Super Series (Book 4): Supervised (12 page)

We were on a one-way street. He didn’t have an option to go in the other direction unless he wanted to draw attention himself. So far, he’d done everything he could to avoid that. I just knew he was going to drive right past me.

I knew what I had to do. When El Gato pulled out of his parking space and started coming down the street, I geared myself up for what was going to happen next. It was going to hurt—a lot. It was going to be messy. I was probably going to break a lot of bones. But my mind was already made up.

Just as the car was getting close to passing me, I stepped out into the street and braced myself for the impact. And it came. It felt like. . . well. . . like being hit by a late model foreign car. 

And then everything went black.

Chapter 19

The next thing I felt was someone’s lips on mine. My eyes were still closed. They were still too heavy to lift just yet. But the nerves in my lips were working just fine and they were being touched by someone else’s lips. They were firm but pillowy and accompanied by the spicy scent of something I couldn’t quite place. Half in, half out of consciousness, I wondered who had decided now was the time to make out with me.
I don’t hate it, though
floated across my mind.

Just as I was about to open my eyes, my nose was pinched tightly. Then, the lips that were on mine blew into my own with intense short breaths. I’d gone from a make out session to fighting for my life.

I immediately began clawing at the person on top of me. We struggled for a bit and when I opened my eyes, I was greeted by Nathaniel kneeling over me and trying to restrain me. “Hey! It’s me, Audrey. It’s me!”

I stopped fighting him. “What are you doing?” I gasped.

He moved off of me. “Giving you mouth-to-mouth. You weren’t breathing. I know you can regenerate but I was playing it safe.”

“Oh.” I tried to slow my heart down by not thinking about how I’d basically been into making out with him when I thought something freaky was going on. Obviously, that wasn’t working. Then I remembered why I was lying in the street in the first place. “El Gato!” I cried as I tried to get up.

Nathaniel’s meaty hand pushed me back down to the ground. “Take it easy. We got him.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and I saw two cop cars. El Gato was being handcuffed over the back of one.

Here we go with that
we
shit, again,
I bristled in my head. From where I was lying, I was the only one who had just stood in front of a speeding car to catch a fugitive.

We watched El Gato being loaded into the back of the one of the police cars. One of the uniformed cops walked toward us. “I know you said you don’t need EMTs but are you sure?”

“Yes,” Nathaniel called back. “It was just a bump. She’s fine.”

The cop nodded and turned back to the others. “He owes me a favor. Knowing what you can do, I knew going to the hospital might be”—he paused, searching for the right word—”problematic.”

“Another favor? How many favors do you have out there?

He ran a hand through his thick hair. “If you do this long enough, you’ll collect a few yourself.”

I tried to nod sagely and felt a jolt of pain up my back and neck. I still felt like I’d been hit by a car—for the obvious reasons. I groaned. “Well, I don’t mean to crash and run, but I do have to go—” I started.

“Wait,” Nathaniel interrupted. “Before you go, I wanted to thank you for this. Without you, El Gato would still be in the wind. You’re a lot more valuable than I gave you credit for.”

“Um. . . uh. . . OK. Cool.” I wish I could have said something more profound or at least something that rubbed the fact that he had underestimated me in his face. But the truth was that I wasn’t used to people praising me for anything. This was uncharted territory and I didn’t know how to react. I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Nathaniel went on. “Listen, this project worked so well that I’m thinking of putting together a permanent task force. We can work on higher level threats together. I could use you on the squad, Audrey. And I think it might be good for you to be around more people like you more often.”

I head was throbbing. Not just from my injuries but from the idea that of being asked to be on the team. No more Super shifts trying to catch muggers. No more rescuing lost animals. I’d have a real purpose. Hell, I might even get to be a B-list Super. Sure, I’d probably be the worst one on the team and I’d have to work with someone that equally made me want to strangle him and kiss him. But could I really say no to this?

I looked into Nathaniel’s dark blue eyes and did one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. “Let me think about it.”

He gave me a half smile. “Don’t take too long, though. I’m not used to waiting.”

“I’m confident you can handle it.” I stood up and flexed my arms above my head. “Well, moving doesn’t make me want to kill myself so I think it’s time for me to get out of here.” Nathaniel stood up, too, extended his hand and I shook it. And then I remember that I still needed something from him. “Wait. Does this mean I’m really off of probation?”

“You were off probation the moment I gave you that release. I wouldn’t have given it to you if it wasn’t real. One of the reasons I know I need you on the team is that you still were chasing El Gato after you had already gotten what you needed. That says something about you. You really go after what you want.”

I thought about what he was saying for a minute. Why didn’t I see myself that way? But when I really thought about it, that’s exactly what I’d done. And if that was the case, what did I want now?

Chapter 20

“You have reached the voice mailbox of—”

I hung up the phone. I needed to talk to Mike. I’d been calling him since I’d left Fatty’s, interrupted by my subway ride and resuming as soon as I came up to the surface street. I’d already left him one message so I’d just hung up every other time I got sent to voicemail.

Walking up the street to the building, I thought about everything that happened over the last few days. As usual, I wasn’t sure how I ended up where I was. But at least I wasn’t too unhappy about it this time. I thought about the probation release Nathaniel had given me, which was still in the pocket of my Super suit balled up in the bottom of my closet. At least that part of it was over.

As the building came into view, I noticed a blue Volkswagen parked on the other side of the street. Mike’s car. He was home.

I took the stairs to 3A two at a time. I should have knocked but knocking is for people who have manners and sense. I had come to terms with the fact that I’d never have either of those things. I busted open the door, yelling “Mike, I’m so sorry about everything. You were right. Once you know what you want, you just know. And I want you. I’m in this thing. I’m in it all the way. I promise. Just let me show you.”

It was only then that I realized that Mike wasn’t there alone. He and three other guys were sitting at his dining room table with cards and game chips around them. I recognized Lorenzo from the other night. Like everyone else, he was doing his best not to laugh but failing miserably.

Finally, Mike spoke. “Guys, this is Audrey. Audrey, these are the guys. I think you already know Lorenzo, though.” They all gave me halfhearted waves and hellos. “Did you forget that I had poker tonight?”

Yes
, I thought. “No,” I said. “I just wanted to come meet your friends.” I waved at the guys awkwardly. “Hi, I’m Mike’s girlfriend, Audrey. We are definitely in a relationship. He’s my boyfriend.” The guys just looked at me in that awkward way you look at someone when you aren’t sure if they are crazy or having a crazy moment. I’d been getting that look all my life so I recognized it but ignored it.

Instead, I crossed the room to Mike and kissed him with a little too much force. “And that’s for good luck. And if you win, you’re getting pancakes tomorrow morning. Oh and if you lose, too. Pancakes, either way,” I added. Mike look at me with a mix of confusion and amusement. I just kissed him again and left as quickly as I could.

Chapter 21

“Where are we going, Audrey?”

It was the second or third time that Mike had asked me that. That morning, I’d woken him up bright and early, forced him to get dressed, and instructed him to drive into Manhattan. From there, I’d given him directions on a need-to-know basis. “I promised you pancakes.”

“I know. We could have had pancakes at home, though.” His voice was still groggy and he let out a quick yawn.

“
I
promised
you
pancakes. You shouldn’t have to be the one to make them. But I’m gonna make sure that you get them.”

“We could have gotten pancakes in Brooklyn,” he grumbled.

I ignored him. “Turn left on 93rd Street. And then you can just park anywhere you can find a space.” He continued to grumble as he parallel parked and we got out of the car.

Mike followed me up the walkway and the stairs to the brownstone. “Audrey, this isn’t even a restaurant. What are we doing?”

I gestured for him to follow me. “Just come on, man.” I ignored the knocker altogether in favor of my own knuckles. After a couple of loud raps on the door, it opened to reveal my father in a bathrobe.

“Audrey?” he asked with a yawn. Obviously, he was still sleepy, too.

I gestured between the two sleepy men in front of me. “Mike, this is my father, Elroy Hart. Dad, this is Mike, my boyfriend. We’re here for pancakes.”

*****

Three hours later, I was back in Brooklyn, felling full and feeling satisfied. I snuck a look over at Mike. He was smiling to himself. I filed that picture away for later. I liked it when something I did was making him happy
.

After my parents got over the fact that I had arrived unannounced with a stranger, they were pretty excited I’d finally brought Mike around. Over pancakes and bacon, they interrogated him over everything from his upbringing to his politics to his plans for the future. For the most part, I think Mike held his own. Every time he dodged a question particularly well, I snuck another piece of bacon on his plate. Positive reinforcement and all of that.

Back home, Mike found a parking space on our block. “So what are your plans for the day?”

I shrugged. “Not much. I could go for a nap, actually.”

“A nap? It’s not even noon yet.”

I shrugged again. “It’s noon somewhere.” My phone buzzed. It was a text from Mellie:

Sorry about the other night. That will be the last time I go bridezilla on you. Swear.

So much had happened since Friday, I’d forgotten how someone pretending to be Mellie had showed up at my apartment crying and left ready to go to war. She seemed to be OK now, though. I wrote her back:

Don’t worry about it. Everything good now?

She immediately texted back:

Everything’s great! We’re moving up the wedding. February 17th! Get your nacho cheese ready!

I definitely wasn’t expecting that. Before I could even text back, she sent me another one.

We just want to do what feels right. Speaking of which, Bridget is out. You’re the new maid of honor.

What????
I pushed down the urge to hyperventilate. I didn’t get it. The last I’d checked, at least two other bridesmaids had to die for me to be in charge. And the texts kept coming in:

Don’t freak out. I can feel you freaking out. I promise you won’t have to do much. It’s a completely different wedding now. Call me later and I’ll explain.

I noticed Mike eyeing me so I waved my phone at him. “It’s just Mellie. She’s moving up the wedding. It’s February 17th. Wanna go?”

“Oh, Audrey, you’re really going to regret this one,” he said in a false serious voice. “I look
amazing
in a tux. You won’t be able to keep your hands off me.”

“I’m up for the challenge,” I said.
Or not. Either way, I win
, I thought.

As we walked up to the building we noticed a girl sitting on the front stoop. “You Audrey?”

“Yeah.” I said it before remembering that any time someone has asked me that it was never good. Mike murmured something about seeing me upstairs and gracefully sidestepped the girl before heading into the building.

The girl stood up and adjusted herself. She also took the opportunity to look me up and down. I did the same to her. Most of her hair was tucked under a worn hat but a few dark wisps had escaped. She was dressed in ratty jeans, boots, and a coat that was a little too small. She was small with delicate features that might get her mistaken for younger. But the posture and surly look definitely screamed teenager. She was probably 13 or 14.

“Are you one of the Pham kids’ friends? Because I meant what I said about no more roof parties.”

Her scowl deepened. “If I were here to see somebody else, I’d asked for somebody else. I’m here to see you.”

I was getting impatient. “OK, then what do you want? Are you getting a start on selling Girl Scout Cookies?”

“It doesn’t look like you need any more cookies to me.”

“Listen, kid—” I started, but she cut me off before I could tell her to get off my stoop and go find someone who wanted to deal with her smart mouth.

“My name isn’t ‘kid.’ It’s Penny.” She looked around as if she were checking to see if anyone was listening to us. Her voice went down a notch and she took a step toward me. “Are. . . are you gonna help me be a Super or not?”

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