Page 82 of Fanning the Flames

“Over here.”

It was coming from behind Powered by Plants. Someone waved her over. Mark joined her, and the voice said, “Both of you” in a Scottish brogue. Wren?

“It’s us.” Wait, that was Beth-Ann waving discreetly at them. “Hurry!”

They walked cautiously until a strong hand grabbed Joan by the arm and pulled her into the food truck.

She blinked against the dim lighting. Beth-Ann closed the back door as Wren dragged Joan and Mark to the center of their truck. They’d shut the accordion doors over their service windows and to block off access to the front.

“Get back,” Wren said. “We don’t want anyone to see you.”

“Uhh…” Joan started to raise her hands, not really sure what to do.

“It’s okay, Joan,” said Beth-Ann. “Your secret’s safe with us.”

“You saved our truck,” Wren said. “All our trucks, except…”

Joan peeked up warily from under her hood.

“Did the Villains know Hot and Cold was yours?” Beth-Ann asked.

Mark pulled the Viking helmet off, revealing tousled blond hair and a grimace. “They did.”

“So this was personal.”

“Oh yeah, it was personal,” Joan murmured. The gleeful grin on Prowl’s face…

“How did you know it was us?” Mark said, taking the purple jacket off.

Wren gave him a look. “Two people dressed like you who just happened to be here and made an effort to stop Smash from damaging the other trucks?”

“Who never let anyone in their truck while they’re cooking?” Beth-Ann raised her pale eyebrows. “I’ve always thought that was a bit strange, like you might be hiding something.”

An incoming call rang on her cell. “They’re safe,” Beth-Ann answered. “Do you have her? Great, I’ll let you in.”

“Who… What?” Joan turned in a circle, not having a fucking clue about what to do.

The rear door opened to Morris, Tenia…and Sadie.

Joan shoved past her brother to fold Sadie in her arms. Sadie squeezed just as tight. “Oh my god, you’re okay,” she breathed, then jumped back. “Wait, what? Mark, what are you… Joanie…”

“It’s all right,” Morris said, making sure the entry was secure. “We figured it out.”

“Thank you,” Tenia said. “You saved our lives. We’re so grateful.”

The vibe was a swirl of relief, confusion, adrenaline. Mark yanked the hood off Joan’s head. “We couldn’t stand around and do nothing,” he said.

Tenia undid the clasp on Joan’s cloak. “You need to change.”

“Here.” Wren handed her a sage-green-and-yellow Powered by Plants hoodie.

Morris gave Mark his red varsity jacket, while Beth-Ann handed Sadie her white coat. Joan’s brain spun with equal parts fear and gratitude as she slipped into the sweatshirt.

Picking up the helmet, Wren said, “We’ll stash these for you and get rid of them.”

“Why are you helping us?” Joan asked. “If you know who we are… What we did…”

Tenia smiled. “We know you’re nice kids who’ve always helped us out. Doesn’t matter what you did before. You did good today.”

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