Small Package groaned again and reached up to grab on to his helmet. Glamazon rushed over. “Don’t!” she said.

The thief paused and groaned something else.

“The cops are on their way. Unless you want your identity leaked all over, I’d keep that helmet on. We’ll have you in an ambulance soon enough,” Glamazon said. “There are a lot of us, and only one of you. Don’t try anything.”

Hindsight hummed something. He looked happy, though, bouncing on his toes and all. “That was a nice bonus to an otherwise dull afternoon.”

Slaymaker and Cheatah walked over. “I felt rather useless there,” Cheatah said.

“You got him to run, sloppily at that. You did your part,” Slaymaker said. He was rubbing at his fist, the armor having returned to its normal size. “Did you get anything from it?”

“Yeah,” Cheatah said. “Don’t feel like I deserve it, though.”

“Take it. Early rewards are important.” Slaymaker looked over the street. The huge car blocking it off was shrinking, and the people who had been hiding before were coming out to gawk, though they were still staying away. “We made a mess,” he said.

“Nah,” Hindsight said. “No injuries, except for this idiot, and no major property damage except for some glass. It’s what insurance is for. Plus, it’s a jewelry store. They’re practically asking for it.”

Glamazon shook her head. “Well done, guys. We might have to give statements, so let’s just call this patrol done and stick around here for a bit? I’ll ask that the bigwigs send over some drinks or something.”

“Could go for a cold one,” Slaymaker agreed.

“Drinks that can be drunk in public, when a kid’s part of the group,” Glamazon gestured to Teddy.

“Can I have vodka?” Teddy asked.

Emily held back a little laugh at the expression on Glamazon’s face. Maybe . . . maybe being a Hero wouldn’t be that bad.

And then Small Package spoke. He was crying, of all things, chest twitching and convulsing. “They said it would be good. They said I would be safe.”

“Who said that?” Slaymaker asked.

“Maybe we shouldn’t—” Hindsight began. What they shouldn’t was never clarified, though.

“The Cabal. They said I’d do well,” Small Package said.

Emily had a sinking feeling in her gut.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

No Rest for the Not-So-Wicked

Emily hadn’t disliked the patrol. Sure, it’d really put her social abilities to the test, and it was hard and not something she’d want to do often, but it wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. It was like going to the dentist. The anxiety of going was often worse than the experience itself.

She couldn’t say the same about the postbattle scene.