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On Thin Ice

Book Cover: On Thin Ice
Part of the SuperPowered series:

A superhero discovers a reason to fight... love.

When Kit blows a field assignment and the thief he's supposed to be chasing escapes, his superiors aren't pleased. At least until they discover the woman Kit saved -- the distraction that let the thief get away -- has powers of her own.

Erica's nightmares have led her to a dark and dangerous place, but with Kit, somehow she feels safe. Together they set out to trap a thief -- and rescue one another from themselves.

Excerpt:

Kit leaned back in his chair before the large monitors. Ever since Regina met Michael, things were different around the Hub. Jealousy gnawed at Kit. However, there was no chance of having her to himself, and she'd chosen Michael. That hurt, but he'd dealt with his emotions by trying out various new hobbies. None of them had worked.

His gaze dropped to the control panel, and he typed in a few words, zeroing in on Regina's and Michael's comm-links. The temptation to listen in toyed with him, but the blaring alarm took the decision away.

Kit cursed under his breath at the interruption, but he swept his fingertips over the keyboard while he kept his gaze up on the large screen. He wasn't sure what he'd do since Regina wasn't here. Before Michael, his boss had never sent her to other locations.

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He grimaced when he recognized the man on the screen, Colonel Jones... their boss. Jones wasn't Kit's favorite person, especially with Michael gaining recognition and acceptance over Kit. Kit had been the one working hard for years now whereas Michael was brand new to the job.

"Kit, I have a new assignment for you," Jones said, leaning toward the screen, probably trying to intimidate. That wasn't anything new, just the way he came across.

"Sorry, sir, but the Dark Huntress and Electrifier are out in the field. There's no one here to handle it." He started to lean back in his chair, but thought better of it. This was his only employment, and he didn't want Jones to think he was too laid back.

"Actually, we had you in mind."

"Sir, you want me to do the assignment?" Surely Kit hadn't heard right. His boss hadn't just asked him to get back into the field. "No offense, but why do you need me for this?"

"You're qualified. Your speed and intelligence make you the perfect candidate." Jones leaned back for the first time, and Kit breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best." He tried to keep a calm demeanor, but this was beyond his comfort zone. If Regina had been here, he'd have her help, but she wasn't. She was with Michael.

"The details of your assignment should be coming up now." And as Jones said that, the data started spreading over the gigantic screen covering the wall.

Kit turned his attention away from the boss, placing it instead on the assignment's details. Handling data was no problem, but doing something with it... It had been too long since he'd been in the field. The last time was a few years before he'd met Regina. With his previous partner. Jeanie had... died in his arms.

Blood had smeared her face, and he couldn't erase her dull, searching eyes from his memory. Just remembering brought back the immense hurt he'd experienced at the time.

"Yes, Kit. I realize why you're no longer in the field, but that was years ago." Jones smiled. "It's about time you moved on. It'll be good for you, your team, and your country." With that last message, the boss ended video communication. All that remained was silence and data in need of processing.

Kit sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He wouldn't be able to delay. The deadline was within a narrow window, and Regina wasn't scheduled to be back before then. He shook his head. He wasn't partnering with anyone else. If he failed, this would be his mistake -- and his alone. No one else would be injured, or worse, killed because of him.

He straightened in his chair, then typed at the keys once more, determined to succeed. Information flowed over the screen, helping him piece together what he needed to do. From what he saw, he was to stop a female thief who mostly worked alone, but sometimes she worked with twins known for their ability to get things done.

The thief stole high-value art pieces. Didn't matter if the building's protection was solid or not.

None of that boded well for him. How was he supposed to stop someone who was unstoppable?

Kit dug further into the assignment, reading her criminal history and that of the twins, for good measure. When he'd read most of the material, he leaned back in his chair. Why had the government chosen him for this?

After a while, his stomach rumbled, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was near dinnertime already. Last time he'd looked, it had been lunchtime.

An alarm sounded, accompanied by red strobe lights, and he typed in his code to kill the alarm. There was an armed robbery in progress at a convenience store.

Kit reached for the talk button for the comm-links, but that wouldn't make a difference. He was the only one who could stop the robbery. Regina and Michael were out of town. Talking with them wouldn't do any good.

Sliding his gun from the holster, he dodged through the computer room's glass door, then he checked the clip as he raced down the spiral staircase. Perfect.

Without another thought, he holstered his weapon and ran to the airlock door, typed in his code, then made his escape. Now was his chance to prove he hadn't lost his touch. Kit would do whatever he could to help whoever was in need.

Picking up his pace, he wasn't worried about taking a vehicle. A car would slow him down, and he disliked Regina's choice of ground transportation. Motorcycles weren't safe in his opinion. Instead, he stuck with the shadows, racing through the night on foot at superhuman speed.

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