Chapter 1
The bus is late.
Normally, I wouldn't care, but tonight every passing minute feels longer than the last.
Clifton City is beautiful at night. Towering buildings glitter against the dark sky, neon signs reflect off rain-slick sidewalks, and somewhere in the distance sirens echo through the streets. Most people call it the safest city in the country.
I'm not so convinced.
There are ten registered supers protecting the United States, two of them are assigned to Clifton City. Everyone loves to brag about how crime never stood a chance against them.
Personally, I think the opposite.
Criminals know the supers cant be everywhere at once. While they're busy stopping bank robberies and fighting villains leveling entire city blocks, ordinary people become easy targets.
The police barely do anything anymore. They show up after the supers finish the job, slap handcuffs on whoever is still conscious, and call it a successful day.
Maybe I'm cynical. Or maybe I just pay attention.
The bus finally hisses to a stop.
Thank goodness.
just got done babysitting three "delightful little angels" and I'm exhausted. Connor, Cooper and Callie are quite the handful. Their family has this weird thing with c's. The parents are Calvin and Cassie Corman. They're a unique family, that's for sure. The boys tried to flush Callie down the toilet, twice. I was only with them for five hours, yet they made it feel like years. I think they're the spawns of the devil, all of them, but hey I need the money.
I realize I have three suspiciously hooded men join me at the bus stop. I catch one looking and give him a weary smile. I look away, relieved to see the bus pulling up.
When the bus comes to a stop I quickly grab my bag from the ground and rush onto the bus
I climb aboard and immediately notice the men get on closely behind me. A knot tightens in my stomach. Maybe it's nothing.
I choose the seat beside a woman and her little boy instead of sitting alone.The little boy stares at me with wide blue eyes.
I smile at him. "Hi".
"I'm Ryker," he announces proudly.He reaches out his tiny hand like a businessman closing a deal.
"Quinn" I reply, shaking his outstretched hand.
"And this is my mom." He says gesturing to the woman beside him.
The woman laughs.
"To everyone else, I'm Sherry." She says with her smile reaching her eyes.
"It's nice to meet both of you." I say and get more settled into my seat.
"You too." Sherry replies, draping an arm over Ryker.
For a while, the ride is uneventful. Until I notice the three men watching me.
Every time I look away, I can feel their eyes finding me again. When my stop approaches I lean toward Sherry.
"This is going to sound strange..." I start.
Her smile fades immediately.
“Do you see those three guys?" I continue, slightly gesturing towards the hooded men.
She subtly glances over before giving a tiny nod.
"I think they're following me."
Her eyes widen.
"If they get off here too..." I swallow. "Can I give you my number?"
She nods without hesitation.
"If I don't answer after your third call in five minutes..."
"I''ll call the police." Sherry finishes for me.
I nod. "Exactly."
We exchange numbers just before the bus stops. As I step off, I look back through the window. Sherry gives me one reassuring nod and I pray I'm overreacting.
Then the three men step off behind me.
My stomach drops. The streets are nearly empty. It's eight o'clock. A cold breeze sweeps between the buildings, sending goosebumps across my arms. I cross the street. And moments later, so do they.
Okay, definitely not paranoid. I pick up my pace and their footsteps match mine.
"Hey, miss!" I hear a few steps behind me.
I don't answer.
A heavy hand lands on my shoulder.
Every instinct screams at me to run. Instead, I spin around. The tallest man smiles down at me.
"You dropped this." He says, holding out a twenty dollar bill.
Liar. I never carry cash, but I force a smile anyway.
"Thank you." I say politely.
The second I reach for it, his hand clamps around my wrist.
"Don't I get something in return?" His voice is sinister.
His grin makes my skin crawl.
"If you wanted something in return..."I smile sweetly ."you should've kept the twenty."
Then I spit directly in his face.His expression freezes in shock and he loosens his grip just enough.
I take the split second to run.
Behind me I hear a chorus of furious swearing and then 3 sets of heavy footsteps in pursuit behind me. They're getting closer.
My lungs burn.
Three blocks. I can make it three blocks.
My phone buzzes inside my pocket. It's Sherry. Please understand and call someone I mentally plead.
Strong fingers grab the back of my jacket and the world disappears beneath me. Pain explodes through my hip as I hit the pavement. Before I can scramble away, someone hauls me upright and slams me against the brick wall of an alley way. A knife glints beneath the streetlight.
The man's face is inches from mine and his breath wreaks. I start shaking uncontrollably as fear and adrenaline rush through my body.
"You're quite a beauty." He says as he raises the knife to my throat. "Too bad boss man wants you dead." He chuckles.
I barely catch what he says. What could this man's boss possibly want with me?
"Can't I have a little fun with her first Z?" One of the other men asks with a sly smirk.
"Okay fine, but make it quick." The man says, pulling away to be replaced by the other.
Tears escape down my face. I struggle against him, but I might as well be fighting a brick wall.
"Please no, I'm begging you." I plead.
This man is even more disgusting than the one with the knife. He slips his filthy hand under my shirt, grazing the underwire of my bra with his fingertips. He has an evil look on his face. I squeeze my eyes shut, still struggling against him as hard as I can. I can hear the others laughing behind him.
I've listened to enough true crime podcasts to know stories like this.Those girls' stories always sound so far away from my own life. Statistics, headlines, people you feel sorry for before moving on with your day. You never imagine yourself becoming one of them.
"Please...
Please...
Please no." I mentally beg.
A scream rips through the alley.
Not mine, but my aggressors.
His hand vanishes and a sickening crack echoes through the night. I open my eyes.
The man flies across the alley like he's been hit by a truck. Another collapses before he can even react. The third manages one terrified step backward.Then a black boot connects with his chest.
In a matter of 30 seconds there's only silence.
Three men. Three unconscious bodies. A figure stands between me and them. His cape settles behind him. Moonlight catches the silver mask covering the upper half of his face.The charcoal-black suit shimmers faintly, almost blending into the darkness itself. He doesnt even glance at the men.
He looks only at me.
"Are you hurt?" His voice is low and calm. Almost gentle. I can't tell if he's using a voice disguiser or not.
"I..." My knees give out as my body runs out of adrenaline.He catches me before I hit the ground.
"I'm okay," I whisper, though my entire body shakes.
He helps steady me until I can stand on my own.
"Do you know them?" He asks me.
"No." I reply, still breathless.
His jaw tightens. He looks toward the unconscious men before turning back to me.
"You always walk home alone?" He asks, almost sounding annoyed.
I frown at him. "Are you seriously victim blaming me? This is supposed to be a safe neighborhood" I say defensively.
He sighs. "No." And his eyes meet mine.
"I'm just trying to figure out how many Tuesdays I have before I need to save you again." He retorts.
I blink at him. "I babysit every Tuesday and Thursday," I mutter. "My house is only a few blocks away."
He studies me for another moment.
"Well you look okay, they didn't get their hands on you for too long thanks to me. So if I were you I'd get home." He says and walks over to one of the unconscious men.
"Oh. Right," I say wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans, taken aback by his arrogant demeanor. "Thank you, by the way for not letting them kill me." I add with a hint of sarcasm.
"Don't mention it." He says nonchalantly as he looks in the mens' pockets.
"Are you... are you robbing them?" I stare at him surprised as he pulls out a thick wad of cash.
"Confiscating." He corrects.
“That's stealing." I say incredulously.
He just shrugs his shoulders. "They probably stole it first."
"Heroes don't take money off of unconscious people" I say with a raised eyebrow.
"Who said I was a hero?" He says with a sly grin.
He finishes emptying the pockets of my attackers and turns to look at me. I look at him confused.
"But you saved my life," I say, frowning.
"Doing a decent thing doesn't make someone a hero" He points out.
Before I can respond, he bends his knees. The ground cracks beneath my feet. Then he shoots into the sky.
Gone.
I stand there staring after him.
The arrogant jerk didn't even make sure I got home safely.
********
Hello to all my readers! I've been on Wattpad for way too many years, I think since 2014. I finally decided to write my own story. I actually started this back in 2014, but ditched it pretty early on. I just picked it up again over 10 years later and basically threw out everything I had but the original plot. Please feel free to make suggestions, and keep in mind this is a first draft. This is also going to be a closed door romance, so I'm sorry to my spicy readers! But I promise that it's worth your while even without the smut scenes!
Xoxo blondhaylee
