Chapter Twelve
“The CIA goons have been dealt with, and Dante is changing into his costume,” Dad announced in my ear.
The knot in my stomach eased. “Good to know. There are eight CIA thugs in the parking lot. All are heavily armed. I gave Hank a heads up and he’ll be waiting for us at the check-in desk.”
“Copy that. Any news from your mother?”
“She landed at the Refuge and Dante’s family is safe.”
“Copy that. On our way down.”
“Ten four.” I slid on my oversized sunglasses.
Julie strutted next to me. “I look fabulous.”
“Yes, you do.” I thought Lucas was going to swallow his tongue when he saw her. I had to admit between her curly black wig; red polka dot vintage cocktail dress and her black stilettos she made a damn fine Betty Boop.
One of the CIA thugs headed our way.
I sashayed over to him. “Hello handsome.” I ran a long red fingernail down his chest. “Are you coming to the party?”
“What party?” His gaze roamed over my platinum blonde wig, cherry red lips, and fixed on my cleavage.
I pouted. “We come every other Saturday to cheer up the sick kids and the other patients. Are you feeling ill?”
“Who is she supposed to be?” The thug pointed to Julie.
“Why, she is Betty Boop and he’s Batman.”
The thug took a nervous step backward when Lucas appeared. “I’m going to call this in. You’re not supposed to be…”
Lucas dropped him with one punch.
I disarmed him while Julie injected the thug with a sedative.
Lucas shoved him behind a bush. “Let’s get inside before we attract more attention.”
“Relax.” I dumped the weapons in the trash can. “Hank disabled the cameras again.”
A little girl in a red sundress cried, “Are you Batman?”
“I am.” Lucas dropped down on one knee. “Where is your momma?”
She scowled. “Inside. Was that a bad man you stuffed behind the bushes?”
“He is.” Lucas put a gloved finger to his lips. “Sssh, it’s a secret.”
The little girl giggled.
I held out my hand. “It’s awfully hot out here and I’m sure your mom is really worried.”
“No wanna go in there.” The little girl wrapped her arms around Lucas’s legs. “Don’t make me go! They stick me with needles. Please, I don’t wanna go.”
Lucas picked her up. “Hey, it’s okay. What’s your name?”
“Lizzie.” Tears ran down her face.
Lucas carried her inside the lobby. “Let’s go find your momma and I’ll buy you some ice cream. Okay?”
“Okay.” She laid her head on Lucas’s chest.
“Lizzie!” A frantic woman ran over to us. “Where have you been?”
Julie took the mother’s hand. “It’s okay. She’s fine. Batman is going to get Lizzie some ice cream and I’m sure he’ll buy you some too.”
The mother stared at Lucas in disbelief. “You’re so big and muscly.”
Julie whispered in her ear. “He’s not really Batman.”
“I don’t really care,” the woman whispered back.
Lucas held out his left arm. “Join us?”
The woman took it happily and off they went.
“He’s going to be a great father,” Julie said.
“Yes, he is.” I walked over to the check-in desk where Hank waited. The awestruck expression on his face was funny as hell. He had never seen us dolled up before.
Hank swallowed hard. “You two clean up real nice.”
“Why thank you,” Julie simpered.
“Your menfolk are on their way down,” Hank advised.
I nodded as one of the CIA thugs stared at us. “Are we set up in the cafeteria again?”
“You are.”
Julie blew out a breath of relief as Zorro and the Mandalorian joined us. “You two make awesome superheroes.”
Dante bowed elegantly. “Thank you, my lady.”
“Could you make me some armor, sir?” Julie asked.
Dad fingered his laser pistol and in a rumbly voice asked, “Is the Force with you?”
“It is,” Julie replied, trying not to laugh.
I grinned. Few people realized Dad’s laser pistol and rifle shot real bullets.
“Let’s get the party started,” Hank interrupted. “We are attracting the wrong kind of attention.”
We started for the cafeteria.
“Wait!” The CIA thug yelled and ran after us.
A red-headed nurse tripped him.
The thug did a face plant on the floor and before he could get up, the nurse planted a knee in his back, pulled a syringe from her pocket, and injected him.
The thug’s struggles slowed, then stopped.
“You’ve got be Dorothy.” I held out my hand.
The nurse took it. “I am and you must be Gemma.”
“That’s me.” I pulled her to her feet.
Dorothy smiled. “Take care of Zorro. He’s special.”
“I know.”
Doc Halliday joined us. “What happened here?”
“He tripped and fell,” Dorothy answered blandly.
Doc Halliday eyed us. “That happens a lot around here.” He motioned to an orderly. “Get me a gurney.”
“Yes, sir.” He hurried off.
The Doc studied Dad’s armor. “Did you make the armor yourself?”
The Mandalorian nodded.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. When Dad was in costume, he acted like the character would. It drove Mom nuts, but, hey, he enjoyed it.
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring the cat,” Doc Halliday commented.
“It wasn’t necessary, sir,” I replied.
Doc Halliday smiled. “With all these superheroes, I guess not. Try to keep the mayhem down.”
“We will,” Julie promised.
Dad warned, “Don’t make promises we can’t keep, Julie.”
“Yes, sir.”
A gray-haired elderly woman zoomed up in a motorized wheelchair. She was wearing a blue mumu, men’s tennis shoes and a face mask. “Let’s get this done. Grimes and his agents are heading our way.”
I eyed her hairy arms. “Grandpa?”
In his perfect old lady’s voice, he replied, “It’s Miss Maize to you.”
I rolled my eyes and headed for the cafeteria. As soon as we walked in, the kids went wild.
Grandpa parked his wheelchair by the door and kept watch.
Each of the guys spent time with the children, answering all their questions, showing them their weapons and taking selfies. The teenagers, older patients and doctors wanted pictures with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop.
I moved a kid’s hand off my ass. “No touching.”
“You’re so pretty and so tall,” he gushed.
I patted his cheek. “You’re sweet, but if you touch me again, I’ll break your fingers.”
“You wouldn’t.”
Julie patted his other cheek. “Yeah, she would.”
Seven thugs with guns drawn stormed into the cafeteria and yelled, “Hands up!”
The kids gasped in surprise, raised their hands and started giggling.
Batman hurled his batarangs in quick succession, dropping two CIA thugs.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Zorro’s whip lashed out, disarming three more thugs.
Grandpa leaped out of his wheelchair and kicked the crap out of the last two.
The Mandalorian kicked their weapons away and drew his laser pistol. “The Force isn’t with you, and I suggest you don’t move a muscle.”
The kids hooted and hollered, while the older patients clapped loudly.
Whew. They thought the attack was part of the act.
A thug wearing funky blonde dreadlocks sneered, “That laser pistol isn’t real.”
“But my gun is sugar.” I jammed my Glock against the base of his skull.
He raised his hands, and the other thugs quickly followed suit.
Agent Grimes rushed into the room and stumbled to a stop. His astonished gaze fixed on our costumes. “You never stop surprising me.”
“Did you think we would let them take Dante?” I snarled.
“No, I didn’t.” Grimes gestured at Dad’s armor. “But I wasn’t expecting superheroes riding to the rescue.”
Six FBI agents swarmed into the cafeteria and took the prisoners into custody.
Sliding the Glock into my thigh holster, I called, “Who wants cake and ice cream?”
“Me! Me! Me!” the children shouted.
Three hospital workers wheeled a big pink cake over to the table. Each kid got a slice of cake and a scoop of ice cream. We took more selfies with the excited kids.
Dante slid an arm around my waist. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Not today.” I smiled suggestively. “Why don’t we find a janitor’s closet and you can show me.”
Dad grabbed my arm and dragged me away from Dante. “No sex until Roberts is dead.”
“What! That could be months, years,” I protested.
“It’s called incentive.”
Julie ran a hand across Lucas’s chest. “You’re so big and muscly.”
“Knock it off, runt.”
Dad seized her hand and pulled her away from Lucas. “That goes for you too.”
“What? I don’t want to have sex with him,” Julie protested.
I made a kissy face at Lucas.
He gave me the one-fingered salute.
“Superheroes don’t use crude hand gestures,” Grandpa scolded.
Dad added, “Sergeant Bergman wants you to call him about your shift tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I exchanged a worried glance with Julie. Was he putting us on the dreaded dead animal pickup?