The Best Intentions

Chapter Three

I turned the corner of the street and halted, almost running into Coldfront. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

Coldfront exhaled as he turned to me. "Blue, how can a speedster be late?"

I puffed out my cheeks and fidgeted with the sleeve of my suit. "Wardrobe malfunction."

Coldfront rolled his eyes before climbing up the fire escape of an abandoned building. I followed him up, glancing at the shops across the street. People milled about but paid no attention to us. They all seemed trapped in their own world.

"Do you see that white van?" Coldfront asked when we got to the roof. He pointed to it and glanced at me to make sure I was listening. "Here's your first lesson about Iron Beach. It isn't ruled by supers or the police. It's ruled by people like Natalia Mendoza. That's one of her vans."

I narrowed my eyes. Natalia Mendoza was a self made millionaire. I knew she showed up to the party my grandpa hosted every summer. We occasionally made small talk, but I didn't know much about her. She, like Coldfront, sported white hair and icy eyes.

"Mendoza is a mob boss," Coldfront continued. "She has the entire police department in her pocket."

The entire police department would include my father. I doubted he'd want to work for a gangster, especially when his father was a billionaire. He obviously didn't need the money. Maybe he didn't have any control over it. "Anything else I should know about her?"

"She hates vigilantes."

"So, some gangster runs the city," I muttered to myself. "Great."

"You know went patrolling with Green Light," Coldfront commented. "Even after what you said, I think you're more hero than villain. Don't let the hero thing get to you, though. Mendoza is dangerous. Don't go after her, Blue."

I dipped my head. "Alright."

"I'm serious," Coldfront said, a small gleam of worry in his eyes. "I've heard a few rumors that Silver and Gold were going to make a team with Green Light."

"What's the point in that?" I asked.

"They'd take down Katherine Harris if they had enough recruits," Coldfront explained. "I'd avoid them if I were you. Katherine is Mendoza's right hand. It would be insane to go after her."

Surprise spread throughout my chest. I knew Katherine had been into some illegal activities, but I didn't think she worked in a gang. Overall, I liked Katherine. She was Carlene's niece, and cousin to Devin Harris, a boy I went to school with. It was before I moved. Devin was already twenty.

My throat was dry. "Thanks for the advice."

Coldfront paused for a moment, looking like he was struggling to get out his next words. "I need your help with something. You can say no, but your powers would be perfect for the job."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the tone Coldfront was using. "What is it?"

"Do you think you could hand some of the money out?" Coldfront asked.

I gaped at him. "Me? But...I would be labeled a villain, right?"

"No," Coldfront said, shaking his head. "Not if nobody sees you. All you would have to do is drop different bags of money at different locations without getting spotted."

I sighed, looking at the traffic below. I wondered if I was fast enough. "Fine. I'll do it if you tell me where to drop the money off."

Coldfront gave me a shocked look before his eyes filled with warmth. "Partners in crime, then?"

I rolled my eyes, barely refraining from smiling. "I guess so."

***

I had developed a routine in the course of a week. During the day, Coldfront would show me around the city until I memorized every part of it. He told me a little bit about some supers, like himself, who had established a small part of the city as their territory. In the night, I would meet up with Green Light and patrol the streets with her. While I grew a little bit closer with Coldfront, Green Light and I barely talked.

For awhile, I had no label on the relationship between Coldfront and me. It didn't sink in that he was my partner until he saved my ass from getting shot.

I leaned against a wall in the back corner of a one way alley, waiting for Coldfront. I shifted, standing up straighter at the sound of shouting. A man in a dress suit turned the corner. He froze up when he realized there was no way out of the alleyway besides the direction he had come in.

My eyes flicked towards a man in a black ski mask. He stopped behind the man in the suit and aimed a gun at his back. My feet moved on their own accord. I grabbed the gun from the masked man while he moved in slow motion and tossed it in the open dumpster.

I placed a hand on my hip as my reaction time slowed down. "Were you mugging that man or trying to kill him?"

The man in the suit took off running while the ski mask guy backed up against the wall. "I-I needed the money to buy food!" He patted down his pockets like he expected his gun to reappear. "Please, don't put me in jail!"

"Consider this your warning," I said, pity filling my chest. "If I catch you doing this again, I'll take matters into my own hands."

I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to ruin Coldfront's plan by making the cops give the area around the bank extra attention. I turned my back towards the man, ready to walk, when I heard a click.

I turned in time to see Coldfront slam the masked man's head in the wall. Ski Mask dropped a second handgun.

"What the hell were you doing?" Coldfront questioned, whirling around to face me. "This guy is a violent criminal! He could have shot you!"

"I'm faster than a bullet," I commented, though I wasn't so sure. In theory, I could speed my reaction time up enough to move out of the way, but I couldn't run that fast.

"Why were you letting him go?" Coldfront demanded. He smashed the guy's face into the wall again. Ski Mask fell to the ground, unconscious this time.

"I didn't want the area swarmed with cops," I said. "It would have messed up your plan, right?"

Coldfront stared at me for a moment, then shook his head. "I didn't know you'd go that far to make sure I could get away with it."

"We're partners," I said immediately.

His eyes widened some. "Right. Thanks, Blue."

I gave him a small smile, then walked towards him. I stared at the man he had knocked unconscious, resting my elbow on Coldfront's shoulder. "What do we do with this guy?"

"Run him to the police station," Coldfront told me.

I groaned. The guy didn't exactly look light. "Great."

***

It annoys me that I keep publishing chapters early but I can't hold myself back. I might keep up the irregular updating until I get to the fifth chapter.