“What are we looking at this time?” I asked, sitting at the corner table in the little café Lisa had called me to. It was down on the Boardwalk, I assumed probably one of hers considering there was no one else here. The weather outside was nasty, but there was a steaming mug of coffee sitting in front of me.

  “Good morning to you too,” Lisa said, taking a sip from a mug in front of her. “Have a good time yesterday afternoon?”

  “Yes yes, you’re a panopticon like Taylor,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Are you really trying to intimidate me by telling me you’re watching the South End?”

  “No, I’m warning you to stay in your lane,” she retorted. “It’ll make both our lives easier. Lucky for you they thought that was random, my guys are smart enough not to rob them.”

  “A fine for trying to stab me,” I said, shrugging. “Anyway, that’s small potatoes, not something you’d call me out for; but thanks for at least meeting indoors.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, grinning. “And you’re right, I do have something, but I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

  “Try me,” I said, picking up what I assumed was my coffee and taking a sip. “Team’s getting antsy.”

  “So here’s the thing, we’d need your team running interference for us,” Lisa said. “I know we agreed on the whole ‘no cooperation’ thing, but this is kind of big. What do you know about Gesellschaft?” I pursed my lips.

  “European Nazi terrorists...they can force trigger events, right?” I answered, head pricking slightly. “Don’t tell me they’re here.”

  “A couple,” she said, grimacing. “It’s where most their new capes came from, but this is bigger than a couple guys. Got some data on a shipment of guns, some pretty heavy stuff too.” My eyes widened.

  “No shit?” I said, leaning in. This qualified as important enough to ignore the cooperation aspect. “What and when?”

  “I told you, guns,” she snipped. “Can’t tell you more than that, but if they’re coming from overseas I’d bet it’s not stuff you can find at the Cabela’s. As for when: tomorrow.”

  “That’s pretty short notice,” I said, frowning.

  “How do you think I feel? I’ve got teammates out of town.”

  “Wait, who—”

  “So here’s the plan,” Lisa cut me off sharply. “They have a big drug lab on Pike Street. You’re going to go there and make a real mess of things, but let them call for backup. Need you to draw in one or two of their capes so we don’t get outnumbered.”

  “Oh is that all,” I said dryly. “God and here I thought you’d be asking for the Moon on top of it.”

  “Please, you can handle a cape fight,” she retorted, rolling her eyes. “Your team’s got experience, you and Nadir can tackle basically any one of Werwolf’s villains. This is pretty fucking important too, if you don’t want bigger players getting their hooks in.” I stared into my coffee, considering it.

  “You know what the worst part about talking to you is. Lisa?” I asked, voice cold as the snow outside. “It’s that every word coming out of your mouth is calculated to, what did you call it, ‘get your hooks in’?”

  “That’s not the worst part,” Lisa replied smugly.

  “No, it’s that you’re right,” I sighed. “Fucking international terrorist Nazis, what is this world coming to?” I shook my head, a familiar sinking feeling settling in my stomach. “You said Pike Street?”

  “Are you sure about this?” Joy asked as she pulled on her mask. “I mean, no offense Lia but...isn’t this a little far?”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing all day,” I replied, checking my pistol. It was becoming a nervous habit. “But at the same time, I’ve got no reason to believe she’s lying. If this is what it takes to get rid of Werwolf...I’m in. Zeke?”

  “You know I’m in boss,” he replied, tossing a grin my way as he made a turn. He hadn’t been driving crazy, thank god.

  “I’m still in,” Nadir confirmed hesitantly. “It’s just...nervous, you know?”

  “Me too,” I said, looking back at her and offering a smile. “But hey, if anything goes wrong, we can take them. Don’t sweat if you need to hit me to save us, okay?”

  “Got it,” she said with a nod. “Hope it doesn’t come down to that.”

  “We’ll just be polite,” I said. “Within reason of course. Tattletale’s a bitch, but if you can put up with that we’ll be okay.”

  “Please, half the women in my course were bitches,” she said dryly. “If that’s all, it’ll be no sweat.”

  “Cool,” I said, wrapping my scarf around my head as Zeke slowed the car down. The address we were meeting at was a regular looking house, and I directed him to back into the driveway. Once he had, I took a deep breath and turned to Zeke. “Give me your weapons.”

  “What?” he balked. “Girl we already traded, what—” He shut his mouth when I drew my gun and held it out to him.

  “Stay in here,” I said, voice low. “Keep the engine running and your eyes peeled. Trusting you not to freak out over nothing, okay?”

  “Got it boss,” Zeke said, serious as I’d ever heard him. He drew his knife and brass knuckle, handing them to me as he took the pistol.

  “Gonna call,” I said, pulling out my phone and dialing Tattletale. After two rings, the line clicked. “B, lime.”

  “N, forest. That’s your car just pulled in?” Tattletale asked.

  “Black BMW,” I confirmed. “Two of us will be getting out, masks on.”

  “Go ahead, come to the back door.”

  I shut my phone and gestured to Nadir, then opened my door and got out of the car. We went around the back, and I kept my weapons in hand the whole time; wasn’t going to walk into a potential ambush unprepared. I knocked twice on the door with my knuckle and glanced over my shoulder, grinning; Nadir was keeping an eye on the backyard, good stuff.

  “Come in.”

  I turned and saw the door was open. Huh, well that was as good an invitation as any. I tapped Nadir’s arm to get her attention, then led the way inside. She shut the door behind us as I looked around. It was a small mudroom off the kitchen, and I could see through into the living room beyond. Two people on the couch.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “Tattletale?” I called out.

  “Come on in,” she yelled back. “Straight into the living room, no poking around or we’ll take care of it.”

  I heard Nadir gasp and turned my head. Imp was leaning against the door, twirling a knife that looked like a talon. Oh, she’d let us in. God, fuck Strangers. I pocketed my weapons and led Nadir into the living room, where Regent and Tattletale were waiting. We took our seats on the couch opposite them, and I barely suppressed a flinch as Imp leaned over from the arm of the couch.

  “What a warm welcome,” I said dryly.

  “In our defense, you walked in armed,” Regent said with a shrug. “Can’t blame us for your rep.”

  “Think we’re walking into a villain’s lair unarmed?” Nadir asked. Tattletale let out a sharp bark of laughter.

  “Our ‘lair’? Christ you’re green,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “Yeah, get with the times Nadir,” I said, elbowing her. She gave me a look and I quirked a brow. “C’mon, they live in sties.”

  “Oh, like pigs, or cops,” she nodded along.

  “Is there any difference?” Imp asked, getting a snicker out of Nadir.

  “So now that the traditional barbs are out of the way, can we get to work?” I said. “I’d rather not hang out with you guys, if it’s all the same.”

  “You started it,” Tattletale replied snidely, then unrolled a street map on the table. “So, drug lab. They manufacture and distribute meth, mostly, cut with all sorts of nasty shit. It’s right up here, on Pike Street.” She pointed to a spot on the map, and we studied it.

  “Oh, Eisner,” I said, tapping the street I’d been stopped on. “So I was right, they did have something nearby. This is pretty deep in the red.”

  “You’ve got a getaway plan,” she said, shrugging.

  “Not saying we don’t, but it’s something we have to plan around,” I said. “Do you have any idea what their numbers are?”

  “Probably half a dozen workers at any time, give or take,” Tattletale answered. “A few extra lookouts, like you encountered, but that’s about it.”

  “Outnumbered,” Nadir commented. “And we’re supposed to deal with a villain on top of it?”

  “Trust me, you’ve got the easy job,” Tattletale retorted. “While you’re playing hero, we’ll be hitting a convoy guaranteed to have cape support, not to mention heavy artillery.”

  “Mm, sounds like you need us there,” I said. “Too bad.”

  “Yeah, because you’re so broken up about it,” she snipped.

  “So what are the timings?” I asked. “You want us hitting them before? Same time?”

  “A bit before,” she said. “I know you’re usually about shock and awe, but this time you need to let them get a call out. This is big enough, and close enough to where we’re operating, that it should pull some of their response for us. Then you do what you do.”

  “Any idea who’s going to be on the potential roster?”

  “Stormtiger, Thurisaz, and Victor are all fairly likely,” Tattletale said. “Purity’s team is running with the convoy itself, so we can count them out.”

  “Thurisaz? Wait, back up, Purity’s back in town?” My eyes widened, that was news.

  “She will be after tonight,” she replied. “Shipment got offloaded in Boston, they’re running up with the convoy from there. That news is just as bad as you think it is.”

  “And the Protectorate is...where?” Nadir asked.

  “Up their asses saying...what was it Tats?” Imp chimed it.

  “They have ‘credible sources’ saying we’re full of shit,” Tattletale replied said bitterly. “So, it’s down to us. Convoy’s scheduled to get in a little after one, you guys are going to start just after midnight. Make some noise, kick some ass, and don’t be too fast. More focused they are on you, the better of a time we’ll have. Better we do, the fewer guns go to the Nazis.”

  “Alright,” I sighed. “Considering you asked us to do this, I’m not paying you.”

  “Spoilsport,” she said. “But that’s better than what Faultline’s asking, so it’s a deal. Got any more questions?”

  “Nadir?” I checked with her, getting a shake of her head. “We’re good. Better get out of here”

  We rose and headed out. I didn’t want to stick around Tattletale longer than I had to, this was pushing things as it was. The sky was already darkening when we left, even though we hadn’t been in there for that long. Fortunately Zeke was still there, idling the car. We got back in and he drove off the second we’d shut our doors.

  “So what’s the word?” he asked after a few minutes of driving.

  “We’re going to raid a drug lab,” I replied. “Nazis have a bunch of guns coming into town. We’ll going to be distracting them so the Undersiders can make sure they never make it to their customers.”

  “Shit, sounds like fun,” he said, glancing back at Nadir as she pulled down her mask.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” Joy commented. “I was… I don’t know what I expected honestly. They seemed okay for villains.”

  “Probably the best way I could describe them,” I said dryly. “Sorry, wish we had better options.”

  “I ain’t sweating,” Zeke said, offering a grin.

  “Oh, by the way.” I dug into my pockets and pulled out the wad of cash I’d taken off the thugs the day before. I took half and handed it back to Joy, then put the rest in the center console of the car for Zeke. “Payday.”

  “Shit, where’d you get this?” Zeke asked.

  “Some Nazis tried to come at me when I was walking around,” I replied nonchalantly. “I...figured I’d teach them a lesson, but you guys need the cash not me.”

  “Fuckin’ a,” he said with a nod.

  “Thanks Lia,” Joy said, offering a grin. “So, should we start planning this thing?”

  “We should,” I nodded. “So let’s get to it.”

  I double-checked everything in my bag, then zipped it up and slung it over my shoulders. Heavier than normal, but that could only be expected from a bigger operation like this. It wouldn’t be an issue, since we were driving up relatively close to our target. I headed out of the bedroom and smiled at Amy, sitting on the couch watching TV. I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

  “Heading out now,” I said softly. “Love you Amy.”

  “You’re going to fight Werwolf?” she asked, and I nodded. There was a pause and I could feel her tense under me. “With the Undersiders, right?”

  “What?” I said, confused. “No, it’s just the three of us.”

  “Don’t treat me like an idiot,” she muttered. “You’re working with Tattletale again, aren’t you?” I bit my lip.

  “She...gave us the info,” I said slowly. “And um, they’re going to be attacking the Nazis in another place, but we aren’t working together.”

  “Bullshit,” Amy snapped. “You’re coordinating, that’s cooperation by any other name.”

  “It’s...look, it’s important,” I said. “They’re bringing in a ton of guns tonight, the Undersiders are going to stop that from happening, we’re just pulling some attention and taking down one of their other operations doing it.”

  “You can’t.”

  “What?” I pulled away, tensing. “What do you mean?”

  “You have to stop working with villains Lia,” Amy said firmly, turning around. Her eyes were glistening. “This...it’s too much, it was too much before but I just…” She bit her lip and shook her head. “Forget it. Call it off.”

  “I...no, Amy come on,” I said, knitting my brows. “This isn’t something we can ignore. We’re hitting a major drug lab, an actual problem in the city.”

  “You’re being used,” she snapped, rising from the couch with balled fists. “Fuck me, I thought you were smarter than that Lia!”

  “It’s not like that,” I countered. “I...sure, she’s using me, but I’m using her too. We all want the Nazis gone, right?”

  “You’re propping up more villains to do it,” Amy growled. “You know that’s wrong Lia.”

  “It’s not ideal,” I admitted, taking a step back. “But I don’t have a choice, no one else will help, and she is helping.”

  “Stop it,” she demanded. “Stop making excuses Lia. You know people won’t work with you because you work with her.” I balled my fists, staring at the ground.

  “That’s fucking stupid and we both know it,” I muttered.

  “She. Is. A. Villain.” Amy strode over and grabbed my shoulders tightly. When she spoke again, her voice was a whisper. “Don’t do this.”

  “I…” I bit my lip hard enough I tasted blood. “Amy do you know what you’re asking me to do? Ignore the Nazis and—”

  “I’m asking you to stop working with monsters,” she cut me off. “I’m asking you to stop cooperating with the bitch that ruined my life!”

  “And let worse people ruin more?” I retorted, then shrank back. “Sorry, I’m sorry Amy I…” I pulled away, wrapping my arms around myself. “I can’t, I need to stop them Amy.” I slowly shuffled back towards the door, her furious gaze following me.

  “Don’t you dare walk out that door,” Amy said, her voice brittle. “Don’t walk out on me.”

  “I’m not,” I said, practically pleading. “Amy please just...after okay? I’ll stop, I swear it, but I can’t just ignore this.”

  “If you walk out, don’t you dare come back unless you’ve got Tattletale in cuffs,” she said, her tone cold. I took a step towards her, reaching out.

  “Amy—”

  “No,” she barked, turning her head away from me. “This...this is too far. It was too far before, shouldn’t have let you keep going but...guess I’m not as good as you thought. But this is it. Make your choice Lia.” I stared at her, lower lip trembling. I didn’t want to lose her, but…

  I turned around and walked through the door into hell.