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The phone shook again, a message popping up on the screen.
Julian: Whatever you are doing, drop it. I need you here, now.”
The wound re-opened. I sent a text message before death came knocking and I got ignored. But Julian sends an S.O.S. and Theo jumps into action. I might have Theo’s attention, but it appeared he only offered it when convenient. I didn’t want to cause a scene. It wasn’t hurt pumping through my veins, it was anger. I was thankful he was leaving, so I could stew in my misery.
Theo returned to the table. I handed him his phone, and he leaned in, kissing me on the forehead. “Consider this a rain check. I’ll make it up to you.”
He glanced in both directions before opening a portal and vanishing. I felt foolish as I sat there by myself. It was only amplified as the waitress arrived, setting down three plates of food. It looked delicious, but suddenly, I wasn’t hungry.
She asked if I needed anything else, and I blinked as I processed the question. I hadn’t been aware at the time, but there was something I needed, and as Theo vanished for whatever emergency awaited him, I knew the answer to the question.
I neededmore.
20
My usual workplaceflare had vanished. I mixed the martini with a single shake before dumping the liquid into a glass. I feigned a smile as I pushed it across the table, dropping in an olive without a toothpick. The hero eyed the drink before setting down the exact change. I couldn’t blame her for ignoring the tip.
“Why so solemn?”
It was as if the gods above were determined to test my patience. I cursed under my breath as Eclipse took a seat at the bar. Normally, I’d spin around the conversation, taking my jabs with uncanny precision. But tonight, I didn’t want to play games. I wanted to do my job, close out the bar, and go to sleep. It was by sheer force of will that I came into work. Eclipse would have to survive without getting a reaction.
“What do you want?”
He looked behind the bar, studying the hundred bottles as if he knew what to order. The white mask hiding his face made it impossible to tell where his eyes were pointing. Like every time he waltzed into the bar, it looked as if he had picked up his suit from the dry cleaners. For a man who refused to use his powers to protect the city, he certainly acted like we owed him. My dislike for Eclipse turned to hate.
I didn’t wait for the reply. On a good day, I couldn't tolerate him, and now I wanted the man gone.
I grabbed a bottle off the shelf and started mixing. “A hero chaser it is.” If my martini had been lackluster, this was downright appalling. If Scarlet caught me mixing drinks like a rookie, she’d take me by the ear and drag me to the floor like mi madre.
“And here I thoughtyouwere the hero chaser.” Eclipse acted as if my reputation was a well-guarded secret. Anybody who set foot in the bar knew that on a good day, I’d flirt, and if they were burly, they’d stand a chance of making it to my bedroom. I didn’t hide my extracurricular activities. I was a slut and never ashamed to admit it.
“Foractualheroes, maybe.”
Neither of us budged. A staring contest. I might not be able to take him in an arm-wrestling contest. Or maybe I could? Eclipse hadn’t shown off his powers. I learned that if they weren’t open with their abilities, they weren’t worth mentioning. With this petulant man-child, I bet the same could be said about hisotherattributes.
Eclipse turned, as if he were looking for a friend in the bar. Victory. Childish, I know, but it was that or I’d throw a drink in his face. It’d fast-track, ending my night. I’m not sure Scarlet would let me come back, but with her leaving, was that a bad thing?
“When I own this operation—“
“Are you about to make an idle threat?”
“I wouldn’t quite say, idle.”
His cheeks rose, creating an eerie smile visible through his mask. I couldn’t believe that Scarlet considered giving her baby away to this asshole. Estás pero si bien pendejo. She and I were going to have a talk before the night ended.
“We’ll have to have a heart-to-heart when I’m your boss.”
Did Eclipse really have the funds to purchase the club outright? Was it a done deal? I thought back to the many times the two of them had talked. Were there no other rich heroes looking for an investment opportunity? Even with her need to retire, I couldn’t believe she’d be willing to put this jerk in charge. The bar wouldn’t last a year under his management.
“Who knows? Maybe we can get to know one another outside the bar?”
I slammed the tumbler onto the bar, splashing the cocktail across the front of my shirt. The man had insulted me, threatened my job, and now he was propositioning me? I couldn’t figure out what Eclipse wanted. Did he walk into a room to spread chaos? Cause right now, I couldn’t pinpoint the purpose of this exchange.
“You think I’d be interested in seeing you if I wasn’t being paid?”
“Money won’t be an issue.”
He offered to buy my time? I didn’t know if I should be offended or honored that he considered me worthy of the wad of cash crumpled in his wallet. The sex workers probably turned away his money.
