Free Super Trouble by Vivi Andrews Page B

eyes. “He said it was a woman. At the bar he said
it was a guy, but on the phone he said the woman was dangerous.”
    “You
aren’t going.”
    He
knew the moment the words left his mouth that he should have said that
differently. On the plus side, the last of her shock dissipated, but on the
not-so-great side she might kill him. Her eyes flashed dangerously and she
stepped out of the circle of his arms. “Excuse me?”
    He
held up his abruptly empty hands, feeling a distinct empathy for lion tamers. “Just
listen for a second. It’s obviously a trap.”
    “You
think?” Sarcasm drenched the words. She stalked to the ottoman, dropped her
stack of clothes on it and began shimmying into her jeans.
    He
swore and reached for his own discarded clothes, shucking his pajama bottoms
and dragging his pants on commando rather than going back to the bedroom for
his briefs. “You have no idea what you would be walking into. You aren’t
invincible.”
    “No,
but I’m pretty damn close.” All that gorgeous creamy flesh disappeared as she
rapidly buttoned her shirt. “A bomb can’t hurt me. I can pull a TK force field
around myself and repel any shrapnel that might be coming my way. I’ll be
fine.”
    “You
don’t know that bombs are the only weapon in this villain’s arsenal. You don’t
even know who you’re going to meet.”
    “Which
is why it is all the more crucial I go. I’ll never get answers from here.” The
holster settled around her hips.
    His
blood chilled. She was back to true Kim Carruthers form, rushing into trouble
without a second thought, but now she was even more foolishly overconfident
because of her new super power. She had no idea how vulnerable she was, and how
much the thought of anything happening to her—even the slightest scratch—killed
him.
    He
couldn’t lose her. Not now.
    “Kim,
listen—”
    But
she wasn’t listening. She was hot on the heels of a story, every fiber of her
being focused on that payoff—the Truth.
    “If
you’re so worried I can’t handle myself, come with me.” She grinned as she
deftly slid bullets into the revolver. “We do make a good team, Frost. You
might as well stop fighting it. Besides, you can teleport us there. We’re late
already.” She checked the time on her phone before sliding it into another slot
in her holster. “You get my back and I’ll get yours. Just like a real super
power couple.” She grabbed her boots and sat down to yank them on.
    He
knew what she wanted. His parents had that. DynaGirl and Lucien Wroth had it. Lots
of super couples fought the good fight together. But he couldn’t do that. He
wasn’t built that way. He couldn’t watch her go into danger without absolutely
losing his mind. Not Kim.
    Frost
bent and put on his own shoes. Kim wouldn’t stop until she had her answers and
he couldn’t let her put herself in peril. The answer was clear.
    She
would forgive him later. She would understand.
    When
he straightened she was right in front of him, bouncing on the balls of her
feet, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
    He
cupped her shoulders, freezing her power and drawing it into himself.
    She
rocked up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth, before settling
back on her heels, eyes gleaming. “Let’s do this.”
    “I’m
sorry, Trouble.”
    Before
she could do more than frown at his words, he yanked at the teleportation
aspect of her power and launched himself toward Pier 42— only himself.
    He’d
never teleported without bringing the person with the power with him. He knew
it could be done, but that knowledge didn’t prepare him for the reality. He’d
never been very good at landings, but this one threw him to the ground. He
might have cared more about the grimy concrete pressed to his cheek if his
internal organs hadn’t felt like they were going through a spin cycle. Hopefully
by the time they stopped spinning his liver hadn’t switched places with his
spleen.
    Note
to self: never fucking do that