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“And Mark. Did you ever stop to think that’s why I’ve been lenient on you two all these years?”

“Lenient?” Joan fisted her hands.

Zee’s mouth pulled into a little smirk. “Like I said. You’d already be on your way to jail if I wanted it.”

Ugh, Zee was still a smarmy Super at heart. But they wanted to do the right thing—therightthing, not the stringent, by-the-rules thing.

Joan sighed, the weight of the evening sitting on her like Lunk. “Look, I’ll think about it, and I’ll talk to Mark. But you’re probably on your own.”

Zee nodded, then shifted their feet. “As a gesture of good faith…”

They zoomed away, barely leaving a puff of dust.

Joan slumped against a nearby brick wall. Could she ever really trust a Super? Could the Supers trust her? Would Mark laugh his ass off at the idea of a shaky alliance? They’d tried to go legit before, and it never stuck. Villainy was the life they knew. The one they were good at.

This time could be different. They had a plan. They had the food truck dream and a way to utilize their powers to benefit their business. And maybe they could even get off Vector City’s Most Wanted list, even though that would require turning on three people who were sort of like family. Or at any rate, who were no better than Big Liar Joan.

Then she could come clean to Sadie. Tell her yes, Spark had been a thieving liar, but that life was behind her. Joan would be one hundred percent honest with Sadie from then on. Sadie could be an important part of New Law-Abiding Citizen Joanie.

She needed time to think this through. And to talk to Mark. And Perry, if she could convince him to start a new life. Only Zee had a point—Perry loved the thrill of the heist. The making (and taking) gobs of money.

She slunk out of the alley to walk back to the warehouse. A young white woman carrying a grocery bag took one look at her and screamed and dashed across the street. Up ahead on the sidewalk, two Latino men elbowed each other.

“Damn, it’s Spark,” one said.

They stared at her, either frozen in fear or waiting to see what she’d do. One of them pulled out his cellphone. Possibly to take a photo, possibly to report a Villain sighting.

Ugh.Joan wanted to tell them to chill out. Spark wasn’t on the prowl tonight. She turned and ran in the opposite direction. Away from anyone thinking she would do them harm.

CHAPTER11

Sadie banged on her sliding glass door. The vindictive pigeon stared back from where it was sitting on her balcony railing.

“Go away!” she yelled, banging harder.

The pigeon studied her for an unhurried moment, then hopped around until it faced out. Then flapped its wings and took flight, dropping two big glops of poop on the back of her patio chair.

“Noooo!You suck so hard!”

Another day, another victory for that jerk.

Her phone chirped from the kitchen with the text tone she’d selected for Joan. A tone she’d heard a lot that morning as they made plans to walk to work. She cast a forlorn glance at her poop-covered chair, grumbling, “Stupid rat with wings. I hope you eat rotten garbage, and I’m an animal lover.”

On my way out now.

“You can’t ruin my day, you gross pigeon. I get to see Joan to make up for our interrupted date.”

She gathered the two metal travel mugs and her keys off the kitchen counter. It would’ve been much nicer leaving Joan’s place after a wonderful night together. Per the text she’d sent at one a.m., it had been a rough night.

Sadie exited her apartment, carefully balancing the mugs. A door opened across the hall, followed by Joan saying, “Let me help you with that.”

“Good, because one of these is for you.”

Joan trotted over and snagged the red tumbler. “I was kidding about the coffee in my text.”

“Coffee is never a joke with me,” Sadie said.

“It wasn’t at all necessary, but thank you.”