Page 54 of Secret Spark

“There has to be a VanderHooven in the shipment,” he said. “A VanderHooven. The Holy Grail of?—”

“Come on, dude.”

“I’ve never taken a VanderHooven.”

“Do it some other time.”

“I didn’t mention the best part,” Melvin said. “Spark and Ice aren’t directly involved. You can have a clear conscience about the job.”

Joan snorted and drawled, “That’s how you’re trying to justify this? We’re not technically involved, so we’re not technically working with you?”

“There’s a little thing called aiding and abetting,” Mark said. “We neither want to aid nor abet.”

Mel was characteristically unconcerned. “You’re just bystanders. Tell yourself whatever you have to so you feel better about the job.”

His words poked at something in Joan’s gut. Wasn’t she doing the same thing with Sadie? Letting her think whatever she wanted so Joan could benefit?

Oh, shit. She was no better than freakin’ Melvin.

“It’s a no,” Joan said. “Period. End of story.”

Her body flooded with adrenaline. She didn’t want to be as villainous as freakin’ Melvin.

She pushed past him and headed for the back entrance. “I don’t care what you do. Leave me out of it. For good.”

She shoved the steel door open and took a few running steps. Strong, concentrated flames blasted from her palms, and she shot into the air.

In the dim early evening sky, she flew past rooftops, office building windows, satellite dishes. The wind whipped her long wig.

She’d never liked stealing from places like art museums and hated destroying parts of them. Doing it because freakin’ Melvin wanted to made it infinitely less appealing.

Sadie’s beautiful face filled her thoughts. Her bright smile, her zest for life, the way she kissed Joan with fervor and stared into Joan’s eyes like sheknewher.

She didn’t want to be as bad as Melvin. But could she be as good as Sadie imagined her to be?

I want to be the woman Sadie thinks I am.

Her flames lost momentum. She glided down to a dark, deserted alley, landing in a low crouch. Her entire adult life had been spent in dark places. Sadie was a chance to move into the light.

Only she couldn’t be. Joan hadn’t been honest, and once she came clean, Sadie wouldn’t want anything to do with her. She wanted Catch. A Superhero.

What if I went legit? What if Mark and I open our food truck? What if?—

Movement rushed up and stopped a few feet away. It was Race.

Great. Her brief burst of flying had attracted enough attention to alert a Super.

Joan flared stuttering flames with her hands, poised to strike. “Go away. I’m not up to anything.”

“Just a fire-fueled evening stroll through the air?” Zee said.

“I wasn’t causing any trouble.”

Zee shielded their eyes with one off-white glove. “Point those somewhere else. I come in peace.”

“What do you want?”

“To talk.”

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