Free Fire Hazard: Cape High Book Eight (Cape High Series 8) by R.J. Ross Page B

guy!”
    “She doesn’t have to--” I say, a bit surprised as I hear Tank say the same thing.  He glares at me with unrestrained hatred.
    “She’s MY girlfriend.  She doesn’t have to do what you tell her to,” he snarls at Speed.
    “You know what, Tank?  You’re really starting to get on my nerves,” Speed says casually, reaching up and wrapping his hand around his glow-stick.
    “Stop,” Jimmi says, “I’ll do it.  I just... need to juice up.”  Speed lets go of his glow-stick, nodding as she heads for the building.
    “Go with her, Pyro,” he says.  I hesitate, looking at Tank.  He looks like he wants to jump me, but something’s stopping him--probably the group of guys that surround him.  It’s pretty clear that they follow Speed, not Tank.  I turn and follow Jimmi, shoving my hands into my jean pockets as she goes to the back of the building.
    Oh.
    “You shouldn’t be doing this,” I say quietly.
    “It--it just spikes their electricity bill a little,” she says, climbing up a ladder and grabbing a cord.  Her entire body glows for a moment and I can see her aura flaring around her and her hair sticking up, floating in the air for a moment.  She comes down the ladder and heads for me, grabbing the tube hanging around my neck.  I watch in wonder as it starts to fill with orange energy.  “Do you want to try it direct?” she asks.
    “I dunno,” I admit, watching the energy.
    “Just a little.  It shouldn’t do too much, I don’t think,” she says, pressing her hand to my chest.  “It doesn’t really affect--”
    My entire body lights up like a torch and she yelps, jumping away quickly.  “Well... crap,” I say as my clothes turn to ash. My phone drops to the ground, humming strangely for a second before flickering on.  It looks like Nico made it fireproof somehow. “I’m going to have to get some fireproof boxers,” I decide as she covers her eyes with her hands and starts to laugh her head off.
    “Cover yourself!” she yells.  “Even if I can’t see through the flames, that’s just WRONG!”  The guys come running, stopping as they see me.  I look down.  She’s right.  In flame form you can’t see anything.  Thank God.
    I look at the guys standing around me and it suddenly clicks.  I know why they feel they can claim to be supers--and why Jimmi might actually think they are.  She’s more like Morgan than she realizes.  She can amplify natural abilities.  Well... crap.
    Actually, the real question is what I’m going to do when the amping up wears off.  I didn’t bring a spare set of clothes with me...
     
    ***
     
    “Flint Stokes,” Flint answers his personal cell, wondering who would be calling at ten o’clock--his secret identity doesn’t have people that call that late.
    “Mr. Stokes, I’m Officer Jones--”
    “Vinny,” Flint mutters, feeling a headache develop.  Yeah, that would explain the ten o’clock.  “I’ll be down in ten,” he says.
    “Can you bring him some clothes?” the cop asks a bit blandly.
    “He was naked?” Flint asks in shock.
    “He’s borrowed a pair of gym shorts from one of our officers, but... other than that, he still is.”  This time he catches the hint of amusement in the man’s voice. 
    “Was anyone with him?” Flint asks.
    “From what we got out of him, a bunch of kids abandoned him--but there’s one sitting in the waiting room for him.  It’s a short haired girl with a glow-stick hanging from her neck.”
    “Jimmi,” Flint says.  “Let me go change--I’m at work,” he says.  “I’ll be there in ten.”
     
    ***
     
    “So...” the big bearded guy sitting across from me says.  “Streaking... as a hobby at least it’s cheap, huh?”
    He’s wearing a biker leather vest and a KISS t-shirt.  He looks older than Flint is--but then again, I can’t exactly tell you how old Flint really is.  Either way, he’s staring at me funny and I have the strange urge to cross my arms over my