Turncoat by Megan Derr (the false prince series txt) 📕

five-digit code. The door chimed and turned green, and with a mischievous little grin, Greg led the way up musty smelling stairs all the way to the roof, where a tall, still man was standing close to the edge, looking at the streets below.

Dixie wasn't sure what he'd expected of the biggest mystery in the super world. One of the biggest mysteries in the world, period. Nobody knew anything about Minder, save he had telekinetic abilities and kept to fighting smalltime criminals. A lot of people sneeringly called him The Babysitter, thinking he wasn't capable of doing more than petty little crimes. Dixie couldn't stand folk like that. They were the safe, secure, spoiled ones who could make the cops do what they wanted, were friends with the mayor, had never known what fear tasted like at the backs of their throats as they watched a bunch of cold men come for their father. Didn't know what it was like to see their father shot point blank in the face. Had never heard their mother scream.

Didn't know what it was like to be barcoded and owned. Fuck people like that. Dixie agreed with everybody who wasn't a fucking asshole: so far as real heroes went, Minder was the very definition.

He stared as Minder turned. He was handsome in an easy, relaxed way, the kind of person everyone felt comfortable around. Minder had yellow-toned light brown skin, hair cut close to his scalp, long lashes framing gray eyes. Well-toned biceps peeking out of a dark teal polo with a logo Dixie didn't recognize. He also wore dark gray slacks and black work boots, a little odd when the rest of his outfit was Average Office Worker.

Greg immediately removed his mask and drew close enough to hug Minder tightly. "Hey."

"You didn't come alone," Minder said, mouth pinched as he stared at Dixie.

"They wouldn't let me, and come on, you had to know that was a possibility given everything that's happened."

Minder's frown didn't ease. "I suppose. Who are you?"

After a bit, Dixie grimaced and ditched his own mask, carefully tucking it away in his pocket. "Dixie."

"You're Turncoat," Minder said quietly. "Is it true you can use the chip and get into G.O.D. systems?"

Dixie nodded. "Yeah, but this ain't the place to talk about it. We're all a little too hot to be on these streets for long. Why the fuck are we on top of a building in the middle of the damned city?"

"Because I'm hoping they won't think to look for me here right away," Minder said. "I still can't believe the man I accidentally took down is my damned boss." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I couldn't see him clearly in the dark, and his accent was heavier than usual. He was messing with those women, I took him down—then saw his face and freaked out. I thought he was one more drunk asshole, albeit one with an Irish accent where you don't normally hear those around here. I thought I'd gotten away, especially since they didn't plaster my face all over the news, but when I got to work the security guard was acting funny. I said I forgot something in my car and came up here, called in favors to leave breadcrumbs for Greg. I don't know why they suspect I'm Minder after all this time, but clearly I said or did something that tipped my boss." He scrubbed a hand over his head, his face. Dropping it, he heaved a sigh then held his hand out to Dixie. "Anyway, my name is Leland Deveraux."

"Pleasure," Dixie said, shaking his hand. "Let's get out of here."

"Brought you a mask," Greg said, sounding so cheerful it was like they were going to the park, not sneaking out of a building.

Leland frowned but went along with it as Greg pulled the mask over his face and activated it. When all three masks were back in place, Dixie led the way back to the parking garage. Though he knew damned good and well how little attention people actually paid, that nobody had noticed them, he didn't breathe easy until they were well on their way out of the city.

He relaxed only after they were in the elevator headed up to Byron's place. "You're gonna have to wait in the hall until Byron codes you into the system," Dixie said as they reached the main door. "Hang on, I'll rustle up a special pass and he can do the rest later."

Though he didn't look terribly happy, probably about the idea of being coded into anything, Leland nodded. Leaving Greg to wait with him, Dixie slipped into the apartment and found Byron bent over his plans in the dining room. "I need guest access for Minder."

Byron looked up, surprise on his face. "Seriously? I thought it would take more time and work than that."

Dixie shrugged. "I think he's spooked bad and we're the lesser of two evils."

"Hang on," Byron said and slipped out of the kitchen. Dixie could hear it as he opened a special, hidden and heavily locked door, then pounded down a set of stairs to the master computer that ran the whole building. A few minutes later, he returned with a slender, silver bracelet with a small square of green light. "Guest pass. Do you  think he'll let me code him into the system?"

"I'm sure between Greg's sad kitten eyes and your dark faerie wiles you'll have no trouble convincing him to officially join our merry band of anti-heroes," Dixie replied. "Wait here, I don't want you running him off before he gets inside."

"Who owns this place?" Byron groused.

Dixie laughed on his way out.

In the hallway, he handed the bracelet to Leland. "Put this on, and whatever you do, don't take it off. Byron has this place rigged to deal with uninvited guests, and it'll deal with you hard and fast and mean."

The barest little smirk danced across Leland's mouth as he accepted the bracelet and slid it on his