Free Tekgrrl by A. J. Menden

stretched, showing off her own gorgeous and lean body. This time, Luke was the one staring. “Want a green tea? I’m buying.”
    As she took his arm and led him to the barista, I felt a gnawing in the pit of my stomach. She was going to ask him out now. I had done it; I had practically gift wrapped him for her. Not that she needed it, but I had helped her. Why, I’m not certain. Being a mature person sucked.
    I glanced over at the television screen and saw a familiar face. Doing a double take, I looked again. Was that…?
    I got up and walked to the screen, edging past a businessman who gave me a sharp look that I ignored. Sure enough, there he was: Simon Leasure. My former teammate. The last time I saw him, he’d been saving me from being devoured by a creature that looked like it was spawned at the gates of hell, and almost dying in the process. That wasn’t something I forgot easily.
    Nor were other circumstances we’d shared. The second to last time I saw him, Simon was being dragged off by Luke to explain to the authorities just why he had betrayed the Elite Hands of Justice to get some extra publicity for himself.
    Decked out now in the best suit money could buy, in a serious but calming tie that matched his dark blue eyes, he looked less like a movie star and more like a politician. His face was sober as he spoke, and I edged forward and hit the volume button.
    “…will do the job to the best of my ability. I think my previous experiences will give me the understanding needed to act in this capacity,” he was saying. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the press.”
    Simon stood behind the podium and kept his hands folded in front of him as reporters shouted out questions and flashbulbs popped. Was it my imagination, or did I see a hint of a smirk on his face?
    “That was Simon Leasure, the son of Senator Jackson Leasure,” the announcer was saying, “and the new Presidential Secretary of Heroes…”

CHAPTER EIGHT
    “What the hell?” Paul spat, looking around the table at us. “There’s a Presidential Secretary of Heroes now? And it’s none other than that asshole Simon Leasure?”
    We were all in shock.
    “What does that mean, exactly, Presidential Secretary of Heroes?” Lainey asked. “He’s going to do what, act as a liaison between us and the government?”
    “Or monitor and police us,” Wesley grumbled, fingers steepled in front of his mouth.
    “It doesn’t mean that necessarily,” Luke said.
    “Oh, who the hell knows,” Paul blustered. “Of all the people in the world, it would have to be that self-righteous little prick.”
    We all stared, surprised by the language he was using. And then I remembered why Paul might have a problem: Simon was one of Kate’s former flings.
    “Toby, didn’t you meet with someone about a committee yesterday?” Kate asked, unruffled by Paul’s unnatural behavior.
    “Yes. Forrest Ward,” Toby said, ruffling his hair with his hands. “He’s the liaison assigned to the Elite Hands of Justice. But he said the committee was being formed in an effort to improve communications between the hero teams and the government, kind of like Homeland Security. In the event of a natural disaster, the government will communicate with us through the liaisons.”
    “What, it was too easy just calling us on the phone?” Kate laughed.
    “Bureaucrats love reorganizing things to make them think they’re doing something important,” Paul remarked, shaking his head. “Toby, why don’t see if you can contact this Forrest, have him straighten this out for us.”
    Toby nodded. “I’ll give him a call.” He whipped out his cell and punched in a number, stepping out to make the call, I suppose to hear better without us in the background. It was just like him to have already programmed the liaison’s number into his phone, in order not to lose it. Good thing, too. I couldn’t count the number of times he’d misplaced his security card and I’d had to give him a