I walk over to the whiteboards that line one whole wall of the garage. They’ve been wiped clean. A red dry-erase marker lies on the floor a few feet away. It’s the only thing in the whole room that managed to escape the purge. I pick it up, uncap it, and draw a rough diagram of the lab, labeling all the entrances and exits—including a couple secret ones that no one is supposed to know about.
“We have ten possible points of entry,” I tell them. “Eight of them are easily accessible and highly regulated, but two require a little more ingenuity to access. Because those two are hidden, there isn’t as much security staff there, so there are fewer people who could get hurt—”
“Believe me,” Draven interjects. “The last thing I’m worried about is hurting a goddamn superhero. In fact, I’m dying for a shot at a few of them—”
“Let’s focus on the plan,” Rebel interrupts, shooting me a worried look. Like she’s afraid I’m going to balk.
She doesn’t need to worry. Yes, I’ve been loyal to the superheroes my whole life, and I don’t want to see any innocent bystanders get hurt. But as far as I’m concerned, some of them—her father included—have crossed lines that should never be crossed. If they get caught in the crossfire, then I can’t help thinking it’s exactly what they deserve.
“They’ve put in a ton of new security protocols since the breakin,” I say. “Not just the villain signature detectors. I got around them using my mom’s badge yesterday, but obviously, we can’t do that tonight. If they took my mom, then her badge is compromised. We have to figure out another way to get inside so no one will know we’re there until it’s too late to stop us.”
“I can swipe my dad’s pass,” Rebel suggests. “No one would think to question him.”
“Yeah, but people notice him whenever he’s in the lab. He’s always talking to everyone, making sure people see him. The guards will be on high alert, ready to impress the boss when we swipe in.”
She groans. “Good point.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Draven asks. “Because I’m running out of patience. I’ll storm through the front door to get him if I have to.”
“Sounds good to me,” Dante adds.
“And get both Deacon and my mom killed? Not to mention yourselves?” It’s a challenge to fight an eye roll. “You’re not going near the lab.”
Draven takes a step toward me, his muscles tensing. “Hell, yeah, we are. No way are you going in there without us.”
“Yeah, well, no way I’m going in there with you, so I don’t know what to tell you, bad boy.”
We’re toe to toe now, nose to nose—or we would be if he wasn’t a good six inches taller. Not that his height intimidates me. He can glower and tower all he wants. No freaking way is he going in that lab with us. It would be group suicide.
“You think you’re going to stop me?” Draven growls low in his throat, as he gives me his best villain scowl. I have to admit, it’s a doozy. Nerves skitter down my spine, and for a second—just a second—I consider backing off. But I’m right about this. The entire lab is now rigged to sense even a hint of a villain power. If we set off the alarms, the guards will shoot to kill and ask questions never. I’ve already got my mom and Deacon on my conscience. No way am I adding Draven and Dante to the list. Or me and Rebel.
Squaring my shoulders, I glare at him. “I’ll stop you if I have to. I won’t let you blow this—”
“Blow it? I would have had Deacon yesterday, if it wasn’t for your interference—”
“My interference? You were bumbling around the wrong floor without a clue.”
“We were doing fine until you beaned Nitro with a fire extinguisher.”
“At least I have good aim,” I spit back, “which is more than I can say for him!”
Draven’s jaw drops. We both freeze as the other’s words register.
Oh shit.
“You remember what happened last night?” Draven asks, his voice dropping from shout to whisper.
I close my eyes for a five count. I can’t believe I just blurted it out like that. I’ve spent half a lifetime keeping my immunity a secret, but one argument with a villain who makes my blood boil and I’m spilling the truth without a second thought.
There’s no turning back now.
“Well, if I didn’t,” I reply, “you sure as shit just let the cat out of the bag, didn’t you?”
“But you remember. How is that possible?” He shakes his head, looking at me like I’m speaking an alien language. “I planted other memories. My powers always work. On everyone!”
He turns to Dante and Rebel, both of whom are looking anywhere but at the two of us.
“You knew?” he demands, staring at his cousin. “And you didn’t tell me?”
Dante’s eyes widen.
“You told him?” I ask Rebel, aghast.
My immunity has always been our secret. Or at least I thought it was. She knows how important it is to keep the heroes from finding out, let alone villains. If they got their hands on the serum—well, it would be bad.
“I didn’t know until tonight—”
“I just told him—”
“I wanted to know why you weren’t freaked out by us—”