“You sure know how to kick the hornet’s nest.”

  “Managed to piss off Taylor enough, didn’t I?” I said snidely as Lisa brushed a rime of ice from the bench before sitting down. “Why the fuck can’t we ever meet somewhere warm?”

  “What are you complaining about Miss Forcefield?” Lisa said, arching a brow.

  “It doesn’t keep out the cold, dumbass,” I snapped.

  “No? Wonder why.”

  “Lets air through, and the air is cold,” I said, shrugging. “Anyway, what do you want?”

  “Well, see, you kicked up quite a fuss,” she said. “The South End is buzzing up and down, it’s making things a little difficult. Hard for people to gather information when the Nazis are roughing up anyone who stays put for too long.”

  “Didn’t exactly intend that,” I said tersely.

  “But here we are,” she said simply. “So, what’re you gonna do?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “I mean what’s your plan?” Lisa said. “I know you won’t stop, so I need to be able to plan around you. We still want the same thing, after all.”

  “Well…” I pursed my lips. “You’re right, I’m not stopping. Don’t have a gun anymore, but it’s not like that stopped me before. I just...I guess I’ll have to be more careful about it.”

  “Offer of info is on the table,” she said, sing-song. “We both know you’re better at close range, especially if you’re not carrying. And it works in both our favour.”

  “All I have to do is join the dark side, right?” I said, resting my chin on my hand. “Still a good guy, remember?”

  “And yet,” she said smugly, jerking a thumb at herself. “Face it, you’re in an awkward sitch when it comes to your alignment.”

  “‘Alignment’? What is this, D&D?”

  “I’m serious,” Lisa said, her smile disappearing as she leaned forward. Her gaze was cold and hard as an emerald. “I don’t care about how you do things when you’re operating against my enemies, that’s your business. You wanna use guns, firebombs, artillery? Keep it out of my turf. The Protectorate though, well we both know their opinions.”

  “I just have to chill,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “Good luck with that,” she replied flatly. “At some point you’re going to have to choose, you know? Can’t be a villainous hero, or a heroic villain, not in this world. And the longer you try and straddle it, the worse it’s going to be when the rug gets pulled.”

  “Speaking from experience?” I asked coldly.

  “You know Taylor’s story, don’t you?”

  “Shut up,” I snapped. “Unlike her, I’m actually a hero, Lisa.”

  “By your definition,” Lisa said evenly. “I wonder what Miss Militia thinks.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Not likely,” she said with a lopsided grin. “Hate me all you want, you know I’m right.”

  “I know you’re a rank bitch,” I spat, grinding my molars. “Fuck sake, I hate this.”

  “Should have considered that before you started pushing the envelope.” Lisa drew a folded piece of paper from her jacket and set it on the picnic table between us. “Two targets, set them aside for you specifically. Trap house and a grow, more details inside.”

  “I don’t want to work with you,” I said bitterly.

  “Yes yes, you’ve made that very clear,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “But when it comes down to brass tacks, I know you want to take down the Nazis more; admirable, honestly. So what’ll it be?”

  I stared her in the eyes and gave my shameful answer.

  “Yes Dean, before you freak out at me,” I said as he stared me down. “Shockingly when I get offered the chance to take down a bunch of bad guys, I take it.”

  “Shit bro, what’s your problem anyway?” Zeke asked, fiddling with the knife I’d given him for his gun. “Buncha dime a dozen bitches like that should be no sweat for us.”

  “I’m concerned because of where all this is coming from,” Dean replied, not taking his eyes off me. “I told you to stop meeting Tattletale.”

  “Yeah, well…” I looked aside. “It’s either this or we’re back on the street, and we both know how that’ll go.”

  “Look man, I know this is sort of iffy,” Joy said. “I...I feel kind of weird about it too. But like...I don’t know, I feel like it’s pretty cut and dry. Lia’s said it a million times, we’re only doing this until the Nazis are gone, then we’ll just be regular heroes. Um, whatever that means.”

  “The ends don’t justify the means,” Dean said firmly.

  “Agree to disagree,” I countered. “That’s not something we’re ever going to see eye to eye on, Dean, same with the Protectorate. I think we can go too far sure, but this isn’t it.”

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  “That really what you think?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, swallowing hard. “It is.” His face fell and he sighed, lowering his head.

  “Then I can’t be here anymore,” Dean said quietly. “I’m sorry Lia, but this is too far for me.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked, incredulous. “Dean we’ve gone out what, twice together? You knew the full story going into this.”

  “I did,” he said. “And I told you that I didn’t agree with it then. You aren’t listening, even after everything, so I have to wonder what good I’m actually doing here.”

  “You’re a good hero,” Joy said. “You know, you’re like trying to keep us on the straight and narrow. But you’re still kind of like the other heroes, looking at us like we’re villains or something just because we don’t do things like you would.”

  “Look at it from their perspective,” he countered. “You’re working with one of the biggest criminal organizations in the city, you’re clearing the way for them to move in and take more territory, and you’re hurting people to do it.”

  “If the Protectorate can’t fill the void, how’s that my fault?” I demanded. “It doesn’t matter who we go after, someone is going to benefit from it. Either from lack of attention, or what you just said, clearing the way. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather deal with a smug bitch than literal Nazis; at least she isn’t trying to follow in the footsteps of a genocide.” We stared at each other for a long, tense moment.

  “Good luck,” Dean said at last, rising from the bench. “I can’t be part of this.”

  “Dean, come on,” I said, following him as he started walking away. “I thought you’d understand, you’ve been fighting them longer than I’ve had powers.”

  “Yes, I have,” he said, exasperated. “And the ABB, and the Undersiders, and the Merchants, all of them; and that’s why I can say you’re going too far.”

  “Dean—”

  “Lia,” he cut me off, shaking his head. “In this case, I do know better, and I’m not going to compromise. If you decide that working with villains is worth it… It’s not like I don’t see where you’re coming from, okay? But this isn’t like it was a few months ago.”

  “It’s not that different,” I retorted.

  “Different enough,” he said, shrugging. “Take care of yourself Lia, and take care of your team.” He turned and left, and my chest tightened as he went.

  “Hey, Lia are you—”

  “Forget it,” I cut Joy off with a sharp shake of my head, returning to the picnic table we’d commandeered under the pavilion. “I…” I sighed as she wrapped an arm around me.

  “Hey man, we don’t need him,” Zeke said. “Been fine on our own, ain’t we?”

  “Shut up Zeke,” Joy said, squeezing my shoulders.

  “I just wish they’d see that,” I said quietly, shutting my eyes. I took a deep breath and sighed, patting Joy’s thigh. “Thanks.”

  “No problem Lia,” she replied, rubbing my arm.

  “So if we ain’t working with the boy scout, then what?” Zeke asked.

  “Well…” I took the paper with the pair of addresses on it out of my jacket. “I guess we’re deciding what’s happening this weekend.”

  Joy and Zeke shared a grin.

  “Fuck that’s a lot of weed,” Zeke said, hands on his hips.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” I grunted, cinching a Nazi’s arms behind his back. “Nadir?”

  “All clear,” she called from upstairs. “Want me to call the cops?”

  “Wait one,” I yelled back, rising and looking around the basement. “Zeke, give me a hand getting this guy upstairs?”

  “Got it.”

  The Nazi cursed us viciously as we dragged him up the creaking, half-rotted staircase. The grow Tattletale directed us too had paid off. I was half expecting to come in and find an emptied out, abandoned home, but it seemed she was giving us better info this time. Zeke and I dumped the bound suspect next to the other two we’d found, then joined Nadir off to one side.

  “Okay, let’s do a quick search, then we can call the cops,” I said with a huff. “Want to make sure we’ve found everything first.”

  “Okay,” Nadir said, nodding.

  “Sounds good chief,” Zeke agreed.

  They followed me into the kitchen and started rifling through the cupboards with me. Mostly it was regular stuff, ingredients and spices, but it wasn’t long before I found a few boxes of ammo hiding in a drawer. There were a couple more squirreled away in other places, but nothing terribly incriminating. We put the stuff out on the counter for collection, then moved on to the bedrooms.

  The first was nothing special, with a pair of beds against opposite walls and duffel bags full of clothing below. There were a couple magazines, of ammo and naked women alike, plus a shotgun stashed in the closet. Again we laid the contraband out on the mattress so the cops could do their thing and moved along.

  The last room must have belonged to whoever actually owned the house, or maybe ran the operation here. It was larger, with its own bathroom, and a much nicer bed. There was a shiny, chromed pistol on the bedside table along with an honest to god Iron Cross. I shook my head and started digging through the drawer as Nadir and Zeke headed to the search the closet.

  “Huh,” I heard Nadir said. “Wonder what’s in there.”

  “In where?” I asked, twisting my head.

  “Look,” she said, gesturing. I came over and found them standing in front of a heavy safe, half as tall as me. “Got to be something good, right?”

  “How’re we supposed to get in?” Zeke said, giving it a kick. “Don’t know the combo, and bet your ass those boys out there ain’t talking.”

  “Let me give it a crack,” I said, rolling my shoulders and stepping forward.

  I knelt in front of the safe and studied it quietly. No seams large enough to fit a finger into, not that I expected it but it would have made things easier. It was bolted to the floor, so we sure weren’t moving it anywhere. I could probably snap the bolts, but what was that going to accomplish? I idly spun the tumbler a couple times, thinking. Well, maybe I could make a hole…

  I gripped the edge of the knob with my fingertips. It was a solid hunk of metal, probably built to take a bullet. It lasted all of two seconds before folding with a squeal of tortured steel. The inner workings of the lock were exposed, but more importantly I had a place I could get part of my hand into. The door groaned in protest as my projection forced it to expand, then let out a crack as loud as a gunshot. I started and yanked my hand away as half of the door leaned forward, bowing at the center.

  “Shiiit,” Zeke said. “You cracked it in half!”

  “No sweat,” I said, wiping my brow. “Let’s see what they were hiding.” With a bit more work I moved the broken piece of door away, then opened the remaining part on the hinges.

  “Well, fuck, that makes sense,” Nadir said.

  “That’s a lot of cash,” Zeke said, eyes wide.

  “Yeah,” I nodded, rising. It was all hundreds too, and the safe was almost half full. “Well, cops will like this one.”

  “Man that’s a hell of a waste,” he complained. “I’m a broke-ass, those cops don’t need shit.”

  “It’s um, it has been almost a month since I got paid,” Nadir said quietly.

  “Guys,” I groaned. “This shit’s evidence, we can’t just take it without like, actually committing a crime.”

  “I mean, would they know?” she asked, staring at me with puppy dog eyes. “We need this, Amaranth.”

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I swore, dumping my backpack on the ground and sticking my hands in my pockets. I turned to the doorway, sweat pricking at my back. I took a deep breath and spoke in as neutral a tone as I could muster. “I’m going to call the cops. You two keep all the evidence secure, and make sure we know how much money these guys had. Got it?”

  “But what about—”

  “Got it boss,” Zeke cut Nadir off. “We’ll count real careful.”

  “You do that.”

  I left the room and tried to put it out of my mind. After all, this was still a win….