Page 49 of Infamous Heart

Did I mention Bernard also had the ability to drop the levels of tension with a single statement? In the friends’ department, I couldn’t deny how lucky I was.

“The Beacon wasn’t perfect, but we lifted up the heroes. Revelations, I basically dragged a new hero through the mud to make a good first impression.”

“Ah, now I see.”

“I got the job. They saw the value of my work. Hell, they even complimented my design. That was more than I ever got working at the Beacon.”

“Which is a shame,” he took another drink, wiping his mustache again. I wanted to reach across the table and cut the hairs from his lip. “I have a subscription. I’ve always enjoyed your work.”

“Really?” I shouldn’t be surprised that a superhero subscribed to the Beacon. He thought he was being stealthy, hiding his secret identity, but unless he had a twin saving the world from aliens, I knew the man behind Sentinel’s mask.

“I signed up when you first got the job. I needed to see what all this hero obsession was about.”

“Sure, you did.”

“Okay, the men in leather didn’t hurt.”

Eventually we’d havethetalk, but for now, I let Sentinel hide in his closet.

“I appreciate that. Revelations likes to kick the heroes in the gut. I feel like they’re all about turning them into villains.”

“So, a job that undervalues you, but has good ethics, or a job that values you and has bad ethics. I think you’re the only person who can make that decision.”

“You’re not going to pick for me?”

He shook his head. “I can barely keep my life together. You don’t want me making decisions for you.”

If this wasn’t difficult enough, there was something heavier weighing on me. The debate between good and bad reminded me of Sebastian. I wanted to ask Bernard what he thought, but I had already come dangerously close to revealing Sebastian’s secret. I might have stormed off in a huff, but the more I dwelled on the situation, the more I feared I had made some incredibly dumb decisions.

Bernard finished his beer, hopped off his stool, taking the glass to the bar. He slowed as he walked back, pursing his lip in disapproval. Instead of returning to his seat, he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing. I had watched the man crush brick with his bare hands as he fought off the Sewer King’s rat invasion. Right now, I needed those steely arms to remind me I wasn’t alone.

“This isn’t about the job, is it?”

“Sebastian—” I didn’t know how to put it. “We’d barely started dating, and it got complicated. I think we’re from two different worlds.”

Bernard gave me one last squeeze before grabbing his stool and sitting next to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder, falling into my ongoing pit of misery.

“In your comics, do superheroes and supervillains fall in love?”

“Yeah, happens all the time.” Over the years, just about every hero had fallen for a villain. It had become a cliché at this point, but somehow, they found a way to overlook their—

“I see what you did there.”

“I’m not just a pretty face.”

“I think I might have made a mistake.” It was bad enough that I lit the bridge on fire by including Sebastian into the spread for Revelations. But I decided to nuke it to smithereens when I read him the riot act. The anger about being stood up had melted away to worry. Had I misread the situation? Worse, had I overreacted out of fear?

“You really need to quit your day job and become a therapist.”

Bernard laughed. “I do it for free. Besides, the day job has its perks.”

I gave him a poke in the ribcage. Bernard Castle, the big burly man, giggled. The sound freed me from my spiral downward.

“Wearing leatherisa perk, I guess.” I couldn’t resist. I didn’t want to throw him out of his superhero closet, but I did want him to know he was seen. Besides, what’s a deep dark secret for if not to bring people together? Okay, that’s a bit too noble. I really just wanted to mess with him.

“Wait—What?”

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