Aisha Franklin stared at her to-do list on her computer screen. So much for any relaxation over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Tim was still insisting on getting the patent filed on the new exoskeleton suit he’d built with Miguel and Francisco. Harri had pretty much destroyed the original in her battle with the man pretending to be Captain Justice. Tim wanted to do a presentation on the suit to NASA in two months, which Aisha personally considered a little too ambitious, considering he just got out of rehab after the imposter Captain Justice tried to kill him.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to roll back the fury and grief flooding her. Not an imposter. A brain-washed evil twin.
How the hell did her life get this screwed up?
Her only consolation in the mess their lives had become was Black Death hadn’t been sitting outside their office building for the last two months. The last thing their assistant Patty needed was her super ex-boyfriend stalking her. Sometimes though, Aisha wondered if Harri had made a mistake by siccing Black Death’s boss from Corvus on him. If the super was still sitting on their street in his old Honda, they knew where he was.
Aisha tapped the key to bring up Tim’s application. If either NASA or the ESA picked up the exoskeleton for use on the space station, the licensing fees would cover Francisco’s education, room and board through a couple of doctorates. She smiled to herself. That’s assuming their building manager Miguel could come to terms with the idea of his soon-to-be eight-year-old son going off to college, even though his oldest son Domingo would accompany his baby brother next fall.
Rey had already set aside some of his money for Dom to pursue his business degree. It only made sense for him to attend college at the same time as his baby brother.
Harri managed to pit the federal and the state governments against each other over the damage caused by the fake Captain Justice, which meant Rey’s estate was intact. And Aisha had negotiated more licenses for memorial memorabilia once the FBI had declared Captain Justice dead. All the proceeds went into a trust governed by Miguel, Tim, and Harri along with Aisha. For once, she was thankful for her law partner’s insight. Harri had insisted Rey include a clause providing for any of his children in his will long before Aisha herself knew she was pregnant.
The expected tsunami of agony at missing him rolled over her again, and she blinked away the tears as she rubbed her abdomen. Her baby bump was starting to show. And Rey would never have the chance to see his son.
She touched the jade amulet at her throat that hung from a titanium chain.
Miguel had brought it to her loft the other night when he came up to talk about Francisco’s education. He’d found the amulet in a box of his late wife Beatrice’s belongings. It was the original one Rey had taken off in a child’s fit of pique over bath time. The jade piece’s original leather thong was too short for an adult.
She and Miguel had talked for a long time that night. Jokingly, he said if she could be a surrogate mom for Francisco and thirteen-year-old Javier, he’d act as her baby’s surrogate dad.
Then they both had a good cry.
The man they knew and loved was gone.
Rey was gone.
Byron Trubble, head of the black ops group known as Corvus, claimed Rey had been kidnapped without his authorization.
Aisha didn’t believe him.
Trubble had also told Harri everyone at the facility where Rey had been held was dead.
That part Aisha did believe. She had no doubt Trubble had killed everyone to cover up his mess. Or he had Professor Paranoia, the supervillain Trubble had hired to run the lab, murder them.
Her office phone buzzed, interrupting her maudlin thoughts. She sniffed back the tears before she answered.
“Aisha, your sister’s on line one,” their assistant Patty announced. “Do you want me to put her through?”
“Yes.” She had a pretty good idea what the call was about. Maybe dealing with family issues would get her mind off her own problems.
The receiver buzzed and clicked. “Hey, LaShun, what’s up?”
“Oh, so I’m finally good enough to talk to?”
Aisha rolled her eyes even though LaShun couldn’t see her and leaned back in her office chair. “I’ve texted you when I can. It’s been a little busy around here.”
“So we’ve seen on the news.” LaShun laughed. “How’s living the high life with all the studly superheroes around?”
Fresh grief brought a lump to Aisha’s throat.
“Ah, crap,” LaShun muttered. “I stepped into it, didn’t I? I take it you knew Captain Justice pretty well?”
Damn. Leave it to her big sister to stumble over the truth in the dark.
Aisha forced a laugh. “More like Harri wanted to adopt him.”
LaShun snorted. “Like she has a maternal bone in her body.”
Time to change the subject. “I’m assuming you’re calling about Mom and Dad’s upcoming anniversary. Did you need more money?”
“Yeah, it’s about their anniversary, and no on the money.” There was a sucking sound on the other end of the line. LaShun must be baking and licking the batter off a spoon. Or her finger. She did that whenever she was nervous or upset. “Did you know they were seeing a marriage counselor?”
“Are they? Good. I suggested it to Dad after their blow-up here back in May.”
LaShun’s sigh sounded relieved. “I told Mom the same thing when she showed up in Portland without him. The kids were bummed Dad wasn’t with her.”
“Really? You suggested they see someone?”
“Why does that sound so strange to you?”
Aisha laughed. “Because you always take Mom’s side!”
“And you always take Dad’s,” LaShun shot back. “Martin was the swing vote. He told them they weren’t invited to his wedding if they were going to act like spoiled, nasty children.”
“I doubt Renata would have let him disinvite his own parents.”
LaShun snickered. “Or maybe he realized she’d force him to go to Vegas if he did.”
“That’s because our baby brother is more invested in having the fairytale wedding than our future sister-in-law,” Aisha added.
“Anyway,” LaShun continued. “Back to Mom and Dad. She called this morning. The therapy must have worked because they want to renew their vows for their forty-fifth anniversary, instead of just doing a family dinner. Since their anniversary is on a Thursday this year, she wants to throw an engagement party for Martin and Renata the following Saturday, so we all aren’t making two trips down to Atlanta.”
Wow. Not only Mom, but LaShun thinking ahead? Maybe some of that therapy was wearing off on her big sister.
Aisha pulled her planner up on her computer monitor. “Okay, marking those dates on the calendar.”
“Also, I haven’t gotten an RSVP from Harri. She’s not pissed at Mom and Dad, is she? They’re both pretty embarrassed they blew her off when they were in Canyon Pointe.”
“No, she’s not. The invite’s probably in the mess of paperwork on her desk. I’ll nag her about it.” Aisha hesitated a second before she asked, “What about Jeremy and Leo?”
“I already talked to Leo, and he can’t get Jeremy to come. I don’t know why he thinks Mom and Dad wouldn’t approve of their marriage. They were pretty hurt Jeremy didn’t invite them.”
“Whoa! Roll that back. Leo and Jeremy got married? When the hell did this happen?”
“I know something you don’t know?” LaShun cackled.
“Quit dancing around your kitchen, bitch, and answer the question.” With everything that had been happening in hers and Harri’s lives, Jeremy must have been scared to share his little bit of good news.
“I think they both realized they’ve got a good thing. They were looking for a house together, and a week ago Saturday, they decided to make it official down at Judge Inunza’s office.”
“Thanks for making me feel like a total shit.” New tears formed in Aisha’s eyes. She’d been so consumed with her own petty problems she hadn’t paid any attention to the life of one of her best friends. “I’ll talk to Jeremy, too.”
“Or you could sic Harri on him.”
Aisha laughed. “I thought you wanted him to come.”
At the knock on her office door, she looked up. Harri Winters, her law partner, stood in the doorway with a large file and a serious expression.
“Speak of the devil. Harri’s in my office with her ‘we need to attorney’ look. I’ll call you later tonight.”
“You’d better, then you can tell me about her new boyfriend. Leo was pretty coy about it. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Aisha set the receiver back in its cradle and held up a finger when Harri opened her mouth. “Before you get started, Mom and Dad’s forty-fifth anniversary is Thursday, September 6th, you’re invited for their vow renewal along with Martin’s engagement party the following Saturday, and LaShun’s ticked you didn’t RSVP for the original dinner.”
Harri’s jaw snapped shut. She closed the office door quietly behind her before she plopped in one of the visitor chairs. “That’s only a week away. Have you told them about the bun yet?”
Her ponytail swung as she inclined her chin toward Aisha’s abdomen. Her new chunky highlights shone bright against her dark hair. Harri had finally given in about letting Jeremy color her hair after the receptionist at Tim’s physical therapist’s office had asked if Harri were Tim’s mother.
Aisha rubbed her bump. “What do I tell them? That my son’s dad is already dead?”
“Sweetie, that baby is their grandson.” Harri set the file on the chair beside her and leaned her elbows on Aisha’s new desk. “You’re past your first trimester. It’s time to tell your family.”
“I just turned forty-one, and I’m not married.” Aisha shook her head. “If I wear some baggy clothes—”
“Then they’re definitely going to know something’s wrong. Baggy’s not your style.” Harri shook her head again. “And I may have to bow out. We don’t have your maternity leave replacement set up yet—”
“Wait!” Aisha sat up straight. “What happened to Susan Kennedy?”
“Nothing.” Harri used her fake soothing voice that drove Aisha insane. “She had to delay joining us for a week.” She waved at the stack of paperwork on Aisha’s desk. “But word’s getting out about us, and we’ve received a dozen requests for legal services this morning alone.”
“So, what you are doing a horrible job of saying is it’s not smart for both of us to be out of town right now.” Aisha eyed her partner. “How about you go to Atlanta instead and I mind the law firm?”
“Oh, no, no, no!” Harri sat up straight and waggled an index finger at Aisha. “You are not using me as an excuse to avoid your family. Besides, isn’t Jeremy invited?”
“He is, but—” Aisha hesitated. She hated spilling, but if Harri already knew. “Did you know he and Leonardo tied the knot?”
“I…yes,” Harri murmured. “If it makes you feel better, I wasn’t invited either.”
“But they told you. Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Aisha threw up her hands. Her eyes burned. Dammit, she was getting emotional over something so ridiculous. Stupid hormones. She reached for a tissue. “Why am I the last to know?”
“Because…” Whatever Harri was about to say changed into a supercilious smile. The one she’d been wearing since the federal government presumed Rey was dead. The one that needed to be smacked off her face.
Aisha clenched her fists in her lap. She’d worked too hard to get her powers under control. At least she didn’t float to the ceiling every time she got upset any more.
“Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” Harri said with her fake brightness. “I’ll call Jeremy and tell him to bring Leo.”
“I don’t know what’s worse—being the fifth wheel at your dinner or the fact that you can’t cook.”
Harri looked down for a moment, but when her gaze returned to Aisha, some of the old Harri shone through. “You can’t spend every night moping in your loft.”
The intercom buzzed before Aisha could think of an appropriate rejoinder. Patty wouldn’t interrupt unless it was important.
“Guys, Tim needs you two in the basement. Like now. There’s a big problem with Qiang. Arthur is already on his way down.”
The word “problem” probably didn’t cover whatever was happening downstairs. Qiang Reilly, AKA the superhero known as Sparx and one of their firm’s clients, was usually too proud to ask for help. And for her to go to their security chief, who was the former vigilante known as the Ghost Owl, much less accept assistance from their IT manager Arthur, who was the former supervillain Professor Venom, meant things were very, very bad.
“On our way.” Aisha stood. “C’mon. I’ll fly us down.”
“No, you are not,” Harri growled. She was up and out the door pretty fast for someone with no powers.
Aisha followed her into the reception area. “Aw, come on! I need to practice. What if I only have them another five months?”
Patty grinned as they approached her desk. “Still won’t let you fly her around, huh?”
“Shut up, or you’re fired,” Harri snapped as she raced past.
“Don’t worry,” Aisha added as she strode by their assistant. “I’ll rehire you.”
Patty chuckled behind them while Harri punched in the security code for the basement entrance.
Aisha closed the door behind them, vaulted over the railing, and floated down to the concrete floor twelve feet below. She had the code punched in and the second security door open by the time her partner jogged down the stairs.
“After you, madam.” Aisha gestured inside the old fallout shelter with a flourish.
“Show off,” Harri muttered.
Once through, Aisha resealed the door and reset the basement level security alarm. Angry voices echoed down one of the side hallways.
“That doesn’t sound good,” she murmured.
“What doesn’t sound good?” A perplexed expression twisted Harri’s face.
“Tim and Arthur arguing.” Aisha strode in the direction of the fight.
“Wait! Slow down!” Harri jogged up beside her. “Tim and Arthur are arguing?”
“Yeah.” Aisha slowed her pace. It had nothing to do with superpowers. Her legs were simply longer than Harri’s. “You can’t hear them?”
“Damn you and your super hearing,” Harri growled.
They reached the next security door. Harri made a point of pushing in front of Aisha to enter the code.
Her unplanned pregnancy had been a sore point with Harri, but the unexpected triggering of superpowers by Aisha’s hormones seemed to send her best friend over the edge. Not for the first time, she wondered why Harri had wanted to open their boutique law firm specializing in the representation of supers when she had resented them long before the asshole pretending to be Rey had pounded her boyfriend to a bloody pulp.
Harri wrenched the door open and winced at the obvious shouting, except Qiang had joined in the fray with the mix of English and Vietnamese obscenities. It was the fourth super who drew Aisha’s attention.
The one who wore her beloved Rey’s face.
She flew across the room and grabbed the man by the throat. His eyes widened, and his hands locked on her wrist. When she slammed him into the thick concrete wall, a puff of gray powder rose. She cocked her right fist back.
“No!” Harri inserted herself between Aisha and the imposter and tried to shove her back. “Aisha! You’re not a killer!”
“Get out of my way, Harri!” Aisha glared at the man who probably had murdered Rey and nearly succeeded with Tim.
“He was under a supervillain’s influence, and you know it,” Harri snapped. “It wasn’t his fault!”
“Look, I don’t blame you.” The man she only knew as Hunahpu released her wrist, and his hands dropped to his sides. “I deserve whatever punishment you want to dish out, but help me find my brother before you kill me.”
“What?” Aisha said at the same time as Harri, who turned to face him.
“You heard Xquic when she took me.” Disbelief and worry crossed his face. Maybe he was concerned they would commit him to a psychiatric facility for talking about a Mayan goddess like she was real.
Except Aisha and Harri had an extended conversation with the woman claiming to be Xquic.
“Sh-she is certain Xbalanque, er, Reyes is still alive,” Hunaphu finished nervously. “She detected his…essence or whatever you want to call it.”
“Then tell me where he is,” Aisha hissed.
“I don’t know. Xquic doesn’t know either. She couldn’t pinpoint his location, and she wants him back alive as much as you do.”
“Why couldn’t she locate him? She’s supposed to be a goddess.”
He fumbled under the collar of his cream-colored polo shirt and produced a leather thong. At the end hung a piece of jade, green with a curved white streak. The Mayan symbols for love and protection were carved into the stone.
The same symbols that had been carved into Rey’s amulet. Only his had a straight blue streak through the stone.
“The protection spells she placed on our talismans hide us from everyone’s sight, mortal and immortal. She sensed him for a day, but before she could triangulate his position, she lost him. She believes he’s regained possession of his amulet.”
Aisha’s heart jumped. No. She slammed the door on that glimmer of hope. She couldn’t bear dealing with the loss of Rey again. And for all she knew the man in front of her lied, playing some game with her head. But damn, how she wanted his words to be true.
Slowly, she released Hunahpu and took a step back. “Or he’s already dead.”
“Don’t say that.” Harri’s shoulders sagged. “Tell her she’s wrong.”
Hunahpu shook his head, his attention focused on Aisha. “No, he isn’t dead. Our grandfather is the Mayan lord of the Underworld. If Reyes were dead, he’d be holding it over our mother’s head.”
“He’s lying!” Arthur’s anguished cry sent an answering tremor through Aisha.
She turned toward him. Sparx held him back as best she could on one leg. From the size of the gash on her thigh and the amount of blood dripping down her costume, she couldn’t put any weight on the other leg. Arthur trembled so bad Aisha doubted he noticed the superhero’s grip on his arms.
“Aisha?”
She faced Tim. The former vigilante superhero everyone else knew as Jatz’om Kuh, the Ghost Owl, sat in his wheelchair. The wheelchair Hunahpu had put him in. Tim was still facing another surgery on his left leg. The one Hunahpu had practically crushed while he pretended to be Captain Justice.
“Let’s hear him out.” Tim gazed thoughtfully at Qiang before his attention returned to Aisha. “Sparx wouldn’t have brought him down here if she weren’t convinced of his sincerity.” A wry smile quirked his lips. “The only one harder to convince than Sparx is Harri.”
Harri stepped from between Aisha and Hunahpu and gave him a vicious grin. “And if I don’t like what I hear, I won’t stop Aisha from killing you. Got me, jerkwad?”
“Yes, ma’am.” No mocking in his expression. If he were faking the total sincerity on his face, he was one hell of an actor.
Aisha glared at the super. It was their grade school playground all over again when she had been the new student, and the other girls had been picking on a much smaller one named Harri. This time though the stakes were a hell of a lot higher than bloody noses and scraped knees.
“I hope you really do understand my partner,” she said softly. “Because there won’t be enough of you for your people, whoever they really are, to fill a copper pot when I’m done if you’re lying about this.”
