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The Vector City Museum of Art had always been one of Sadie’s favorite places to visit while growing up in West Vector. She’d imagine something she created in one of its collections someday.

She had not imagined spending the afternoon admiring those collections with Perry, knowing full well he’d robbed this place more than once.

At least he wasn’t one to kiss and tell.

Joanie and Mark were out in the suburbs on a Monday supply run to Cost Club.

It was finally time to give in to Perry’s badgering and discuss plans for her café.

They studied a swirly Impressionist landscape of an autumnal field. One corner of Perry’s mouth quirked up.

“You do love a good landscape,” Sadie said. Most of the paintings in his condo were of countryside or water scenes.

“I appreciate how they capture the movement and colors of nature in a single moment.”

“This one makes me want to zip up my coat and have a warm beverage.”

“It’s a fake.”

“Really?” Sadie considered the oil on canvas. “How can you tell?”

“The strokes are too deliberate. The artist’s name is visible above the frame, which is something he would never do.” Perry paused. “I may also know the whereabouts of the original.”

“This isn’t one you…”

“I don’t have it, but I’ve seen it. It’s in good hands.” Perry glanced at her, then refocused on the painting. “If it makes it any better, this has always been the one on display. It’s good work. The artist should be celebrated.”

“I’m not sure that makes it better,” Sadie told him.

Perry simply headed out of the Impressionist gallery. Sometimes knowing about the exploits of Breeze, Spark and Ice made her feel icky. But they didn’t hide the truth from her.

They walked to the café tucked in the back corner of the museum.

Perry flashed his membership card to the hostess and was granted access to the staircase leading to the members-only area.

She liked that he supported the museum with his membership dues.

Perry understood the value of art and preserving it.

“I’ve never been up here,” Sadie said.

“It has nice views of the city.”

It really did. Tall windows brought plentiful light to the modern concept space. The sun shimmered off glassy skyscrapers and highlighted the sculpture garden below.

A handsome bearded man behind the sleek black bar smiled at Perry. “Good afternoon, Mr. Barbosa. The usual?”

“Yes, thank you,” Perry said.

Sadie gave him a look. “How often do you come here?”

“Pretty often.”

“Now I know where you disappear to.”

She ordered a flat white—coffee was complimentary. “Wonderful,” the server said. “I’ll bring your food and drinks to you in just a moment.”

“Ooh, food?”

“They have excellent tapas,” Perry said.

“I love excellent tapas.”

They settled at a small table against the windows, which made Sadie laugh. “I didn’t use to like sitting next to big windows like this. At any moment, Breeze or Flight could come crashing through.”

“Flight still could,” Perry said.

“Did you know our city has so many buildings with glass designs because replacing panes of glass is easier than repairing structural damage?”

“That was part of the building codes they enacted after… When Friendship Park was developed.”

“After Big Quake destroyed all those buildings.”

He bristled at that. Nobody talked about when Big Quake took out an entire block downtown.

Maybe ’cause it had been a long time ago.

Maybe ’cause the Supers never officially apprehended him.

He’d gone off the radar, leading most people to believe he’d been fatally wounded in the battle between him and the Supers.

“Were you around when that happened?” Sadie asked. “As you-know-who?”

“I didn’t start until after that.”

She’d been young—maybe nine years old—but she remembered that Big Quake was so bad, even the city’s other Villains at the time had disavowed him. His ability to manipulate the earth and rocks made him incredibly dangerous. He was a truly ruthless bad guy.

“Do you want to move?” Perry said.

“Nah. Let’s live dangerously.”

“Let’s discuss your future.”

Sadie slumped in her vinyl chair. “You make it sound like homework.”

He reached into his sport coat and pulled out several folded pieces of paper. “Have you visited the neighborhoods I suggested?”

“I lived in Knollwood Village for a year in my twenties. It was too neighborhood-y for me back then, but I do know it.”

“It has a large population of young professionals who work from home. They spend an average of twelve to fifteen hours a week at local coffeehouses.”

“I don’t disagree that it could be a good spot,” Sadie said. “But I think artsy, funky people are more my crowd.”

Perry set a sheet filled with data in front of her. “Then there’s the Jewel District.”

“That’s too far from home. I wouldn’t want that commute every day.”

“Okay.” He set another demographic analysis down. “We have this, then.”

Sadie glanced at the info about a different neighborhood she once lived in that she’d dubbed The Bad Place. “I have crappy memories there. I got dumped on Valentine’s Day in the middle of a crowded Italian bistro.”

“Was it bad enough to not consider?”

“Well, he did pay for dinner.” She shook her head. “But no, I’m not vibing with it.”

“Are you vibing with anything?”

“It sounds silly, but I think I’ll know it when I see it.”

Perry gave her the vaguely annoyed look he usually cast at Joan and Mark. He was trying to help. Why wasn’t she more excited?

“I appreciate you doing all this research,” Sadie said. “I really do. I’ll take a look at everything.”

“I’m seeking investment opportunities. You have a solid idea, and you’ve done a lot for Hot and Cold.”

“But we’re nowhere near a point with Hot and Cold for me to step away.”

Perry drummed his fingers on the papers. “Is there a reason you’re making so many excuses?”

“I’m not—” she started to debate. “I mean, I just don’t think the food truck is totally stable. Are you gonna be the one who draws customers in?”

“Joan and Mark have charisma. The truck has gathered a steady repeat customer base.”

“You mean Joan, whose eyes glow red when she’s overly emotional? She has to hide in the truck when there’s an annoying customer.”

“Mark is good with difficult people.”

Ugh, why was Perry so logical? And…and…right about everything? Where were those tapas so she could occupy her mouth with food?

Two streaks of movement flew past the windows—navy blue and red. “Catch is on patrol with Flight,” Sadie said, leaning against the glass to watch them fly above the street.

Perry turned back to his papers.

“I wonder if Catch has to hold on to him to maintain flying powers. How long does her absorption ability last?”

“Not long,” Perry said. “It depends on how much she takes in first.”

Sadie looked around to see if they were alone enough to talk about the Supers and Smash—er, The Smash. Two well-dressed older white women were trying to catch Perry’s eye, so no.

“Those ladies are totally checking you out,” she told him.

Perry sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Will you stop changing the subject?”

“No, for real. You’re a catch, Perry. Do you have a social life we don’t know about? Are you meeting someone here?”

“I come here for the quiet.”

“And the tapas?” Sadie waggled her eyebrows. “You know tapas are meant to be shared. When was the last time you went on a date? Unless that’s not your thing, which is completely valid.”

“Did Joanie teach you how to avoid conversations you don’t want to have?”

“No, I’ve been doing that my whole life.”

A real interruption came from the server with coffee and wine. Sadie’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. She grinned at the photo of a Cost Club receipt from Joan.

We did it! Stayed under budget!

Way to go babe!

“They stayed on budget without us,” Sadie said, showing Perry.

He peered at the screen through his glasses. “How can I have a social life when I’m too busy parenting those overgrown teenagers?”

She giggled despite herself. “Cut them some slack. They’ve had to learn how to live in the real world.”

Perry clearly wanted to say something. He picked up his deep burgundy wine instead.

“How are you adjusting?” She genuinely wanted to know. “You lived for a while not in that life. With college and stuff. Was that different than it is now? Was it harder?”

He paused for a long moment. “It was stressful. You’re always worried someone will find out about your powers.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“I don’t understand why those two are always trying to hide theirs. Accepting who you are—no, embracing it—is the way to go.”

“That’s definitely been my experience,” Sadie said. “But like, living in the city and dyeing my hair red. Not being a Supervillain.”

He paused again, considering her.

“It must make it hard to date.” She snorted. “I know how hard it was for Joan to be honest with me.”

“The truth inevitably comes out in the end,” he said. Something in his voice…

Something told her Perry once nursed a broken heart, and it had never fully healed. Joanie thought a past hurt was what had made him so guarded with people.

Another incoming text buzzed. A photo of Joan and Mark in a parking lot with Tenia and Morris from Cajun Soul.

Look who we ran into!

Love it! Say hi from me

It had to be hard for Joan to pretend everything was ordinary—going shopping, chatting with friendly food truck folks, all while masking her abilities.

“Do you genuinely want to own a café?” Perry asked.

“I do.”

“You have the opportunity, but you’re constantly dodging it.”

Her heartbeat swelled into an anxious pounding. “It’s not that I don’t want to.” A ball of nerves clogged her throat. “I just…”

“If you say you embrace who you are, and this is who you are…”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Damn it, she had to tell someone. Get it off her chest. “I’m afraid I’ll fail,” she whispered.

“You might,” Perry said. “Most new businesses do.”

“But if I fail…” She cleared the lump from her throat. “Then everything everyone says about me will be true. ‘Oh, Sadie followed another one of her wild whims and crashed and burned. She can’t hack it and should just work for someone else.’”

“You think that’s what people will say?”

“Yes. Nobody ever trusts me to make good decisions.”

“It’s not a wild whim if you have investors and a solid business plan,” Perry said.

Her tears gathered in strength. “Then I’m letting you down.”

“You can’t possibly let me down. I don’t get let down.”

“Everyone gets let down.”

“I’ve had worse things happen than a failed business venture,” he said.

More truth pressed for release, and she couldn’t hold it back. “I don’t want to fail. I want to prove everyone wrong.”

Perry leaned forward with a smile. “Revenge? That’s something I can get behind.”

“No, not revenge. Why do you look so happy?”

He was smiling a little too much at the prospect. “I specialize in revenge. Excel in it, actually.”

“If you dial it back a notch and reframe it as not revenge, you can help me make people see I can do what I put my mind to.”

“Can I think of it as slight revenge? Gentle revenge?”

“Perry,” she sighed, though a little laugh escaped, too. “You’re weird.”

Their sizzling tapas arrived. They abandoned talking for a minute in favor of sampling the small plates of savory deliciousness.

Perry wiped his mouth with a starched cloth napkin, then said, “One other suggestion.”

“If this is about revenge…”

“Indirectly. You can also not be what people imagine you to be.”

“Like how?”

“Like not being what people think you ought to be.”

“I don’t follow.”

He gestured at himself. “Is this what you pictured Breeze looked like under the mask and gear?”

“Not at all. I didn’t think he’d be a polished, classy guy.”

“Exactly.” He swirled his wineglass. “It’s about embracing who you truly are. Yes, I have those abilities. But I also enjoy the finer things. Both can be true.”

Sadie nodded slowly, letting that sink in. “People don’t expect a big-boobed redhead who dresses like a crayon box to run a successful business.”

“Uh…”

“Sorry, that’s probably an overshare. But I get what you’re saying. The best revenge is living life exactly how you want to. No regrets.”

“I’ll make you a revenge expert yet,” Perry said.

A glint twinkled in his gray eyes. Not vibrant like Joan or Mark’s, but cloudy. Kind of unremarkable until you really noticed them.

Kind of like Sadie.

A streak of navy blue landed on a tall office tower.

Catch planted her hands on her hips, surveying the area below.

It still made Sadie feel protected, knowing the Supers were out and about.

Catch never wavered from her goal of having justice prevail.

She could barely speak civilly to the former Villains, even when ordering a sandwich at Hot and Cold. Which was pretty annoying, honestly.

Of course, justice didn’t seem to translate to her wanting to pay for said sandwich. Sadie never minded taking her money.

Still, patrolling Superheroes meant Vector City was a safe place to open a business. To go after a dream. It was safer now than ever, really. Insurance rates would probably go down the longer they had no Villain activity. Maybe banks would be more receptive to loans, too.

“Okay,” Sadie said. She wrung her napkin between her hands, nervous but with growing excitement. “Tell me more about these neighborhood demographics.”