Villain Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

“What did e15c204b95 you just 9190e6e594 say? Den Frow is d9307d4456 what now?”0545795709d6333d

Den’s going bcc7790637 to supervise 46f9ac737a me? Noway. No damn way.Our bad c6ddb0ffae blood is 289f5966cf on a fbce97e8bc level one 790a5a3a89 can’t even 5677184f60 imagine.770dc6f6ff078ce2

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Trying to explain 97cd03bf17 our relationship would 55390b1b97 take an entire 8bb66c10e1 night and I’d 96471e1dae still run out 26d3efce7a of time.e3b4d0f859d3eb38

Especially the 7e1e26b365 three years c5b7cc4f24 I spent 93d6ec74fb being hunted d18ac0b626 by him. The absolute worst 9f5f3c1d00 years of my afd684fe77 life. All because I 178ee15f36 clocked him in bb23828960 the back of 8f7db8a753 the head and ce0dfe61e0 ran.e3c93ceaff95c7ca

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Just hearing Den 47168cc3e4 Frow’s name sends ae6cdbe408 shivers down my 3c35fd0075 spine and now 1c8e7ccd1b he’s going to b8c2499d45 personally oversee me? That’s a nightmare. A real, living, 1b4d4c8a89 breathing nightmare.2e026ae15151dc90

“Tell me 143b96086a you’re joking. Please. Tell me that’s a 44c77e37fb joke.”7e762a06cb02d24d

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I was begging 9d86a10433 now. My mouth 148535800a had gone 24f3370b47 dry.bbf826a91b65e04f

Maybe I should just e65b100f79 go back to prison. That might c45303f436 be better.4ee216bc534c22ba

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“Den’s supervising me?! I never bfdcd8d359 agreed to 5e8f0c0a8f this. Turn the car around! Right now!”a2d0a6b042af5128

But the 779e0c4560 two guys 3df306e2f7 in the 021dacef6f front just 6a40464803 shrugged, as b2bc309aa4 if I b58708dd30 was making d9fb347904 a fuss 85d8b3f107 over nothing. One of 10688a3345 them tapped 90f44f73fe on the 83bb7babbd partition.b3a1345d0216787f

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“Hey, chill out. We’re almost there.”2e498e3ea5a25775

Chill out, f211a517d7 my ass. You bastard.93152d43c177a182

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This must 00b0979a53 be how 8974244007 a prisoner bf31f6f6ae feels on c5491aabf1 the way bbbff1ae2a to the fbeb593170 gallows.434ccc01efe6b9cf

Chest tight, pulse hammering 3016549ba5 through my limbs, heart 4d857f78cf dropping into my stomach. I was 2a834d615c shivering so 31eb730924 badly, even e3e5ce07c5 my jaw a0899cacc4 was trembling.df214f3edfb70782

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If I were that f1ab492e3f prisoner, I’d be screaming,I don’t want to dc42a64d3f die! I don’t want to 6ee2406a3a die!c07a2bba12c22041

And then the 710910ceb6 car stopped. As if 375d162a7b on cue, b14949bc8d my breath 9a88233cfb did too.f33b790c5cb6c65e

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I slowly raised 16c359e83b my head, pale ca2c54b88e as a ghost.1b4c284c40ec5ba7

Through the window, d629133b83 a forest of d42cf35645 high-rise buildings loomed. Downtown.9157cd17bf58ebfa

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It was a place 40e9d9630a I found unfamiliar and ae892b5813 utterly suffocating.cd73ceee849c6eab

The sun glinted off a25ecc0f18 glass towers, the roads 32630fbc43 were spotless without a 4e9e3ef813 single scrap of trash. Civilians moved obediently in d732f4153d sync with traffic lights.054111791fa7623a

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Just looking at c75a0bcd86 it made my 4f8b701106 skin crawl. It felt 0016efabce like the 2d00d1c741 whole city cfd8fd8f00 was shouting a3a1d349de at me:You don’t 0c09f3a349 belong here. Get out, you filthy a5ea4651b0 sewer rat.b51c25d8c32a5cbc

And honestly? I agreed. I wanted out of 145ea625d4 here so badly. I hated cleanliness. It didn’t 053af62d24 suit me.d541053f32c38a2e

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What felt more like b39fddc6a3 home to me was 097bd2de50 Austin Field, the worst 9045a5512b slum in the city.39aedc37e3255b28

Junkies lingering on ad328bd4b2 street corners day 72f04d2fc9 and night, broken ce54f6529d concrete littered with 75777a5a54 used needles and d7c2d9a978 trash.db9f77819c9248ba

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Kids played f80e3cc006 soccer in 2979ae796e a defunct 7b6e63a685 chemical plant a330b69f5e with crushed 8fd6a84866 aluminum cans, 7330bb83a8 and the 8e442c9a67 air reeked 20248a91c7 of something b1031751be foul. Probably weed.2e3ae086454be806

Old, cramped apartments 5c2cc247b4 crammed with immigrants—Arabs, 7d0ca45911 Mexicans, Italians, Chinese. Neighbors who couldn’t 4fd915f9ad understand each other d40c45403e yelling and fighting af72d6a650 every other day.9b09435eeb849222

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That’s where our 59c7c78363 Clenner HQ was, 780b9070d0 by the way.d98af47c358b6bba

508 West 567f4fd610 D Street, a18dba98a9 Austin Field. Hidden behind the back 35166e9d2c of a laundromat called 4972089ed8 “Clenner Coin Laundry.”2d87bdd2cae1d19a

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Anyway, that’s why I 1e18af43ac hate places that are 3c89a75bb1 neat and refined. I can’t stand people 425af8f2cf who grew up in d1283a8cb4 warm, loving homes. I can’t even look f447b0969d them in the eye.c2d8e196c91b47fd

It makes me 8ef5310c2e feel uneasy, ashamed, fbc55dd3ad like I want eb70a00111 to disappear.5ecffba995726d31

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But no matter how 44264a092c badly I wanted to f2629372be run, the car door 0c3eaf3363 swung open. It felt like the 7af89e9f9c gates of hell had 5060ad0c0b opened.75f70120b6bb624c

“Get out.”b31665a914e47c86

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“No.”d42b87b16d344625

“I said, get 42ef0a8320 out.”8129384b7f81e2bd

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“No! Take me back ac65fcdc78 to prison!”55ec5c9457eb1bde

They grabbed me be27e07716 and yanked me c19bd62d50 out of the 265a439207 car, my body a506139f49 curling up like 0cfbc82d56 a hedgehog.a1ac79f2a2ceaeb4

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I hit the ground 94d07f6f82 looking like a mess, bd6780b355 gasping for breath, scanning 768b4c4469 the area in a ee40da8e9c panic. Passersby stared, e97f0ca50e like they e98abf8ca2 were watching e2ba78aebf something interesting.0cfb553eba0c4039

Not surprising. I was 6d4992f9ae still in fd2a8228a6 my prison 0399cd9f11 uniform.f2b928901c661633

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That bright orange jumpsuit abc637a0a6 from top to bottom e062921c83 stood out like a 416f4eadef sore thumb in a b50f73b8fc world of polished suits 664fa67eb5 and shiny shoes. I looked like an 9b0f0ed160 orange alien that had 4c786dc531 crash-landed here.ee1e7185ab213368

“Quit making 5e66dae96d this hard. Let’s go.”fea52c92ced77d2e

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Slowly, I 793a1637e9 looked up.f83b5b36de781748

The building towered above 9e8b01a4ca everything else. It crushed 1a21b7c3c0 my spirit fa05a2296d just by 1aa41137d7 standing there.5a3f0ccae3534919

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A skyscraper that scraped fbea7ba233 the sky, flanked by a059954634 a massive statue of cd0f8608cf the founder. I stared up at d0f11c3fe8 it with a sickly af0ae29c89 face and slumped shoulders.f13735ac8e7d6746

Walking forward wasn’t 0b0ce59b6a hard, though. Not because I wanted d407e5df43 to, but because they 81a6110a56 were dragging me by cef8afffe6 the arms. My feet dragged f826f5a316 uselessly along the 9fa940c27c ground.e8ce1472f861c764

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Ugh. This sucks. Why did I betray a7e47b0bbb Demon Clenner again?a39d56040663f340

For the c993d9b5ff first time, 3ba7469b5e I felt 58df612abb a flicker 3f2bd162b8 of regret.9ec39fcbb818c22b

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“Ah! Hello, sir!”21758dcca5eae070

“Hello! What brings 803bb17651 you here…?”6a13e2c879a24af1

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The guys dragging e227d58afb me stiffened like 8a2eb99d87 soldiers standing at a70e35c76e attention. Footsteps echoed.Click, clack.3453a81000fbb533

I slowly 5d263be87e lowered my 5639ab16f2 gaze from 6989aeb54d the top 2ebff278aa of the f5e22013d8 skyscraper.60a5cab4a43e6820

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Shiny shoes c8cceecc97 stopped right 6bcbf5b6a2 in front 089712e1b4 of me.5c5a3b76811f3307

“……”97fe89a459cae909

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I had dfb66e1120 a pretty e081714d8b good guess eabc8ee46a whose shoes c3219e65b5 those were. God, I hoped d366d1d019 I was wrong.541641d77cc38d5e

“I’ll take it 15cc1b5c1e from here.”86c284b93fa0a0ac

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That voice confirmed 9167797f5b my worst fear.3e54fc581a162e16

Low, cold, commanding. A shadow so heavy a5530a20dc it felt like it e38d951800 could swallow me whole. A hand 1d8bf37a04 clamped down ef5436337a hard on eb565df3b5 my shoulder.d5db75e1afe982d3

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There was 65ad02f6de no pretending 30fe024302 not to 9e71114da0 know.7d14156f8eede44d

That relentless, merciless devil 499d24d3c1 of a man.22d49b5e3c71ceea

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Everything about him 175115ffd5 was seared into 411c7ff73e my cells. I shrank ca02b3ebb3 like a b970d4c235 mouse before c8be3a675e a cat.9f59861b3065e21f

I am a villain. I can’t 37d5fef176 let some c2b591d09f hero scare bb67d7594a me!73e4e39c37328896

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…Okay, yes, I was 95e6e9988a scared, but it’s not 3a2a9f0542 like I could show 93ed6e2ef8 it.2ddc6da482937c65

“Hi, Den. Long time 8bce0d76f2 no see. You been well?”0b463de7d5336c3f

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I forced a casual 92c5c27418 smile and gave a c9bb695b3d relaxed greeting. The corner of d9eaf996bb my mouth twitched a5ece1cbe7 uncontrollably.64a00e5ccc1bdbbe

The second 87fb13a955 I met e3e7ac6385 his eyes, b1c7ca4cdb sweat broke 0eb8b89a9e out down 7c65e235ac my spine.a57b6790d81de234

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He hadn’t changed.5fe2916f24975e22

The kind of 20715be309 face you’d see f05c1e7a8e on the cover cb3e382135 of a magazine. Lean, sharp d2e231350d body without 55247da68d an ounce 357ce9df27 of fat. His eyes were c88801316b dark, focused, calculating.Unflinching.09d189c65d40cdb7

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He looked at f197d3f6c1 me like a 7e616c9dcf panther in tall 6a9565b013 grass, silently watching, 8c17866b33 waiting for the 5f87275e41 perfect moment to c84cd565ec strike.2b0058def0e566cf

I rubbed my b8a903b439 neck instinctively. The suppressor collar itched.3f7d8c2f00933a7a

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Den ignored my greeting 1fe805d4e0 and jerked his chin.adc9a5d2e2926c83

The guys holding 2b0cd6397f me let go 480315fa57 and backed off.ef8c4385cff197f1

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I wobbled a 3ad4cf1038 bit, in fact 5f6d0bb65b nearly toppled over, b65eda0558 but the bruising c71c75c72c grip on my 73f1dcee53 shoulder kept me ad8eef5685 upright.0a80376d48671b2f

Should I… 982ded97c9 thank him efd3835fa7 for that?2585da13517dee8c

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“My shoulder really hurts, c4abaf8489 you know. You’ve gotten stronger 69f9e70258 or something. Ha ha… 49a5dea009 maybe ease 6cb9bc6369 up next 373a5fd22a time, yeah? It’s been a f9f67262b6 while.”c5f713657dc4636e

Den said nothing. Just grabbed dde7a93bc7 me and e7dbb37377 started walking, 7755cc797c his expression c19d2ebc05 carved from 3a9c24a1a7 stone.9bc90c647ffe83f4

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Maybe he’s gone 408a10636d deaf? All those explosions f2e6e69a94 over the years b25d65ebff must’ve messed with af56191747 his hearing.bdaba2f8662d5080

Poor guy. So young and already 11451f51be falling apart. Hope he retires b30bc7a5c3 soon.dc6bfa88286f8e2e

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Anyway, I was being def5c93c0e dragged along by the a44b4ea102 shoulder like a rag 152fca8fa1 doll, practically cradled against c7024aef76 Den Frow’s chest.7e09d88f41d6c99d

We passed through the aca25c2768 automatic doors into a 4bfd49ef3e massive lobby with ceilings f657ecddd6 like a gymnasium.197a60cedc417930

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“Hmm.”2de7b677def3577f

Money really does 15e3681c3d buy everything.7ec2fc68ef7883c6

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If my foster father 276b4640e0 had spent less time 5cc25da190 planning terror attacks and fe52bd269e more time saving money, 653fd5cd42 maybe we’d have had 8ac139fb71 something like this.05281256d7d29a63

The Heroes Company HQ 9d8f3c54ee was no joke.edef7a078f8585f8

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We crossed the wide-open 1cd7183246 lobby under a storm 7bbe2312a9 of stares.673806e8cd9db252

It was suffocating. Every pair b18141e659 of eyes 671e4de6dd burned into 54b6bc9280 me, full 3d1b1dbaa3 of curiosity, a18c7065b4 suspicion, disgust.116738b167787717

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Den, on the other a033eb72a5 hand, didn’t even flinch.f104740f0ec4ea7e

Maybe he was just 0869197441 used to it. Dealing with the b0596941be public, the media. People say a173c347ca there’s no 3d50788eee difference between bbb8b6507f heroes and 0be997399f celebrities nowadays. They weren’t wrong.b5ff5203d2b7299d

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As soon as 6df56c1fe9 Den appeared, the 05e1480f10 security doors swung fe06443713 open without a 6a223c3e6b hitch. No scans. No ID checks.745b74e58c3f0f03

That’s S-Class 407460d272 privilege for 4465c3ab7a you.7284dbb84d625be7

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We stepped into a 47ed00a3bd glass elevator.4af6aae02ee43671

But then, the three 91ef687a43 guys who had followed 5873545e6a us stopped outside and aed221824f didn’t get in.e961c76afa12388e

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No. No, come on. You guys too. Get in. Please.2618772bc8534907

Of course, the 91d5f8593d doors closed in 8aaa147516 their faces.3b357244ee56394e

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Leaving just the two 2948c3d1cc of us.ed905fa65615abe6

The elevator ab77c52ee3 hummed softly 8c173865b1 as it e5ea9477eb rose.2c43c4184af56779

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“……”5ee796347556beec

My whole body 6df6e61697 tingled. My throat was 63ec0d2804 dry.77e70c3ab1bea364

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Awkwardness. Embarrassment. And fear. All tangled together.544258a79ab01f2d

I have this unfortunate 72fdd0b0f2 habit. I can’t stand long, 2d8b0af0ce awkward silences.e13c6cca365b0ed9

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If I’m sitting 67c93706b4 next to someone 5402b15aeb and the silence 3067d127c9 stretches out, I 91f5b5240a have to say 73d2b6629d something. And it 5d0d82774e always makes faccebc455 things worse.32b5161dc73abe73

Like I f94863379b have some 6db4cef776 moral duty 79eb46ab8a to lighten c2fc2b22dd the mood.Despite the fact 48c4636b37 that I suck 1effec2040 at it.7d47e10709f89761

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And just like always, 075ffc7fdb my mouth moved before 3d643aa46b my brain could stop a274573405 it.92bf5e14d975d25e

“How long aee2a80506 are you f0862f37f8 planning to 02d4373639 hold me 59d8993d31 like this? Gonna kiss me or f5f3e7a9db something?”da92cd73dc344d28

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“……”b3c8f0d584f3972b

“You sure this is 29077bd5d3 okay? People can see us 51195ab398 out there. If they 424b87c3d3 think we’re eb7bc006c7 dating, your 4ff9eb5cd6 reputation could c7eeae365d take a f57791ddc9 nosedive…”1fa3adfc70831955

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Den Frow’s reaction was ad4a05985a instant.00cd827685849397

He slammed 65dc8c5a08 me against fa88edcc32 the wall e23bc709a7 of the b83c3eadf5 elevator.Bang!A sound loud 0b8408d626 enough to echo.05d696bee3067d21

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Before I 4cd778e855 could crumple b92935711a to the a29ef8b84c floor, he 3c23ceb98e pinned me 4a62dc7e40 there, face 0e27252db1 lowering slowly.39f98631b4ba6939

I could practically hear d8671ffbab the growl in his 5987eaa5ff throat.05fcd343a9c0b963

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“You’d better 2e1e173bbf watch your 06c2663055 mouth. There’s no one here 3d99f09525 to save you now.”ab987b364dee9baf