Reborn (Supervillain Rehabilitation Project Book 3) Read online

  Reborn

  Supervillain Rehabilitation Project #3

  H. L. Burke

  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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  Copyright © 2020 H. L. Burke

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by K. M. Carroll

  Cover layout by Jennifer Hudzinski

  Copyright © 2020 H. L. Burke

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9798690147464

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Copyright Page

  To Gideon who is a very good boy. | —Heidi

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six | Three Months Later

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  The End | The Supervillain Rehabilitation Project will return in book four: Refined.

  ABOUT H. L. Burke

  Also by H. L. Burke

  To Gideon who is a very good boy.

  —Heidi

  Chapter One

  Prism stared down at the ultrasound photo in her lap. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” she whispered.

  Fade, her husband of just under a year, took his eyes momentarily from the road to smile at her. “I’m sure she is, but I have no idea how you can tell from that blurry thing.” He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “So now that we know what we’re having, do you want to talk names? I mean, I know you’d wanted to name our first after your brother, but does that still count?”

  A twinge of grief pierced through the bliss she had gathered watching her little one suck her thumb on the ultrasound screen and hearing the doctor announce the gender. Aiden had been gone for a year and a half, but the loss of him still hurt. She moved her hand to the top of her rounded belly.

  “I don’t know. I still want to name a child after him, but you’re right, the girl thing has me reconsidering.” Prism sighed. “Part of me thinks Aiden could be a girl’s name as well as a boy’s name. It’s not like John or David or something. I know of people who have named their girls Carter or Shawn. I also think Aiden was a girl’s name before it was a boy’s name. I used to tease him about it when we were little.”

  “Is it what you want, though? We’re planning to have more than one, right?” He moved his hand from the steering wheel to her knee. “Just sayin’, we could name this one something else and our next Aiden.”

  “And if our next is a girl?” She stroked the back of his hand thoughtfully.

  “Cross that bridge when we come to it.” He shrugged.

  “We could also do something like Aida or Adele.” Prism suggested lamely. Neither of those names felt right on her tongue. They didn’t sound like her baby. “I suspect when I hear the right name, I’ll know it, but we have plenty of time.”

  Warmth crept through her as she considered his large, dark skinned fingers contrasting against her pale ones. They were very different in appearance, her fair, petite, and blue-eyed, him tall, broad shouldered, and black. What would their daughter even look like? She laughed quietly.

  Prism fiddled with the seatbelt, trying to get it comfortably under the swell of her stomach before slipping her hand into her pocket only to find it empty. She winced and concentrated out the window again.

  “Regret leaving your phone at home?” Fade chuckled.

  “Yes and no. I wanted to be sure we wouldn’t have to reschedule again because of some sort of sable emergency.” She closed her eyes and savored the warmth of the southern California sun shining through the windshield. “I know our DOSA work is important, but getting away for a doctor’s appointment shouldn’t be so difficult.”

  “Well, the world doesn’t appear to have ended because you couldn’t answer your texts.” Fade snorted. “I’m sure Tanvi is holding down the fort just fine. You’ve trained the team well. Any one of us could handle the leadership for a few days if you ever want to take a break—which I’m assuming you will when this baby gets here.” He eyed her meaningfully.

  “I’ve already blocked off six weeks where I’m officially not doing anything DOSA related.” The thought both excited and terrified her. She’d been working with DOSA as a hero since she dropped out of college after her father’s death, interning with the San Diego team for a year and a half before ambitiously petitioning to start her own team to oversee the Oceanside area—a known blind spot between the San Diego and LA teams. Even then, though, her goal had been to use it as a jumping off point to restart the SVR, the Supervillain Rehabilitation Project, her father’s brainchild and passion.

  Fade had been her first “subject,” followed shortly by teenaged sable Alma. After those two successes, she’d expanded the program to include multiple DOSA teams across the US.

  She was proud of what she’d done and didn’t want to risk it going awry due to inattention, but man, for a little while she’d like to focus on herself and her growing family.

  They pulled up in front of the repurposed Naval hospital that hosted their DOSA team’s headquarters. A black SUV sat in the far corner of the parking lot. Prism swallowed. That was an official DOSA vehicle.

  Fade followed her gaze, and his mouth wrinkled. “If it’s the Adjudicator, I’m sending him packing. I’m in too good a mood right now to deal with that jackass.”

  “Let’s get inside and find out before we assume the worst.” Prism tucked the ultrasound carefully into her purse and started towards the door. Fade caught up with her and took her hand.

  Dang it, of course the day I don’t bring my phone, some DOSA higher up decides to drop by unannounced.

  They entered the lobby and looked around. Prism’s shoulders relaxed. No sign of a welcome party. Maybe the SUV was parked there for an unrelated reason. She’d run upstairs and grab her phone right away, just in case—

  “Pris! You’re finally back!” Tanvi, Prism’s best friend and their team’s strength sable, rushed down the hall. Her black braid whipped behind her athletic frame as she ran to them. “I spent the whole time you were gone on Pinterest, and I have so many ideas.”

  “Ideas?” Prism backed up a step. Enthusiastic Tanvi was a dangerous beast, prone to throwing impromptu parties and making impulsive Amazon purchases. “What for?”

  “The gender reveal, of course, silly. I was thinking we could—”

  “It’s a girl. There, I revealed it for you,” Fade deadpanned.

  Her face fell. “Dammit, Fade. Why do you have to be such a killjoy?”

  “I really don’t want to make a showy thing of it,” Prism soothed. “Though I might’ve been a little more ceremonious.�
� She eyed Fade.

  He smirked. “I thought that was very ceremonious. I said it with much gravitas.”

  Prism gave him a playful scowl then focused on Tanvi. “Do you know anything about the SUV in the parking lot?”

  Tanvi’s brow furrowed. “What SUV? I’ve been in the game room all morning.” She pulled her phone out of a hip pocket on her yoga pants. “I don’t have any messages. If it were important, you’d think they’d have told the whole—oh, gosh, look!”

  Prism whirled to peer out the glass doors. A stately dark skinned older man in a tailored suit had exited the SUV and was now strolling across the parking lot. Even from a distance, Prism recognized Talon, one of the three committee members who oversaw the whole of DOSA.

  Worry flooded her. A committee member showing up unannounced rarely spoke to anything good, but of all of them, Talon was the one she trusted the most. Willing her nerves to settle, she stepped outside of the sliding doors to greet him.

  The older man’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “Lucia, you truly are glowing.”

  Prism’s hand strayed self-consciously to her stomach, and she forced a laugh. “Well, I am a light power sable.”

  He laughed as he crossed the remaining distance between them and offered a side-arm hug. “Sorry to drop in unannounced. In my defense, I’ve been trying to call you all morning, but no one picked up.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “We had a doctor’s appointment, and I left my phone at home.” She motioned for him to follow her inside.

  “Hello, sir,” Fade and Tanvi said in near unison, both standing noticeably taller.

  “At ease, both of you.” Talon waved his hand at them before turning towards Prism. “As good as it is to see your team, I really need to speak with you alone.”

  Prism’s chest tightened, and she instinctively drew closer to Fade. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, not at all,” Talon assured her. “It’s just a matter of some delicacy.”

  She forced her shoulder muscles to loosen. “Of course. There’s a meeting room down the hall we can set up in.”

  As they walked through the first floor of headquarters, Prism tried not to run worst case scenarios through her brain. After all, Talon had said there was nothing wrong ... but he’d also mentioned a need for delicacy. Good situations rarely required kid gloving.

  The baby within her stirred, a barely perceptible feeling like bubbles popping beneath the surface of her skin.

  It’s okay, little girl, she tried to send the thoughts deep into herself. While silly, imagining that the baby could hear her inner musings somehow brought her comfort when she was stressed.

  They entered a small meeting room with a table, several chairs, and a screen on the wall for slides. Talon shut the door behind them and pulled out a chair for Prism.

  “Thank you.” She took the seat. “Sorry that I missed your calls.”

  “Don’t be. This is important.” He tilted his head meaningfully towards her midsection, and his dark eyes softened. “I can’t help thinking how happy your father would be if he could see you right now.”

  Sadness curled around Prism’s heart. “I wish he could. There are a lot of people I wish—” She coughed. “Sorry, I get emotional easily right now.”

  “You’re not the only one.” He took a seat and angled his chair to face her. “Your dad would be so proud of you.”

  She forced a laugh. “Even if he found out the man who got me this way was one of his former rehabilitation projects?”

  “Possibly even more so.” Talon brushed his fingers through his hair, ruffling a feather that remained from the most recent use of his shifter powers. “Kevin had a soft spot for Fade and maintained faith in him when a lot of other people thought he was irredeemable. Also, when I heard that the fellow had agreed to take the name Powell after the wedding, I admit, even these dry old eyes of mine teared up a little.”

  “Yes, well, Fade didn’t have a lot of connection with his birth name.” Prism brushed a stray lock of blond hair out of her eyes. She usually kept it short, but with everything that had been going on lately, she hadn’t had time to go to a salon. It had grown out nearly to her shoulders. Thankfully, she had a lifetime supply of temporary blue dye to keep streaking it the way she liked. Even as busy as she was, she had to hold on to some things. “I wouldn’t have asked him to take my name, but when he offered, I admit, it touched me too.” She cocked her head to one side. “But I know you didn’t come all this way just to talk about my marriage. You said it was a delicate matter?”

  “Delicate as in it’s not something I want the press getting wind of, not yet anyway.” Talon drew a deep breath. “As I’m sure you’re aware, the DOSA leadership committee has been down by one member for quite some time. What isn’t so public, but which many have correctly speculated, is that the three current members are in a bit of a gridlock over who we will appoint to fill the fourth seat.”

  Prism nodded slowly. “I wondered how much longer it would be until you made an announcement.” If she were honest, she didn’t like to think about that empty committee spot if she could avoid it. The woman who had formerly held it, Cosmic, had gone rogue, causing a lot of death and destruction—including the murder of Aiden Powell, Prism’s younger brother and fellow DOSA hero.

  “The Adjudicator and I each have had our opinions on what sort of sable should fill the spot,” Talon continued. “Shepherd, however, is a swing vote, not having a strong preference, but willing to veto either of our decisions.” He cleared his throat. “Recently, however, she told me that if I could get it in writing that my first choice was willing to take the responsibility of the committee seat and move to DC on a full time basis, she’d back her over the Adjudicator’s pick.”

  Prism’s heart dropped into her stomach as she realized what Talon was hinting at.

  Easy, Prism, she told herself. Don’t make yourself look like a fool by assuming you’re being offered a job. He could just want your input or to give you a warning as to who your new boss is.

  “Who is your pick, if you don’t mind me asking?” Better to get it out in the open fast, either way.

  A faint smile crossed his lips. “Going to play demure, are you? Nearly a decade ago, I wanted your father to take a place on my committee. He refused because he wanted to keep working with the SVR, and while I respected that choice, I always regretted it. Especially ... well, the person who did take the seat was Cosmic, and we all know how that ended.”

  A twinge of anger ripped through Prism’s chest. Her hands tightened around the arms of her chair. “Things would’ve been very different had my dad ... there’s no point in looking back on what might’ve been.”

  “No, there isn’t, but I’d like to look forward to what could be.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Lucia, I see in you the same passion and integrity I saw in your father. I know you’re young—which was initially Shepherd’s main hesitation over my choice—but you’re a committed sable who not only restarted your father’s SVR project but grew it in a way that even I hadn’t dared to hope for.”

  Prism shifted in her seat, trying to stop herself from beaming like a silly child at the praise. “The original bones of the project were my father’s ideas. I’ve just continued what he started.”

  “You’ve done so much more than that. What are there now? Six SVR satellite branches?”

  “No, only five. Bangor, Dayton, Flagstaff, Wichita, and Bend,” she rattled them off. “I’ve found smaller cities work better for our purposes than hot spots of villain activity like New York and LA—”

  “Are you trying to change the subject?” Talon arched an eyebrow.

  Prism laughed uncomfortably. “No, sorry. I just get excited talking about the other teams. They’re all doing better than I’d anticipated.”

  “Yes, as I said, truly impressive.” His mouth formed a firm line. “Lucia, I’m cutting right to the chase here. If you want the committee position, I have a handshake agreement with Shepherd to back you. Wi
th that majority, it doesn’t matter what the Adjudicator wants. The seat is yours. All you have to do is say you want it.”

  A shiver cut through Prism. As a committee member, she could influence policy that affected all sables. It would also be prowess and a desk job instead of having to fight supervillains on a regular basis. Her head spun. This couldn’t be real. People of her age and experience level didn’t receive opportunities like this. She’d be a fool not to grab it with both hands. It could be her one chance to make a real difference.

  You already do make a difference, a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. Her thoughts cleared.

  “Would I be able to continue to oversee the SVR?”

  Talon’s face pinched, as if he had been fearing that question would come up. “No. I suppose I should mention that that was one of two conditions Shepherd gave me when we made our deal. First, you needed to be willing to relocate to DC. Second, you had to pass the SVR on to other management. She said if she was taking a risk on a twenty-eight-year-old with no political experience, she needed to know your whole attention would be given to the committee.”

  Prism bit her bottom lip.

  “The SVR already has all the tools in place to succeed, though,” Talon quickly added. “If they continue to follow the guidelines you’ve set out for them, there’s no reason to think they will fail.”

  “But we’ve been doing the satellite program for less than a year,” Prism protested. “I set up the Bend branch only three months ago, and I still consult with the other team leaders on a weekly basis.”

  She sank into herself, simmering as her thoughts warred between the potential good she might do as a committee member and the good she knew she was already doing as the SVR head.

  Maybe I should talk to Fade. If this requires a relocation, it shouldn’t be just my decision. Do we want to raise our family in DC?

  That wasn’t the life she’d imagined for her daughter. DOSA would probably be willing to reassign Fade along with her, but Tanvi, Keeper, and Yui? She wanted them there as part of her family. She’d already scoped out local schools. Of course, a committee member’s salary would mean she could send their daughter to whatever prestigious school she wanted—but she wasn’t really a prestigious kind of person. She wanted her daughter to have a laid-back, happy childhood filled with good friends. It didn’t matter to her what colleges her children got into or what careers they had. She wanted them to be happy, safe, and loved. Maybe being on the committee wouldn’t make those things less possible, but it also wouldn’t help. Especially if it were as much of a workload as she assumed it would be. As far as she knew, none of the other committee members had families.