? Talk about cheesy.
A triangular-shaped prism decorated the front of her costume. A beam of light slashed across her chest, before hitting the prism and expanding into a rainbow spectrum on the other side. It was one of the weirdest insignias I’d seen. A yellow, triangle-shaped mask covered most of her face, the bottom point resting on her nose. Her bright eyes had a red tint to them.
The woman was tall, almost six feet, with auburn-colored hair that stuck up in spikes over her head. She had a decent enough figure—long legs, modest breasts, a relatively flat midsection. But her posture was ramrod-stiff. I didn’t think a four-star general could have stood up any taller or straighter. She almost looked like a board someone had stuffed into a costume.
But what caught my attention most was the device in her hand. The long, slender cylinder looked like a laser pointer, except for the reddish glow burning on the end of the barrel.
And it was aimed at me.
26
‘Who are you?‘ I asked, not daring to take my eyes off the laserlike device for a second. My power pulsed around me, the laserlike device for a second. My power pulsed around me, ready to add to the impending disaster.
She smiled. “I have lots of names, but you can call me Prism. I believe Hangman might have mentioned me.”
I licked my dry lips. “You’re his boss, right? The one who told him to break into the museum?”
She nodded. “That’s right. I want the Star Sapphire. And you’re going to give it to me, Bella.”
“But I don’t have it. The Fearless Five do. They took it from Debonair when they rescued me. Everybody knows that.”
Prism’s eyes glowed red-hot for a second. “I don’t believe you. You might not have the sapphire, but you know where it is and how I can get it.”
I shook my head. “Trust me. I don’t. I don’t know anything about the sapphire.”
Prism cocked her head to one side. “We’ll see.”
If I’d had any sense, I’d have started running. But I had a funny feeling Prism and her laser would cut me down before I took five steps. It also didn’t help matters that I’d decided to wear three-inch heels tonight. Then again, I hadn’t thought I’d be face-to-face with an ubervillain. Most of my dates didn’t end this way. I certainly hadn’t planned on this one turning out like that.
My fingers crept up to my wrist and to Jasper’s bomb-laden bracelet. I thought about using it, but there was one small problem—Prism could pull the trigger on her weapon a lot faster than I could fumble with the charms, arm them, and try to throw them at her. Even then, she could still move out of the way. Or worse, stand still and take the blast. She could have superstrength for all I knew, or be impervious to explosions, like Johnny was.
My eyes slid around, hoping some superhero would see the flames and smoke from the car and come to my rescue. Debonair, Swifte, the Fearless Five, Halitosis Hal, Pistol Pete, the Invisible Ingénues, Wynter. Somebody. Anybody.
Nobody came.
“Now, Bella, enough chitchat. You’re going to tell me where the sapphire is and exactly who has it.” Prism waved the laser around. Smoke and flames curled up from the silver barrel. “Or else.”
“Or else you’re going to shoot me, right? That thing, what does it do?” I asked, stalling for time. Having seen a couple of hero-villain battles, I knew there were few things ubervillains liked better than to show off their destructive gizmos.
“My laserama? Here. Let me show you.”
Prism pointed the laser at one of the curled iron streetlamps the city planners were so fond of. A red beam shot out from the barrel, cutting a straight line across the iron. The smell of burning metal filled the air. A second later, the top half of the pole slid off and crashed against the cobblestones. Bits of broken stone zipped through the air like wasps, stinging everything in site. A car alarm blared in the background.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming in horror.
Prism raised the laser to her lips and blew a bit of smoke away from the barrel. “As you can see, my laserama is quite powerful. That was its lowest setting—slow burn. Just think what it would do to that pretty face of yours. There wouldn’t be enough of it left to put in a jar—much less a casket.”
The sight of my father’s closed coffin flashed through my mind. There hadn’t been enough of him to find either. Only his Johnny Angel watch and a few of his teeth had survived Intelligal’s explodium missiles.
Anger pulsed through my body, along with the usual static electricity. I grimaced. I didn’t want to end up like my father. I didn’t deserve it. My family had been through enough already. I wasn’t going to die tonight. If I was really, really lucky.
And an exceptionally good liar.
“I told you already, I don’t know where the sapphire is. The Fearless Five have it. That’s all I know, I swear.” I crossed my finger over my heart.
Prism shook her head. “Not good enough.”
She raised the laserama and pushed a button on the top. But I was expecting it and dove out of the way. I hit the cobblestones hard, but I kept rolling. Rolling. Rolling. Rolling. Then, I used my momentum to pull myself to my feet. My luck went along with my plan, and I did a smooth move that would have made the Bendy Brawler proud. I started to run, but I hadn’t taken half a dozen steps when Prism called out.
“Stop! Or you’re dead!”
I froze.
“Turn around!”
I complied. Prism stood behind me, her red lips pressed together in anger. She leveled the laserama at my chest.
“Stupid bitch. No one gets away from me. No one. If you won’t tell me where the sapphire is, I’ll just kill you right here, right now.” Her finger started to press down on the button once more.
POP!
The smell of sweet roses permeated the air, and a dark shadow with glittering blue eyes appeared behind Prism.
“I’m sorry. But no one’s killing anyone tonight,” he growled.
Prism whirled around at the sound of his smooth voice. Debonair leapt at her, and they fell to the ground. The laserama slid across the cobblestones toward me, just as the Star Sapphire had all those days ago. I picked up the device—and dropped it the second my fingers came into contact with the hot metal. I blew on my hand, trying to cool it off. After a few seconds, the pain faded away. I didn’t think I’d touched the device long enough to burn myself. Lucky me.
Meanwhile, Prism positioned herself atop Debonair and repeatedly punched him in the face. She must have had superstrength because every blow snapped his head back against the stones. The sight made my heart twist.
Then, I noticed something even worse. Prism’s eyes. The red glow in the depths grew brighter and brighter with every second, as though she were powering them up.
“Watch out!” I yelled. “Watch out for her eyes!”
Debonair lurched his head to one side just as rays of light shot out from Prism’s eyes. The scarlet beams slammed into the stone, obliterating the spot where his face had been a moment before.
“Debonair! Let’s go! Now!” I screamed. I couldn’t bear to see him being hurt. Especially because of me.
POP!
Debonair teleported to my side and wrapped his hand around my waist.
A second later, the world disappeared.
Debonair, Devlin, teleported us all over the city, just as he had the night before. Quicke’s, Oodles o’ Stuff, the Bigtime Public Library, the top of the Skyline Bridge. The sudden flashes of colors and lights didn’t upset me this time. In fact, I would have enjoyed it immensely if an ubervillain hadn’t just tried to kill us.
We finally came to a stop in the Lair of Seduction. Enormous water bed, furniture, entertainment center, cozy little table in the corner. It looked exactly the same. Debonair drew his arm away and sank onto the water bed. A low groan escaped his lips. I sat down beside him. His face was red and swollen where Prism had hit him. Blood and bruises covered what I could see of his skin.
“You’re hurt,” I said, tipping his face up into the light, and going into full-fledged nurse mode. “Do you have any bandages? Antibiotic ointment? Any medical supplies at all?”
Debonair snapped his fingers, and everything I requested appeared. I took his arm, dragged him off the sloshing bed, and led him into the bathroom.
“Take off the mask,” I commanded.
“What?”
“Take it off, Devlin. I need to see your face to patch you up. All of it.”
He let out a long sigh, then slipped the blue-black leather up over his head. I made him sit down on the closed toilet seat while I cleaned the cuts and scratches on his handsome face. Luckily, none of them was very deep.
The process reminded me of all the times I’d done the same thing for my father. Blood-soaked cotton balls sticking to my hands. The harsh smell of antiseptic. Greasy ointment coating my fingers. It was all the same. As was the cold, familiar mix of fear and relief pounding through my body.
I’d almost died tonight, and Devlin along with me. And for what? So some ubervillain could try to take over the city? It was all so ridiculous. So stupid. So irrational. It made me sick to my stomach. Angry too. Why couldn’t people just be content to rob and cheat and steal and lie? Why did they feel the need to dress up in costumes and try to bend everyone to their evil will? But that was Bigtime for you. Schemes and dreams. It always had been, and it always would be. I was just unlucky enough to be a part of it.
“You’re very gentle,” Devlin said after I’d finished pressing a butterfly bandage over a cut above his left eye. “I hardly felt a thing.”
“I’ve had lots of practice,” I muttered. “Unfortunately.”
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror over the sink. I didn’t look much better than Devlin. My dress was torn and dirty, with big smudges of oil all over it where I’d rolled across the cobblestones. A couple of scrapes slashed across my right cheek and arm where I’d hit the ground. I’d have bruises galore tomorrow, fresh ones to add to my never-ending collection.
A jangle caught my ear, and I looked down at my wrist. I might have been a wreck, but the bracelet Jasper had given me looked as good as new. None of the charms had so much as a scratch on them. I was just grateful it hadn’t spontaneously exploded while I dealt with Prism.
I picked up the remaining supplies, peered into the mirror, and went to work on myself, cleaning and bandaging. When I was finished, I put the lids back on the bottles and tubes of ointment. Waste not, want not, and all that. Plus, the way my luck was running tonight, if I didn’t clean up now, I’d do something clumsy later—like step on a tube and squirt petroleum jelly everywhere. Talk about a bitch to clean up.
Devlin sat there, watching me straighten things.
“Bella, I’m sorry I left you,” Devlin said. “I just—I didn’t know what to do. You knew my secret, you knew how I felt about you, and then you said we couldn’t be together. It was . . . hard for me.”
“I know,” I replied. “But tonight only proves my point. We both got off with only a few scrapes and bruises, but it could have been much, much worse.”
“Bella—”
“No.” I shook my head. “We were lucky, that was all.”
Much as it pained me to say the word.
“I’d like to think it was skill more than luck.”
“No, it wasn’t,” I said, my voice harsh and bitter. “Trust me. I know a lot about luck—especially bad luck.”
“What do you mean?”
I sat down on the edge of the bathtub. “Because that’s my power. Luck.”
I told him about how I could make good and bad things happen, depending on my mood and the capriciousness of my power. About my emotional flare-ups and all the chaos and explosions and disasters that went with them.
“But you can’t control it?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, I’ve never been able to. Not really. Every once in a while, I can focus and get something to happen the way I want. But most of the time, my power does what it wants to, when it wants to. I’m just along for the ride.”
“I don’t think that’s right,” Devlin said. “It’s your power. It’s part of you, not the other way around. You should be able to do anything you want to with it. You should be able to control it as you see fit.”
“I don’t know,” I said, rubbing my head. “I don’t really want to know. I just wish it would go away. Forever.”
Devlin looked at me, horror in his blue eyes. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do. More than you can possibly imagine.” I stood. “I should be getting home. Grandfather will be worried. I’m sure somebody’s found my burned car by now. It’ll be all over the news by morning.” I grimaced. “I’ll probably have your cousin Kelly Caleb camped out on my doorstep when she hears about this.”
Devlin caught my hand. “It might not be safe for you to go home. Prism and Hangman could be there waiting for you. You should stay here tonight. With me.”
I closed my eyes. I knew what would happen if I agreed. We’d wind up in bed together, and I’d only be more torn about my decision not to see the handsome thief again.
“No.” I said. “I can’t stay with you, Devlin. I’m sorry. I won’t put myself through this anymore. Not even for you. Please take me home.”
He argued with me about how the ubervillains might be waiting for us. He only agreed to take me home after I told him the Fearless Five were watching the house and would keep me safe. Finally, Devlin put his mask back on and teleported us just inside the front door of the Bulluci mansion. He stared into my eyes, but I scooted back out of his arms. I didn’t want to tempt fate. Or myself.
“Bella? Is that you?”
Grandfather appeared at the end of the hall and rushed toward us. He pulled me into a tight hug. “Thank heavens you’re all right! Chief Newman called and said they found your car on fire down by the marina. What happened?” His eyes went over my shoulder to Debonair, lurking in the shadows. “And who are you?”
Debonair stepped forward and shook my grandfather’s hand. “I’m Debonair, sir. Pleased to meet you.”
Bobby’s green eyes took in the blue-black leather costume, the scarlet rose, the mask, the bandages over Debonair’s eyes. “Are you the one who saved my granddaughter from Hangman at the museum?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And he saved me again tonight.” I filled Bobby in on Prism’s appearance and subsequent attack.
“She seems pretty desperate to get her hands on the sapphire,” Bobby mused. “That should work well for the Fearless Five and their plan to trap her.”
Debonair shot me a questioning look. I shook my head.
Bobby looked back and forth between us. “Well, now that I know you’re okay, Bella, I’ll leave you and your friend to your own devices. This old man needs some sleep. Tomorrow, I think, is going to be a very long day.”
He kissed me goodnight, then disappeared down the hall.
“What is he talking about?” Debonair asked. “What are the Fearless Five up to?”
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll tell you everything.”
We ended up on the sofa in my sitting room. I explained the superheroes’ plan to capture Hangman and Prism when they made another grab for the sapphire.
“The Fearless Five are going to drop off the sapphire at the museum in the morning,” I said. “The museum plans to reopen tomorrow night and kick off another fund-raiser to help repair the damage done during the fight. We figure Hangman and Prism will try to steal the sapphire again after the museum closes down.”