Page 11 of Hero & Villain
“That’s it? Just corporate warfare? I hate to bring it up, but forgiveness might be the best way for you to get revenge on all of them, you know, move on and have a good life without letting any of their actions cause your own reactions that…might… I mean, it’s just that forgiveness is one of those things that they talk about.”
“They?”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Look, I’ll support you in whatever you decide to do, but I’ve been a lot happier since I’ve been working through my issues in therapy.”
I blinked at her. “Oh. You’re doing therapy? How cool.” And dangerous. She’d better not be talking about me.
She patted my knee. “Just books and stuff about releasing trauma. Not a security threat. Still, I’ve realized that if I don’treally like who I am, I’m not stuck living out these roles that other people have stuck me in my whole life.”
That’s what was up with all the hero/villain talk. I leaned over and gave her a tight hug before I pulled away and ruffled her ridiculous hair. In a few hours mine would be fifty times worse. “No matter what you do, you’re my minion, perfectly you, whoever you want to be. If being legal makes you happy, it makes me happy. Now, I’m going to rip Dirk Dagger’s heart to shreds, ruin his reputation, destroy his career and his life. Am I forgetting anything?”
She grinned cheerfully. “That sounds perfect except for one thing.” She studied me seriously. “What about destroying your ex? He’s the one who betrayed you.”
My heart pounded and hurt tangled my stomach. I shook my head. “I can’t do anything about him, not yet. I’m too emotional to get revenge. It’s not like I can’t ruin his life in a few years, when he has a new girl he’s purchased, after I can think of him without wanting to kill and destroy.” I swallowed hard. “Right now, I’d probably kill him carelessly and leave evidence.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed my fingers. “Thinking like a true villain. Let him worry and wonder. Just disappear without a word. That’ll be enough psychological damage until you get your head together.”
“At Nitro’s funeral, what did you talk to James Russell Jefferson Dirk Prescott about?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. It was such a ridiculous name. Also, it made my heart tingle. Dirk. Yep. So stupid.
She nodded, and her eyes lit up. “He said there would always be a place for me, whether there was a team or not. But now, he’s working for Nix Death-Hammer.” Her brows wiggled. “You could take down both of them.”
I wrinkled my nose; the thought of the muscular Death-Hammer did nothing for me. “Gross.”
She patted my shoulder. “That’s right. You save all the other men for me.” She beamed at me. “This is going to be so easy for you. He couldn’t help himself when you weren’t even trying. You trying is going to destroy him. Straight-up seduction, or something else? Also, what do you want me to do?”
“You’re going to stay low until I get to the bottom of everything. Harlem… At any rate, you stay low. As for me…” I chewed on my bottom lip before I swallowed hard and raised my chin. “I think I’m going to marry him. That will give me full access to everything he has.”
She blanched but quickly brightened, nodding. “And it will piss off Clint. Genius!”
I straightened up before glancing over at Straw. “I’m going to have to leave my love behind.”
“He can stay with me, locked in the cellar of disasters.”
I stared at her while my heart ached. Maestro had wanted me to play publicly, to solo with the orchestra, but instead, I’d played to a crowd of riffraff in my underwear down by the river. And now I was leaving my cello behind for who knew how long? For the first time, I was actually tempted to run away and be a street musician.
She patted my shoulder. “Marriage? You’re clearly committed to this scheme. Will it bother you to be with someone else? I mean, two years sleeping with one man…”
“My bed is for sleeping. His bed is for him to sleep in. I’m not sleeping with anyone.”
She grinned. “You know what I mean. Seriously, you don’t like sleeping and waking up with someone?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t understand the obsession with sleeping with another body next to you. I can’t imagine letting someone else have access to me when I’m completely defenseless.” Of course, I’d been defenseless with Dirk Dagger, and he hadn’t taken advantage of me, just taken my fear andthen sent me on my way. “I’m sure that Dagger has a hero complex if he felt guilty enough about Nitro’s death—a delicate female if ever there was one—” I rolled my eyes, “to quit leading a team. All I have to do is to be the quivering damsel he can’t help but protect.”
“And then you rip open his underbelly and leave him suffering an agonizing slow death. Then we can take care of Clint.”
I gave her a hug. “You’re the best.”
She squeezed me too tight. “Best at being bad. Well, second best. You’re the Supervillain. Don’t forget that, particularly when you’re playing soft and pretty. Playing parts can mess with you.”
I nodded and pulled away, frowning as we headed up the stairs. “I know. I almost forgot that I wasn’t the perfect fiancé.”
“Right? You’re going to need to break a nail. You can’t be precious anymore. I know that you always protect your hands, being a musician, but you’ve got to be a little sloppy, or no one will take you for me.”
I shook my head. “I have to be a victimized version of you. You’ve gotten pathetic and weak in the last five years.”
She wrinkled her nose. “And that’s what you’re going to play? You’re good, but don’t push it too much. You have to play this role for weeks.”
“Months probably.”
