Bad Boy Hero: A Romantic Suspense

by Adair Rymer

  His face lit up in a sleazy self-assured way that made my skin crawl.

  A few words at the table knocked something loose in my head, dislodging some files I read a month ago. Victor “Trip V” Mendez. That's who they were talking about! Of course! He was the Dragon's second in command. He probably wasn't too happy about the gang's alliance.

  “Here you go, sugar tits,” the enforcer said.

  Damn, this guy was a lot to deal with.

  I giggled stupidly, accepted the water and swallowed my pride with the first sip. I was going to enjoy knocking this prick on his ass at the end of the night. I placed the glass on the counter, or rather, I wanted to. Apparently my arm didn't care what I wanted. The water slipped right through my hands and shattered on the floor. My vision went blurry and then everything around me started to melt. I'd been drunk before, but this definitely wasn't that.

  Something was very wrong.

  I stumbled back from the stool and was quickly caught by the enforcer before I could fall to the ground. I saw him smile, then he whispered, “Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be gentle.”

  Oh, God, I'd been drugged.

  I tried to break away and make for the door, but the enforcer was too strong. It only dawned on me then that I was in way over my head. No one knew I was here or what I was doing. I scolded myself for my stubborn stupidity. Did I learn nothing from what happened to John last time I was this reckless? I doubted I’d wake up in a hospital bed.

  If I woke up at all.

  I looked across the room in search of someone who might help me. One of the men at the table scolded the enforcer about bad form and told him to remove me before I caused too much of a ruckus. Everyone else more or less just minded their own business.

  Almost everyone.

  Right before I passed out I saw the man with the black jacket stand up. He had a mask on now that covered his nose mouth and chin. Right before he put on the top half that would have enclosed his entire face, I saw his eyes. His deep, penetrating, mahogany eyes...

  Where had I seen those eyes before?

  Chapter 5

  Natasha

  It was still dark when I woke up, fortunately there were no dreams this time.

  I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but I was laying somewhere soft and quiet. My brain felt like a cooked meatball and my body was just as bad. The deep memory stuff came back right away. I knew who I was and what year it was. My short term memory was a box of puzzle pieces mixed with broken glass.

  I didn't care if it took me all day. I was going to go through everything that happened, piece by piece, starting at the very beginning, until I figured it all out.

  I was out at a bar— Holy crap, I was roofied!

  Everything came back like a sledgehammer. My heart launched into my throat as the cascade of mental images threatened to crush me. Last night was a slide show that ended with me dropping a glass at The Four Leaf pub, then being caught by that enforcer.

  Nausea twisted my stomach. The numbness in my limbs was slowly fading. Had I been raped? My hand began shaking as I dragged it down my stomach. I was terrified at what I might feel— cuts, dried blood, cum.

  Oh, thank God!

  There was nothing like that. Just the same tacky outfit I left the apartment in.

  “No one touched you,” said a voice in the darkness.

  “Ahh!” I rolled away from the voice until I fell off the bed. I landed on a bag of chips and a heap of clothes. Gross. Who the hell could live like this? Where was I? Where did this person bring me?

  “Take it slow,” the voice warned. “You're going to be alright.”

  The last thing I remembered before getting drugged was being in a bar surrounded by criminals and scumbags. When I thought about all the things that I was going to be, alright ranked very low on the list.

  I didn't care what the disembodied voice said, I searched around for a weapon. What I found was an old walkie-talkie with Sailor Moon stickers on it.

  I have one just like—

  My mind finally started to clear. I slowly got up and looked around.

  Me. I lived like this.

  “How?” I swallowed. My mouth tasted like I'd eaten a potted plant. “How did I get back home?”

  “I carried you.” The voice belonged to a man who was sitting in a chair on the far side of the room. It was the Shadow. The fucking, vigilante killer was in my apartment!

  “You know where I live?” My heart started racing and my breathing shallowed. My head got light and my legs got heavy. I stumbled forward and tripped.

  In the space of a blink, I was suddenly in the Shadow's massive arms. His long straight hair whipped against me when he came to an abrupt stop and caught me. How could he move so impossibly fast?

  The lights were off in my room, but the blackout curtains were drawn to the sides of the windows. The general light pollution easily filtered into the room and prevented it from getting too dark. It allowed me to notice that he looked different now.

  Last time he wore a hard-shell mask that covered the bottom half of his face. This time it was the opposite, only the top half of his face was covered. Those deep brown eyes I saw at the pub were hidden away beneath emotive white lenses.

  Did those allow him to see in the dark?

  When I first realized he wasn't a myth, I was so hell bent on bringing him down that I didn't get a good look at him. This time was different. I was too close not to see just how handsome the Shadow was.

  “I told you to take it slow.” His hot breath bathed my neck and collarbone. The numbness from the drug gave way to a tingling sensation that made me stagger in breath. I watched his lips form every syllable he spoke. His chin was broad, but sharply defined, despite the few days of light brown stubble. I hadn't felt that way since Logan used to kiss me.

  What would it be like to kiss the Shadow?

  Don't get swept up in this guy, Nat. There's a task force out there looking for him right now!

  The thought felt like a betrayal, but how can you betray someone whose dead? It made my heart hurt. This whole situation was pulling me in every direction.

  “What are you?” I whispered the words.

  “I—I'm not sure I know anymore,” he said at last. It took him a while to answer. Something was going on his head. Whatever it was, he was fighting against it.

  He was a criminal.

  My body trembled against his. Whatever this was I was feeling, it was wrong. Killing on the side of Angels is still killing. I took an oath, one I still believed in with all my heart.

  I pushed myself away. The Shadow could've easily stopped my escape from his arms, but he didn't. If he was that fast, I couldn't fathom how strong he must be.

  “Before I was the Shadow, my code name was Instrument V.” The Shadow crossed his arms and took a step toward the window. I could only imagine how a man like him must see this city.

  “Code name?” This just kept getting weirder and weirder.

  “I was made, for lack of a better word, in a secret program by a shadowy organization that called itself the Veidt group.”

  “Jesus. These Veidt creeps can just make people into super weapons?” How was this not all over the news? Did the government know about this? Could Veidt be government sanctioned? What the hell happened to this guy?

  “The day I left that building, it was in flames.” The Shadow's voice got deeper and more distant. “They don't make anything anymore.”

  His tone made it clear that he was done talking about his past. Honestly, that was fine by me. This was all way too big for me. I didn't want to be dragged into any larger conspiracies, I was happy just being a city cop. I could wrap my head around busting regular criminals, not an army of science fiction characters.

  I picked up a half empty bottle of water near my bed and drained a quarter of it. The silence in the air was becoming oppressive. “What happened to your mask?”

  “It caught a few bullets. I wasn't prepared for what went down in The Four Leaf, but when
you were drugged I had to act.” The Shadow paused. “Things got messy.”

  I could only imagine what that meant coming from a man like him. I wondered if anyone else made it out alive. Men shouldn't do what he could do. I didn't care how personable this vigilante was, he wouldn't win me over. He needed to be stopped before more people died, even if it meant I was the one to bring him in.

  “Going out like that was reckless, you could've been hurt. You know what kind of garbage lives in those bars.”

  “You're going to lecture me? Seriously?” The rest of the drug had finally worn off. That allowed me to grasp the full ridiculousness of the irony. “You're the one who's been taking out the trash. I'm a cop. Stopping bad guys is my job.”

  “So that miniskirt was standard issue then?” The Shadow smirked. I could almost feel his gaze wash over me. Damn those goggles...

  Wait. Could they see through my clothes? I had entered the world of super powered beings, was x-ray vision really that far-fetched? I instinctively wanted to cover myself up with something else, but it was too hot for that.

  A part of me didn't mind the thought of him seeing me naked. That vulnerability made me extremely uncomfortable. Why did he have to be so damn handsome?

  “I was undercover! What the hell is your excuse?” I rambled on to keep the thought of what he looks like under his suit out of my mind. He was obviously in unbelievable shape... “Why them? Why the Irish mafia when we have so many to chose from? Do you hate corned beef and cabbage that much?”

  The Shadow frowned and turned away again, but otherwise kept quiet. Whatever his reason, it was intensely personal. That, I could understand. The look on his face made me feel for him. Maybe he was more human than he let on.

  “What kinds of powers do you have?” I blurted, trying to get his mind off whatever tragedy made him. I wasn't heartless. I wanted to arrest him, not hurt him. “I heard the bones in your legs break when you landed in that courtyard. If you can heal fast, then why the cat and mouse game with that Irish mobster? Why not just walk right up to him?”

  The Shadow eyed me, trying to sense if I had a hidden agenda in asking these questions.

  “So I can take you down when I'm ready. It's only sporting to know what I'm up against, right?” My eyes flicked down his body, sizing him up. Take him down on my own? What an insane idea. “You got me over a barrel here.”

  Ugh, terrible choice of words!

  I couldn't stop the images that misstep put into my head. It didn't help that he was sexy as hell. He wore the black jacket over a skintight gray and black spandex shirt. I could see every ridge and bump of his shredded musculature. The V in his lower abs, and what they pointed at in his pants, made my heart race a little faster.

  What would a super powered cock feel like? My face flushed with heat at the thought of it. I turned on the box fan in my window, before I spontaneously combusted.

  The Shadow grinned at such an absurd justification. For a stone cold killer, the Shadow smiled a lot... That reminded me Logan as well. Even after all this time, I still felt pangs of sadness when I thought of him.

  “Healing isn't automatic.” He said, after sizing me up in the same way. “I have to concentrate on exactly what and how I want to heal things. If I get my brains blown out, that might ruin my concentration. That, and I still feel the pain. Getting shot hurts like a sonofabitch, so I try not to let it happen.”

  I nodded thoughtfully, clicking my water bottle with my nails. “Do you have... x-ray vision?”

  “Yes.” He touched his forehead as if concentrating intensely, then replied, “You're wearing blue panties.”

  “Nope.” I cocked an eyebrow, trying to keep my smirk from bubbling to the surface.

  “Are you sure?” His eyes narrowed seductively.

  Shit, now I was smiling. Handsome and charismatic. Dangerous combination. “You know, I should arrest you.”

  “Why don't you?” He sounded genuinely curious.

  How could I? I had a better chance arresting a whale or a gorilla. He was out of my league and I knew it. I couldn't bring him in by myself even with him telling me how. Why, then, hadn't I called the station yet or texted someone? I could've done that, but I didn't.

  “I guess I owed you. You saved me and my partner from Sean O'Grady.” I tried to shut up, but I reluctantly continued. “And from whatever was going to happen to me at that bar.” I shuddered to think about how close I was to getting raped. It made my skin feel slimy.

  The Shadow smirked again.

  “What is it?” I asked. His smile was disarming. It was terrible I had to keep reminding myself that he was a bad guy!

  “You've been hitting up the worst bars in the city and you think last night was the first time someone's tried to mess with you? Some of those guys you pepper sprayed, didn't stay down after you were finished with them.”

  “You were following me?” He was stopping people from taking advantage of me while I did my gangster groupie routine? I should've known things were going too smoothly! Those places were so violent, they were included on the state of New York's tourist website under Places to avoid.

  “There's a reason why you cops all go out in pairs.”

  “Why—” I started to spike air into my lungs faster. Maybe I should've been grateful, but I found myself getting angry. Was there no escaping this guy?

  “Because you needed someone to watch your back.”

  “NO. Why me?” I was tired of this! Some super powered serial killer keeps saving my life and making me question my ideals. It was becoming too much to handle. Panic that I'd always been able to hide before started bubbling to the surface. My hardened facade was cracking.

  The Shadow's inner turmoil flared to life, but I wouldn't stop this time. This was fucking with my life too much. I didn't want to be toyed with anymore!

  “What do you want from me?!” It came out louder and angrier than I meant, but I wasn't sorry. I wanted all the cards on table. Everything in my life had been struggle and heartache. I was fucking tired of it!

  In a flash he was up against me, his body pressing against mine. Whatever war had been fought in his mind, there must have been a clear winner because he knew what he wanted now.

  The Shadow pulled me in and kissed me. It took my breath away.

  “All I want is for you to be safe,” his voice was full of sincerity that I desperately needed to believe. He pressed his forehead against mine and I felt like maybe I could take him at face value.

  Maybe all he did really want was to protect me. It was strange, I became a cop to protect others and I found myself feeling really warm at the thought that someone might want to do the same thing for me. A million more questions erupted like popcorn in my mind, but that time had passed at least for the moment.

  I was coming apart at the seams and I just wanted something nice to hold onto, just for a little while. Was that so wrong?

  “You...” I breathed in as much of him as I could. His warm lips brought me back to a place of peace and safety that I hadn't known for such a long time. “You remind me of a boy I used to know.”

  Chapter 6

  Shadow

  This is how she dies.

  No! I can have both. I deserve this. We both do. Every logical faculty in my mind screamed at me to stop. That was the serum talking. Deep down I knew I couldn't fight my feelings for Natasha. I would have to find a balance.

  I could be with her and keep her safe.

  I kissed her again.

  She tasted like fresh autumn air and freedom. Two things I wasn't allowed when I was in that facility. It was enough to make me lightheaded. She felt it too. If not the freedom, then she felt the heat of longing and desire. It lit her tongue on fire and she tried to put it out with mine. That only made things hotter.

  I wasn't sure it was her until I touched her. The chemicals I was pumped with fucked with my head. I couldn't remember any memories, but I could still feel the emotions those memories gave me. I couldn't picture what cho
colate or wine looked like, but I knew how good they tasted.

  Natasha was a lot like that, except times a million.

  Our noses brushed; she pulled back, gasping in enough oxygen to help her think straight. I hadn't even realized I was holding her off the floor. It was too easy to lose myself in her. I reminded myself to be careful.

  “Thought I might float away for a second there,” She timidly breathed. “Can you do that?”

  “Only if you want me to.” Float away, just her and I. What a wonderful fairytale that would be. If only I could leave this world behind... I guess I will soon enough, although it won't be with her. So I'd damn well enjoy this while I had the chance.

  “Holy shit.” She slid a trembling hand against my chest. I could feel her heartbeat through her fingertips, it was pounding madly. Unlike mine. She pulled away gingerly. “Why isn't your heart beating?”

  “It is.” I said, capturing the nape of her neck and grazing my teeth down her throat. My enhanced senses could actually hear her skin ripple into goosebumps. Tilting her chin back, I kissed her jugular. I didn't need to be this close to feel the way it pulsed, but I wanted to. “Just really, really slow.”

  That was a side effect from the transformation that made me. I only ever got worked up when I was in the thick of it. It was the serum's way of telling me I was on the right track, I guess.

  The city sang around me. Passion, anger, cruelty, happiness, every apartment had a story and I could hear them all. I focused, I had trouble extinguishing them all, but I could mute them a little. I could concentrate on making certain things louder too. In this case, it was the rhythmic inhalations and exhalations of the beautiful woman before me. She became the ebb and flow of my own personal tide.

  Everything around me dulled except her moving lips and hesitant smile, which glowed like a supernova. “This is wrong.”

  “Not tonight, it isn't.”

  She swallowed her doubt, knowing I was right. Her eyelids weighed heavily as she let her sense of touch take over. She put both hands under my jacket and slipped it off my shoulders. It hit her wooden floor with a heavier crack than she was expecting.