“It’s going to get bad,” I admitted. He gave me another quick peck. “Or we could stay here?”
“We have to save something for the victory lap.”
Booker imagined somethingafterthe job finished? I should be focused on breaking bones, bloodying knuckles, or at least witty hero dialogue. Instead, all I could focus on was quiet nights reading the same book on the couch as we fought over the blanket. I hadn’t given myself permission to think aboutafter, and knowing he had already taken that step… I wanted to get this done so we could get started.
“We should save the city,” I whispered.
“We should,” he repeated.
Neither of us moved.
“If we survive?—”
“We’ll survive,” he said.
“Whenwe survive, date night at the bookstore?”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
If stopping terror from spreading through the city wasn’t enough motivation, now I had a date with a cute bear on my calendar. My hands dropped to my sides, fingers rolling into fists. First, I beat the bad guy until they begged for mercy, then I put on my Sunday best and went book shopping.
“Let’s do this.” The calm vanished, sizzled away by the fire. Hellion had arrived, and we were going to walk away from this. I might show up to the bookstore on crutches, but I’d be there.
Turning around, I crossed the lobby. I smashed the door to the inner offices with the heel of my foot. The lock broke. Catherine Keyes wouldn’t stand between me and date night. Storming through the hallways, my steps steadily grew shorter until I paused. Eyeing the glass offices, I didn’t find a single employee. In the middle of the workday, it should be bustling with people in lab coats and with tablets.
“Where is everybody?” asked Booker.
I didn’t answer. I prayed they were out doing her bidding. It’d lower the collateral damage, and I wouldn’t need to worry about bystanders getting in the way. Every bone in my body said this was a bad idea, but that had become the hallmark of my brand. Punch first, ask questions later.
We reached Keyes’ office door. My plan remained the same. Punch. Kick. Be the last one standing. I reached for the handle, ready to shoulder my way through. Instead, it clicked, the door creaking as it swung open. Ms. Keyes sat behind her desk, furiously clicking on her laptop. It wasn’t any different from our previous encounters. She realized we knew her secret? It should be obvious I had come back for a fight. This was more unsettling than her crying about job security.
The white blouse revealing the shadow of her black bra couldn’t have been further from a villainess uniform if she tried. If that weren’t enough, the oversized pastel red bowat her neck almost made her lookcute. The clacking filled the office, punctuated by a loudwhooshof her sending off an email.
“Felt it appropriate to resign formally.”
“Before you get fired?”
She leaned back in her chair, eyes widening as if the thought had never crossed her mind. Ms. Keyes had pulled the wool over my eyes, playing the part of a struggling employee. She preyed on my need to keep the peace. While Booker had let me exist, she had weaponized my insecurities. Those insecurities had evaporated.
“Oh.” Her lip turned up in a grin. “I can feel the anger wafting off this one. Do you feel that, Booker? Unbridled rage.”
He had seen me,allof me. Yet, she struck a chord. I glanced over my shoulder, and Booker’s jaw had tightened. His hand moved to the middle of my back. No powers, just a soft touch assuring me he held his position.
“Keep trying,” he growled.
“Is this where you ask why I did it?”
My fist tightened. “I don’t care.”
“And I spent all evening working on my speech.”
She taunted. Most villains would launch into a dialogue about their genius, but masterminds were a different type of bad guy. They believed themselves superior, and we common folk could never understand. Instead, my eyes darted around her office, taking inventory of every weapon.There wasn’t much in the way of defenses, but I didn’t come to play it safe.
The yellow glow gathered around her forearms like before. This wasn’t Keyes flexing to show off; we were about to discover the full weight of her abilities. After months of an insatiable need to breathe in chaos, who knew what she’d be capable of doing?
“Careful,” Booker whispered.
“Listen to your boyfriend,” she goaded.
