Page 122 of Mayhem and Minnie

“Minnie…” I take a deep breath. “That wasn’t a fireplace in the basement,” I tell her with great reluctance.

She frowns.

“But…”

“It’s an incineration furnace.”

“What’s the difference?” she asks.

“That furnace is not used for heating the house. It’s used for…”

I scrub my hands on my face. How the hell do I tell her she’s wearing dead people’s ashes as eyeshadow? I should probably just lie and let her believe it was normal ash.

She looks at me expectantly.

“You said you know what I do.” I clear my throat.

“You work in tech,” she answers.

“Not that. The thing you were a fan of,” I mutter.

She blinks. Slowly, her lips part and make a small O.

“Punishing bad people?” she asks, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Interesting word choice. I wonder what she thinks that punishment entails.

“Yes, you could say that. I punish bad people.”

“Okay? I don’t mind it, you know. Just in case I didn’t make it clear last night,” she mentions, her lips pulling up in an exuberant smile.

Fuck, she’s beautiful. I stare at her and my mind goes blank.

“Bad people should be punished. Your human law is too corrupt and so many bad people go free.” She shudders. “It’s good there’s someone like you out there to save the world. Like you saved me.” Another smile. “I knew you would. You’re my hero, Marlowe. And though they may not know it, you’re other people’s hero, too. Like…” She trails off. Her nose scrunches in concentration. “Super…”

“Superman?” I offer.

“Yes! That one!”

“You don’t think it should be handled by the police?” I ask by way of testing her.

“If there was such a thing as a fair system, maybe,” she answers without missing a beat. “But there’s not. That’s why the world needs heroes like you.” There she goes with that smile again.

It’s too blinding. Too…distracting.

I swallow.

“I’m not a hero,” I grumble.

“Oh yes, you are! Trust me. I’m a good judge of character, and you’re the bestest person I’ve ever met.”

My eyes widen at her proclamation. What? She thinks I’m the best person she’s ever met?

Did I end up in an alternate dimension where I’m not a killer? Where I’m not a selfish bastard who’d kill someone without any reason other than the fact that they’d look at her the wrong way?

I avert my gaze. Heat climbs up my cheeks.

“Back to the furnace.” I clear my throat again. “I don’t just punish bad people. I get rid of them. Do you realize what that means?”

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