Chapter 20
“Want another coffee?”
“Meh.”
Lei slugged my shoulder hard enough I should have whined. She might be ferocious, but it was hardly the blow of a powerhouse. When I didn’t respond, she switched from intensity to location. The slap on the back of the head got my attention.
“What the hell?”
“Oh look, he’s alive.”
They had stationed us downtown for the last few days, and it seemed the world quieted. There were plenty of idiots causing mayhem in the city, but other than a few shortness of breath calls, we sat in the truck desperately trying to pass the time.
“I’m trying to ignore you,” I growled.
“This has nothing to do with me. I’m downright adorable. Matter of fact, I’m all that and a bag of chips.”
“Slow your roll, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” She pulled back her fist, preparing for another strike. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I want my partner back.”
“Where do you think I am?”
“It’s been days of you being a rain cloud filling this ambulance. Now it feels like I’m going to drown. I thought it might be a dude problem. A ‘sorry, honey, this has never happened to me’ thing. But this is worse than you wielding a broken pecker.”
She had a way with words. Ever since the night on the balcony, she had given me space. At first, I thought I was hiding my bad mood. Bernard hadn’t brought it up. Alejandro hadn’t made a joke about my lackluster attitude. But most of all, Lei hadn’t taken the opportunity to rag on me.
“Either fess up, or I grab the Sux.”
“How many times have we talked about this? You can’t keep threatening to paralyze me.”
“Says you.”
Her gaze turned steely, eyes narrowing without blinking. If she had powers, this is where the beams of red light would shoot out and burn me up and down. Even without laser vision, I could feel the burning. Dammit, at times, I hated her.
“It’s—”
“Aiden? I knew it! What the hell did you do? Did you tell him he was fat in his favorite jeans? Ask him to pretty himself up to go out? Did he make fun of your favorite cat?”
If my eyebrow could go any higher, it’d float off my face. “First, we’re going to circle back around to the men you’re dating. Second, it’s none of that. It’s kind of complicated.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Did Lei just ask me to express myself? “When did we become those friends?”
She laughed. “It felt weird the moment I said it. Can you tell him you were an asshole and beg for forgiveness?”
“What makes you think—”
“I’m going to stop you right there. Why ask stupid questions?”
“I hate you. I really hate you.”
The smile spread across her face. “We both know that’s not possible. I’m too lovable.”
“Damn cat lady.”
“Mr. Frumples will cut you.” She hissed to stress her point.
She turned back in the seat, resting her hands on the steering wheel. Sharp banter without having an actual conversation—that was our friendship. If she wanted it to be deeper, to truly express our emotions, I think I would—
“Did he find out you’re Blaze?”
What? How the hell… I coughed at the allegation. “Blaze? That super—”
“Is this where you lie and try to convince me otherwise? You’re a terrible liar, so I hope you bring your A-game, mister. Or we can skip through your weak defense.”
I eyed the radio, trying to will the dispatcher to pick up. With any luck, a train had derailed or there was a burning building. Maybe if a sinkhole swallowed Vanguard City, I could get out of having to explain myself. First Hellcat, then Aiden. Do I just scream, “Idiot playing at superhero?”
“I—”
“When did you get your powers? Was it a science experiment? Oh, did you travel to another dimension? Did you vanish and study with Tibetan monks?”
I suppose every superhero needed that trusted confidant to share their secret.
I had hoped it would be Aiden, but I had washed that down the drain.
It wouldn’t be Bernard or the guys at breakfast. I couldn’t risk them.
But Lei, she knew how to handle herself in a crisis.
Maybe the universe was giving me a sign.
“The day at the bridge. The alien in the back.”
“Wait? I was right?” She gave herself a pat on the shoulder. “Damn, I’m good. Wait…” she turned in the seat. Eyeing the back of the ambulance, I could see her pulling apart the situation. “You were only a couple feet from me while you got superpowers? This is not fair.”
“Trust me.” I held up my hand, summoning a tiny flame in my palm. “It’s not all it's cracked up to be.”
“Ability to keep my soup hot, be able to fly over traffic, or hell, even the skintight threads. It all sounds horrible.” She pulled back from the daydreaming and met my eyes.
“Oh. You meant that thing where half the city thinks you're a criminal and your boyfriend wrote an article about you being a killer? Yeah, rough situation.”
“Jesus.” I dropped my face in my hands. I needed a new confidant. Could I drop her off at the Fire Station or was that just babies? “Have you been stalking me? How did you even figure it out?”
“Oh, in the emergency room. You really should listen to Hellcat about the identity thing.” As my jaw dropped, she rolled her eyes. “Your ass got thrown against the wall and left a hole. What was I supposed to do, not peek?”
“You’ve known all this time?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I’m shocked you kept your mouth shut.”
“I was saving it. Someone needs to cover my Christmas shift.
“You’re blackmailing a superhero. You realize you’re one lightning strike away from being a supervillain.”
“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 of those heroes. 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.” Even I could 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.