Page 71 of Fanning the Flames

Otis stood. “Why don’t we take five and regroup?”

“Yes, yes.” Gus eased her way out of her chair. “Enjoy the spoils of your profession. The free goods you insist upon. What local business did you rip off to get all that food?”

“We paid for it,” Zee said in an irritated tone they rarely used.

“The city paid for it. Which means taxpayers bought it.”

“Damn it,” Mark muttered. “I knew my tax dollars were being misappropriated.”

Flexing their long fingers, Zee said, “We get offered free stuff all the time. It’s just given to us, even when we try to turn it down. I turn things down all the time.”

They glowered at Mark as if telling him directly. Mark pretended to be all eyeroll-y.

Gus regarded Zee for a moment. “If that’s the case, then maybe things have changed for the better.”

Darlene stared at her lap. Kade looked confused—no, wait, upset. Well, Sadie had witnessed Lunk and Flight demanding sandwiches from the owners of a convenience store who’d just had their shop damaged—by Lunk and Flight. Maybe Zee turned things down, but the others sure didn’t.

The second Gus stepped out of the room, Joan and Mark turned to Perry. “I have questions,” Mark said.

“I have none at all,” Joan said. “I totally get it.”

“Joanie, it’s like Perry’s hanging out with our nana.”

“A crabby, honest person who clearly has a bone to pick with…” Joan made a subtle head gesture at the Supers.

“I see it,” Sadie admitted.

Perry sipped his mineral water and ignored them.

The Supers headed for the food. Mark leaned toward Perry and said, “Is she staying at your place?”

“She’s going home tonight.”

“Really? Just one day?”

Nodding toward the Supers, Perry said, “They’re lucky they got one day.”

“Can we invite her over for dinner?” Joan asked. “Mark and I can cook, we can get to know her…”

Perry swiveled his chair to look at them. “She won’t want to.”

“What do you want?” Sadie wondered. Surely, Perry would like to?—

“You’ve met. That’s good. Maybe when things calm down, we can revisit dinner.”

“I’m gonna ask her.” Joan touched Sadie’s arm. “That’s okay, right, if we have her over tonight?”

“Of course,” Sadie said.

She got up to grab some lunch—she’d paid for it, after all. Oh, wait—the coffee.

As she worked on detaching the water reservoir, Mark not so subtly reached behind Zee to grab a plate.

“I’m serious about the freebies,” Zee muttered. “It’s hard to turn stuff down when someone’s shoving it into your hands as a thank-you.”

“Yet you seem to find a way to take it,” Mark returned.

“Stop with all the digs.”

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