The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) (39 page)

A jolt of adrenaline hits me in the instant before the bracelet kicks on and kills us both. Ice water floods my veins. And I think, this is it, I’m going to die. I’m not getting out of here, I’m not going to get the chance to warn my friends or to stop Grandpa. Everything ends now, and I didn’t even get to say good-bye to Kat, and—

And nothing happens.

Okay, not nothing. The bracelet makes a
zzzzt
noise and stops my power from working, just like Sarah intended it to.

I take a deep breath, still not completely convinced I’m not dead. Maybe this is what being dead feels like.

Except that it feels an awful lot like being chained to a radiator in my grandparents’ living room, so probably not.

Xavier wrinkles his eyebrows at me, like he thinks I’m acting crazy.

Grandpa was wrong about the bracelet. Or he lied about it.

Maybe the guys at the retirement home didn’t betray Sarah. Maybe they actually did what they said they were going to do and fixed it. So either they lied to Grandpa, which doesn’t seem likely—they didn’t have to donate the bracelet, after all—or he lied to me. Which wouldn’t be the first time.

Maybe he thought I could create a big enough burst of power in that split second before the bracelet kicked in to actually get away.
He
probably could, though I’m pretty sure that’s still way beyond my level. Or maybe he just wanted to scare me that much, to keep me too worried about burning the house down to think of a way to escape.

Whatever his reasoning, it’s a relief that he didn’t leave me here to accidentally get myself killed. Even if it doesn’t make up for everything else he’s doing tonight.

“Well?” Xavier asks. “Are you sorry yet?”

“Yeah.” Sorry he was ever born. “And as far as I’m concerned, we’re even.” I might have been mean to him before, when Mom was the one I should have been mad at, but he didn’t have to say all that stuff about her loving him more and never giving him up. He didn’t have to rub it in, and he really didn’t have to look so happy when he did it. “So take this bracelet off me
right now
, and then stand the hell back.”

“C
an’t this thing go any faster?!” I ask Kat. We’re in her car, racing to the gala. Only
racing
isn’t really the right word when we’re barely going the speed limit.

“This
thing
has a name.” Kat pats the top of her dashboard. “And no, Ol’ Bluebell here is already at top speed.”

“Slow down!” Xavier screeches from the back seat. Because, unfortunately, we couldn’t just leave him alone at the house. I mean, we
could have
, but I don’t trust that he wouldn’t burn the place down just for spite. Or trash my stuff or pee in my bed. “You’re going to make me throw up!”

Kat glares at him in the rearview mirror. “If you throw up in here, you’re
dead
.”

I fidget with Sarah’s alert bracelet, which is in my sweatshirt pocket—I didn’t exactly want to leave it out of my sight after getting attacked with it earlier—and check the time on my phone, which I snagged from Grandpa’s office after I used my lightning to bust free. “It’s almost seven.” Everyone must already be at the gala, because they all have their phones turned off. I know because I’ve tried calling them all a million times. Amelia’s was the only one that went through, but she didn’t answer, and when I tried to call back, it went straight to voicemail. So I guess she’s not over the whole me running away from home thing.

At least Kat answered when I called her. And was home from Vilmore this weekend.

“We’ll make it,” Kat says. “We’re almost there. We’ll have plenty of time.”

I nod, even though I’m not sure that’s true. I have to get into the gala, find my friends, and somehow evacuate the entire building, all before seven thirty. And hope nobody recognizes me and hands me over to the League.

“When we get to the hotel, just drop me off at the front entrance.”

“What?
No
.” She glances over at me, then back at the road. “You’re not going in alone.”

Xavier kicks my seat. “You can’t leave me here! You have to
watch
me!”

“I wish I could just murder him and get it over with,” I tell her, ignoring Xavier’s screech of protest as I say that. “But we can’t leave him in the car alone.”

“You think I want to be stuck in here with him? You can’t do that to me. And you can’t go into that gala on your own. How are you even going to get in? And don’t say you have a ticket, because we both know that’s not going to work. Plus, it’s black tie, right? You’re wearing jeans and a sweatshirt.”

“I...” Fine, so maybe I haven’t thought this through. “I’ll think of something. But pretty much everyone I care about is going to be in danger. I don’t need to add you to that list. Because it’s bad enough all my friends might get killed tonight, but if something happened to you, too... I couldn’t handle that.”

Kat slams on her brakes as the light in front of us turns red.

“You’re not being gentle!” Xavier screams.

We both ignore him.

“Damien,” Kat says, “you don’t even know how you’ll get in. You might get captured by the League before you get a chance to warn everybody. You need me. And I couldn’t handle losing you, either, so don’t even try to tell me to
wait in the car
while you go get yourself killed!”

“And what are we supposed to do with him?” I jerk my head toward the backseat. “Bring him with us?” Having to drag Xavier along on a rescue mission, one where I’m trying not to draw attention to myself, sounds like the worst idea ever.

Kat sighs. “I guess we have to.”

“And how are we supposed to get in?”

“Leave that to me,” she says. “I think I know what to do.”

K
AT TRIES TO PARK illegally, so we can be as close to the gala as possible, but there are so many people here, even the illegal spots are taken. We end up having to park in a nearby parking garage, which is still pretty close, but it costs twenty bucks, and Kat seems a little disappointed that she didn’t get to park in some badass way, like in the movies.

But still. We ditch the car and make a run for it. It’s 7:03 by the time we get there. Twenty-seven minutes to stop Grandpa and save everyone I know.

Even though the ceremony started at seven, there are still people milling around outside the entrance. Some of them are obviously reporters, though some of them are guests who just showed up late. I pull the hood of my sweatshirt up as we approach, because I really don’t need someone from the press recognizing me and telling the whole world I’m here. Not before I get inside and warn everybody, anyway. Thankfully, it’s pretty dark out, and none of the people just getting here seem to be celebrities, so no one’s paying too much attention.

No one except the two guys standing in front of the door, checking tickets, or the security guys wandering around outside, keeping an eye on the crowd. They’re all wearing official badges from the League, even if they’re not in costume. I’ve never been to one of these things, and it might just be because I’m trying to sneak in, but it seems like a lot of security.

“Be ready,” Kat whispers. “I’m going to cause a distraction. You go in while no one’s looking. I’ll meet you inside.”

“A distraction? That’s your plan?”

“Yep. And don’t give me that look—this is going to work.” She grabs Xavier’s hand, trying not to make a disgusted face, but totally failing.

I raise my eyebrows at her in a silent question.

She mouths,
Play along
. Then, out loud, to Xavier, “Your mom’s in there. We’re going to go surprise her.”

He squints at her, not quite buying it. “Mommy’s on a date, being newlyweds.”

“Right. But this is where she’s on her date.”

“I thought we were going to the Heroes’ Gala.” He glances up at me for confirmation.

“Don’t look at me. I can’t keep up with Mom’s plans. All I know is that she, uh, texted me to say she’d be here, and she really wants—er, needs—to see you.”

Xavier frowns, thinking about that, and Kat motions for me to keep talking.

“Because... she thought she could go a few hours without seeing her special”—I practically choke on the words—“angel miracle, but she was wrong. And she wants to set the record straight about our—
your
—birthdays.”

He takes that in, then slowly nods, like that makes sense. He also gets that smug grin on his face again. “She’s going to tell you you’re wrong
and
a liar.”

“And probably that she likes you more.”

“She
loves
me more, because I’m her special little bestest boy in the whole wide world.”

Ughhhh. “Yeah, and I don’t really want to be there for that. So Kat’s taking you inside to see her.”

He perks up, actually buying it now. “Okay, let’s go.”

Kat exchanges a look with me. She shapeshifts her thumb, and it shimmers a little as her
V
changes to an
H
. “Here goes.”

“Let’s go
now
!” Xavier tugs on her hand and stomps his foot.

People are already starting to glance over at us, so maybe this really
is
going to work.

Kat takes Xavier up to the entrance, where the two ticket-takers are.

“Hi. Excuse me,” she says.

“Tickets, please.” The one on the right holds out a hand. He frowns when he sees that she’s not dressed up.

“I don’t have—”

“I’m sorry. If you don’t have tickets, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” He doesn’t sound that sorry about it.

“I’m babysitting this little guy”—she pulls Xavier forward a step—“and he really,
really
needs to see his mom. So—”

The ticket-taker holds up a hand, as if Kat is really stupid and needs visual cues that he doesn’t want her coming in. “The best I can do is have someone give her a message.”

“I want my mommy!” Xavier screeches.

Both ticket-takers wince at his nails-on-the-chalkboard voice.

“You see,” Kat says, “it’s just really important that we get in and see her real quick.”

“I can’t let you in. If you’ll give me her name and—”

“Do you hear that?” Kat asks Xavier. “This guy doesn’t want you to see your mom. He doesn’t want her to get to tell you how much she loves you.”

“Wh-what?!” Xavier’s face is already turning red.

“He thinks your mom should be able to go hours and hours without seeing you, like she could just
forget
about you.”

“That’s not true!” Xavier glares at the ticket-taker and screams, “You’re
lying
!”

The ticket-taker looks bewildered. “I didn’t say any of that!” He has to raise his voice to be heard above Xavier’s wailing. “Now, if you’ll just step to the side, we can—”

“
No!
” Xavier screeches. “You have to let me see my mommy!” His face is almost as red as his hair now, and he takes big, gasping breaths as tears slide down his cheeks.

Kat sighs. “Come on.” She tries to drag him away from the door. “You heard him. We have to go. Your mom’s just going to have to be heartbroken that she didn’t get to see you.”

“You can’t do that!” It’s unclear who Xavier’s yelling at at this point—Kat for trying to drag him away, or the ticket-taker for not letting them in—but he’s so loud, and his voice so ear-splitting, that
everyone
turns to stare at him. Even all the security guys from the League. He tries to shout something else, but he’s crying too hard now, and his words aren’t exactly intelligible.

Especially when he drops to the ground in full-on tantrum mode and starts kicking and flailing and screaming bloody murder.

The guys in front of the door actually kneel down—I think because they’re worried he’s having a seizure or something—and someone in the crowd asks if they should call 911.

“You see?!” Kat shouts. “This is what I’ve had to put up with all night!”

With everyone’s attention turned to Xavier, this is totally my chance. I pretend like I’m part of the crowd of freaked-out bystanders, then slip past the ticket-takers when nobody’s looking.

E
veryone at this thing is dressed way fancier than me, especially since, as Kat pointed out, I’m wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. With the hood pulled up, no less. Everyone else is in tuxes and fancy dresses, and they keep glancing at me as I walk by, like they can tell I’m not supposed to be here, even if they don’t know who I am.