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“You’re not the only one who knows how to grab a man’s attention.” The smirk and waggle of the eyebrows made me laugh. Scarlet was indeed a vixen. “But he wasn’t getting his hands on my baby. Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner.”
“So you’re staying? Stepping down? Scarlet, you’re killing me.”
“A buyer approached me.”
I ran down the list of heroes who had enough money to buy the club. The general population thought that heroes were all rich and living in their penthouses. Most of them had regular day jobs and treated heroing as a hobby. Saving the city didn’t come with a paycheck. And the few heroes with rich alter-egos, I couldn’t imagine Scarlet handing over her years of hard work to them.
“They had one demand.” She eyed the keys. “They’d purchase the club as long as you agreed to take over as the manager.”
“I— I— ” I stared at the keys. Scarlet had said she wished I could buy the club. I had put the outlandish statement out of my mind. I worked for tips, and putting money away in the bank wasn’t high on my priority list. Even if she had been willing to sell it for a buck, I’d have to check my balance.
“Say yes, you idiot.”
“Do what she said, you idiot.” Thanks, Chad, your words of encouragement were helpful.
“I don’t know. That’s…” I had told Bernard I wanted to plan for the future. Somewhere, there was a happy middle ground. Taking over as the manager would mean more responsibility, but there’s no place I’d rather spend my nights. It’d give me access to a future that currently felt just out of reach.
“Scarlet, I need your brutal honesty.” It was a hard question to ask. I needed to hear somebody say it. “Do you think I can handle it?”
She didn’t hesitate with a loud laugh. It came from the stomach, and a second later, everybody in the cafe was giggling like they had heard the funniest joke. Even I chuckled, amused at Scarlet’s powers washing across the shop.
“Mi amigo, there is nobody I have more faith in. You have proven to be resilient, creative, and feisty. Midnight Alley will thrive with you at the helm.”
I had surrounded myself with wonderful people. When my confidence plummeted and left me flailing, they’d be there to pick me up. Ironic that this breakfast table should be the nexus of where those friends gathered.
“I’ll do it.” And just like that, a world of possibilities rolled out before me.
“Congratulations! The other business owners will give you a hand.” Yes, even Chad made the cut. He gave me a bump with his hip as I fought to keep my face from turning bright red.
“Stonewall will be thrilled.”
“Wait. What? Back that up.”
“Oh,” she laughed, “did I forget to mention your boyfriend’s husband bought the club? Technically, both of them did.”
It was like being beneath the building again. A wall of bricks came slamming down and my brain refused to process what she said. They did what? How? Why?
“We have drawn up the paperwork. All it needs is my signature.”
“They bought the club…” I was mumbling.
“You, as the manager, was the only stipulation. Our lawyers spent more time arguing over who got to tell you. But let’s be honest, I get what I want, and here we are.”
Julian and Theo had bought the club? But more than that, these married heroes wanted me to spearhead the Alley’s next iteration. Had this been before I texted Theo to break off our relationship?
“It was cute how much they wanted to keep it a secret. Glad to see they pulled it off.”
While I let my insecurities consume me, Theo was taking his status as a hero to a new level. Was this why he had been distant? Had I read the situation wrong? I had made a horrible mistake.
But as every electronic device in the cafe buzzed to life, I didn’t have time to focus on my stupidity. I fished around in my pocket for my phone. There were multiple dots on the HeroApp™ map. It had been a while since the villains had coordinated their efforts. Things were about to get crazy.
I showed Scarlet my screen. “The city’s under attack.”
26
“The Nocturnals,”Scarlet hissed.
“Eclipse,” I said. When she raised her eyebrow, I realized that her research hadn’t filled in the complete puzzle. “He’s the leader of the Nocturnals. See, I do my research too.”
