Day's End Read Online Free PDF Page B

him. “Come on. Don’t send your fucking flunkies to protect you. You came after me. Fucking idiot,” I sneered. His other flying friend flew at me, and I knocked whoever it was aside. They went hurtling into a nearby light pole and then were still. I kept stalking toward Killjoy.
    “You come here. After me. Seriously? Who told you I was out?”
    I heard him start laughing, and it just pissed me off more. There was a large steel bike rack chained to the light post, and I picked it up, hearing the chain snap as I did. I hurled it at him as hard as I could. He got up to get out of the way, but he wasn’t fast enough. The bike rack slammed into him and both he and it went flying back.
    “Come on!” I kept stalking toward him. I noticed his friend starting to move, and I flew over and punched him, knocking him back out. “I’m sure you have more help coming. This is you. You’re a coward. What’s the matter, Killjoy? You wanted me, right?” I spread my arms out. “I’m right here.”
    He got up. He was wearing his red and black Mayhem uniform. Like my StrikeForce uniform, the mask on his covered his face completely.
    He moved toward me, and that was when I noticed his right arm hanging limply.
    “Aw. Does Killjoy have a boo-boo?” I cooed. “Here. Lemme fix that for you.”
    “You’re fucking insane, you know that? You act like I’m the crazy one. You’re out of your damn mind,” he growled.
    “Did you expect any different when you came after me? Who told you I was out?”
    He laughed again, and I flew at him. He disappeared the instant before I reached him, and when I turned around to look for him, I saw that his buddy was gone as well. I also saw a StrikeForce mini jet nearby, Portia and Ryan talking to Max as the three of them walked toward me.
    “Jo, we gotta go. Now,” Ryan said.
    “They might still be around here—”
    “Now, Jo. Don’t make me carry you, because I will.”
    “What—” I stopped in mid-sentence as a squadron of soldiers from the Tribunal landed around us, surrounding the four of us as, of course, the news helicopters circled overhead. The head of the Tribunal, Eve, was at the front, and she started walking toward me. I tensed, ready to fight, still high on adrenaline from my too-short face off against Killjoy.
    “Daystar, stand down. Not here,” Portia ordered.
    Then she turned to Eve. “Not a chance in hell,” Portia said to her, stepping between Eve and me. And then she teleported us away.
    In the next instant, all of us were back in Command. When we got there, Portia stalked away. “Goddamn, I need to start drinking or something,” she muttered.
    “That sounds like a plan,” Max called. “I’ve got a bottle if you want to share, boss.”
    Portia shook her head as she walked away, and Max excused himself, leaving me and Ryan standing in the corridor in the residence wing.
    “Did you really expect me to stay behind?” he asked, and I rolled my eyes.
    “I knew you were going to say that.” I walked over to the elevator and hit the button.
    “The woman I’m pretty sure I want to spend the rest of my life with is out there getting attacked by a psycho. Yeah, I’m gonna say ‘yes dear, I’ll just stay right the fuck here?’ Not a chance.”
    I stared at him as the elevator doors closed behind us.
    “Don’t look so surprised. You know I want you forever. It’s not gonna be enough time.”
    I just kept staring at him. My heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest.
    “Either you’re really happy or you’re getting ready to run,” he said. “Your heart rate is going nuts.”
    “I’m not running. I didn’t know you felt that way.”
    “Well, I do.”
    “Oh. Well good.”
    He laughed.
    “I want you forever too,” I told him.
    “Thanks.”
    I looked down, not knowing what else to say but grinning like an absolute fool behind my mask.
    “Do you really have to meet with that dickhead now?” he asked me.
    “I really do. And be nice. He’s