SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania (30 page)

“Meaning?”
 

Penelope scoffed. “Please, like humans could actually keep us down? We’re so much better than that.”
 

Before I could reprimand her superior talk, Nova argued first. “Fortune is a selfish psychopath. He doesn’t care if it would affect other gifted. Right?”

“It’s kind of the one rule everyone knows. There are plenty who would hunt him if he tried, so it’s safer for him to lay low and prey on humans,” I said. “Our grandparents were big believers in the world staying hidden. It’s one thing to be a nutty bank robber, a whole other to be a gifted one. People don’t know about us and it should stay that way.”

Nova’s shoulders drooped. “It doesn’t seem like anyone else from the gifted world is after him. Humans aren’t going to catch him. What if we’re the only ones who can stop him?”

“We’ll think of something.” I hoped I sounded more reassuring than I felt.
 

We were quiet for a couple blocks. I thought over what we’d learned and how we could use it to our advantage. I recalled what I said about having to think like Fortune. The lightbulb in my head went off. I actually stopped in my tracks.
 

“That’s it.”
 

“What’s it?” Pen asked, turning on her heel to look back at me.
 

“The Runner said Fortune would never work with a Seer.”
 

“So?”
 

“All that legwork, knowing where everything is, the guards…he has to be casing the banks before he goes in for the kill.”
 

“Literally,” Nova muttered.
 

Pen nodded, thinking over the theory. “I overheard Dad telling a supervisor that he wouldn’t be surprised if Fortune at least sent a man in to check things out.”
 

Nova shook her head. “He wouldn’t send someone to do it for him. He’s arrogant and controlling. Not only would he only trust himself to plan for everything, but he’d love the rush of getting away with it. He’s convinced he can’t be caught.”
 

“Which means he’s studying the banks for days before he robs them,” I said, understanding her way of thinking.
 

“We go to the banks and keep an eye out for him then,” Penelope said, as though it were simple enough. “We just have to catch him before he does anything.”
 

Nova shook her head. “I know enough about my dad’s old cases. Fortune can’t get in trouble for something he doesn’t do if we stop him beforehand. And there’s no evidence connecting him to the other heists, so it would be a waste. Then he’d know we’re all onto him.”
 

I shot her an impressed look. “You think we need to stop him in the middle of the act.”
 

She grimaced. “I’m not thrilled about the idea, but if we catch him red-handed, then there’s proof.”
 

Penelope waggled her eyebrows. “I’m all for playing private detective.”
 

“We’ll go in shifts,” Nova said, trying to form a plan.
 

“No,” I said with such certainty that Penelope and Nova both glanced at me in surprise. “Fortune could recognize you. If he sees you eyeing him, he’ll know too much.”
 

Nova nodded, conceding to the logic. “That means…”
 

“Pen and I will go,” I said.
 

She gave me a weak smile. “Now I don’t know if I want you to find him, or to not.”
 

“It’ll be fine.”
 

I could tell it didn’t do much to ease her fear. Biting the inside of my cheek, I ignored every part of me that yearned to comfort her in my arms.
 

Nova sighed. “You know, my dad asked me something the other night that got me thinking.”
 

“What’s that?” My eyes met hers, full of genuine curiosity.
 

“He asked what Fortune wanted with all of it. The money, I mean.”
 

“I asked that, too,” Penelope interjected.
 

Nova ignored her. “It makes me wonder what he’s doing. Is he using it for something? Paying someone off? Why would he want all this money?”
 

“There might be bigger things at play,” I said ominously.
 

Her face darkened. “Not exactly a cheerful thought.”
 

Over the next few hours, Cole and I devised a plan to find Fortune. Penelope mostly lazed about on the couch, flipping through the TV. She’d offer her opinions every so often and voice her disagreement without getting up. To be fair, she had good insight; I just thought it was rude to do it from across the room. We managed to narrow down the short list of banks Fortune hadn't hit yet, cross-checking against any potential times and patterns. There were two that might be a match.
 

"The only description you'll have is tall and dark blue eyes. I've only ever seen him in a black suit," I said. "Are you sure that's enough to go on?"
 

"It's enough for her," Cole said, with such confidence that I believed him. "I'll be able to get a good look at anyone who avoids eye contact. If I even suspect it's him, I follow long enough to get an idea of when he'll attack."
 

I bit my lip, looking down at the information we’d gathered. "What if we go to the wrong bank and he hits the other one?"
 

He paused, acknowledging the concern. His hand reached out and covered mine, despite Penelope being in the room. "It's a chance we have to take, if we're going to take it."
 

“And if he doesn't rob another bank at all?”
 

“He’s robbed nearly all of them. There are only a few left.”
 

My stomach knotted. “He bombed that last one, he might not be planning on money anymore.”
 

Cole smiled. “We stole his money. No matter how much he already has, that’s going to make him angry. Probably angry enough to try and get more.”
 

The thought didn't make me feel better. My breath whooshed out, blowing my long bangs out of my eyes. “This is a long shot."

Cole’s lips pursed, but he remained serious. “I know, but we aren't going to track him all the way back to his lair. He doesn't know us, so he'll never suspect. The worst that happens is Pen and I miss a couple days of classes. No big deal.”
 

Pen finally moved from the couch, presumably to the bathroom. “Dibs on afternoon shifts. I hate geometry.”
 

“That’s fine,” Cole said, glancing at me, “I like my afternoon classes anyway.”
 

I blushed, trying to keep from grinning like an idiot at him. Luckily, Penelope flounced upstairs and out of sight. I gave a pointed look to his hand, still over mine on the table.
 

“You’re doing that thing where you’re being so cute I can’t stand it,” I whispered to him.
 

Cole bit his lip, which did not help my hormones. “Sorry.”
 

“Liar.”
 

The straight white teeth appeared again, blinding me with his mischievous grin. “You’re right. I’m not.”
 

He swooped in for a kiss, eliciting a purr of surprise from me. My hands wound in his thick hair and I let myself get caught in the moment. Penelope thumped on the top stairs above us and Cole broke away. I pouted, straightening my shirt.
 

“You’re killing me,” he said, eyeing my bottom lip.
 

“You started it.”

The next day, I went to my locker after lunch and Cole snuck up behind me. He poked my side and I whirled around, lighting up at his appearance. I'd worried all morning, knowing he might bump into Fortune hunting for his next bank robbery. Relief swept through me.
 

“No Fortune this morning,” Cole whispered to me. I looked up to find his gold eyes shining. He planted a kiss on my lips, pulling back only a few inches.
 

“That’s good, I guess,” I said, distracted by, well, everything about him.
 

He gave me a crooked grin, like he knew what I was thinking. "Pen will keep an eye on things until the bank closes."
 

"Okay," I said, though with his lips so close to mine, I sort of forgot what we were talking about.
 

"We should skip class," he suggested, waggling his eyebrows. "Go back to my house and make out."
 

I burst out laughing, hands going to his chest to push him away in protest. "Stop sounding like such a
guy
."
 

"But I am a guy," he argued, pulling me back in with his arm around my waist, "and you can't blame me for thinking about how beautiful you are all the time."
 

"Nice try, but I'm not skipping class," I said in a dry tone. "I have to graduate, you know."
 

Cole groaned but walked with me to class, interlacing his fingers with mine as we went down the hallway. "You know, Henry mentioned college applications the other day."
 

A knot formed in my stomach. "Oh yeah?"
 

Cole nodded, shooting me a look as we wormed our way through the crowd.
 

"I guess I better get on that, too," I said, laughing it off. "What about you?"
 

"I've sent a few out. Have you applied anywhere?"
 

"No, which is worrying my mom," I admitted. "I used to plan to get out of town and into pre-law, but lately I haven't given it much thought. Been sort of busy with other things."
 

He nodded in understanding and looked down at our clasped hands. "What do you think about Arcania U?"
 

I shrugged. "Might be a good way start somewhere and transfer into a school of choice later on."
 

Cole lowered his voice, bowing his head to mine. "I'm just thinking, might be a good way to stick around town should anything happen."

"Or continues," I added darkly, souring at the idea of Fortune still causing mayhem in a year. Assuming we even could end his reign of terror, who knew how long that would take?