•Night Angel•

CHAPTER LIV - MY LITTLE STAR

July 2008. 19:00. Malibu, Los Angeles. CA.

Tony's POV.

I arrived home as soon as I could. Just when I thought I would be home on time to meet with Star, the LA traffic decided to make an appearance. I was a hundred percent sure, Star was going to kill me as soon as I stepped foot on the house.

Coming out of my car, I saw hers already parked near the entrance. Slowly but surely, I made my way inside.

-Star? I'm home!.- I said as I walked to the living room. I got no response. Scrunching my eyebrows, I walked to the kitchen. -Star?.- She was not there either. Walking to the top floor, I went to her room. She was not there.

The workshop.

I ran downstairs and went into the shop. Its lights were off, there was no one in there.

This was not normal. Star called me and told me to be here as soon as I could. And even though it was not as quickly as I would've wanted, I still made it. This was not right. I had a feeling this was not okay.

-Hey, J, do me a favour and call Star, please.- I said as I looked around the shop.

-Right away, sir.- Jarvis said and after a couple of seconds he spoke again. -Sir, I'm afraid her phone is out of service.- Jarvis said and I furrowed my eyebrows. This was starting to feel wrong.

-Thanks, J. Keep on trying please.- I said as I made my way upstairs again.

I arrived at the living room. The phone started ringing and I went to look for it. Slowly, I made my way to the couch and looked for the phone.

Who leaves the damn phone laying on the couch?

Lifting a pillow, I found my target and saw who was calling. Pepper. Maybe she had an update on the task I had given her. After picking up, a deafening high-pitched buzzing noise came through my ears and paralyzed me, a terrible pain making my whole body tense in less than seconds.

I heard Pepper's voice on the other line calling me, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything. What the hell was this?

-Breathe.- Shit. Obadiah's voice said in a calm tone that just made my nerves spike. What the hell?

Star was right. She was so right and I am afraid I didn't listen to her warnings like I should've.

-Easy, easy.- Obadiah placed my head slowly on the back of the couch. Like he cared, son of a bitch. -You remember this one, right?.- He said as he placed in front of my face a little device that we had created. No, scratch that, that I had created. -It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis.

The man walked and stood in front of me.

Now, to be honest, I was not really listening to everything he was saying. I kind of was, but my mind was not paying full attention to it. He grabbed me by the face and squeezed it. I felt like a child.

-Ah, Tony. When I ordered the hit on you.- Son of a bitch, Star was right. He was the one that ordered this. Once again, I should have listened to my sister. He pulled out of somewhere, a claw of some sorts. Oh boy, I knew what that was for. -I worried that I was killing the golden goose.

He pressed the claw thing in my chest and started removing the arc reactor. Shit, shit, shit. I wanted to move but I couldn't. My whole body was paralyzed. I couldn't do anything. I felt how slowly the piece of my chest started to rip apart from its place and I let out a gasp.

I was going to die. I was surely going to die.

-But, you see, it was just fate that you survived that.- He slowly took out the reactor and I was sure I was not going to last longer. -You had one last golden egg to give.- He leaned closer to me and no matter that my whole body and a few of my senses were numb, I could still smell his rotten and disgusting breath.- Do you really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you?.- He asked me and a part of me rolled my eyes internally.