by H. L. Burke
He raised his face to kiss her lips. “I am happy. The happiest possible.” He sat beside her on the couch and placed his arm around her shoulder.
Prism nestled against her husband’s chest, gazing down at their baby. He was right. Life couldn’t get better than it was right now.
Maybe this can last forever. Oh, let it last forever.
Epilogue
A cold sweat broke out on Dox’s forehead as he pulled up the secure chatroom. Part of him hoped they wouldn’t be there. That they’d moved on, found another investigator to deal with. Dox had worked with a lot of shady people during his career, but something about Animus caused his anxiety to spike. Maybe it was their single-minded focus on their goal or the way they seemed to know so much about—everything.
Everything, that is, except the target they’d asked him to find.
His heart jumped as a notification popped up on his screen, an invitation to a private chat.
Wiping the sweat from his hands onto his jeans, he accepted then entered the agreed upon passcode.
Have you found Syphon?
Dox’s mouth wrinkled before he responded.
Straight to the point as always. Not exactly.
Not exactly? Either you’ve found Syphon or you haven’t.
Dox hesitated. Should he start with the sort of good news? What if it wasn’t enough to please his client? Cracking his knuckles, he started to type, occasionally pausing to consider his words.
I chased down the leads you gave me, and they were all dead ends. He’s made a career of being a ghost. No online presence. No hard evidence left at crime scenes. I’ve spent every waking moment on it, but I haven’t found anything concrete.
A response popped up almost immediately. Every waking moment except that three hours you spent at the movies. Was there a lead there?
His throat closed in on itself. He’d suspected they were watching him, but ... damn.
Helps me recharge. You aren’t paying enough to own every moment of my time.
It was easy to be brave behind a keyboard, but he still hovered his finger over the enter button, uncertain as to whether he should say that, before steeling himself and pushing send. Before Animus could respond he typed out an appeasing, But I did find something based on that trace DNA you provided.
HOW? Animus shot back. I checked every government database for that DNA sequence. It appeared nowhere.
Dox’s chest inflated. So there was something Mr.—Miss?—Know-It-All didn’t know.
You cast too narrow a net, looking for exact matches. I made the same mistake at first. There’s no DNA record for that particular sample. He allowed himself a dramatic pause. But there is a familial match.
In what system? I checked for that with all major law enforcement agencies.
DOSA.
Impossible. They are included in “all major law enforcement agencies.”
They keep their hero files separate from their villain files—this guy’s file had been wiped out of the villain records, everything removed and reclassified to DOSA only interior systems.
For a moment the chat room stayed static. Then it popped up.
You’re saying Syphon has a family member who is registered with DOSA as a hero?
Son, from what little I understand of DNA matches. I’ve got a file for you.
Dox clicked upload and brought up a PDF of a dossier. The photo was recent, a black man in his mid-thirties with a bored, sardonic smile on his face. Beneath it a series of “also known as” were listed.
Fade. AKA Greg Curran. AKA Fade Powell. Affiliation: reformed masterthief currently assigned to DOSA’s SVR Project.
A few minutes passed. Dox’s mouth felt dry. He could use a Redbull ... or maybe a shot of vodka.
Finally Animus responded. Interesting. Your payment will be transferred immediately.
The chatroom disappeared as Animus disconnected. Dox started to delete all the files and clear his history. Whatever this was about, he didn’t want any part of it.
The End
The Supervillain Rehabilitation Project will return in book four: Refined.
ABOUT H. L. Burke
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
For information about H. L. Burke’s latest novels, to sign up for the author’s monthly newsletter, or to contact the writer, go to
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Also by H. L. Burke
For Middle Grade Readers
Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon
Cora and the Nurse Dragon
For Young Adult Readers
An Ordinary Knight
Beggar Magic
Coiled
Spice Bringer
The Heart of the Curiosity
Ashen
The Nyssa Glass Steampunk Series:
Nyssa Glass and the Caper Crisis
Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors
Nyssa Glass and the Juliet Dilemma
Nyssa Glass and the Cutpurse Kid
Nyssa Glass’s Clockwork Christmas
Nyssa Glass and the Electric Heart
The Elemental Realms Series
Book One: Lands of Ash
Book Two: Call of the Waters
The Dragon and the Scholar Saga (1-4)
A Fantasy Romance Series
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Debt
Dragon’s Rival
Dragon’s Bride
The Green Princess: A Fantasy Romance Trilogy
Book One: Flower
Book Two: Fallow
Book Three: Flourish
Ice and Fate Duology
Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice
Prince of Stars, Son of Fate
To Court a Queen
Spellsmith and Carver Series
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Rivalry
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Trial
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Reckoning
Fellowship of Fantasy Anthologies
Fantastic Creatures
Hall of Heroes
Mythical Doorways
Tales of Ever After
Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales
Match Cats: Three Tails of Love
Supervillain Rehabilitation Project
Relapsed (a short story prequel)
Reformed
Redeemed
Reborn
Coming Soon:
Refined
