Reese

“It will take more than a bump on the head to keep Hank down.”

“He’s always been this larger-than-life person. He seemed so indestructible, you know? There is something utterly terrifying about realizing that our heroes are not as super as we hoped they could be. They don’t have the power to heal themselves, and they’re not immortal. One day, they’ll die and leave behind a void that will be impossible to fill.”

“Everyone dies, Mal. That’s the one guarantee we all face. But heroes? Those are special. They’re made, not born. These are people who step out of their lane to be extraordinary. They make other people’s lives better just by being in it.”

“Like soldiers, firefighters, and cops?”

“Like men who raise little girls, they didn’t make to know their own worth. Not all heroes save lives, but the best ones help shape them.”

I think of the kids that come here who just need someone to hold out their fucking hand to stop them from going under. “I think you’re right. I guess that means the potential is there inside all of us.”

“And yet, only a few will ever step out of their lane and make a difference.”

“What the hell happened? Is everyone okay? Where’s Hank?”

I’m yanked out of Law’s arms and into Blink’s before I can answer. I bury my face in his chest and let Law do the talking before I’m pulled into Graves’s arms.

“You okay?”

“I am now.”

“You think this is connected to the fights?” Vega asks.

I pull back from Graves and see Vega staring at the chair Hank was in, the smear of blood on the armrest standing out starkly under the bright lights. I walk over to the broken ashtray and crouch beside it before looking up at the safe.

“Actually... No. I don’t.”

I walk to the safe and use the keys I took from Hank to open it. It swings wide with a creak, so I reach in and pull out all the paperwork from inside and move over to the desk, careful not to mess up the… well, mess.

I leaf through what’s there. Without knowing exactly what Hank kept in there, it would be impossible to say for certain if anything was missing.

The last folder catches my eye, though, so I pull it to the top of the pile.

“Last will and testament? Who keeps their last will and testament at the gym?” Law laughs.

“This place has been more Hank’s home than his house for as long as I’ve known him,” Blink points out as I open it and find it empty.

“Maybe he moved it,” Vega states, looking at me.

“Then he’d just take the whole folder. No, this might not have been taken tonight, but it was stolen and I think I know exactly who has it.”