“Please,” she breathed on her nails, rubbing them against her chest. “I wouldn’t explain my world domination plans in a monologue.”
“You know, they really do that. It sucks up so much time that I debate bringing coffee.”
“What are you going to do next, Xander?” The tone shifted. Lei transitioned from her flamboyant personality to her work voice. We each did it, but hers was a stark contrast to the playful banter.
“We still don’t know what happened to the heroes. One moment, they’re fine, the next they’re?—”
“I meant Aiden.”
Really? Did we have to talk about it? I’d rather let her climb on and give her a piggyback ride as I flew through the city. I fidgeted in my seat, uncomfortable with her ability to stare without blinking.
“You need to work through your crap and win back that hunk of a man.” She wasn’t wrong. Unfortunately, I hadn’t come up with anything that coated over the whole ‘you’re an animal’ sentiment.
“I’m working on that.”
“I’ll help you brainstorm. Don’t worry about that. What about the hero thing? Are you hanging up your spandex? The city has noticed you’re missing.”
Lei pointed to a rolled-up newspaper sitting between us. I had seen the article. Within a few days of Blaze vanishing from the streets, city officials were changing their tune. Even the vigilantes couldn’t keep up with the larger threats. It served them all right for trying to turn me into public enemy number one.
“Somebody else can protect Vanguard.”
She grabbed the paper, and with a flick of the wrist, she smacked me. This was our usual routine: her angry, and me being abused.
“If you haven’t noticed, there isn’t another candidate able.”
“Not my?—”
“Don’t turn into one ofthoseheroes. We’ve treated plenty of them, the arrogant assholes above it all. You might not like it, but you’re the best we’ve got.”
“Great pep talk.”
“Besides, somebody has to kick the crap out of Smoke. Did that d-bag threaten your man? I would be out hunting right now. Hell, if you stop him, maybe that’ll smooth things over with Aiden?”
Had she been listening to Smoke’s threat in the emergency room or was she just that good at guessing? Either way, she wasn’t wrong. Smoke had orchestrated the downfall of Aiden and me. We could be curled on the couch watching bad comedies on Netflix, but no, he set me up. It wasn’t enough to kill Aiden. He wanted Aiden terrified of me.
The fire spread along my forearms, threatening to burn the sleeve of my uniform. The anger in the pit of my stomach burned, forcing its way upward until I feared I’d spit acid.
“Smoke needs to be put down.”
Lei smacked my arm with the paper, trying to beat down the flames. “You’re not wrong. But how about you prove you're a hero and not a villain with good intentions? Be the Xander I see back there.” She turned to look in the back of the ambulance. “Be the Xander who saved a dying four-armed alien because it was the right thing to do.”
Even as she said the words, I imagined Smoke’s neck in my hands, begging for his life. I wanted the man to suffer, to inflict the same pain he had on me. It wasn’t enough to kill him. I wanted to see him squirm as he realized I had all the power. Why did I have to be the bigger man? I just had to be the better man.
“Sure, I’ll try.” EvenIcould hear the lie in my voice. Lei didn’t hide her annoyance, her lip curling in disgust. This wasn’t like my usual issues with the universe. For once, I had a reason to be angry. It took hold and turned into a seething rage as I imagined Aiden’s face at the gala.
“And get rid of that stupid ass name.”
The girl screamed, but it paled compared to the boy’s wailing. My muscles remembered the kid’s ability to turn himself into a pubescent banshee. Apparently, robbing people had gotten boring, and he had turned to harassing…
“Cheerleaders? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The half dozen girls were wearing matching uniforms.It looked as if they had just left a high school football game as they headed to the local soda shop for milkshakes. Even by superhero standards, this was oddly weird, especially for a grown man to swoop in and save the day.
“Creepy old guy to the rescue.” It didn’t quite have the ring of Zipper or Cobalt, but Creepy Old Guy was probably available as a domain for my fan club. I would have to put that on the name’s maybe list.
Work had turned into a non-stop mad dash to save people after a bomb had gone off at the power plant. Chunks of Vanguard would be without power for days. Not that I kept a tally, but after a string of losses, it was good to know everybody we transported today would live. I was feeling untouchable, and Shrieker was the next to be added to my list of wins.
I cut the flames and dropped fifty feet. As I hit the sidewalk between the boy and his victims, I dropped to one knee. I’m not entirely sure why superheroes struck poses as they prepared to fight. I slowly rose to my feet.
