Chapter 22

Sleep hadn't been an option.

I walked along the street, still in my clothes from the previous night. I paused in front of a shop window and tried pulling myself together. The wrinkled suit I could pat down, but the bags under my eyes wouldn't be as easy to fix.

After Carmen's friendly visit, I went home, thinking I could catch a few hours of sleep. Instead, I paced back and forth, imagining the many ways I'd terminate Carmen LaToya. Even while I delighted in the creative torture techniques, I couldn't help but think of Won-Ho. When she texted a photo of him floating in a stasis tube, I knew I couldn't take the night off.

Why had that idiot gotten involved? Won-Ho had been out of the hero business for decades. Now, out of the blue, he took on a woman intimidating without powers. Try as I might, the anger drowned beneath worry. He wasn't property to possess, but the more I thought about it, the more I used the word ‘mine.' Whatever the destination, Won-Ho and I were bound, and I'd murder anybody who got in our way.

If this were a chess game, the queen had cornered me. Any move I made left me falling into harm's way. She'd win. She either got my allegiance, or she got Won-Ho's powers. I had spent the night uncovering every property owned by Centurion Inc. The many bunkers hidden throughout the city had turned up nothing. By the time I shook down B-rate heroes, I realized I wouldn't find her on my own. Conventional methods had turned up nothing. If I was going to save Won-Ho, I needed to stop playing her game.

It was time to break the rules.

I paused in front of a shop door. The Hideout. I swallowed as the bile rose in the back of my throat. As a patron exited, I smelled the sweet scent of coffee… good coffee. With a deep breath, I assumed the mask of Damien Vex, CEO. I imagined my ego being folded up and tucked away in a steel box. That I stood here, on the brink of humility, spoke volumes. I cared for Won-Ho, and I'd walk into the lion's den to save him.

I caught the door and walked inside. It was a packed house with dozens of patrons sitting at tables with their laptops while they savored their beverages. As soon as Chad spotted me, his back stiffened. I expected obscenities. He refrained. Consider me surprised. However, he wasn't the reason for my visit.

In the corner, I found the table. Walking forward, none of the Hideout's occupants paid me any heed. Bernard's eyes looked up from his breakfast, and he dropped his fork. What went through his head? Did he think this would turn into a powered showdown? Our last encounter almost had him as the villain. As much as I wanted to push him over the line, I'd have to save that amusement for another day.

A man in a paramedic uniform jumped to his feet. "What the hell are you doing here?" He positioned himself between me and his cohort. I didn't recognize Bernard's sycophant. "Get out." He filled out the uniform enough to know it hid muscle. If it were a fair match, I could take him, but something told me neither of us played by the rules.

"Sit down. The grownups need to talk."

It wasn't the clenched fists that sparked my interest. His eyes flashed red, similar to Diesel's when he consumed too much bourbon. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Bernard's flock came littered with heroes.

I didn't flinch. "Use your powers, and everybody here dies. Wouldn't want that on your conscience, now would you, chap?"

"Xander, don't." Bernard, always barking orders. "He's not worth it."

I stepped around Xander, dismissing him. Had I time, I'd find out if he was one of the Deviants who sent me to Cold Iron. What about the other two? Did they?—

"Alejandro, consider me surprised."

"Long time, no see."

The other man's jaw dropped. If he were older than a child, he'd be attractive. Thick with a fuzzy beard and t-shirt showing off his girth, he had my attention. He turned to Alejandro, blinking in disbelief. "Alejandro, please tell me you didn't…"

"He did," I said. Sue me; I wanted to sow a little chaos. "How could I ever forget?"

Alejandro waved his friend off. "Griffin, you're not ready for that story."

They jabbed at one another like children. It wasn't them I wanted to speak with. It was the father figure sitting at the end of the table that concerned me. Xander stood by the man's side but didn't return to his seat. I was about to ask if they were lovers, but decided to focus on the mission.

"Bernard, can we speak?"

"Whatever you say to him—" Bernard held up his hand, silencing Griffin.

"You've trained your children well."

"Friends, Damien. It's a concept you should explore."

This group of ragtag hoodlums did nothing for me. I had never been a man in search of friendship. I preferred the company of my work and the satisfaction of watching my empire grow. Then again… the hothead, the bumbling idiot… the only thing missing was the analytical therapist. I turned about inspecting the coffee shop, imagining it as a dark bar in a bad part of town.

Reality sank in. They were us.

"Fuck," I whispered.

"What do you want, Damien?"

My eyes narrowed as I stared down the burly hero. Instead of meeting for therapy and getting drunk, they met for brunch. Everything about this realization made my skin crawl. Did that mean Bernard served as my doppelg?nger from another reality? I shook the thought from my head. This would be a conversation for Doc to analyze.

"I need your help."

All four stayed silent as their eyes bulged. Yes, the almighty and near-perfect Damien Vex had come to this hovel in search of help. I had killed to protect Won-Ho, but ending a life didn't require betraying my morals. Whatever surprise they experienced, mine was two-fold.

"Can you repeat that?" Griffin asked.

I snarled. "Don't be daft."

Bernard picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. The fool thought himself the Godfather, and I half-expected him to twirl his mustache. It didn't show on his face, but I'm certain he basked in my discomfort. Every fiber of my being wanted to lunge across the table and knock the spit from his mouth. Only after he watched his friends impaled on pikes, of course.

Bernard stood. "What do you need?"

That's it? After nearly killing him and taking apart his social circle, he offered help without an ultimatum? The hair on my neck stood on end as I tried to sort out his intentions. That's it, the hero. By offering his help, he maintained his pedestal of righteousness. Setting aside his hatred made him the bigger man. I wondered if his friends understood my ego was the second biggest in the room.

"Carmen LaToya needs to be put down."

"Isn't that what got you in trouble last?—"

"Hush," Alejandro said, putting a finger to Griffin's lips. "I want to see how this plays out."

"You want me to kill my former boss? I think you're speaking to the wrong man."

Of course, Carmen had played the faithful boss. She cultivated this facade of being a noble defender of humanity. Clint could take pointers at her ability to play a role. Without powers, she shapeshifted into a pillar of the community. It didn't help that heroes blindly followed the good guys. They'd never stop to question her motives. Another mental note about why I hated these idiots.

"She kidnapped Won."

"The man from the gym?"

I didn't respond. He didn't need the details of my personal life. "An innocent man. Isn't this your territory? Stopping bad guys and saving damsels?"

"Carmen would never?—"

"And yet, she did. The woman you knew never existed. Bernard, she played you."

He shook his head. Right and wrong. Heroes only saw extremes. Anything that fell in the middle confused them. Bernard could replay every interaction with the woman, and he'd put it into silos. Good or bad.

"What's your game?" asked Xander.

My ego tried to break free, the steel box splitting at the seams. I forced it into place, biting back scathing insults. It wouldn't help.

"Keep up, matchstick. I will not repeat myself."

Bernard shook his head. He had finished categorizing Carmen"s actions. "I don't believe you."

"I'm many things, but a liar is not one of them."

This had been a mistake. I thought I could disrupt Carmen's plan by achieving the unexpected. My momentary lapse in judgment faded, replaced by hatred. It had been an olive branch, a chance to set aside our animosity, even for a moment. I feared if he accepted, I'd have to reevaluate my animosity. Part of me was relieved, and we returned to the status quo.

"Believe what you will," I said. Behind the counter, Chad continued pouring coffee for patrons, but his eyes remained fixated on me. Was he one, too? Another Deviant? When I shuttered his doors, it'd be another dagger into Bernard's life.

"Carmen LaToya is the only reason I'm a free man. You should do a more thorough inspection of her web of lies. That's if you're willing to tarnish your perceptions of reality."

My humility reached its limit. They wouldn't get a reaction. As much as I wanted to see Bernard suffer, this was not the time to make a scene. I turned about and headed toward the door. It had been a momentary lapse in judgment, a reaction to desperation. I'd save Won-Ho, and it'd be no thanks to the heroes of Vanguard.

I exited the Hideout. It wouldn't be heroes who saved the day.