Sapphire Angel - Superheroine

Chapter 32 - Relocating

"We can't just sit here!" Beth pleaded, leaning off the hotel sofa and reaching forward to squeeze Stanley's arm. "For all we know, the missing prisoners are dead. We can't let that happen to Ethan."

Stanley sat on the end of the bed, his laptop computer open next to him, and looked back at Beth with sad eyes.

"Beth, I want to find him as much as you do. I was lucky when the phone from Dominick's man led us to the farm. But none of its location data has lead me to where Dominick might be holding Ethan. Just his guy's home, a gym, gas stations, several burger joints, stores, and other normal stuff. And I finally hacked into Dominick's home network. There are no clues there, either. He either isn't much of a computer guy, or knows not to keep Fizzure information at his home."

Beth groaned, but said nothing.

"I'm not giving up," Stanley said in a soft, soothing tone. "I think our best shot is Philip Gruden. He was Dominick's lead scientist before going into hiding, so he might know where Dominick would set up shop. I'm got into his home network, too, including his surveillance cameras. I doubt he'll show up there, but if we're lucky, he might remote into his network. If he does, I might be able to trace things back to him."

"Wouldn't Dominick be on the lookout for that, too? Do you really think Gruden would be that careless?"

Stanley gave a grim smile. "That's the best idea I have right now."

Beth sank back onto the sofa in Stanley's hotel room, curled her legs underneath her, and buried her face in her hands. The tears were coming again. This would be too much. First John, and now Ethan.

"This is my fault," she said, the bitterness creeping up in her voice. "Again. Ethan was there to rescue me."

"Beth, I understand. But this isn't your fault."

"I sent Ethan and the other prisoners out on their own, so I could go take on some of Dominick's men," she said, lowering her hands from her face. "I should have made sure they were safe first."

"And then the police might have none of his men in custody, and no leads at all. You should be proud, not guilty. It was amazing how you handled things at the farm."

Beth chewed her lip as she thought back to her various fights with Dominick's men. She shook her head. "It should have been easier. If I hadn't taken so long to beat them, I would have gotten the prisoners to safety."

"By my count, you took down 13 men. That's almost hard to believe. I'm not sure what you expect. You're new to this and still did an amazing job."

Beth shook her head slowly. "I can't explain it, Stanley, but I know I should have been quicker. Those fights should have been one-sided, without them laying a hand on me. I was five times faster and stronger than any of those goons. But it was more than that. In each fight I felt instincts rise to the surface, helping me do things I shouldn't know how to do. But those instincts, wherever they came from, were rusty. Less rusty with each fight, but still rusty. If I had taken my self-defense classes seriously, I would have been unstoppable."

"From what you told me about those fights, I doubt your instincts came from your self-defense classes," Stanley said. He seemed to bite back a smirk, before he shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they did. But anyone with training would be more dangerous. If you ever decide you want proper training, I can see that you get it."

"It's too late for that," she said, her voice rising. "They have Ethan, and if we don't find him soon, he'll be dead. And that's on me!"

Stanley stared at her, his forehead wrinkled in thought. He was silent for a moment, as if waging an internal battle. He took a deep breath. "Let me tell you a story from my past."