Page 22 of Guilty As Charged
"I’m pretty sure we covered that." I laugh, but Spencer stays stuck to my side.
“No, listen.” Scout drops her voice. “You know how you said when he started making the comics dirtier and wanted the character to look like you, that the writing felt different?”
“Yes, it was horrible.” I suspected it was because he was thinking with the wrong head when he was doing those. “It felt off.”
Scout smirks. “Maybe because he didn’t write it.”
“What?” That catches me off guard. "So he’s not writing or illustrating the comic?"
“It's all ghosts, and I think some are stolen.”
“Shut up!” I gasp. Things against Geoff keep stacking up. “He doesn’t do any of it? Wow.”
“He’s a fucking psycho.” Scout purses her lips to control her temper. Yeah, she’s really pissed. She glances around then drops her voice as she leans closer. “It would be nice if all this information was revealed while we’re here.”
"Delphine!" a young girl in her teens calls out. "Can I get a picture?"
"Of course!" I give her a bright smile as I move beside her. "I would be honored to have my picture taken with Captain Marvel."
I pose with her, and a few more people come over to ask for photos. Before I know it, I’m surrounded by people, and I’ve lost sight of Spencer. There are so many people it’s hard to move, and people keep placing one thing after another in front of me to sign.
I assure myself that everything is all right. It's too public for anything bad to happen in the middle of a crowd. But it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. There’s one thing you can't control…crazy.
Chapter Fourteen
SPENCER
“There are too many people,” I say to Scout as I watch more fans gather around Abbie.
“Can you see her?” Scout is tall, but not nearly as tall as I am. She’s craning her neck to see over the tops of people's heads. The more that gather around Abbie, the farther we get pushed out and the harder it is for her to see.
“Yeah, but I think it’s time to put an end to this.” I go to take a step in Abbie’s direction, but Scout puts her hand on my arm to stop me.
“Wait, this is a big moment for her. I want her to be safe, but maybe we should let her enjoy this.”
Scout looks at the crowd nervously, and I can see she’s torn between letting Abbie have her moment and keeping her safe. When it comes to Abbie, there’s only one choice for me, and that’s always going to be protecting her.
“It’s okay,” I tell Scout. “I got this.”
“Lead the way, Superman.”
I’m almost seven feet tall, so when I walk through a crowd, people see me coming. But wearing a Superman costume is a whole new way to get noticed. As I tell people I’m coming through, the crowd parts, and I have a direct line to Abbie. When she sees me, she looks relieved, and I know I’ve made the right decision.
“Trust me,” I tell her, and she nods.
“Always.”
I turn around to face the crowd and talk as loud as I can without screaming. “If you want to take a picture with Delphine, she’ll be at table twenty-two where you can form a line that won’t make the fire chief angry.” People in the crowd chuckle as I reach behind me and take Abbie’s hand. “Ready?”
She looks confused for half a second until I grab her by the hips and lift her above my head. Then she lets out a little squeak as I place her ass on my shoulder so she can perch on it like a goddess. The crowd starts whooping and whistling as I walk in the direction of her table assignment on the map.
With Abbie sitting on my shoulder, she’s taller than everyone, and people can see her coming from across the convention center. Hundreds of people form a crowd behind me as I hold her up for all eyes to see. This is her moment, and she deserves to be in the spotlight. It’s my job to make sure that happens.
People have started cheering and clapping when they see her, and when we round the corner to where her table is located, all eyes turn our way. Including those around Geoff’s table.
It’s the one directly beside where Abbie has been assigned, but it doesn’t matter. Everyone that was waiting to see Geoff has moved away and is coming over to meet the incredible Delphine.
“He’s here,” Abbie says, and I squeeze her hip, letting her know I see him and that I’ve got her.
