“The name of the companyisSecret Identities.”
“That’s not it, is it?” Connor’s face remained neutral as he asked. I wondered if he could read micro cues like Booker, or if he had deduced my real dilemma.
“Hellion isn’t really my secret identity.”
Wyatt’s eyebrow went up. “I am confused.”
“Drew’s not real, is he?” Orion asked.
“So confused,” Wyatt reiterated.
Janet patted him on the chest. “I’ll explain it later.”
This had been the moment I feared. It was one thing for them to discover my secret identity. Hell, even their knowing that I roamed the streets looking for trouble didn’t compete with this. Revealing that Drew, in some part, had been the mask, that I had spent the last year concealing myself, that made me want to curl into a ball.
“He’s not,” I admitted. “Not entirely.”
With my darkest secret on the table, I gave them a moment to process. How many conversations would they replay, wondering if they were Drew or Hellion? Would the sense of betrayal be immediate? Or would it slowly rise to the surface?
“Well,” Arthur started. “That explains the bloody rags in the employee bathroom.”
“Told you it wasn’t me,” Janet mumbled.
“I think Drew is waiting for our reactions.” Connor cut through the noise. I appreciated his blunt approach to conversation. “Would a woohoo suffice?”
“Woohoo?” I whispered.
“What Connor is trying to say—” Orion held out his hand. “—nice to meet you, Drew.”
I stared at his hand. The guilt. The anguish. The uncertainty. It all washed away as he reached out, patiently waiting for me to take his hand. Every accusation I had made, every fear I held, I swallowed them, trying to force myself to see his hand as nothing more than a goodwill gesture.
“Good grief.” Orion lunged. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, squeezing as if he wanted to crush my ribs. “Take a hint, buddy.”
“Hugs!” Wyatt’s arms wrapped around us both, lifting us as if we were stuffed animals. That would have been fine, but as he started jumping up and down, I feared I’d hurl.
“Do we join?”
Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. On the third round, Janet and Connor joined in. It wouldn’t have been awkward, but somebody’s hand found its way to my left ass cheek. Not in my wildest dreams did I anticipate that this was how my identity reveal would go. I forced myself to remain present and bask in the glow of these odd humans—and one alien—that I called my friends.
“Ahem.” The hug broke to Arthur, shaking his head. “Can we get back to the part where my boyfriend’scompany is about to be destroyed by one of his employees?”
“Mood killer,” Janet said.
We took our seats, and I explained to them everything Booker and I had discovered. Every so often, Orion and Connor would nod to one another. I didn’t need to ask as they mentally rearranged their conspiracy boards. Janet and Wyatt listened quietly while Arthur shook his head with every new revelation. When I reached the end, everybody remained silent.
Our morning meetings were chaotic at best, but never had we discussed our heroing so openly. This would normally be the point where Orion dropped an annoyed statement before vacating. None of them spoke long enough that I feared I hadn’t explained the severity of the situation.
“Well, boss?” Janet turned to Arthur. “What do we do?”
Arthur leaned forward, propped up on his elbows. “Looks like everybody’s getting the day off.”
“To kick some ass?” Janet didn’t hide her zeal.
“To kick some ass,” he repeated. He turned toward me, his lip turned up in a smile. “What do you have in mind?”
They had seen me nearly kill somebody. I confessed to being a vigilante known for breaking bones and leaving the bad guys in a bloody heap. Even after revealing the mask I wore every time I entered the building, none of it had fazedthem. The self-doubt in the pit of my stomach stirred, ready to convince me that they didn’treallyunderstand.
“I have a plan.” Hellion… no,Iwouldn’t let the self-doubt fester. I could already hear Booker’s ‘I told you so.’ “Call Ricardo, Hudson, and Dustin. Booker’s waiting for us in the lobby. The Janeteers have a job to do.”
