We last read Chapter 49, in which Raven Tristan finishes her interrogation of a captive Sapphire Angel, forcing the superheroine to reveal how she gained her costume and powers. Sapphire Angel also describes her powers, and how the necklace only works for her. Over the heroine’s resistance, Tristan forces her to reveal who else knows her secret.
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!
*** Warning: Like last chapter, this chapter also contains violent content and interrogations that may be disturbing.*** I’ve struggled with how to handle such scenes in my writing, and want to be sensitive to those for whom, for understandable reasons, this could be a trigger. I’ve written previously about my thoughts as I try to figure out this issue. Admittedly, I’m still working through my feelings on this, and recognize I don’t have all the answers. Please read no further if these type of scenes could cause issues.
A bird chirped in Ethan's ear. He sat in a rowboat at his parents' lake house, and the damn bird wouldn't leave him alone. It would chirp, get shoed away by a wave of his arm, and return a few minutes later to chirp again. He tried to focus on the creature, but couldn't see it because his eyes were closed.
He forced his eyes open, only to look up at the ceiling fan in his apartment bedroom. Ethan gave his head a slight shake to get his bearings, and heard another chirp. He had to concentrate. The sound wasn't a bird. It was his phone, alerting him to a new message. Feeling around in the dark, he turned on his nightstand lamp and grabbed for the device. Still laying in bed, he brought the phone to his face, squinting at the bright screen and spotting a text message on his screen. It was from Beth. Before going to bed, he had set her messages to bypass his Do Not Disturb settings, and to nag him until he cleared the notification.
He glanced up at the clock on the corner of the screen. It was 2 a.m. He flew upright, a jolt of worry bringing him to an alert status. But then he remembered his request for her to call him when she finished for the night, no matter how late. She had probably chosen to text instead. He breathed easier and opened the message.
Ethan's heart went cold. The text jumped out at him, as if screaming at him.
"Your friend Beth needs a hand right now. Here is her location. I'll leave the gate open." A shared map appeared on the screen below the message.
This was not good. The message was written in the third person, and the map showed the location of Sapphire Angel's garage, which Beth had revealed to him just hours ago. That was enough for Ethan. He threw back the covers and leapt out of bed. He took less than a minute to get dressed and rush from his apartment, calling Beth's phone as he hurried down the hall. His calls went straight to her voicemail. After what seemed like an eternity on the elevator, he was in the underground garage and in his car.
He raced toward the destination on the map, calling Beth twice more with no luck. At this hour, the roads were empty. Even though the drive only took a few minutes, it felt much longer. His mind stewed with questions. Why would someone else be texting from Beth's phone? Had she shared the location of the garage with another friend? But why would anyone send such a cryptic message to Ethan? One possibility put him on guard — one of Sapphire Angel's enemies could have sent the message and still be at the garage.
Ethan paused when his car approached a row of hedges along the road. Beth had described the hidden entrance to him, so he scanned the wall of vegetation until he spotted it. The gate, disguised as one of the hedges, was propped open by a stake in the ground. He felt a lump in his throat as he rolled past the gate, before jumping out of his car to pull the stake out of the ground. The gate swung closed, and he rushed back to his car.
Before getting in, he paused again. Should he call the police or get other reinforcements? He dismissed the thought. Why would one of Sapphire Angel's enemies have any interest in him? And if he brought other people here, he would reveal Sapphire Angel's hiding spot, just a few hours after she had entrusted her secret to him. With a growl of frustration, he hopped back into the car and continued down the lane.
Less than a minute later the garage came into view, with the nearest door raised, providing a view into the interior. He wrinkled his brown in puzzlement, but edged his car closer. As he approached, Sapphire Angel's fantastic car came into view, facing him from inside the garage, a few feet from the entrance.
Then he saw her, and a lump formed in his throat and a roiling pit of dread churned his stomach. Sapphire Angel — Beth — was displayed like a trophy. Light from his headlights revealed the chains on her wrists and ankles, securing her, spread eagle, to the hood of the vehicle, with her upper torso and head on the windshield. The light glistened off of her costume and hair, and accentuated the curves of her breasts. She looked like a fallen angel — bound, defeated and helpless. It was a jarring sight.
This image would be branded on his brain forever, he knew, for at that moment he didn't know if his best friend was alive or dead. The thought locked him into place. If he moved, it might bring him closer to discovering a terrible reality. But as he sat, staring and unable to look away, her legs moved. They didn't move much, secured by the chains. It was more of a twitch or flex. But they moved.
He threw his car out of gear, flung open the door, and leapt out. He hated himself for thinking it, but as he rushed forward toward her, he thought she looked both helpless and beautiful. She exuded an unfathomable vulnerability, contrasted with her legendary might. Sapphire Angel had always radiated an aura, like a goddess, both in his one encounter with her, and in all the photographs and videos he had found. That aura was still present, almost as if she were commanding the sparse light of the barn to focus on her. But now it was a broken aura, with the light only highlighting her helplessness.
He sprinted the distance to the car, noticing her hair fanned out around her head. He considered again that he might be rushing into danger. If they had done this to her, he stood no chance. They could crush him like a bug. But he discarded the thought as he darted forward. She needed his help.
As he got closer, he looked closer at his shackled friend. Her necklace was still in place around her neck, which meant someone had taken her down when she had been at full power. Beth's mouth was open and her lips were parted, as if trying to suck in a lost word or sentence. Her costume clung to her, in the same way her body seemed to cling to the hood of the car. The costume hugged her stomach and chest with each breath.
He came up near her, his mind full of colliding thoughts. Who had done this to her? How had they ever gotten the better of her? How had they found her garage? Why had they left her this way? And why had they contacted him?
"Beth!" he called as he came up next to her. Her head turned, drifting toward him. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn't seem to recognize him.
When he touched her cheek she recoiled, as if expecting pain. Ethan grimaced and turned to her nearest wrist, searching the cuff on it for a release mechanism. He saw a keyhole.
"Damnit," he muttered, but then saw it. On Sapphire Angel's chest, balanced on the fabric stretched between her breasts, sat a key, rising and falling with each breath. Somehow he had missed it, and somehow it hadn't fallen off of her. He was glad to see it, but the key raised more questions. Someone clearly intended for Sapphire Angel to be rescued, but why? Had the key been left there to taunt her? Beth had seen the means of her salvation, but could do nothing about it.
Ethan reached for it, careful not to touch her breasts. He scooped it up and fumbled with each cuff. He started with her wrists before moving to her ankles.
"Kim?" she murmured, using her sister's name as Ethan did his work. She didn't even recognize him in her current state. She slurred her words, as if she was drunk or high. He shook his head hard, as if doing so would wake him from a nasty dream. But this was real. Beth, as Sapphire Angel, lay before him, a shell of the woman the public idolized.
Within a couple minutes, she was free of her bonds. As he released the last one, she slid a few inches down the hood, her short skirt riding up her waist, as her sleek costume provided no friction against the smooth finish of the car. When her body stopped, she lay spread eagle on the hood of the car, her arms and legs cocked at odd angles and twitching every few seconds. Her breath was forced, and she emitted soft groans. Ethan stood at the side of the car and leaned over her. He slid one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees.
He pulled her to him. Before he could lift her, she mumbled, "Is dad home yet?" He creased his brow in worry. She was really messed up. He scanned her body, noticing red marks on the normally perfect skin of her arms, but no other obvious signs of harm.
He scooped her up, lifting her in a cradle carry. Her head angled back and her blond hair swung back and forth. It didn't look comfortable. He lifted her higher and cocked his arm, trying to rest her head in the crook of his elbow. As her soft blond hair touched his arm, he was distracted by her beauty. Even now she was breathtaking. Her eyes opened, barely, and a smile crossed her face.
"You've always been my true love," she said.
Ethan froze. He had never allowed himself to view her that way, pushing any hint of such thoughts far, far away. John had been his best friend, and she had lost him. No matter how perfect she was, inside and out, she needed a friend more than anything. He couldn't risk having feelings for her. He couldn't risk even thinking about having feelings for her. She spoke again.
"John, love, I can't wait for our wedding."
Ethan sighed, not sure if he felt relief or disappointment. She was delusional and didn't even recognize him. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though, so he forced his thoughts back to the problem at hand. Any doctor would want an explanation for her current condition, even if Ethan changed her out of her costume and into normal attire. He couldn't tell the doctors she was Sapphire Angel, and regardless of what story he gave them, they would call the police to investigate.
What to do?
He gave a grim smile. Stanley. Stanley would know what to do. Ethan needed to get her in the car and head north toward the city. He would call Stanley on the way.
Ethan carried the broken superheroine back to his car, laying her across the back seat. He retrieved an old blanket from his trunk and spread it over her, before climbing into the driver's seat. Moments later, Ethan Moore, an ordinary man living an ordinary life, started the car and drove off into the night, carrying his precious cargo.
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!
I appreciate any comments or email.
Woohoo! Ethan to the rescue! And it looks like Stanley will be getting in on this, too! Sapphire Angel’s always helped and assisted them for so long, so it’s only fitting they’d get to return the favor sooner or later!