Nightingale (30 page)

So, I grabbed one of the bags of bird seed Chloe kept and scooped out enough to fill the feeder. The wren fluttered away at my approach but returned as soon as I stepped away. It dug its beak into the plastic container, snagging seed after seed. I shook my head and turned to go inside.

Thwang!

Something shot into the wall above my head, showering bits of brick everywhere. I ducked, falling into a crouch and pressing my body against the wall. Had Bandit come for the flash drive? Decided to attack me in my office? Was he shooting at me right now?
 

I held my breath, opened my ears, and listened—
really
listened—but no more
zips
,
zooms
, or
zings
sounded. I heard nothing except the murmur of car horns and distant conversations. I looked up, but my supersensitive eyes couldn’t quite tell what had slammed into the building, and I didn’t want to stay out here and find out.

I crawled along the ground, staying as close to the balcony wall as I could. Then, I got up into a crouch, balancing on the balls of my feet and ready to leapfrog through the open door back into my office before Bandit put a bullet in my back—

A masked figure dropped out of the sky, landing on the balcony in front of me, like a dark angel falling from the heavens.

I shrieked and rocked back. My right foot lurked sideways, and my knees gave way. I smacked into the ground, almost whacking my head on the bird feeder. I shook off the pain rocketing down my side and scooted back. The icy balcony seared my hands.
 

The tall figure loomed in the open doorway. Something clicked, like the hammer being drawn back on a gun. The shadow strode toward me. Then—I smelled mint and sighed with relief.

Blue boots stopped in front of me, and Talon crouched down until his face was level with mine. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I’m all for this partnership thing, but couldn’t you have called first?” I groused. “I thought Bandit was shooting at me.”

Talon frowned. “Why would you think that? My grappling hook barely makes a sound.”

“Unfortunately, I have excellent hearing.”
 

“Really? How interesting.”

I couldn’t see his eyes behind the blue visor, but I could feel Talon’s gaze sharpening as he studied my face. I dropped my eyes and tried to figure out some way to get back on my feet without overly embarrassing myself—or shoving my ass in Talon’s face again. The superhero came to my rescue once more.

Standing, he offered me a gloved hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.
 

“Why am I always picking you up, Abby?” Talon murmured, his voice low and teasing.

I relished the feel of his hand on mine, even if it was covered by a leather glove. “I suppose because I’m always falling down. Sorry. Being clumsy is a bad habit of mine.”

He flashed me a smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’s my job.”

His job. I dropped his hand. He’d given me a hand because it was his
job
. I wanted him to help me because he liked doing it, liked spending time with me. Not because some stupid superhero code of honor made him put clumsy chicks back on their feet.
 

“How are you, Abby?” Talon asked, failing to notice my darkening mood. “I came by to check on you.”

“I’m fine, just a little tired. I suppose I should thank you for taking me to Piper’s last night—even if you did knock me out to do it.”

He shrugged, not the least bit sorry about gassing me. “It was a necessary precaution, Abby. Surely, you can understand.”

I did. More than he’d ever realize.
 

“So what’s going on?” I asked, probing for the real reason behind his visit. He hadn’t come just to see me. I wasn’t that optimistic—or naïve.
 

“I uncovered some information that might get me closer to Nightingale, to finding out who she really is. Hopefully, that will lead me to the flash drive.”

My heart froze in my chest. “Like what?”

Talon leaned against the edge of the balcony. “I lifted her DNA and a few partial prints off some duct tape she used. I also managed to get my hands on black-and-white surveillance footage of her running away from the Bigtime Convention Center. Unfortunately, the center only has cameras on the front of building, but it should give me a rough idea of what she looks like.”

DNA? Fingerprints? Surveillance footage? Who the hell was he?
CSI: Superhero
? Hot, sweaty panic gurgled up in my throat, but I forced it down, squashing it with cold, calm reason. I thought back to that night. Okay, so he’d gotten my DNA and prints off the tape, but it wouldn’t help him. I’d never had my DNA tested for anything, and I’d never been fingerprinted.

I’d been wearing a heavy coat, gloves, a toboggan, and a scarf wrapped around my face. More importantly, I didn’t remember looking up when I’d rushed out of the convention center, so he shouldn’t get much from the surveillance camera. Oh, he’d know I had a black coat, but so did thousands of women in Bigtime. He wouldn’t get my hair, eye color, or skin tone. Besides, I had a very average, nondescript sort of face. He wouldn’t know it was me. It would be okay, I told myself. It would have to be.

Still, the fact that he was still looking for me, for Nightingale, touched and unnerved me. You’d think he was Prince Charming and I was some fairy princess he was chasing. The fairest woman in all the land, or some such nonsense, instead of a plain Jane, overworked event planner. The equivalent of an ugly stepsister.

“What about you?” he asked. “Did you find out anything?”

“Well, Bandit ransacked my apartment. Not that that’s particularly helpful, but I thought you should know.”

He nodded. “I don’t want you to go back there until this is over with. You shouldn’t be alone either or work late by yourself.”

“I’ll try to remember all that,” I said with a wry smile. “Tomorrow.”

We stood there, looking at each other.

“Well,” I said, “I hate to be a party pooper, but it’s late, and I’m tired. I’m going to go back to Piper’s and crash for the night. Thanks for dropping by.”

Talon hesitated. Damn that thick visor. I couldn’t tell what emotions swirled behind the blue lenses. “Would you like a lift?”
 

“What?” I replied, a little confused. “Are you going to call me a taxi or something? Or do you have your own supervan like the Fearless Five do?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Nope. I have something even better.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

“I’m not sure this is such a good idea,” I said, staring over the edge of the balcony.

We stood on the ledge. When Talon offered to take me home, he meant getting around the way he did—using his grappling hook to swing from rooftop to rooftop. I stared down at the street again. Thirteen stories looked a lot higher and scarier than it had five minutes ago.

“Do you trust me?” Talon asked, using the same cajoling tone I did with my panicked debutantes.

I bit my lip and nodded. Rascal let out an excited bark from the pocket on my vest. Evidently, the puppy knew exactly what was going on and thought the whole thing was going to be a grand adventure. I hated adventures. I’d always thought
adventure
was a polite way of saying
this is a stupid way to die
.

“Then it’ll be okay,” Talon said. “I promise. Now, hold on to me, and don’t let go.”

I wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could, not even caring whether it was appropriate. The G-man superhero’s right arm cinched around my waist like a steel vise. Talon drew his grappling hook gun out of the harness on his leg and pulled the trigger. The silver hook arched out, carrying a long zip line with it, and clanked onto the building across the street. Talon yanked on the solidium cable, ensuring it was firmly anchored. At least, that was what I hoped he was doing. I couldn’t bring myself to look.

“Here we go,” he whispered in my ear.

Talon leapt off the roof, taking me and Rascal with him. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see how very high we were. I wasn’t necessarily scared of heights, just of falling—and being splattered onto the pavement below. But cutting off my vision didn’t help. The rest of my supersenses kicked in, compensating for my blindness. I could feel every part of our descent. The wind pushing against my back. The empty space surrounding us. The sharp tang of terror in my mouth.
 

We landed on the roof of the building across the street. I didn’t move away from Talon for fear my knees would buckle.

“You know, you might enjoy it a little more if you opened your eyes,” he teased.

“Maybe next time,” I muttered, burying my face against his neck.

Two buildings later, I did manage to open my eyes. We sailed down Talon’s zip line, almost like we were flying. The air was clear up here, clean and fresh and free of the hazy smog that sometimes blanketed Bigtime. I drew a deep breath down into my lungs, enjoying the scent. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

Rascal liked the sensation too. The puppy let out several happy yips, although he seemed to know enough not to squirm around and fall out of my pocket. Still, I sandwiched him between Talon’s body and my own, just in case. We soared from building to building, sailing over the city below. The skyscrapers and office lights twinkled like a carpet of stars beneath us.
 

Mostly though, I was happy to be with Talon. Even if he was just doing his superhero duty and helping a lost chick get home.

By the time we landed on the roof of Piper’s building, I was sorry to see the evening come to an end.

“Thanks for the lift.” I forced myself to drop my arms from around his neck and step away. “It was really something.”

“Something good or something bad?”
 

“At first, I would have said something bad, but now I can see why you do it,” I replied. “The feel of the wind in your hair, the sense of flying, the thrill of making the perfect landing. It has its charms.”

Talon smiled. “You’re one of the few people I’ve met who really understands that.”

I gave him a quizzical look. “Why? Don’t you have other superhero friends?”

He shrugged. “Sure. We all help each other out, but I’m a pretty solitary guy. Most of the other heroes in Bigtime have a superpower or two. I don’t, and that sets me apart.”

“So, why do you do it? Why be a superhero if you aren’t like everybody else?”

“I’d like to say I’m doing something noble, like avenging the death of my parents at the hands of an ubervillain or making the world a better place for humanity. Being a symbol for justice. Using my superpowers for the greater good. All the usual motivators.”

“You’re not doing those things?”
 

“Sorry,” Talon said. “My parents are alive and well. I don’t have a lot of angst or issues, and I don’t consider myself a beacon of hope inspiring others. I just don’t like bullies, and that’s what so many of the ubervillains are. Schoolyard bullies in spandex costumes, and Bigtime is their playground.”

I’d never really thought about it that way before, but I could see his point. “Bullies like Tycoon and Bandit.”

He nodded. “They’re some of the worst ones. Tycoon thinks his money, power, and anonymity make him untouchable. Bandit just enjoys hurting people. If I never accomplish anything else as a superhero, I’m going to find a way to take them down.”

I thought about my shoulder and the way Bandit hit me. Yeah, the ubervillain liked hurting people.
 

“It’s not easy not being like the other heroes, not having a power to help me, but what can I say? I like a challenge.” Talon grinned. “Besides, chicks dig superheroes.”
 

I laughed. “Yeah, they do.”
 

We fell silent. I thought about Talon’s words, about how he was a loner. And I thought of the events I’d planned, of all the nights I’d stood along the wall and hovered in a dark corner watching everyone else have fun.
 

“I know what you mean. It’s not easy being different, being an outsider.”

Talon nodded. “No, it’s not.”

“Still, sometimes, it’s nice to be alone.”

He stared at me. “But sometimes it’s even nicer to have someone to share it with.”

My brows pulled together in confusion. Was he—did he mean—could he possibly have enjoyed himself tonight? With me? Abby Appleby, not the mysterious Nightingale?
 

For the first time since this whole thing started, a bit of hope flared up in my chest, a single match sputtering in a cavern of darkness. But before I could open my mouth to ask him what he meant, Talon raised his gun high and shot his cable up into the sky.

He bowed his head, hit a button on the gun, and soared into the darkness. All I could do was stare at the spot where he’d been.

Rascal let out a plaintive whine, wondering where his new friend Talon had gone, and desperately wanting him to come back.

“Me too, boy,” I whispered. “Me too.”

#

I used my key to let myself into Piper’s apartment. She sat at her kitchen table, which was embossed with the Fearless Five logo. Her finger hovered over the buttons on her Hermit phone, as though I’d caught her in mid-dial.