Elijah and I sat in my fun little silver SUV, the leather seats creaking as we shifted our weight. The smell of stale coffee still lingered from my morning commute earlier today. Outside, the neon signs of the gas station flickered, struggling to show themselves in the afternoon sun. We had been on this stakeout for half-an-hour, and my patience was already wearing thin. I drummed my fingers on the dashboard, my mind racing through all the ways this could go wrong.

"What's taking them so long? I thought the life of a supervillain would be a little more exciting than my life as an accountant. What if they've been caught? What if it's a trap? What if—"

"Perspective, darling," Elijah cut in, lounging in the driver's seat and looking far too comfortable for someone who'd just broken out of prison. He flashed me that infuriating smirk of his. "After sitting in a prison cell for nearly a year, this is exhilarating… especially sitting next to you. Your worry lines are showing, by the way."

"I'm still mad at you," I snapped, ignoring his teasing jab. "I can't believe you let me think you killed Shadow Strike when all you did was negotiate with him to leave town. How... anticlimactic."

"Would you rather have had it that I killed him?" Elijah raised an eyebrow, his tone challenging.

"No! Of course not. I'm relieved that you didn't, but believing a lie this entire past year was... well, it just pisses me off. I'm mad that you lied to me—your wife! I'm mad that you would let me believe such an awful thing about you. I'm mad that you let me be mad at you for so long." I swallowed a lump, trying to place the other feeling circling inside. "And... I... Um... I guess, secretly, I had been flattered at the lengths you went to protect me... and now... I realize you weren't as passionate about protecting my life as I had thought."

Elijah turned in the driver's seat and grabbed the hand I was nervously rubbing against my jeans. His touch sent a familiar jolt through my body, and I hated how easily he could still affect me. His thumb traced small circles on my skin, and I had to fight the urge to lean into his touch. He gazed at me with those magical eyes that seemed to see right through me.

"Yes, it's true that I didn't kill anyone, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have to save you. In fact, if the police didn't hunt me and Doctor Quackery down, he might not have gotten a prison sentence because he'd be very, very dead."

"Very, very dead?" I lightened my tone, trying to escape the intenseness of the moment. "Is that the scientific term for it?"

Elijah's eyes twinkled. "Oh yes, it's right up there with 'pushing up daisies' and 'kicked the bucket' in medical journals." Then his expression turned serious again. "In fact, as soon as he's released from prison, he might still meet that fate if he so much as even looks in your direction." There was no denying the sincerity of that promise.

"That's not the point." I took a deep breath, trying to stay focused on the other emotion that was zinging through my body that I couldn't catch. "My biggest problem is that I can't trust you."

"Trust me?" he huffed. "You're the one who turned me in. And just a few days ago, you flew off to escape from Golden Guardian, leaving him there in the forest to catch me."

I sighed, running a hand through my ponytail. "I was trying to lure him away to save you. And don't change this argument to be about what I did. You dropped a big secret on me yesterday. What other things are you keeping in that head of yours?"

"Besides that, I want you back... more than anything else I've ever wanted?"

My heart pounded, and I lost my words for a moment. "I wish I could believe you, but I'm afraid to trust your words."

"Understandable." Elijah said, turning back to look out the window. "I'll just have to prove it to you."

"It's going to take more than a box of chocolates. But I'd gladly accept them."

He laughed, the sound warming me despite my best efforts to stay aloof. "Noted. And I will get you back. I know you never could refuse my charm."

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard, trying to change the subject. "Where's Jasmine?"

Elijah chuckled. "She probably got distracted and grabbed some rando's ass."

"She doesn't do that all the time. Besides, your ass is pretty terrific."

Elijah's cheeks turned a soft shade of red, and I couldn't help but feel a little triumphant.

"Oh, my God! Did I make you blush?"

Elijah straightened in the seat, clearing his throat. "To be fair, I hadn't had any action other than Jasmine and that amazing kiss between us in nearly a year. Unless you count the goo-goo eyes the burley guy in cell 154 kept giving me." He nodded towards the window as his cheeks turned back to their too-pale prison color. "Let the cartoons begin!"

From across the street, the shimmer of shattering glass, raining down to litter the sidewalk, made our words hang in the air. Jasmine and Madison were both grinning maniacally inside the gas station, their powers on full display. Jasmine's eyes glowed an eerie purple as she orchestrated a symphony of floating snacks, bags of chips and candy bars swirling around her like a sugary tornado. Madison's fingers left scorching trails on everything she touched, the air shimmering with heat around her as she melted the cash registers with a casual brush of her hand.

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"Showing off a bit?" I chuckled, unable to hide my admiration. "I love those girls."

"Look at them go," Elijah nudged me with his elbow, his eyes dancing with amusement. "They're like little kids in a candy store. I bet they're having the time of their lives."

"Yeah, well, let's just hope they don't get too carried away. We just want them to lure one superhero out, not the whole team... or worse, that two of the Ladies in Leather get captured. I'm kinda sick of prison breaks for now. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt and everything."

"Let's hope they grab enough snacks to last us the whole stakeout. I'm starving."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad to see you didn't lose your appetite in prison. What, was the gruel not up to your standards?"

Madison and Jasmine were making a bold statement, but we knew that it would attract the attention of at least one superhero. And I had to admit, it was kind of impressive.

We watched as my fellow villains started to make their escape, their powers on full display juggling candy bars as they climbed into that evil minivan, but a bright flash of light made Elijah and I jump.

"He's here." Elijah said, his voice a mix of excitement and apprehension.

We looked up to see Captain Celestial standing in the gas station doorway, his ridiculous blue spandex gleaming in the sunlight.

"Oh no," I muttered, watching as he strode towards my girls frantically trying to shut the minivan door. "This is not good."

Elijah chuckled, seemingly unfazed. "Relax, darling. It's just Captain Celestial. He's no match for Jasmine and Madison."

I raised an eyebrow. "You really think so? Have you seen the size of his biceps?"

Elijah waved his hand dismissively. "Your villainesses are on a roll. Let's watch and learn. Maybe they'll teach us a thing or two about showmanship."

We watched as Captain Celestial approached the minivan; his fists clenched at his sides. But before he could even lay a hand on anyone, Jasmine and Madison unleashed their powers. Chips and candy bars flew through the air like edible projectiles while bursts of heat melted the blue spandex right off Captain Celestial's body, leaving him standing there in his heart-patterned boxers.

I snickered, covering my mouth to stifle my laughter. "Well, that's a sight I never thought I'd see. Think we could sell this to a tabloid?"

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Madison shouted, grabbing Jasmine by the hand.

The minivan's tires squealed, and they were gone in a puff of exhaust. After hesitating a bit too long, sorting through the chaos of snacks and smoldering spandex on the sidewalk, the superzero launched into the air, tailing the gold minivan from above in nothing but his blue cape, white mask, and boxers, but my girls were already blocks ahead, disappearing into the traffic.

"This is more entertaining than I thought." Elijah started the car and threw it into drive, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Our turn." Madison and Natalie were probably already on foot, parking the minivan in the nearest parking garage, out of sight from the sky.

Elijah and I followed Captain Celestial through the city, trying our best to keep up with his super-fast speed. Tires screeched. Engines roared. We weaved through traffic, narrowly avoiding collisions. Captain Celestial was a blur above us, his cape fluttering in the wind. My heart raced, adrenaline surging through my veins.

"Let me out!" I shouted over the sound of the engine, my hands itching to feel the rush of flight. "He can fly for goodness' sake. I can tail him from the sky."

"He'll spot you in an instant." Elijah gave the engine more gas, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "Don't worry, darling. I've got this. Just keep your eyes on him and let me do the driving."

I leaned forward to better see out the windshield, my nose almost touching the glass. "Easier said than done. He's practically a blur up there."

We chased Captain Celestial through the city, our tires screeching around corners and our engines roaring through the streets. It was a wild and reckless pursuit, but we were determined to follow him to the end, wherever that was. My knuckles were white from grabbing the arm rest. "You remember what I said before about the life of a villain being boring? Well, I take that back. This is better than any rollercoaster I've ever been on."

Elijah laughed, the sound rich and exhilarating. "I think you need the monotony to balance out the adrenaline. He's slowing down," Elijah nodded towards the sky and let off the gas. "He must have finally realized that Madison and Jasmine outsmarted him. I'm sure this failure won't make the news."

"Yeah. It's like they have someone on the inside at the news station. Hmm... a thought for us to explore later. Maybe we can get our own PR team."

Finally, Captain Celestial stopped over a massive, four-story office building. He hovered in the air for a moment, scanning the area, before disappearing inside through an entrance on the roof.

"That's it!" Elijah exclaimed, parking the car with a screech of tires. "We've got him. Let's go check it out."

I sighed, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Great. Now we just have to figure out which one of the hundred employees in that building is Captain Celestial. The good news? How many have heart-shaped polka dots on their boxers?"

Elijah chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Are you going to pull everyone's pants down or is that my job?"

True. If Captain Celestial had any brains in that head of his, he'd have regular clothes on in no time, leaving the building completely inconspicuous. More than likely, he had ties to this place. Whether he worked there, owned the business, or hid his secret hero lair inside.

We parked in the fifteen-minute spot and headed inside Sure Thing Insurance, scanning the sea of suits and ties for any sign of the superhero, but it was no use. Captain Celestial had vanished, leaving us with nothing but a frustrating clue.

"Well, that was a bust," I grumbled, leaning against a wall and blowing a stray hair out of my face.

Elijah patted my shoulder, his touch lingering just a moment too long. "Oh, don't worry, darling. We are way better off than when we started. Not only will we have snacks when we get back to the lair, but we can dig deeper into this business and maybe we'll figure out his identity. We'll regroup and come up with the next step."

But before we could finish brainstorming, the sound of sirens filled the air. Elijah grabbed my hand, his eyes wide with alarm.

"We have to get out of here." He pulled me towards the exit.

The sirens wailed, growing louder by the second. Elijah's hand clamped around mine, his grip tight and urgent. We bolted for the exit, hearts pounding in sync with the approaching police cars.

We were on the run, with no idea how we were going to evade the law and catch Captain Celestial.

And I was loving every minute of it.