“They had some sense that we were here already. It could be a device or power,” I said. “Love Lost can detect emotions, but it’s not that long a range, I don’t think.”

“And if he saw me, why didn’t he do something about it then?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “He could have decided to play it safe. For now, let’s do the same. We didn’t plan to pick a fight this soon. The other teams need intel and time to get where they’re going.”

“We run,” Precipice said. “We can stick to the same plan. I make a hole, we use the drains and sewers.”

“Ew,” Candy said.

“Once we’re down there, we can decide if we want to go to one of those houses to investigate and see if we can’t spy on Love Lost,” Precipice said.

“Hurry,” I said.

Precipice created silver blades, and drew out a five-sided hole in the ground. I flew up to make sure there weren’t any more cars full of armed men and women, then flew down, slamming into the pentagon. Water splashed below.

“Ew,” Candy said.

In the distance, I heard a thud, then a laugh.

“Hurry,” I told them. I had a sense of who that thud belonged to. “They were willing to pass the buck because they have enforcers. They’re coming after us with powers.”

They hopped down into the tunnel, Chastity and Precipice helping.

Another thud.

A jovial bellow.

“That’s not Love Lost’s group,” I said, keeping my voice quiet as I talked to the others in the hole. I moved aside so the spider could slip down beneath.

“Mercenaries,” Precipice said. “Villains banding together because the heroes are.”

High above us, a shape moved through the air with enough force that it made the air shudder and cheap windows rattle in their frames.

“Lord of Loss,” I said.

I ducked down into the hole. The Heartbroken already had their phones out, screens glowing and flashes on. Foil and Parian had flashights they could clip to their costumes.

Precipice’s mask glowed, the red illuminating to become pink.

“That does not work nearly as well as I hoped it would,” he said, and he sounded pissed. The glow died and he pulled out his phone, doing what the Heartbroken were doing.

Behind us, Parian’s cloth snake slipped into the hole.

“Come on,” I urged. “Toward the houses.”

To find us, Lord of Loss would have to spot the hole in between two house lots—not impossible, not easy either, given the lighting and the glare of snow contrasted with dark pavement everywhere. Then he would have to find which way we’d gone. I was betting he would assume we’d headed away, not deeper into the territory in question, toward Love Lost.