Page 9 of Fanning the Flames

“Whew.” Joan exhaled a deep breath. “That does feel better. I’m glad Sadie suggested this.”

“She’s the best,” said Mark.

“Sheisthe best.”

“Are things good between you two?”

“Everything is perfect.”

“Other than you wanting to get with her like a rabbit in heat?”

Joan laughed. “Yeah, I guess she had a point.”

Mark stared out at the dark water. “She mentioned you started having nightmares again. I thought they’d stopped.”

With a vague shrug, Joan said, “I’ve had a few random ones.”

“Sadie said it’s been two this month. She’s worried.”

Shit. She hated to worry Sadie.

Glancing over, Mark said, “Were they like the other ones?”

“They’re always the same. Some variation of Melvin, Irving and Ethel yelling at me. Staring me down or holding me so I can’t escape.”

“What are they saying?”

“I’m not sure. It’s not really words.” Joan rubbed at the tightness building in her chest. “But they’re mad. They’re so mad, I can feel it. I wake up wanting to run and hide.”

“Damn.”

She sat on the concrete barrier separating the riverfront from the warehouses. “I’m freaked out that what happened to them will happen to us.”

Mark dropped beside her. “That the Supers will change their minds and say, ‘Just kidding. We’re gonna lock you up, too.’”

“Yeah. One misstep and this could all be gone.”

“I get it. I worry about that, too.”

Flashes of her former cohorts’ angry faces played in her mind. “It’s not fair. What went down.”

“They were going ahead with their half-baked plans no matter what we did.”

Joan shook her head. “What happenedwasn’tfair. They got life in prison. We got to walk free.”

“They made their own choices. They wanted to be Villains. They enjoyed it.” Mark rested his arms on his thighs. “We didn’t actively choose that life. I don’t think Perry did either. He had his cagey reasons he never tells us.”

“He had to have been double-crossed by the Supers. We know he once trusted them, and now he acts like they’re mortal enemies. I mean, he gave his Breeze suit and computer crap tousto give to the Supers so he wouldn’t have to face them.”

“Yeah, Per’s got secrets, but…” Mark raised his eyebrows. “Maybe he’s freaking out, too. He’s been betrayed before. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?”

“Exactly.” Joan’s heartbeat thumped from the realization.

“I wouldn’t worry too much. We’re making amends. We’ve always tried to do some good. Melvin and Company were selfish assholes who never thought about anyone but themselves. They liked being the bad guys.”

“We sometimes liked being the bad guys,” Joan admitted.

Mark nudged her knee with his. “We were pretty good at it. We also gave a whole lot of apology money to people and businesses. The Supers know that.”

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