“One day, Miss Hayes, you won’t be able to hide behind this hospital or your villains and I’ll be there to take you down.”
“I don’t hide. I never have. I never will. Take your bravado and shove it up your ass, Dickhead. You’ll never get to me.”
20
THE VOLUNTEER
I headed back upto Scarlett’s room at hour number four. This was the longest a villain had spent at the hospital and one look outside told me Captain Douchebag was setting up for another try. She was giggling uncontrollably as I walked up to the door and knock softly. Avalanche was the one to respond that I could come in.
Inside, Scarlett was grinning as he hung upside down from the ceiling, held up only by ice boots. He’d shed his mask, blond hair falling from his face as he smiled wide. He looked… Free. She looked… Better. Colour had returned to her cheeks, breathing not even a little bit laboured after all that laughing.
“I’m so sorry, it’s time for Avalanche to get going.”
“Don’t be sorry! He promised to come back next week. If that’s okay, I mean.”
I looked over at him, still hanging upside down.
“You did?”
He dropped from the ceiling, landing upright.
“You betcha! Can’t say no to my favourite patient, especially now that she’s feeling better.” He winked at her; she grinned. “If that’s okay with our favourite volunteer. I know it’s a lot of stress on you, so I can push it back if you need me to.”
“I’d have to check my schedule. I don’t think I’m here at all next week. I have my trip so I won’t be back ’til Christmas, but I can’t remember if I’m here or 56th. Maybe the week after would be better, is that okay, kiddo?”
She nodded vigorously.
“Maybe you could come later? Like last time, so the police don’t know.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Avalanche smiled. “But for now, I should get out of here so everyone can get back to normal.” He walked toward me.
“Forgetting something?”
I crossed my arms, leaning on the door so he couldn’t leave. I might be pissed at him, but I wasn’t about to let him blow his identity by walking out of here without his mask.
“What? No—” He followed my gaze to Scarlett’s end table, where his glacier mask had been discarded. “Crap. What would I do without you?” He secured it back on his face and turned to Scarlett. “How do I look?”
“Villainous!”
He grinned. “Excellent. Well, Miss Violet, lead the way.”
“I’ll send your parents back in and come around a bit later.”
“Thanks, Miss Violet.”
I gave her a soft smile before I shooed Avalanche out the door.
“V—”
I pulled him around the corner where there were no prying eyes. I needed to know what to tell her parents.
“What did you do? Is she cured?”
“No, not completely. I… It’s hard to explain. I like— I froze her cancer cells so that they can’t keep spreading. It’s not a cure, but it will help the chemo treatments and it will give her a better chance. You think I would be out here killing people if I could literally cure cancer?”
“I don’t know, Avalanche. I don’t even know who you are. How would I know what you would do?”
He flinched. “Violet?—”
