“Found the boyfriend! Northeast side of the property!”
Husband. Idiots.
They didn’t start shooting, which I found a little weird but hey, I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth—or whatever the saying was. So I ran.
I’d collected a couple of hand guns and extra clips, four really good hunting knives, and two rifles. I preferred the knives, but I was severely outnumbered, and we were coming up to fifteen minutes so the guns were going to have to do.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was shooting, but I heard at least four bodies drop before a voice came on the radio and bullets started flying from their end too.
“Shoot to kill.”
I ducked behind an oak tree just in time to feel the wind split next to my ear. Fuck! I didn’t have fucking time for this. I couldn’t even peek around the tree with all the bullets flying in my direction. I needed my goddamn powers. The forest was completely covered in snow, it would cost me nothing to end all these fuckers and get back to V. Instead, I was pinned down and I couldn’t do shit but try and run.
How did they know where we were? Even though they called me her boyfriend, how would they even know she was seeing someone? Only people in our villain circles knew, because she’d told Hemlock to back off but none of them would sell her out. Right? Unless…
I’d have to have a sit down with Whisper once I made it out of this mess. And I was making it out of this fucking mess.
I took a deep breath and sprinted forward, using the trees as cover as much as I could. Lucky for me, none of these people were snipers and held true to a stereotypical TV bad guy.
I was nearly at the neighbour’s property line, then I’d be able to circle back. I’d done a full search of the neighbouring cottage. I knew I could pretend to hide out there. By the time they searched the place, I would be long gone, hopefully back to V.Whoever the neighbours were, they were crazy paranoid and had a secret tunnel leading back onto her property.
A few more steps and?—
I keeled over right at the line, unrelenting nausea washed over me as I ducked behind the nearest tree. I took a second to breathe through it before I picked myself back up. I lost precious?—
They’re closing in fast, boss, you gotta move.
I nearly cried of relief when the familiar hiss of Landon echoed in my ears. I did a quick check and found my cold power, sitting and waiting to be used.
“No, I think I’ll stay right here.”
I didn’t have my usual costume, but they weren’t going to live long enough to tell anyone that I was alive, let alone what I looked like. First thing first though, it was about to get slippery.
Unhappy shouts echoedaround me the second the forest floor turned into an ice rink. The unhappiness turned into terror when I stepped out from behind my tree with icicle batons growing in my hands.
“But… You’re dead.”
I recognized that voice. It was unknown woman number two. They were with the fucking judge? But he was dead. What the fuck was going on?
“No body, no death. You tried your best though.”
“Why are you all just standing there? Kill him!” The voice came over the radio. What a surprise, the mastermind wasn’t on the field.
Before anyone had an opportunity to fire, I spoke.
“Ah. Before you do that, I have a proposition. I need one person alive to answer some questions. Whoever drops their gun first, gets to live. Everyone else…” Trailed off, giving them my best sadistic grin. “Well, you’ll get to learn what it feels like to freeze from the inside out.”
Five guys dropped their weapons at the same time and stepped back. I supposed they would all do.
“Good choice.” I created boots out of the ice to wrap around their feet, up to their knees, to make sure they wouldn’t go anywhere. “Now, for the?—”
Rude, they didn’t even give me another second to finish my whole evil speech. Didn’t they know it was customary to let villains monologue for at least ten minutes? No matter, they wouldn’t live long enough to learn from their mistakes.
I threw up an ice wall, waited thirty seconds, then shattered it—sending the ice shards flying at them. Half were pelted, the other half took up defensive positions and began shouting. I only caught bits and pieces but one guy caught my attention.
“He crossed the line! Turn the devices!”
Devices? Fuck. I hadn’t gotten to the lab that was trying to dampen powers soon enough. They’d figured it out. I couldn’t worry about that right now, I had to make these fuckers dead so I could get back to my wife and disappear.
