We last read Chapter 32, in which Beth settles in to watch a movie with Ethan, her best friend. Before starting the movie, they discuss her investigation into StarPrime, and she considers telling Ethan her secret — that she is Sapphire Angel — but decides against it. They also discuss her upcoming trip to Florida, to attend a conference, and Ethan encourages her not to go into a shell around Conner while there. She admits her continued feelings of guilt about dating anyone after John’s death, and she says Conner isn’t her type, anyway — he has too much bravado. Ethan reveals that Conner’s sister says the bravado is all a facade, which Conner put up after learning a former fiancé was using him to influence one of his investigations. This information gives Beth pause.
After the movie, Beth leaves for her meeting with Bud Tanner, after which she plans to get a closer look at Wheldon's tower as Sapphire Angel. As she turns into the lane at the remote address Tanner gave to her, she hears a gunshot in the direction of the house where Tanner is supposed to be waiting. She hides her car, makes her transformation into her superheroine persona, and rushes off toward where she heard the gunshot.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
Sapphire Angel hadn't gone far before the woods thinned and a clearing appeared in front of her. The moon illuminated a log cabin on the opposite side of the clearing, and an old red pickup truck parked in front of the cabin. She recognized the vehicle from her previous meeting with Tanner. It sat on a gravel lane which ran off to her left, back toward the road. The cabin reminded her of her first encounter with Tanner, in the dilapidated building in Harrisburg. This building didn't look to be in much better condition, but possessed a charm the city building lacked.
The building was short and squat, with tall trees towering behind it, like dark sentries in the dim light. A chimney made of crumbling bricks jutted up from the right side of the structure. A door on the left sat open, and drapes on a window were closed. She wrinkled her brow. Time to be careful.
The open doorway loomed ominously as Sapphire Angel crept forward. As the interior came into view, her blue eyes darted about. Books and papers littered the floor, and the sound of a television played from somewhere inside.
She tiptoed forward to get a better view of the interior. It looked like a tornado had passed through the place, with broken furniture scattered everywhere. End tables lay in pieces, a recliner rested on its side, and a coffee table was split in half.
The television sat face down, its stand upended next to it. The television was still on, and the sound of an insurance commercial echoed around the cabin. A doorway stood open to the left of the television.
One item seemed out of place, even in the mess. A red gasoline canister sat on its side in the middle of the room, and a second canister sat on the floor of the kitchen, beyond the living room. The unmistakable smell of gasoline hit her nose. Someone had doused the place in it.
Sapphire Angel listened, trying to determine if she was too late. She heard nothing, so she walked into the cabin and scanned her surroundings. She saw more aftereffects of the struggle, with more broken and upended furniture, but no sign of Tanner.
She picked her way around the mess, avoiding the gasoline on the floor, and crept toward the open interior door. The flicker of a shadow through the doorway caught her eye, and she froze. She heard muffled voices through the doorway and inched forward for a closer look. Three men stood inside a bedroom, turned away from her, with a fourth man seated on a chair in front of them. His back was to her, but even from behind she recognized the brown and gray hair of Bud Tanner. His wrists were bound behind him and tied to the chair.
A muscular and fit man, with torn jeans and a shaved head, stood closest to Tanner and held a small pistol to his head. A second man stood closer to her. He was huge, with rolls of fat undulating under his tight t-shirt. The third man was skeletal, with stubbly red hair. A cigarette hung from his mouth, and he waved a short knife in his hand.
"Alright boys, I think he's done talking," the skinny man said between a puff on his cigarette. "Grab him and let's get out of here. Even if he's lying and hid a note for someone, it's gonna burn up with the rest of this place."
The fat man turned and looked directly at Sapphire Angel.
"Hey!" he yelled as he spotted her. Sapphire Angel tensed and glanced at the gun held to Tanner's head.
The other two men turned toward her, and shock spread across their faces, followed by recognition.
Sapphire Angel held her hands up in front of her. "Let's take it easy," she said in a soothing voice.
"Well, well, well," the gunman remarked, as his eyes traveled down her body. "If it ain't the sexy Sapphire Angel herself."
"What the hell are you doing here?" the man with the cigarette snarled, as he twisted his fingers in a mottled red beard.
"I'm not here to cause any trouble," she answered. "Why don't you guys put down the weapons, and back away? You can get out of here, no questions asked."
The gunman chortled. "Oh, really? I don't think yer in any position to be making demands, little girl. Ya see, it looks to me like we got the upper hand. I've got a gun, and you don't." He wiggled the gun in her direction as if to prove his point.
"If you know anything about me," Sapphire Angel replied, tilting her head to the side and putting a hand to a cocked hip, "you know those bullets can't hurt me."
The man frowned, but only for a moment. "Well then, here's what we're gonna do," he began. "Bullets might not hurt you, but they can blow his brains out. So you're gonna kneel down and put yer hands behind yer back. Try anything, and he gets one right in the head."
Sapphire Angel's jaw dropped for a moment, before she gritted her teeth and balled her fists. She glanced at Tanner. His back was to her, but she saw his shoulders tense as the barrel of the gun jabbed the side of the head.
"Now!" the man with the gun yelled.
Sapphire Angel glared at the man, frozen. With gritted teeth, she sank to her knees and brought her hands behind her back.
"Go tie her up and bring her here," the gunman said, nodding toward the kneeling heroine.
The redheaded man set his knife on the nightstand and approached her, with the big man close behind.
"You don't want to do this," she warned them. The reek of alcohol invaded her nostril as they got close.
The big man snorted. "Do what? You don't even know what we're gonna do, blondie."
She cringed as the fat man came behind her, seized her arms, and pulled them tight behind her back. She could almost feel the filth emanating from him. She winced as he yanked her wrists together, bending her shoulders back.
The cigarette-smoking man approached, pulling a length of rope from his pocket. He came behind her, leaning in front of the fat man and binding her gloved wrists. She winced again as he pulled the rope tight, before running his fingers through her hair where it fell over her shoulders.
"Very nice," he growled, leaning in and sniffing her hair.
She twisted her head away and tensed. She noticed the gunman leering at her with hunger in his eyes. It would not come to that. They would let their guard down, and she would be ready. The moment needed to come soon, though.
"Throw her on the bed," the gunman said, gesturing with his weapon. The other men each grabbed an arm, hoisting her off her feet. She dangled between them, tugging at the bonds for a moment before remembering the gun pointed at Tanner.
"Put me down!" she hissed.
"If you say so," the fat man replied with a laugh. The men reached the foot of the bed and tossed her onto it. She landed on her back, taking the impact with her bound arms. Another wince.
From the bed, she saw Tanner's face for the first time. It was full of anger, and his eyes burned at the gunman. He turned his head and regarded her, as if puzzled by her appearance at his cabin. The gunman laughed.
"Ole' Bud here gets to see quite a show. Ever see a hot costumed bitch ridden hard by three country boys, Bud? Hell, you ever seen someone nail a piece of ass like this?"
Sapphire Angel's face flashed red with anger, along with a bit of panic, but she fought it down. She remembered the training arranged by Stanley. Slow things down. Watch for any opportunity. Seize it. She steeled her jaw in determination. There was no way these pigs would have their way with her.
"Hold her down, boys. My turn to see what's under that little white skirt," the gunman said with his country twang.
The other two men stood on either side of the bed, pinning her shoulders to the firm mattress. The gunman approached, waiving the weapon in his hand.
"Now to see if you're super in other ways, Sapphire Angel, if ya catch my drift," the man said, before holding her right calf with his free hand, and tracing the barrel of the gun up the inside of her left leg.
She studied his movements, forcing aside all emotion. He ran the gun up the inside of her leg, nodding his head, until he reached her thigh. He used the barrel of the gun to lift her skirt. As he did so, he leaned forward.
Sapphire Angel kicked up with her left leg, driving the toe of her boot under the man's chin. His eyes went blank, as if someone had turned off a switch. Like a puppet abandoned by its puppeteer, his knees buckled and he flopped to the floor.
Before the other two men could react, Sapphire Angel swung her legs back over her shoulders, connecting a foot with each of their arms. They released her shoulders and staggered back from the bed. As her legs swung back down, the momentum brought her into a sitting position. She pushed underneath her with her bound hands and catapulted off the end of the bed.
She landed at the foot of the bed, hopped over the body of the crumpled gunman, and spun around to face the remaining two men. Before she could snap the rope around her wrists, the bearded man tossed his cigarette and charged her. She glanced at the cigarette hitting the floor and turned to face her attacker. As he reached her, she did a hop and a kick, lashing out with a leg and connecting with his chest. He cried out as he flipped backward.
No sooner did her kick strike home than the obese man crashed into her. His massive body enveloped her, lifting her from her feet and sandwiching her petite frame into the wall. With her arms bound behind her, her shoulders took the brunt of the impact. Her back followed, though, slamming into the wall as she lost her breath.
The big man stepped back, and she dropped to her feet, stunned and gasping for air. As she stumbled back into the wall, the obese man reared back, swinging a mighty punch at her midsection. She tensed her stomach muscles, but let out a yelp as the blow lifted her from her feet.
He grabbed one of her shoulders and swung her toward the bed. She stumbled over the gunman, who was still down but coming to his senses. She hit the foot of the bed, whipsawing over it face first into the mattress.
Then she noticed it. The smell of smoke. The discarded cigarette had finally caught. She only had a moment to consider it before the big man was on her, grabbing her from behind. As he seized her arms and pulled her erect, she gritted her teeth. This had gone on long enough.
As he pulled her back toward his rolls of fat, she lashed behind her with her bound arms. Once, twice, and then a third time she drove her fists into his stomach. He wheezed with each blow, finally stumbling back from her. He fell backward, tripping over the man on the floor.
As flames licked the floor near the doorway, she leapt to the big man and drilled a kick to his head. He slumped to the ground as she caught movement to her right. The bearded man was stumbling to his feet by the side of the bed. She darted to him, leaping off of her feet and landing a devastating kick to his chest. He flew back and slammed into the wall, before landing on his knees and toppling onto his chest.
Her eyes darted from her adversaries, to Tanner, to the spreading flames. Tanner had somehow gotten free in the chaos and stood looking at her, frozen in place. She glanced at him and at the three fallen adversaries. They were all down and unmoving. A memory flashed in her mind of men dying in an explosion ten months earlier, when she had rescued Ethan from certain death. She hadn't been fast enough to save the criminals who had kidnapped him. Those men might have deserved their fate, but their deaths had still weighed heavily upon her.
"Get out of here!" she shouted at Tanner. He hesitated before moving to the front door.
Fire engulfed the room, and the smoke was making it hard to breathe. Sapphire Angel focused on her wrists, pulling them apart. With a grunt and a tug, she snapped the rope after a few seconds.
After her wrists came free, she hurried to the skinny man, grabbing the collar of his shirt and dragging him to the muscular man. She grabbed the collar of his shirt with her free hand, and dragged them across the floor toward the front door.
Upon reaching the door, she gritted her teeth and gave a yank at each of their collars, sending them tumbling across the front porch and down the steps. She turned and headed back into the fire.
The big man was easy to find. She grabbed his shirt with both hands and dragged him to the door. She glanced down at his shirt in her hands, seeing it strain at the seams. It held, and she got him to the door. The heroine heaved him across the porch and down the steps, like a normal person might toss a doll.
She rushed down the steps herself, looking for Bud Tanner but not spotting him. Sapphire Angel looked over to the lane near the cabin. The red pickup truck was gone. She gritted her teeth and balled her fists. He had fled once again.
As despair washed over her, she turned back to the three men on the ground. Flames were rising high into the air from the house. She looked up, studying the distance from the house to the trees. They were far enough away to be safe.
Starting with the big man, she moved the men further from the house. As she was dragging him across the grass, sirens sounded in the distance. She paused, puzzled. This place was too remote for someone to have detected the fire so soon. It had to be Tanner. He must have called 911 soon after leaving the scene.
That meant she didn't have much time. Law enforcement hadn't accepted Sapphire Angel yet, so there was no telling how they'd react if they found her here. She wouldn't be sticking around much longer.
After getting the men away from the house, she searched their pockets, hoping to find at least a cell phone. She came up empty, finding nothing on them.
The red-haired man stirred. She peered down into his eyes and he looked up at her. When their eyes met, he looked at her in awe, as if seeing her for the first time. A sixth sense kicked in for the blonde woman, and she spoke in a gentle, calm manner.
"Who sent you here?" she asked as he looked at her, captivated.
"Rockford did," he answered, speaking in a barely audible voice. It was as if any resistance melted away under her gaze.
"Rockford?"
"Wheldon's bodyguard," he said.
Sapphire Angel nodded, remembering the man from their previous fight. She started to speak again, but the sound of the approaching sirens cut her off. They were close. With a resigned sigh, she turned to the woods and trotted toward her car.
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THAT WAS AWESOME.......except I just would’ve left those men in there, TBH. Dudes deserved it.
What the heck? No, no, no, no, no, no, no! ARE THEY ABOUT TO DO WHAT THEY THINK THEY’RE GOING TO DO?
(Haven’t finished reading the chapter yet; just pulling up the comments section and writing my thoughts as they come so I don’t forget about them later)