Kristen Brand

The glass case over the pastry display was shattered, a masked goon moaning on the floor in front of it. Half the tables in the small cafe were overturned, broken plates and smashed sandwiches scattered across the tile. The rest of the customers had fled, and a terrified barista peeked out from behind the counter.

Oh, and the salad bar was still on fire.

Surveying the destruction, Dave would have sighed if he wasn’t still catching his breath. He glanced at Val, who was checking her reflection in a handheld mirror, another masked goon lying at her feet.

“Sorry about that,” Dave said.

“What for?” Val closed the mirror, noticed the goon was stirring, and kicked him gleefully in the face. “I had fun.”

Still, he wished they could do something as simple as a lunch date without getting interrupted by small-time supervillains. He must be getting used to it, though, because he shrugged off his disappointment.

“Dessert?” he asked.

Val beamed. “Absolutely.”

Just a little something for you White Knight & Black Valentine fans. I can’t completely leave these two behind even as I move on to other projects.