Chapter 24
I arrived early. Every muscle in my body hurt. I should have taken the day off, but today felt… different. Saving the city from chaos didn’t leave me enough time to bake brownies or make muffins. Instead, I swung by the baker. What did you buy to celebrate a monumental victory?
I set the brownies next to the muffins, and I positioned the cake far enough away that Wyatt wouldn’t be able to snatch it in a single grab.
I imagined that the moment he walked in the door, he’d sniff the air and come running.
I had to remind myself I didn’t need to buy their affection with store-bought confectionery treats.
I might not have to, but I wanted to continue the tradition.
I don’t know how Booker handled knowing every emotion of the people he touched, but this one had given me confidence.
These were my friends… by choice.
“How do you have a smile on your face?” Orion stood in the doorway, the bruise on the side of his face visible. “It hurts to smile.” It had been a long night of cleaning up the streets, and each of us walked away with battle scars.
“How can you not?” Wyatt whisked past him, forcing a hiss from Orion. Wyatt jumped into his seat, eyes never leaving the cake. When it didn’t magically slide in front of him, he did a little hop with his chair, getting him closer.
There was no point in trying to save it. I pushed the chocolate cake and a fork in front of the big guy. “It’s all yours.”
He wasted no time digging in. Orion joined us at the table. He didn’t have the same lust in his eyes, but he didn’t resist when I pushed the brownies in front of him. He sulked, taking a bite while we awaited the boss.
“You’re damaged.” Connor, always astute in his observations. “Orion, you look almost as bad. Should you seek medical attention?”
Orion didn’t cover his mouth as he scoffed. “What about you?”
Dark red lines went from Connor’s jaw into his dress shirt. He didn’t have the same bruises, but it was obvious he had been roughed up.
“Those are from Songbird.” I raised an eyebrow. “You’d call it rough sex.” The air quotes didn’t make it less shocking. “I’m more concerned about the bruising to my—”
“That’s enough sharing,” I said.
“Let the man talk about his bruised penis.” I swear, Janet stood in the hallway and waited for her moment for a dramatic entrance. “I hope it’s not broken. I need my wingman tonight.”
“You’re a horrible influence,” Orion said.
They joined us at the table, leaving one seat at the head for Arthur.
Everybody quieted as they stuffed their faces with sugar for breakfast. I picked at a muffin as I watched them.
Secret Identities Incorporated started with Arthur and quickly expanded as he hired three bumbling heroes.
He had given us a chance, and as a company, we had become an essential tool for Vanguard City.
More than that, we had become a team, a family with a unique set of extracurriculars.
I eyed Janet as she fought Wyatt for a forkful of cake. It was anything but traditional. We had an alien, a conspiracy theorist, and me, the secret brooder. Our family expanded, and now we had a sentient computer and a twin with more heart than she’d admit. There was only one person missing.
Arthur. Standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, he had a suspicious look on his face. It was the first time in months we weren’t arguing about lizard people or trying to explain to Connor the definition of oversharing. Our good behavior made him nervous. In truth, we deserved it.
“If it’s not the big boss,” Orion said.
“Mr. Boss!” Wyatt wore more cake than he had eaten.
“Good work out there,” I said. “How’d it feel being the ‘man in the chair?’”
“Can we not have a city-wide catastrophe for a… week? Five business days at least.”
“The probability of that is astronomically low.” Leave it to Connor to never mince words. “The villains aren’t going away.”
“More heroes,” Wyatt said. “We need more heroes.”
“Funny you should say that.” Arthur dropped into his chair. He took a quick swipe at the cake, coating his finger. Wyatt’s eyes narrowed as he watched Arthur lick it clean.
“Good job out there,” he said. “They’re still talking about your save on the news.”
“I heard they’re fast-tracking the Centurion launch.” Orion gave me the side-eye. “Friend or foe?”
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to see.”
“We’ll kick their asses,” Janet added.
“Anyway,” Arthur cut in. “I have news.”
Was he wearing a tailored suit? The dark gray jacket and pants were not his usual messy dress shirt. The shimmer of cufflinks should have been a sign that something had changed. I think for the first time since he hired us, he looked like the title he hated.
He stood, taking his time. I recognized a dramatic buildup. Whatever he was about to say, it’d be more than conceding to the war between him and the microwave.
“I’m moving to a new position.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“No!” Wyatt cried.
I never thought he’d abandon ship, not after everything we had accomplished. I had spent a year learning to navigate this workplace family. For the first time, I felt I had a handle on it, and just like that, the rug was pulled out from under my feet.
“Who bought you, Arthur?” asked Orion.
Arthur grinned. He never grinned. Rolling his eyes, yes, but a grin?
Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out something made of wood and silver.
He set it down, a placard for his desk. We all stared at the “Secret Identities” etched into the metal.
Arthur slid his thumb further down, revealing—
“Secret Identities International?” I asked. Wyatt leapt from his chair, throwing his arms around Arthur. He grunted as Wyatt gave him a light shaking. I don’t think any of us quite understood what it meant. Were we going abroad? Did he want to implement the HeroApp? across the globe?
Orion’s eyes narrowed, and I shared his skepticism. It had taken a year to reach this point, and the thought of us splitting up or moving geography meant change. I wanted time to acclimate to everybody knowing my non-secret. I wanted time to be myself around my friends.
“What does it mean?” Orion asked.
Arthur pushed the placard forward before resting his elbows on the table. “When I hired all of you, I had no idea where I wanted to go with this.”
“Out of my garage,” Janet shot back.
Arthur nodded. “I needed temps. I didn’t think it would become this. I don’t say it enough, but I appreciate each of you.” He eyed his sister. “Even you. We’ve built something amazing, but Vanguard isn’t the only city that needs heroes.”
“Sin City has seen a 732% rise in villains,” Connor added.
“It’s time we took Secret Identities global,” Arthur said. He reached into his breast pocket, producing strips of metal to be mounted on wooden stands. “That means promotions for everybody.”
“I’ve never been promoted,” Wyatt said. “Earth Mom is going to squeal.”
Arthur slid the strips across the table—one for each of us.
Chief of Hero Recruitment.
Chief of Technology Development.
I stared at mine—Chief of Community Development. I’d be stepping up from acquiring corporate partnerships to building community with our brand? It’d be a step, a huge one, and I appreciated that Arthur asked us to grow with him.
“Chief Information Officer,” Connor said. “This should be interesting.”
Arthur slid the last title in front of Janet. She eyed it before sliding it back. Arthur’s jaw opened, surprised by the denial.
“It’s time for a new adventure.” She stood up, giving Arthur a punch on the shoulder. At this point, she had promoted herself to Queen of the Universe. There was nowhere for her to go, but I never imagined Janet would leave us. “You don’t need me anymore.”
“But—”
“Friend, Janet…”
She held up her hand. “I’m not going anywhere. The Janeteers still need me. But this guy—” She patted Arthur’s cheek. “—he’s finally a big boy.”
“What will you do?” Arthur asked.
She shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “Janet doesn’t choose the adventure. The adventure chooses Janet.”
He gave her a slight nod before turning back to us. “What do you say?” Arthur asked, “Are you ready for this?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Wyatt almost vibrated.
“There’s a rumor the Illuminati has set up operations in Paris.” Orion gave a slight salute. “I’m in.”
“Statistically, this will fail without me,” Connor added. Our newest hire tapped the metal against the table while he weighed the implications. It might have been the most human thing I had seen him do. “Count me in.”
Arthur’s eyes fell on me. For the last year, I did everything in my power to buy his friendship.
I had an urge to blindly say yes in hopes he’d give me his approval.
My thumb traced the etched lettering. Would accepting take me away from Booker?
Even if it did, we’d make it work. If we could survive a succubus trying to destroy the city, a minor change wouldn’t get in the way of our relationship. Booker would demand that we celebrate.
This decision wasn’t for anybody in the room but me. Even as the insecurity tried to creep up, I knew this invisible thread that bound us together wouldn’t break.
What did I want?
My smile stretched from ear to ear. I wanted to see where this adventure took me. “I’m in.”
Wyatt cheered despite the chocolate cake in his mouth.
“While I’m excited for this circle jerk—”
“Ew.” Arthur’s nose scrunched up. “We’re related.”
“Don’t yuck somebody’s yum.” She winked at her twin. Some things would never change. She exited the break room. I’d never say it out loud, but I’d miss her morning attempts to grope my ass. I’m sure she’d make up for it next time we went on patrol.
I reached for my phone.
Drew: I’ve got big news.
Booker: Me too. Celebration is in order.
“Hey!” Janet shouted from the office lobby. “You all should come see this.”
All of us jumped to our feet, all but Arthur. The smile on his face had gone from delightful to devilish. I couldn’t imagine what sinister plan he had concocted. We’d need to sit down and intervene before he transformed into a supervillain.
We walked down the hall and froze in our tracks.
There were a dozen people sitting in chairs, leaning on walls, and pacing.
Each of them held sheets of paper or lugged a briefcase.
A year ago, I had been one of those people, nervous about finding my place in the world.
It took a moment before I noticed the scales and wings… and did that man have extra arms?
“It’s time we opened our doors,” Arthur said from behind us.
Janet eyed an Amazonian-sized woman. She winked at Janet. “Okay, I’ll stay for another day.”