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But still…

Sadie gazed at her door.

What if Joan was interested?

And what if Joan was Catch?

CHAPTER4

The late afternoon sun caused sweat to trickle down Joan’s back inside the rubbery material on her black-and-red Spark outfit. She wriggled as she sat on the roof across the street from Melvin’s favorite weekday hangout. Tapping her heels against the brick ledge, she watched him pose to the delight of the eight women inside the brightly lit fitness center.

Well, manufactured delight. Brainwashed delight. Through Joan’s eyes, Melvin was a dorky short guy in his strangely mauve-tinted Trick getup with fake muscles built into it. He could trick the norms, but the Villains knew he was not a big, buff dude.

A perky blonde squeezed one of his biceps and danced with glee. The other women cooed in admiration. Melvin grinned and said something that was clearly more mind control because everyone in the fitness center laughed heartily. Joan shook her head. Trick had the power to do some real damage but mostly went around making people think he was a stud. His ego was the most dangerous thing about him.

He could actually work out. Put in the reps to get the physique he desired. But no. Melvin only came to the gym to pretend. To lie. It was annoying to watch, but it was the best time to catch him without Irving and Ethel around. Mel gave them Mondays off from henching. Plus, he’d be too preoccupied to overreact to what she was about to do.

Joan scratched at where her facemask rubbed on the bridge of her nose, waiting for him to finish so they could talk. He hadn’t stopped bugging Perry, and thus Perry hadn’t stopped bugging Joan about telling Mel they wanted out of his schemes.

This place had an upscale clientele. Hot, rich women in designer workout wear. The sort of place Joan imagined when she told people she worked at a gym, though she saw herself more with the guys pumping iron in the back. Even if they grunted and postured way too much. Which was why she preferred to work out in the warehouse with Mark, sparring and using their powers on each other when they got frustrated.

Or mixing it up with Greta, not using her powers against her oldest friend (and honestly, her only true friend). Greta would absolutely take her down if Joan so much as even tried.

She leaned forward, bracing her gloved hands on the ledge. She needed to text Greta after this. It’d been a while since they’d hung out. She could pick her pal’s brain about Sadie. Greta was one of the few norms Joan had allowed into her life, so she had that outside perspective. Although it was coated in a thick layer of criminality. Greta was hands down the best thief in Vector City and loved her chosen career. They never could see eye-to-eye on that versus Joan having no alternative.

Seriously, though, what to do about Sadie? She’d seemed interested in Joan’s nerdy admission to being a foodie. (Only she hadn’t let on just how nerdy she was about it.) And Sadie clearly wanted her to stop by Vector City Coffee for a sweet treat. She hadn’t been subtle aboutthatdouble meaning. Enough time had passed for it to be safe to stop by.

A smile tugged at her mouth. Sadie seemed so genuine, so sweet. Cute and creative and helpful. It’d be nice to talk over logo designs for a food truck. But neighborly flirting could only go on for so long before Joan had to either do something about it or put a stop to it.

It’d been pretty awkward having Sadie pick up on Joan’s cut of the gold bars clanking in her bag. The hand weights story had been a good cover-up. Plus, she really did have a metal water bottle in there.

She wanted to get to know Sadie, but that brought the risk of Sadie wanting to get to know her. And she would think she’d be hanging out with a personal trainer who most certainly did not spend her time sitting on rooftops waiting to talk to Trick. Not exactly a great way to start things.

Ugh, enough already. This could go on all night. She pushed off the ledge and shot just enough fire from both palms to glide down to the sidewalk. She waved them out just before landing in a crouch. When she straightened, the flowing hair on her dark wig flopped over her face. She batted it back. Damn thing had a mind of its own.

She stepped into the street. An oncoming car braked sharply. The driver laid on the horn, then stopped when the woman in the passenger seat slapped the guy with both hands.

“That’s Spark!” the woman screeched loud enough for Joan to hear through the open windows.

“Oh, shit.” The guy raised his hands off the steering wheel.

Joan resisted rolling her eyes and continued to the fitness center. A deliveryman in a parked white truck jerked the brim of his ballcap low, like she wouldn’t see him because he couldn’t see her. Norms sure could be weird.

She pulled one of the glass doors open. The thumping beat of upbeat music filled the large space. Mel was still holding court by the treadmills. He did have one advantage over Spark: People weren’t afraid of him when he used his powers.

He caught sight of Joan from his circle of admirers. Irritation flashed across his face. “What are you doing here?” he whined in his nasal voice.

“I need to talk to you,” Joan said.

“Can’t it wait? I’m busy.”

“No.”

The women stared blankly at her. People looked creepy under mind control.

Melvin changed his stance so he could show off his back. The women sighed and petted his Trick suit. Three weightlifter dudes nodded appreciatively from across the room.

Yuck.She had to get out of there. “I have an answer to your proposition.”