Page 102 of Not All Himbos Wear Capes
To his credit, Sylvano didn’t seem fazed by Xander’s psychotic musings. “Franco and my father knew each other well prior to the trial. Iron Axe first came to the USN months earlier for assistance with switching from villainy to heroism. This sort of request was unheard of at the time, and has understandably not been repeated since. Yes, he was doing it mostly because of his love for Siren, but Franco also strongly believed there was no biological difference between heroes and villains, and he wanted the USN to scientifically prove it.”
Xander’s gorgeous amber eyes were nearly popping out of his head, and I was certain mine looked the same. If heroes and villains were actually the same species, there was no fundamental reason myinventusand I couldn’t be together.
This changes everything!
“Did that research ever happen?” I hesitantly asked, buzzing with anticipation.
“No.” Sylvano sadly shook his head. “It was soon after we publicly announced Franco as the face of the USN’s new supe DNA research project that he mysteriously disappeared. His body was never found, and the heroes and villains who’d anonymously signed on to donate blood all withdrew their offers to participate.”
A horrifying thought occurred to me. “You don’t… you don’t thinkyourfather’s death had anything to do with…”
If Vortexio killed Pasquale Ricci…
Sylvano placed his hand on my shoulder again, squeezing slightly. “No, Butch. It was a long illness that took my father. As distasteful as Vortexio’s crimes are, they’ve also beensmart.Everyone knows what happens to supes who indiscriminately kill humans.”
Xander sharply inhaled, but attempted to cover it up with a cough. My old friend missed nothing, shrewdly glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
“That being said,” he casually added.“Off the record,I’ve always been a fan of vigilante justice.”
Thank you.
This time, Xander cleared his throat for real—probably to cover up some pesky emotions bubbling to the surface. “So, your father believed Vortexio killed Iron Axe to stop this research from happening,notto sever theinventusbond with Smoldering Siren?”
Sylvano blew out a breath. “Yes, he believed it was his primary motive, and that marrying Siren soon after was more of an excusable cover-up. The lesser of two evils, you could say. It would be far better for Vortexio to admit to taking desperate measures to maintain an equal balance of power than to committing a crime against humanity.” When he saw my confused expression, he clarified, “Since that’s what obstructing a humanitarian effort like this research would be considered.”
My mind was whirring over all the moving parts, trying to make them fit. This was clearly bigger than the severing ofinventusbonds, but I didn’t understand why my father would go to such lengths to stop the DNA research.
He must know something.
Sylvano turned to the bench to pop open his briefcase, but instead of the stack of papers I was expecting, he handed me a thumb drive. “Digital copies of my father’s trial notes are on here. You’ll also find documentation of the original terms binding so-called heroes in servitude to human governments, includingyourfamily’s contracts with Biggs Enterprises.”
Tears blurred my vision. Sylvano providing these files to us—when the USN may not even have the right to possess them—was a kindness beyond anything I could have expected.
His father would be proud.
“Thank you,” I choked out, securing the drive in one of my hidden pockets. “If the USN ever wants to start up the supe DNA research project again, Xander and I would be happy to donate blood.”
“Absolutely,” Xander agreed, taking my hand in his before turning to Sylvano. “But back up. Why did you refer to those bound in servitude to humans as ‘so-called’ heroes?”
My old friend smiled in a way that suggested he was also a fan of chaos. “As you’ll discover in the documents, the only true difference between heroes and villains is whether they agreed or refused to sign the original contracts.”
There it is.
“It’s never been about biology…” I murmured, realizing just how deeply messed up this situation was.
“It’s fucking politics and power,” Xander growled.
Sylvano laughed, but there was little humor in his tone. “It’s usually politics and power, which is exactly why my father founded the USN in the first place—so both heroes and villains could come to us for unbiased representation.”
His phone dinged, interrupting the conversation. When he glanced down at the screen, Sylvano’s face paled and his gaze immediately snapped to the two of us, warily looking us over.
“Walk with me back to my car.” His tone was casual, but I could sense anxiety beneath his words. “When all of this excitement is over, you might be too famous to visit your old friend Sylvano.”
I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, but happily helped him collect his things before escorting him toward the main entrance with Xander trailing behind us. “If I get any more famous, I may need to go into witness protection.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Sylvano muttered as we crested the hill. His expression immediately brightened when his car came into view. “Ah, here we are! Be sure to wave at Eddy, Butch. You know he’s your biggest fan.”
I turned to see his longtime driver excitedly waving from the curb. As usual, he pulled out his phone to take some photos, but given the circumstances, I tensed.
