Chapter 9

"Stupid, Vex."

Our date had ended, but we had stayed long enough that Ha-Yoon flipped the open sign and locked the doors. It turned into a lengthy conversation about our pasts with powers. Having spent several decades in the suit, Won-Ho had a plethora of humorous tales. The conversation stayed light, and I had to admit, I didn't want it to end. He could have asked about my fight with the Centurions or why I wanted to take down the heroes of Vanguard, but he skillfully dodged the topic.

I sat on the side of a skyscraper in the business district. My feet dangled more than a hundred feet over the streets of Vanguard. If anybody looked up, I'd be mistaken for a jumper. At any moment, I expected a hero to stop by and ask if I was in distress. It'd turn awkward as they realized my identity, and then I'd have to teleport to another building for peace.

"Stupid," I repeated.

If it had been a business deal, I'd have gone for the jugular. I'd have left my counterpart shaking as I stormed in and controlled the room like a boss. Yet, with Won-Ho, I found the aggression taking a backseat for genuine curiosity. As I confessed teleporting being the favorite part of my abilities, his pointer finger had traced the peaks and valleys of my knuckles.

The brute softened me.

As we bid our farewells in front of the restaurant, I hugged him. We both lingered, enjoying the strength of the embrace. With a turn of the head, I could have kissed him. I wanted to feel the stubble along his chin scratch my cheek. What I wanted took a backseat to what he needed. I'd need to be an even bigger dick than normal at work tomorrow to make up for it.

It didn't stop me from imagining Won-Ho naked. Even if the night ended with a PG-level embrace, I'd fantasize about watching him strip. I'd be gentle, but I wouldn't take no for an answer. There'd be foreplay to help him relax, but before the night ended, I'd have his face buried in a pillow as I?—

"Am I interrupting?"

Grumbling, my fantasy evaporated. I didn't turn to answer. "I'm not jumping."

"Vanguard could only hope Damien Vex plummeted to his death."

Great. Not only did a hero ruin my night, but they also ruined a perfectly good erection. Whoever they were, I already didn't like them. I spotted the toes lined up with the edge of the building. When I looked up, my muscles tensed. I recognized the suit and cowl hiding her eyes. More than that, she ranked high on the list of heroes I had sworn to kill.

"Hellcat," I growled.

I focused on the gem, letting the smoke pour out until it wrapped around my body. With a quick glance, I searched for her sidekicks. She might not have powers, but the company she kept was powerful. Amongst their ranks, my arch nemesis.

"As much as I'd like to punch you in the throat, I'm not here to fight."

"That makes one of us."

"Shut the fuck up." She dropped until she sat next to me. "I don't want to throw your ass in jail again."

I could choke her without effort. Her bones would snap in my hands like matchsticks. If she thought her ability to jump through the air was intimidating, she overestimated her abilities. If I didn't want to know the reason for her visit, she'd already be a corpse plunging toward the street.

"State your business."

"Asshole, you bought my building."

I let the smoke recede so she could see the surprise on my face. She didn't give away her identity, but the statement narrowed it down to a handful of proprietors. Hellcat wasn't tall enough for the woman who owned the art store. The baker was a tall, chubby man. It left the spunky comic book store owner. She pulled the cowl back enough to reveal her face.

"Comics, huh? A little on the nose, don't you think?"

"Nobody asked your opinion." It was rude to state the identity of a hero, even if it was common knowledge. It did little to startle her. "Why did you buy my building?"

"It's your misfortune being in the same building as the Hideout."

"Seriously? You just can't let it go, can you?"

No, I couldn't. My need for redemption was only made more necessary after Bernard dismissed me as harmless. If she wanted to blame somebody, she could look at the friends she kept. I had zero regrets, and I'd still have zero when I demolished the building or priced them out of their storefronts.

"Such is business. Perhaps you can charge for your work with the Deviants."

"We dissolved the Deviants for the time being."

"That's unfortunate."

"They'd come running if some arrogant asshole needed to be put down."

"Oh. You're talking about me? Arrogance is for those without means."

"God, I hate you."

"It's a sentiment I fully return."

"It makes this even more painful."

What was that? Hellcat could have gotten the surprise on me. Perhaps if she got lucky with the first blow, she could have won. It reminded me I needed to be more careful about going out. There were far more righteous heroes who would see me as a stepping stone toward infamy.

"I need your help."

"I'm not one of your sidekicks."

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"The answer will always be no."

"Vex, put aside your mammoth ego and hear me out."

She had partnered with Sentinel and Hyperion. The Deviants had Inferno and EO. If she wanted powerful heroes at her beck and call, they were already in her Rolodex. If she had come to me, it must be for something less than noble. I had finally gotten Carmen off my back, and now a smaller version wanted to bind me in servitude. Would she be more forthright with her ambitions?

Dammit, curiosity got the better of me. "What for?"

"To fix the mess the four of you made."

She knew about our therapy group. This suddenly got more interesting. I had no intention of teaming up with a street-level vigilante, but I'd humor the request. Which of them had leaked information? The obvious choice would be Clint"s inability to self-regulate. Something told me Doc worked in the shadows, so I couldn't discount him. The only person I had any faith in keeping secrets would be Diesel, which, by default, made me suspicious.

"Which mess might that be?"

"You haven't figured it out yet, have you?" She threw her hands into the air. "The high and mighty Damien Vex can't see that he's been playing a game of chess. Worse yet, he's losing."

"I don't lose."

"You're a pawn, Vex. A lowly, worthless pawn."

"And who plays the part of the king?"

"Sexist." She got to her feet. "There's no king?—"

"A queen," I whispered. This went from intriguing to downright titillating. "The irony involved is uncanny. You're telling me, LaToya… Carmen LaToya, is your target? The same woman I tried to kill… the same woman you defended?—"

"God, you talk too much."

"If I had succeeded, LaToya would be nothing but a memory." I hadn't cared about her at the time. She oversaw the Centurions, which made her collateral damage. I'd have killed her just to send a message to her supposed heroes. And now, a hero with a knack for creating alliances needed my help.

I wanted to laugh, to crush her under the weight of my condescension. She didn't deserve it. Hellcat needed to stew in the fact she played a hand in whatever mess unfolded. Whatever LaToya planned, if it meant angering the heroes, she had my empathy. Though… thanks to Hellcat, I could see that whatever LaToya had planned, it had something to do with granting powers to humans. Clint, Diesel, and I had all been sent with instructions to retrieve, not destroy, her precious elixir.

"You're going to make me ask, aren't you?"

"Ask. Grovel. Beg. I'm keen on any of the above."

"Will you help us?" The asshole was implied by her tone.

I pushed upward, hovering in front of the small woman. High above Vanguard, I could destroy her. Her gymnastics wouldn't save her if I unleashed the wrath of the gem. If Hellcat was as smart as they say, she understood how close she stood to death.

"No."

"Asshole."

"You have a hand in this disaster. I want each hero to suffer the consequences of their actions. For once, this isn't on me. It's on you and your Deviants."

"You're so damned arrogant."

"But correct, am I not?"

"I told them you'd say no."

She pulled the molded leather over her head, fitting it into place over her eyes. Now that I had seen her without, I'd never be able to see her as the street vigilante. I couldn't imagine who she enlisted for this suicide mission. If I couldn't defeat LaToya's Centurions, then she had no chance. LaToya with powers? Even I couldn't fathom what somebody with that much self-control could do. I guess we'd find out.

"Send my condolences."

Her middle finger flashed as she leapt off the building. Hellcat redefined poise and grace. Spinning about, she reached to her belt and shot out a grappling hook. A second later, she vanished between buildings, swinging away empty-handed.

"LaToya, what exactly are you up to?"

I wanted to say I didn't care, that I put that foul woman behind me. I hadn't gotten to my position without keeping an eye on other noteworthy players in Vanguard. If she was going to make trouble for me, then I might care. But how much damage could a human cause? Even if she gave herself powers?

Despite our clean break, I felt I hadn't seen the last of Hellcat or LaToya.