Chapter 446
The moment Judy laid eyes on Shermaine, her face went cold.
She hadn’t seen it coming. Shermaine had made it out of the four-dimensional space.
And with that, her leverage evaporated. The power dynamic in the room shifted instantly. Gun barrels, sleek and black, turned toward her.
Then her gaze landed on the glowing blue creature perched on Joshua’s shoulder. She could sense the pulse of an Energon Core radiating from it. She had never imagined Earth still harbored beings capable of interdimensional travel.
The others stared, visibly intrigued.
Dave stood tall, hands on hips, practically puffing with pride. He’d brought Shermaine back, safe and sound, and more importantly, he’d protected her and the baby.
But Judy wasn’t ready to back down. “So what if I tried to take him? I go after what I want. Always have.”
Shermaine’s expression didn’t budge. “Then go ahead. Try again.”
Judy clenched her fists. “This is your turf. You’ve got backup. If it weren’t for that thing dragging you back, you’d all be scattered by now.”
“No one’s scattering,” Joshua said, voice calm but firm. “Not now. Not ever.” Even if he’d been forced to sign whatever nonsense she called a divorce agreement, it meant nothing.
In his eyes, Shermaine was, and always would be, his wife. Even if she took him away, he would cross any world, walk through fire, fight through galaxies, to get back to her.
Molly stepped forward, eyes sharp. “Sheary, just say the word. We’ll turn them into Swiss cheese.”
But Shermaine held up a hand. “Molly, give me the gun.”
Molly arched a brow, then tossed it over without hesitation.
Joshua said, “I’ll take one too.”
Roy handed his over. “Here.”
Judy stared at them, bewildered, thinking, ‘Are they really going to kill me?’
Shermaine leveled the gun. “I’m a much better shot with a firearm than I ever was with a bow. Didn’t you say you wanted to play? If you can dodge a bullet, I’ll play with you all night.”
Joshua cocked his own gun. “And if you can’t, I’ll finish what my wife started.”
There was no mistaking it. The way they held their weapons, this wasn’t posturing. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Harry stood frozen, visibly shaking. Judy looked like she’d finally run out of options.
Then came the soft hiss of a suppressed gunshot.
Shermaine had fired, with no hesitation.
Judy flinched, but she wasn’t quick enough. The bullet tore through her arm, and the pain drained all the color from her face.
She stumbled back, clutching the wound, eyes blazing with fury. She’d never been so humiliated in her life.
And Joshua wasn’t done. His gun was up, aimed squarely between her eyes.
Chapter 446
Harry panicked. One more second and Joshua would pull the trigger. He couldn’t let that happen.
In a blur of movement, he grabbed something from his bag. With a sharp bang, smoke burst out.
When the fog cleared, they were gone. Judy and Harry had vanished.
They were already on the move, heading for the rooftop.
Harry spoke quickly into his communicator, “Everyone to the roof, now! We’re heading back to the Kingdom of Xyperia.”
Dave closed his eyes, searching the energy trail. “Sheary, they’re heading up.”
“They’ve still got Apocalypse and the booklet,” he growled, already sprinting for the stairs. “I’m going after them.”
Shermaine didn’t like the idea of Dave going alone. “Joshua, we’re going with him.”
Joshua kissed her forehead, calm and steady. “We’ll take the elevator.”
Outside, the sky had dimmed to a deep slate gray.
The first snowfall of the year drifted down, slow and silent.
By the time Dave reached the rooftop, Judy and Harry were already in position. Above them, a beam of violet light descended from the sky, enveloping them like a spotlight from another world.
“Hand it over!” Dave shouted, charging straight at them.
Shermaine and Joshua arrived just in time to see him tangled in a scuffle.
Harry pulled out Apocalypse. He had already read enough of the booklet to know how to activate it. He keyed in the code, and the metal cube, no larger than a lunchbox, suddenly unfolded and expanded into a towering six-foot mech.
The hatch hissed open, pulling at the air with a force strong enough to drag them in.
Dave tried to resist, but the pull was too much. Without enough Energon, he couldn’t hold out. “Noooo!” he howled. “I don’t wanna go back to the Kingdom of Xyperia! They don’t even have fried chicken!”
Shermaine couldn’t make out what he was saying, just that Dave was being pulled away. She lunged forward instinctively and grabbed hold of his leg.
The next thing she knew, the pull seized her too. It was like being swallowed by gravity. She tried to wrench herself free, but it was useless.
Joshua never let go of her hand.
Molly and Roy stepped forward to help, but Shermaine’s voice rang out. “Stay back!”
And in the blink of an eye, the three of them, Shermaine, Joshua, and Dave, were gone, swallowed by the violet light.