The Last Superhero (29 page)

“
Oh
God, no.”

“
They're
saying that man you were with is Salvatore Jr.” He watches me
nod. “Did your mother know?”

“
She
recognized him.”

“
She
was always a fan of his.”

“
This
is all my fault.” There they are, the tears, again. “I
shouldn't have...” What? Encouraged him? Can I say that to my
father without it sounding too bad?

“
Baby.”
A whisper, a hand on mine. A chortle that comes unannounced. “So
much like your mother.”

Drop my head back on the
pillow.

“
Dad.”
Make sure to lock sights. “I love him. I do.”

He pats my hand, sighs. “Did
he lie to you about who he was?”

“
He
couldn't even if he tried. First time we met, he saved me from
getting mugged.” Dad looks away. “Dad, please.”

“
They
are saying he murdered a thief.”

“
He
didn't!” Get a scowl for shouting. Lower your voice. “The
guy was going to stab me and he pushed him against a wall with his
power, a thing he hadn't done in a long time. And, goddammit, Dad, he
was so affected by what he'd done. He didn't mean to hurt him.”

“
But
he did.”

Grrrrrrrrrr.

“
He's
not a murderer.”

“
You
should've seen yourself when you got here, Giana. You were vomiting
blood.” Now he's the one raising his voice, his whole body
tensing. “Your chest is bruised as if a large weight had been
dropped on you. They've had to drain an officer's lungs that were
filled with water that no one knows where it came from.” Pause
for a breath. “You're my daughter. You're all I have in this
world and as your father I'm here to beg you not to pursue that man
again.”

…

Tears.

He's prone to grinding his
teeth. Always has been.

This is the last thing I
need right now.

“
I
know how your mother thinks of him. I know she used to tell you
stories about how good a person he was, how much she defended him
since she always thought he was still alive. I didn't know him apart
from what I'd heard and saw in the news and even when he doesn't
strike me as the violent kind, there's so much evidence against
that.”

Papa, please, don't
preach...

“
It's
not him, Dad. It's his nightmares. He'd never hurt anyone, much less
me.”

If you could only see how
good he's been treating me...

“
It's
a risk I'm not taking, Giana. I can't.”

“
Do
you know where they took him? Do you know what they'll do to him?”

“
I
have no idea and I forbid you seek him.” Stern. Protective
tones. “You are not to poke around or have any kind of contact
with that man. Ever again.” Stands. “Your mother's awake
and this time holding much better. You are to be discharged tomorrow.
I'll be here to take you to your place for a while and then we'll go
see her. For now, you are to rest. Mari Paz will stay with you during
the night.”

“
Dad...”

“
You
heard me.”

He storms out of the room
before showing any sign of breaking down.

Leaving me to do just that.
Press my face against the pillow and pull the sheet over my head and
weep silently until I fall asleep.

Wake up to a gentle touch
and it's Mari Paz making sure I'm tucked in.

Don't feel like talking so I
pretend I'm still sleeping.

Wake again to that
non-darkness of hospitals where there's always a light on to bother
your sleepy eyes.

Mari Paz's snoozing in a
chair and it's not fair. Dad shouldn't burden her with Mom and me.

She's nice. She's willing.
And maybe I'm being nasty, but she's got her own things to deal with.

Don't make a sound and try
and make it to the nearest bathroom without alerting anyone and find
Ross talking to a nurse in the corridor. Scurry into the restroom as
swiftly as the stupid pole thingy with the IVs lets me.

Come out of there relieved
for having peed but not for long since Ross is waiting for me
outside.

“
How
are you feeling?”

“
Like
shit. You?”

He makes a face. “Your
father spoke to me.”

“
Oh,
great. What am I? Eleven? You gonna ground me too?”

“
When
are you getting discharged?”

“
Dad
said tomorrow. What are you here for?”

“
Bleeding
ear. Still trying to walk straight.” Looks both ways as if he
were to cross a street, pushes me into a nearby storage room, taking
charge of the IV pole for me, and shuts the door. “We'll talk
about what happened after your father calms down. The officer that
shot the dart has taken quite a reprimand for his behavior.”

Am I hearing right? “You
knew, didn't you? You knew about the nightmares.”

Nods. Breathes heavy. “We
had an idea and were ready to deal with the fantasies if need be.
Only me, Agent Suárez and Agent Powell.”

“
The
soldier and the ninja.”

Nods some more. “I
wasn't expecting the werewolf.”

Grin. At least he didn't
call her a dog. “Daphne.”

“
Very
brave of your friend to be able to do that.”

So many questions floating
around, clinging to the cold, sterile air surrounding us.

“
We've
done some research about the fantasies on our own, but she didn't
know about the nightmares. I guess her instincts kicked in the moment
she realized it wasn't real.”

“
I'll
arrange a meeting with the other two agents. In the meantime, there's
nothing I can do concerning Steven. I'm sorry.”

He gives me a friendly pat
on the shoulder. I step back into the corridor and find Mari Paz
searching for her strayed stepdaughter. Dismiss Ross, head back to my
bed, try to give it a rest.

30

It's hard to wake up and
have so many things come back to you in an instant.

A thousand slaps in the
face, blows to the chest. I feel like a boxer after a grueling fight.

And I can't even start to
imagine how Steven's having it.

But I can't start crying
again because Dad's here to take me home and he's got that frown on
his face that says the topic has been discarded and mustn't be
brought up again.

So I shut my mouth and wait
until I'm told I can go and Mari Paz puts her arm around me and we
haven't made it to the hospital's entrance when Ross is rushing
towards us and telling us to use another exit.

Glance out the glass doors
and there's press. Everywhere.

“
What
the fuck?” I ask Ross as his hand on my back pushes me forward.

Dad and Mari Paz are too
scared to react.

“
They've
been trying to get to you all this time. I thought you'd be out a
little later.”

We're walking fast, almost
running, through hallways and doors. A heavy metal one is opened for
us by Ross and we step out into a back parking lot. Police officers
are there, keeping a smaller group of reporters at bay as we're led
to a black SUV and pushed into the tint-windowed and leather-seated
machine.

“
I
have a car,” Dad protests as we sink into the backseat.

“
Sorry,
Mr. Armstrong. You'll be able to retrieve it later. There's too much
media right now trying to get to your daughter.” Ross buckles
up in the passenger seat while another agent drives us away. “Agent
Suárez,” he says and the driver raises a hand to say hi
to us.

I'm looking out the window
as we make our way around the building and can't believe my eyes.
People chasing us, trying to get to the car. It's moving, you idiots,
get out of the way. Also, why? It's not me they want. It shouldn't be
me they want.

“
Why
are the police escorting us out?” Dad's pushing himself forward
to see Ross and Suárez's faces.

“
We're
not police, Mr. Armstrong.” Ross pauses, then continues. “We're
members of a small secret counter-terrorism unit that works under the
direct orders of the Secretary of Defense.”

That takes my mind off the
press frenzy and into the conversation.

“
Counter-terrorism?
I've already told you he's not a terrorist!”

Ross's stare is more
understanding than Dad's.

“
We
don't have a superhero specialized unit anymore since they are all
supposed to be dead.”

Touché.

“
How
many people knew he was alive?” I ask.

“
Ten?
Eleven. Tops,” he replies.

“
Where
did they take him?”

“
I
can't tell you that.”

“
I
need to know. I need to see him.”

Ross averts his eyes. Dad
stiffens. Mari Paz squeezes my hand.

“
They've
taken him to a secret facility.”

“
Somewhere
akin to Guantanamo?”

Ross leans back on his seat.

“
You
have to understand this isn't something we were prepared to deal
with. He signed a contract, he knew the rules and swore to abide by
them, or else.”

“
Or
else, what?”

Suárez stops at a red
light.

Ross doesn't answer.

“
Or
else, WHAT? What will they do to him?”

Dad's arm pushes me back
because I'm about to jump on Ross and, with my luck, I'll probably
just hit my head against the dashboard.

“
We
really don't know,” he says in a voice so low that it only
manages to make a surge of rage run through my body. “They will
probably try and restart the genetic experiments they wanted to do.”

“
Genetic
experiments?!” Exasperation makes me glance out the windows and
see we're heading somewhere I don't know. “Where the fuck are
you taking us?”

“
We've
set up a hotel room for you since we don't want people knowing where
you live. A temporary thing until the dust settles.”

“
I
need to talk to Wyatt,” I say and Ross turns to me, a
questioning look on his face, “my psychiatrist.”

Not exactly mine, of course,
but if I say he is then maybe it'll be easier for him to understand.

“
Give
me his information and I'll get him for you.”

Nod to that. Let the
conversation die a little until we're entering an underground parking
lot inside a hotel.

“
What
about Daphne?”

That's when I notice we've
parked next to an SUV similar to the one we arrived in.

“
She's
waiting for you, along with Agent Powell.”

I
guess Dad and Mari Paz are along for the ride as we cross the lobby
and step into the elevator that goes
ding
when we get in,
ding
when we get out. Trudge down a long corridor. Dark rug, dark doors,
dark cloud hovering above.

Because it's starting to
sink in.