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I held my breath.
“There are no fliers nearby,”the reporter said, staring at her cell phone.
One second the jumpers were falling, and then they were nowhere to be found. The reporter leaned out of the helicopter, looking down.
Her eyes went wide. “They’re gone.”
The cameraman zoomed in to where they had vanished. I recognized the six holes hovering in space before they disappeared.
“EO.” I couldn’t hide the smirk as it turned into a full grin.
I didn’t care if he duked it out with the baddies or if he put them behind bars. Without any credit for himself, EO had saved the lives of six innocent citizens. For that, he’d drink for free tonight. If he showed, that is.
“Our hero chaser is smitten.” Griffin laughed.
Who me? Nope. I didn’t get smitten. Griffin leaned against me, wrapping his arm around my waist. “It’s about time you found a special someone.” He was going to be insufferable.
But maybe, just maybe, I didn’t mind.
8
I heldmy breath every time Bruno opened the door and granted the superhero elite access to the club. So far this evening, my attention to the people entering the Alley caused me to drop a glass, shoot an olive across the room, and poor half a martini on my shoe.
I cost the club enough money that it warranted Scarlet coming to the bar. As she sauntered in my direction, I prepared her gin and tonic, ensuring that her lime was sliced perfectly and given a twist. If I botched her drink, I might not need to worry about the sale of the club. I’d be jobless before the conversation started.
She pulled back a chair, brushing it off before she took a seat. She had pinned her hair back into a bun, letting strands fall along her cheeks. Scarlet never arrived at work in anything less than a full face of makeup. The staff had a running theory that it wasn’t cosmetics at all and that she had her face surgically altered. Ordinary people weren’t this stunning. But then again, Scarlet wasn’t an average human.
“Your gin and tonic, m’lady.”
“Don’t think you can charm your way into my good graces.”
“Me?” I batted my eyelashes. “I would never think to use my God-given talents on somebody as refined as yourself.”
She held the drink to her lips before speaking. “Every family has that one person you want to slap.” She took a sip, closing her eyes as she savored the perfect concoction. “But they’re too damned lovable.”
“I have no idea who you’re talking about.” Scarlet had poached me years ago from a horrible dive bar. Back then, on a good night, I barely made enough to buy myself three meals a day. I always wondered if she used her gifts to lure me away. Every time I asked, she’d give a little shrug and wander back into the crowd.
“What’s on your mind?” She didn’t beat around the bush.
“Nothing more than usual.”
“That’s not what Vengeful Mist said as he fished an olive out of his tunic.”
“Can a mist be vengeful?”
“Speak.” She dragged the word out into two syllables in an almost sing-song manner. I resisted. Images of puppies and doing my taxes filled my head. But once Scarlet unleashed her gifts, it was impossible to ignore her demands.
“I don’t want you to sell the club.”
“Is that what’s gotten under your skin? There’s a good chance I’ve found a buyer. He fancies himself a hero, but he just wants to hobnob with the A-listers.”
“Eclipse,” I growled louder than I meant to.
“Yes, Eclipse. He’s not much of a hero, but he does like the idea of taking over the club. It’d put him within touching distance of all the important players. The man’s vanity should keep Midnight Alley open for years.”
“How can you sell it to a man who pretends to be a hero? He’ll run the club into the ground, and us with it.”
“Aging parents. Multiple mortgages. Crushing debt. Trust me, I don’t want to sell the club, but it’s the only way I’m going to retire. It’s bad enough to see it go. Do you think I want to sell it to him?”
