Where There's Fire (Panopolis Book 2) by Cari Z. Read Free Book Online

with a GI tract that was impervious to flame. After that accident she started lighting high temperature fires in her stomach and breathing flames for hours to please the crowds, which led to a sponsorship from several companies that made lighter fluid, as well as one that built fake fireplaces. They constructed specialized masks for her Hero persona that channeled the flames from her mouth down tubes into more focused handheld weapons—today’s was a sword.
    That didn’t excuse her just busting in with her flame weapon willy-nilly, though. “There’s a civilian in here!” I shouted. “Be careful where you’re sticking your sword!”
    “You’re the one who’s endangered Mr. Bries,” Firebolt replied, her voice rather metallic through the speakers in her mask. “I’m the one who’s going to save him.” Another triangular hole punched through the vault door, and I groaned internally. Not that I wanted to make her job any easier, but if she’d started on the hinges she might already be through. Chopping through the middle of the door was about the least efficient way to get inside.
    “Not if you set him on fire first.”
    “What?” No amount of soothing emotion could keep Larry calm at this point, and to be honest I was tired of trying. I sighed and let go of his hand. Larry’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped open as he stared at me.
    “Yeah. It’s fucked up.”
    “Oh my god, Edward, WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE—”
    “Never fear, Mr. Bries!” Firebolt called through the door. “I’ll have you out of the hands of that vile . . . Edward Dinges . . . oh, that doesn’t work at all. Hey, what’s your Villain name?”
    “I don’t have one yet.”
    “How about Doctor Incompetent?” Larry snapped, his eyes wild. “How about He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Because-He-Is-An-Idiot? How about Mr. I-Can’t-Believe-You-Spilled-Coffee-All-Over-My-Shirt?”
    “Really?” I mean, he had good reason to be upset, but . . . “That’s the kicker for you, the fact I got coffee on your shirt?”
    “It was a gift from my wife!”
    “I’ll apologize to Evelyn later.”
    “You’ll do no such thing, you Villain! My god, I can barely comprehend it, why would you . . . Edward, of all the people I’ve ever worked with, I thought you possessed better sense than this.” Larry’s eyebrows drew up his forehead like a pair of caterpillars trying to escape. “Why would you rob your own bank? How could you do this? You’ve ruined your life, and for what?”
    “I never intended to end up like this.” Just because I didn’t regret it didn’t make that untrue. “And I wasn’t the one who started with the ruining, trust me.”
    “You deserved everything you got, you traitor!” Firebolt shouted. Another, bigger hole started to burn between the other two. She didn’t say anything else, and must have been saving her breath for the burn, because this hole got big fast—big enough that after a minute or so Firebolt could stick her entire fist, complete with sword attachment, through the door. “Ha! Surrender, or I’ll bathe this room in flame!”
    “You can’t do that, I’m in here!” Larry wailed. Fuck, I felt so bad for him. Where was Raul? Hadn’t it been five minutes yet?
    Just then a shudder passed through the floor of the vault. Not a big one, but it heralded things to come. I smiled. I needed to stall just a little longer for Raul—no way could I handle Firebolt on my own. She had no bare skin to touch; it was only her insides that were impervious, her outsides were covered by a thick asbestos suit that made her look like a walking orange marshmallow.
    “I would surrender, I totally would, but the lock is gone,” I said to her. “We can’t open the door. Don’t take your righteousness out on Larry; he’s a victim of circumstance.”
    “I . . . What?” Our conversation was clearly fucking with Firebolt’s head; this wasn’t the way a Villain confrontation was supposed to go. There was a standard