Read Online Banging the Superhero by Rebecca Royce - Free Book Online
Authors: Rebecca Royce
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existed."
"Mine died when I was three."
He nodded. The sharing was already taking place. That was a good thing.
He continued. "Draco got hired on a case. Since then, the system has changed, but back then the financial department only had to prove the person could pay the bill and then it was no questions asked."
She smiled at him and leaned back in her seat. "I can pay your bill."
"Wasn't worried about it."
Alice chuckled. "Go on."
He would, just as soon as he finished grinning back at her. Alice had an infectious way with her happiness. She could light up the universe if she smiled all the time.
"Anyway, Draco and Wendy—that's my sister-in-law, she was Draco's Handler at the time—flew out to see a woman who had a runaway teenager. She thought he'd been kidnapped by aliens."
Ace hadn't been there but he could imagine the scene as well as if he had been.
"Wendy's senses told her this woman was off. The house was modest. Draco is the most expensive Superhero on the payroll."
"More expensive than you?"
"By a long shot. I'm the second most expensive, but Draco is top dog."
Her eyes twinkled. "Then maybe I should be with Draco."
"Sorry, he's on his honeymoon. And besides, only I can talk to machines." The idea of her leaving him for Draco's professional protection didn't sit well. A knot formed in his stomach and his hands tingled. Damn, he was going to have to work out some of his pent up aggression again. It was too soon to be feeling this keyed up, and it didn't bode well for how the rest of the day was going to go.
"I was kidding."
He stared hard at Alice. Her face was serious, her eyebrows pointed downward, and her mouth rested in a thin line. She really was upset. Somehow, the fact that she'd been making a joke and not serious about wanting to go with Draco eased his tension.
Not a lot but a smidgen, at least.
"It turned out her investigation was being funded by a charity organization that was really a front for a group that was out to get Draco and Wendy. They blew up the house while Draco and Wendy were there. He got Wendy out. Lael's mother didn't make it. Later on, Draco found Lael and it didn't take him long to realize we were family."
"Kid looks just like you."
Ace nodded. "I know."
The sunlight hit Alice's eyes. "He ran away."
"Because she was nuts. Because he was different and didn't understand why that was. Because he was scared."
"Besides the dreams, he seems pretty put together."
Ace shrugged. "None of us can really control what we dream about."
She cleared her throat and looked out the window. "I think you might have been onto something earlier, about it being personal, this attack on me."
"You said that before. Do you want to explain a little further?" Please .
"I had dreams as a child, very disturbing dreams about machines killing me."
Ace had not been expecting that. He tried to keep his expression neutral. "That's kind of a funny dream for a child to have. No monsters under the bed?"
"No." Her laugh sounded humorless. "My mother's second cousin lost his arm in a factory accident at work. He got caught in a press. It was a terrible experience. He would walk around in shirts where half of the shirt would hang down because there was no arm in it." She swallowed. "I was little. I had no compassion, just fear."
"How old were you?"
She turned to stare him square in the eyes. "I was three."
Ace's mind whirled. Her recount was too close to be a coincidence, too odd that she's dreamed this scenario as a little girl, and now it was happening to her. "When did the dreams stop?"
"Around my seventh birthday, my mother took me to a doctor. He sat me down and told me how machines couldn't hurt me. I don't remember the gist of the whole thing, but somehow it worked." She shuddered. "Maybe because it was finally someone other than my mother telling me about it."
"And the doctor? What happened to him?"
"He died about twenty years ago from a heart attack. I remember because we had to drive
"Mine died when I was three."
He nodded. The sharing was already taking place. That was a good thing.
He continued. "Draco got hired on a case. Since then, the system has changed, but back then the financial department only had to prove the person could pay the bill and then it was no questions asked."
She smiled at him and leaned back in her seat. "I can pay your bill."
"Wasn't worried about it."
Alice chuckled. "Go on."
He would, just as soon as he finished grinning back at her. Alice had an infectious way with her happiness. She could light up the universe if she smiled all the time.
"Anyway, Draco and Wendy—that's my sister-in-law, she was Draco's Handler at the time—flew out to see a woman who had a runaway teenager. She thought he'd been kidnapped by aliens."
Ace hadn't been there but he could imagine the scene as well as if he had been.
"Wendy's senses told her this woman was off. The house was modest. Draco is the most expensive Superhero on the payroll."
"More expensive than you?"
"By a long shot. I'm the second most expensive, but Draco is top dog."
Her eyes twinkled. "Then maybe I should be with Draco."
"Sorry, he's on his honeymoon. And besides, only I can talk to machines." The idea of her leaving him for Draco's professional protection didn't sit well. A knot formed in his stomach and his hands tingled. Damn, he was going to have to work out some of his pent up aggression again. It was too soon to be feeling this keyed up, and it didn't bode well for how the rest of the day was going to go.
"I was kidding."
He stared hard at Alice. Her face was serious, her eyebrows pointed downward, and her mouth rested in a thin line. She really was upset. Somehow, the fact that she'd been making a joke and not serious about wanting to go with Draco eased his tension.
Not a lot but a smidgen, at least.
"It turned out her investigation was being funded by a charity organization that was really a front for a group that was out to get Draco and Wendy. They blew up the house while Draco and Wendy were there. He got Wendy out. Lael's mother didn't make it. Later on, Draco found Lael and it didn't take him long to realize we were family."
"Kid looks just like you."
Ace nodded. "I know."
The sunlight hit Alice's eyes. "He ran away."
"Because she was nuts. Because he was different and didn't understand why that was. Because he was scared."
"Besides the dreams, he seems pretty put together."
Ace shrugged. "None of us can really control what we dream about."
She cleared her throat and looked out the window. "I think you might have been onto something earlier, about it being personal, this attack on me."
"You said that before. Do you want to explain a little further?" Please .
"I had dreams as a child, very disturbing dreams about machines killing me."
Ace had not been expecting that. He tried to keep his expression neutral. "That's kind of a funny dream for a child to have. No monsters under the bed?"
"No." Her laugh sounded humorless. "My mother's second cousin lost his arm in a factory accident at work. He got caught in a press. It was a terrible experience. He would walk around in shirts where half of the shirt would hang down because there was no arm in it." She swallowed. "I was little. I had no compassion, just fear."
"How old were you?"
She turned to stare him square in the eyes. "I was three."
Ace's mind whirled. Her recount was too close to be a coincidence, too odd that she's dreamed this scenario as a little girl, and now it was happening to her. "When did the dreams stop?"
"Around my seventh birthday, my mother took me to a doctor. He sat me down and told me how machines couldn't hurt me. I don't remember the gist of the whole thing, but somehow it worked." She shuddered. "Maybe because it was finally someone other than my mother telling me about it."
"And the doctor? What happened to him?"
"He died about twenty years ago from a heart attack. I remember because we had to drive
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