Page 6 of Breathless Recruiter

The hallway was quieter than I expected. Both Drew and Orion had already left for the day. If they were gone, Janet would have bailed as well. The only person left in the office was the boss. Arthur stayed until all hours of the night working toward the HeroApp™ launch. Orion had a theory that Arthur stayed for late-night encounters with Ricardo.

Turning into the reception area, Janet had posted her usual “Gone home. Bother somebody else” sign. Despite today being our first day in the new office, she had already decorated her desk with dozens of troll dolls. As I sped by, their long locks of colorful hair swooshed back and forth.

I waited for the elevator, tapping my foot as I checked my watch. I could have flown out the window and been to the vending machine in the time it took for the ding and opening doors. As part of my employment with Secret Identities Incorporated, Arthur insisted I see a superhero life coach. Kiki gave me a lengthy list of rules, the top one being, “No random acts of supering for the sake of chocolate.”

“Dumb rules.” I poked at the ground-floor button.

I had made it this long without being discovered. Earth Mom prepared me for a life with humans. Finding me in a crater in the woods, she took me in and taught me their ways. For the first few months she had to tie my ankle to the bed at night so I wouldn’tfly away in my sleep. I can still see her shaking her head as I chopped wood with my bare hands.

“I need to call Earth Mom.” Mental note made. She’d laugh when I told her about the furry creature invading my office. She was the bravest person I knew, and not even a beast from hell would shake her confidence. What would she say about Dustin? I bet she’d like him.

As I thought about the beefy security guard, I hoped I’d bump into him in the lobby. We could shake hands again, and I’d stare into those eyes. The more I thought about him, the more my pants tightened. In the back of my head, I thought about staring at him without his uniform. Then I could?—

Ding.

The elevator door opened, and I had a view of the vending machines on the far wall. I missed the old building and the way the ceiling sagged, creating cracks in the drywall. It might not have beennice, but it had character. Synergy’s new building with glass and white walls felt sterile, reminding me of whentheyfound me in the wild.

“Chocolate. Chocolate will make it better.”

I rushed over to the vending machine to see it had been picked clean. One bar remained nestled behind the silver coil. I pulled out my wallet and ran a dollar between my fingers, flattening the paper. Carefully, I fed it in. B2. I punched the code and waited for it to fall.

My mouth watered. I could almost taste the?—

“No!”

The candy had fallen forward, pinning it between the glass and the coil. It hung in purgatory, paid for, but still not in my mouth. I could shatter the glass and be gone before anybody noticed. When Arthur questioned the vandalism, I’d say it had been a matter of life and death.

I reached around the machine and lifted it just enough to give it a quick shake. Face pressed against the glass, I nearly cried victory as the candy fell to the bottom. Without haste, I set it down, reaching inside and grabbing the bar. Holding it under my nose, I inhaled its sugary goodness, my mouth already salivating.

I unwrapped the plastic, exposing six of the twelve squares. I’d lie and say I’d have one or two and save the rest for later. Later would come in seconds, and I’d devour the rest.

“So that’s what has you excited?”

I wanted to swat at whoever interrupted my forbidden love affair. It’d be rude to run away. Earth Mom ensured I learned my manners. Turning, I found a man with a white jacket that nearly touched the ground. He had glasses similar to mine, sitting atop a hawkish nose. His chin was almost as pointy, partially hidden behind a ragged, unkempt beard.

“Hi,” I said.

“I’ve been observing you. You’re one of the secret identity guys?”

My back straightened. How did this man know about my alter ego? Had Arthur revealed it to his boyfriend during pillow talk, and he relayed it to his employees? When in doubt, deny the truth.

“Uhm. I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re not from Synergy. I heard Mr. Coven had some brutes working for him.” Oh, he meant Secret Identities Incorporated. He eyed the vending machine before inspecting my hand. Had I given away my identity in a moment of chocolaty weakness?

“I’m the head of recruitment for the HeroApp.”

“Everybody in the lab—” I cringed. “—calls me Zaster.”

He reached out and plucked off the top three squares. Tossing them into his mouth, I refrained from smacking him.A careless strike, and I’d launch him across Vanguard. I pulled back, ensuring he couldn’t reach for any more. He moved from strange to questionably diabolical.

“I’m Wyatt.”

His eyes traveled up and down my body as if he were studying me. I didn’t like labs, but not because of the silver operating tables or trays filled with scary tools. No, my fear of labs had everything to do with the men who filled them. When he gave a toothy smile, I wanted to yell for an adult. Where was Janet and her baseball bat?

“How are things going on the fourth floor?”

Arthur had coached each of us on how to talk about our project. Publicly, we developed a phone app that alerts citizens of Vanguard about threats from villains. He hoped to save lives by giving them the ability to steer clear of supers slugging one another. In secret, we worked to give heroes the ability to track villain activity.

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