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He stood abruptly, going around and shaking hands, starting with Mateo and Chris. “Hi. Hello. Hi. You look lovely. Nice to meet ya. Dig the shaved look, my man. See where Gibby got the shape of her head from. Hello. Hello. Pleasure to meet you. They call me Burrito Jerry. You might’ve seen my ride Matilda in the driveway.” He puffed out his chest in pride. “Painted her myself.”
“He helped us,” Seth said. “Jazz brought him on.” It was a little more complicated than that but everyone seemed to take it in stride, much to Nick’s relief.
“And I have questions,” Burrito Jerry said, returning to his seat. “Like, a billion questions, however I think those can wait for now. I can’t move stuff with my mind or set things on fire, but I think I’ve got a way to help, if Jazz and Gibby are up for it.” He looked sternly at the girls. “Only if your parents agree, that is.”
“How?” Miles asked.
“Matilda,” Burrito Jerry said. “I don’t know about secret lairs or villains who can change shape and wipe minds, but I know my lady. She’s sturdy. Plenty of room. Jasmine and Gibby could get whatever they need, and we can park her as close to Burke Tower as possible. Out of the way, but still there in case backup is needed.”
“Mobile Lighthouse,” Nick said, trying to temper his excitement as he stood in front of his father. “Dude, that’sawesome.”
“It could work,” Gibby said thoughtfully. “Might take a bitto retrofit Matilda, but the Fourth is still a few days away. We have time.”
“We do,” Burrito Jerry said. “But again, only if your parents give the okay; they get the final word.”
“Damn right,” Trey said. “And since my daughter pointed out that we have time, we’re not going to make any decisions right this second.” He held up his hand as Gibby opened her mouth to argue. “Honey, I’ll listen to you. I always have, and you know that. But your mom and I need to think about this, okay?”
“Same,” Miles said. “We get you want to help, Jasmine. And Nick and Seth have said repeatedly they couldn’t have gotten as far as they have without either you or Gibby, but we want to make sure we’re going about this the right way with as little risk as possible.”
Jazz whispered something in her ear, and Gibby sighed. “Fine. So long as you remember what we’re capable of.”
Aysha chuckled. “Trust me when I say we know that very well.”
“That still doesn’t explain how we’re going to stop Burke,” Chris said, Mateo’s hand resting on his thigh. “If Firestone is right and he’s going to have Patricia Burke impersonate Guardian, who’s going to believe us? The permit they requested for the celebration said they expect a crowd of at least ten thousand people. The NCPD is giving him as many cops they can without stretching the force too thin. The Fourth of July is busy across the city. Burke’s fireworks display won’t be the only one.”
“Not to mention counterprotestors,” Trey said. “And probably every news outlet in the city. Everyone’s eyes are going to be on Burke, just like he wants. You have the attention of Nova City, you can do anything you want with it.”
“If we can’t have him arrested, what’s the alternative?” Mary asked. “Killing him? Evenifthat was on the table, what would it solve? It’d only make him a martyr for his cause.”
Nick and Seth went to their friends, standing on either side of them. A team, united. “Tell them,” Seth said, nudging Gibby’s shoulder. “It was your idea.”
“Yours, too, Jazz,” Nick said. “And I know it’s going to work.”
Gibby took Jazz’s hand and said, “You’re right. Killing him wouldn’t solve anything, and that’s not who we are. But there’s a reason Jazz and I want to be there, and not because we want to get in the middle of a fight.”
“Instead,” Jazz said, “we’re going to make him wish he’d never been born. If all goes well, he won’t even know we’re there. We don’t need to destroy Burke, because he’s going to do it himself. And by the time we’re done, no one will believe him ever again. Burrito Jerry, I hope you were serious about letting us use Matilda, because we’re going to need her.”
He nodded. “What’s mine is yours. I got you, girl.”
“Good,” Gibby said. She grinned, razor-sharp. “You ready for this? It has a lot of moving parts, and we’ll need more than a little luck on our side, but Burke has proven he likes to be the center of attention. Might as well give him what he wants.”
Everyone leaned forward. “Tell us,” Trey said, eyes glittering in the encroaching dark.
And so they did.
