Read Online Masks (Out of the Box Book 9) by Robert J. Crane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robert J. Crane
Ads: Link
evil over Minneapolis at the moment he chose to make his announcement. That might have been hard to explain if he hadn’t come clean.
But this idea of heroes, powered people straight out of comic books, defending their cities and waging war against evil? That was new. Other than me, I meant. I’d set loose the first hero on Atlanta about a year ago, Taneshia French, and she’d done a pretty good job of improving her neighborhood and the city in general. I knew her, and I trusted her.
These other heroes, though? I knew what I’d seen of Gravity Gal, and she seemed like a low-profile, keep-her-mouth-shut-and-do-her-job type. I liked her.
Captain Frost, though? He was like Kat unchecked, and that bothered me, because I was constantly checking Kat to keep her from being a giant idiot.
“It doesn’t bother you that I’m playing Luke Cage nowadays?” I asked, and realized a second later that I’d thrown another reference at Welch that was bound to soar over his head. “I mean—”
“Hero for Hire, I got it,” Welch said, and a smile poked out as he looked over at me. “I used to read the comics as a kid.” He let the levity pass and went serious again. “I guess, maybe because of the way you started—working for the government and all that—it doesn’t bother me as much.” He gave me a slightly sour look. “But if you could keep from trashing any subway trains this time—”
“You never let that one go, jeez. I saved all the gold in the Federal Reserve, but no one remembers that.”
“Anyway,” Welch said, and I saw the end of the bridge in sight, but the FDR looked like it was packed with cars. Welch saw it, too, and another pronounced frown wrinkled him all the way to the eyes. “I just want you to hang around for a bit, like a soothing balm, in case noses get out of joint.”
I passed by the mixed metaphor and went straight to his intent. “Have you met me? Of the many things I’ve been called, soothing? … Not so much one of them.”
“Well, add it to your repertoire,” Welch said and honked his horn pointlessly before giving a massive sigh.
“Might as well try something new,” I said. “How long am I gonna be here?” He looked over at me again, and I clarified. “In New York, not on this bridge. I know, based on the traffic, that we’re going to die of old age here. You much sooner than me, obvs.”
That got me a scowl followed by a smile. “Why do you ask, so long as the money keeps flowing into your company’s account?”
“Well, the State Fair is coming up, you know,” I said, looking over at the Bronx. When he didn’t say anything, I turned back to see him looking perplexed. “It’s like a religious holiday in Minnesota. The Great Minnesota Get-Together, they call it. It’s a big deal,” I finished lamely.
“Hopefully not too long,” Welch said, turning his attention back to the immovable line of traffic in front of us. I thought about getting out, lifting the car and flying us back to the precinct, but figured that might be too much for even the city of New York to fight the FAA over, so I settled myself against the window. We inched forward a little at a time, in silence, as the sun tilted ever closer to the western horizon before us, and onward toward nightfall.
14.
Nadine
She’d had to take a cab back to Long Island after the Uber she’d summoned drove right past her when they’d realized who she was. She didn’t even bother to review them badly, because what was the point? She took a cab and ignored the rearview mirror attentions of the driver, who seemed to be trying to figure out why her face was so familiar.
She got out in front of her Long Island mansion just before dark. She’d spent most of the day in the company of the NYPD, answering questions about that lousy sonofabitch Joseph Tannen, and her utter lack of connection to him, over and over, with a few gentle inquiries about the charges she already had pending. References to her lawyer had
But this idea of heroes, powered people straight out of comic books, defending their cities and waging war against evil? That was new. Other than me, I meant. I’d set loose the first hero on Atlanta about a year ago, Taneshia French, and she’d done a pretty good job of improving her neighborhood and the city in general. I knew her, and I trusted her.
These other heroes, though? I knew what I’d seen of Gravity Gal, and she seemed like a low-profile, keep-her-mouth-shut-and-do-her-job type. I liked her.
Captain Frost, though? He was like Kat unchecked, and that bothered me, because I was constantly checking Kat to keep her from being a giant idiot.
“It doesn’t bother you that I’m playing Luke Cage nowadays?” I asked, and realized a second later that I’d thrown another reference at Welch that was bound to soar over his head. “I mean—”
“Hero for Hire, I got it,” Welch said, and a smile poked out as he looked over at me. “I used to read the comics as a kid.” He let the levity pass and went serious again. “I guess, maybe because of the way you started—working for the government and all that—it doesn’t bother me as much.” He gave me a slightly sour look. “But if you could keep from trashing any subway trains this time—”
“You never let that one go, jeez. I saved all the gold in the Federal Reserve, but no one remembers that.”
“Anyway,” Welch said, and I saw the end of the bridge in sight, but the FDR looked like it was packed with cars. Welch saw it, too, and another pronounced frown wrinkled him all the way to the eyes. “I just want you to hang around for a bit, like a soothing balm, in case noses get out of joint.”
I passed by the mixed metaphor and went straight to his intent. “Have you met me? Of the many things I’ve been called, soothing? … Not so much one of them.”
“Well, add it to your repertoire,” Welch said and honked his horn pointlessly before giving a massive sigh.
“Might as well try something new,” I said. “How long am I gonna be here?” He looked over at me again, and I clarified. “In New York, not on this bridge. I know, based on the traffic, that we’re going to die of old age here. You much sooner than me, obvs.”
That got me a scowl followed by a smile. “Why do you ask, so long as the money keeps flowing into your company’s account?”
“Well, the State Fair is coming up, you know,” I said, looking over at the Bronx. When he didn’t say anything, I turned back to see him looking perplexed. “It’s like a religious holiday in Minnesota. The Great Minnesota Get-Together, they call it. It’s a big deal,” I finished lamely.
“Hopefully not too long,” Welch said, turning his attention back to the immovable line of traffic in front of us. I thought about getting out, lifting the car and flying us back to the precinct, but figured that might be too much for even the city of New York to fight the FAA over, so I settled myself against the window. We inched forward a little at a time, in silence, as the sun tilted ever closer to the western horizon before us, and onward toward nightfall.
14.
Nadine
She’d had to take a cab back to Long Island after the Uber she’d summoned drove right past her when they’d realized who she was. She didn’t even bother to review them badly, because what was the point? She took a cab and ignored the rearview mirror attentions of the driver, who seemed to be trying to figure out why her face was so familiar.
She got out in front of her Long Island mansion just before dark. She’d spent most of the day in the company of the NYPD, answering questions about that lousy sonofabitch Joseph Tannen, and her utter lack of connection to him, over and over, with a few gentle inquiries about the charges she already had pending. References to her lawyer had
Similar Books
