Page 192 of Villainous Rise

I kept my distance, flying silently in Valor’s wake. My stealth system rendered me invisible but the rage building inside me was becoming difficult to contain as I watched Valor manhandle Annie.

I’ll drop her.

His words replayed in my mind, and I nearly laughed despite my anger. What a fucking moron. Did he think I couldn’t catch her? Even the worst case scenario, I’d snatch Annie from midair before she fell twenty feet.

But I wouldn’t risk it. Not with Annie. One wrong move from that fucker and she could be hurt.

The Tower loomed ahead, its imposing silhouette cutting against the night sky. I’d have to time this perfectly. The moment Valor released Annie, the very instant she was clear, I’d strike.

The fucker was dead.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the subtle hum of power in my veins. I was ready to unleash far more than what he was expecting from a manufactured Super.

Valor descended toward the Tower’s rooftop landing pad, still unaware of my presence less than ten yards behind him. His grip on Annie tighten unnecessarily as they landed.

The moment his feet touched down, I activated the Tinkerer’s Hammer. The device pulsed within my forearm and I felt the familiar connection as it interfaced with the Tower’s security systems. One by one, the security measures went dark. The rooftop was now effectively a blind spot in Havoc’s security network.

Valor didn’t notice a thing because he was too fucking busy playing the wronged Hero.

“You’ve made a fool of me,” he spat at Annie, still gripping her arm.

“Let go of me, Valor,” she pleaded.

“So you can run back to that League trash? The one who just let me take you?” He laughed. “Some protector he turned out to be.”

I hovered closer. The audacity of this fucking asshole.

“Havoc knows, damn you!” Annie tried once again to wrench her arm out of his grasp, but he only tightened his grip.

“I doubt that. But he’ll be here soon enough to see what you really are. Your little Villain didn’t even try to save you,” Valor taunted, leaning closer to Annie. “Just let you go without a fight. What does that tell you about how much you mean to him?”

If he only knew how close I was, how many ways I’d already decided to make him suffer.

Valor leaned in, his face inches from hers. “How many Alliance secrets have you whispered in his ear while he was between your legs?”

I watched genuine fear flicker across Annie’s face. Her eyes darted around the rooftop, searching for help, for an escape. She thought she was alone.

That was it. Enough.

I deactivated my stealth systems.

“Let. Her. Go.”

I’d barely finished speaking when I detected movement above us. Two figures descending rapidly. The unmistakable silhouette of Havoc, with Helios’s golden glow trailing slightly behind him.

Shit.

My mind raced through permutations, odds, mapping potential scenarios but Havoc was chaos incarnate. I couldn’t accurately predict his reaction. Would he side with Valor? Would he listen to Annie? Would he attack me on sight?

I maintained my position, muscles coiled and ready. My mind ran combat simulations in the background. The odds weren’t great, but I’d faced worse.

Havoc landed and Helios touched down seconds later. Havoc didn’t immediately turn to me with accusations or threats, nor did he acknowledge Valor.

“What’s happened, Annie?” he asked.

“She’s been deceiving all of us,” Valor spat before Annie even had a chance to open her mouth. “I caught her with him.” He jerked his chin toward me, “They were caught by an Alliance patrol, leaving an illegal club. Your precious Keeper has been spreading her legs for a League member while pretending to uphold Alliance standards.”

Havoc only cocked his head.