Warm sunlight bathed everything in its glow, while the gentle sea breeze brushed pleasantly against my skin.
It felt incredibly good to simply close my eyes and relax on the lounge chair without worrying about all the problems that could start piling up the moment I got involved.
There was no need to think about what to do next, especially since I’d already put most of my plans into motion.
Rebecca could probably wipe out an entire squad Vought sent after us, considering the strength I’d already experienced firsthand.
I opened my eyes and looked down at the sand, which immediately caught my attention because of its unusual color.
Pink sand…
Well, that was technically an exaggeration.
The sand itself was perfectly ordinary.
Its strange color came from microscopic shells that the waves crushed into tiny grains before carrying them onto the shores of Harbor Island.
It was much more obvious to my eyes, of course.
My vision was considerably sharper and reached much farther than that of practically any other supe, let alone an ordinary human.
My gaze then drifted toward the water.
It was so clean and transparent that even with the naked eye, you could see nearly sixty meters beneath the surface.
And swimming through that crystal-clear water was a tempting figure in a yellow bikini, smiling as she made her way toward me.
Droplets of water slid seductively down her body, and her nipples were clearly visible through the soaked fabric of her bikini top.
A smile naturally appeared on my face when she reached me.
“What happened?” Annie asked with a smile, curious about the reason for it.
“Has anyone ever told you how fucking sexy you look in a bikini?”
“Not quite in those words,” the blonde snorted as she settled her firm ass onto the lounge chair beside mine.
“You don’t like swimming?”
“I guess… it’s psychological,” I admitted, thoughtfully staring at the water.
Just looking at it made something inside me uneasy.
It wasn’t as if the ocean itself frightened me.
I could still fly across it without the slightest problem, just for fun.
For some reason, though, the idea of actually going into the water made me uncomfortable.
“You almost drowned?”
“Hmm?” I turned toward her, interested by the question.
“I knew a boy when I was little who almost drowned once. After that, he couldn’t stand the sight of water, not even water in a swimming pool or bathtub. The ocean was completely out of the question,” she recalled with a strained smile.
She remembered how people had laughed at him because of it.
Now she understood that if they hadn’t mocked him so relentlessly back then, he could have become an excellent superhero.
His low self-esteem had simply destroyed his confidence, causing him to withdraw into himself.
And yet, he had possessed an incredible healing ability.
“Mine is a little more… extraordinary, if I’m being honest.”
“What happened? Was it when you were a child?”
The blonde looked at me with clear, curious eyes.
“I was five years old. It started out as a completely normal day. They were trying to pierce my skin by shooting all kinds of weapons at me and drilling into me. You know, the usual childhood experience for the world’s strongest superhuman.”
I watched her expression stretch further and further with every word.
“That morning, Dr. Vogelbaum took me out of my sterile chamber and brought me to a large titanium pool. It had only one transparent window.”
“That’s horrible,” Annie muttered quietly, looking at me with pity.
Her imagination immediately supplied a vivid picture of those inhuman experiments, the kind that made your blood run cold.
“That’s not the horrible part. The horrible part was spending seven hours in there without air until I eventually passed out.”
I sat up and settled more comfortably on the lounge chair.
“Like I said, things aren’t always the way they’re shown on television. I’m not some simple farm boy from Texas who decided to become a hero. I’m more like a superhero who was grown in a test tube.”
“And everyone in the Seven knows about this?” she asked.
The realization that the official story about Homelander was a lie clearly shocked her.
“What do you think?”
I smiled gently, watching every emotion play across her face.
“Even Maeve doesn’t know.”
“Then why are you telling me?”
She couldn’t understand how I could entrust such a secret to someone I’d known for less than a year.
She doubted she could do the same.
“Because I want to trust someone other than Madelyn for once,” I admitted.
“And honestly… I think you’re the perfect person to trust with my biggest secret.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“What?”
“I don’t believe that you actually trusted me.”
She rose from her lounge chair and stood in front of me.
“Then how am I supposed to prove it to you?”
I smiled at the absurdity of the situation.
“That’s easy. Trust me. Really trust me.”
Annie spoke with complete seriousness as she extended her hand, although her heartbeat betrayed how nervous she was.
I took her hand.
She suddenly pulled me toward the water.
I immediately disliked that.
My body instinctively stopped.
“What are you planning?”
My brows furrowed.
I really didn’t like where this was going.
“I want to see if you really trust me,” Annie answered calmly, pulling me toward the water again.
This time, I didn’t resist.
Step by step, we slowly approached the sea, our eyes locked on each other.
Eventually, our feet touched the water.
We kept going, heading toward deeper water.
It wasn’t until the water reached almost to my chest that I started feeling worse.
My breathing became increasingly rapid, as though I couldn’t get enough air.
My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to break free.
My eyes even began glowing red instinctively, startling Annie.
“John, relax. I’m right here.”
She gently touched my cheek, looking confidently into my blood-red eyes.
“I-I’m fine.”
I forced myself to calm down, taking control of my emotions.
I hadn’t expected Homelander’s memories to have such a powerful effect on me, although I’d already seen signs that this might happen.
It would have been great if that had been the extent of it.
Soon, the water reached Annie’s neck, while it only came up to my shoulders.
We stopped without breaking eye contact.
She quietly exhaled when she saw the fear in my eyes, fear I was desperately trying to hide.
“Relax,” Annie whispered.
She placed her hands on my shoulders and slowly began lowering me beneath the surface.
I stared at her in shock, but I didn’t resist.
I trusted her.
The memories immediately came flooding back.
I remembered spending what felt like an eternity underwater, suffocating and surviving on nothing but the single breath I’d been allowed to take before being submerged.
I could see Annie watching me as she continued lowering me.
Before I could fully process my irrational fear of the depths, she slowly began bringing me back toward the surface.
I ended up floating on my back while Annie supported me from behind, keeping me above the water so I could breathe comfortably.
“Close your eyes… Relax…”
Her soft whisper calmed me despite the fact that she’d practically drowned me moments earlier.
I quietly exhaled as Annie released my back.
Very quickly, I realized my body wasn’t sinking.
Despite my weight, I simply floated.
The moment I understood that, an enormous sense of relief washed over me.
Rationally, I already understood why I could float.
Emotionally, however, finally experiencing it for myself was enough to drive away the anxiety.
At some point, I even managed to completely relax.
I didn’t remember where I was until Annie shook me gently.
My first night in the Bahamas.
Romance, confessions, and, unexpectedly, the trust I’d placed in Annie.
Let’s just say that after something like that, Annie didn’t need any further foreplay.
The moment we entered the hotel room, she threw herself at me and kissed me passionately.
We could have kept going like that, but we had to break apart long enough to get rid of our clothes and settle onto the couch.
The blonde didn’t overcomplicate things.
She simply climbed on top of me.
As we resumed kissing, I ran my hands along the smooth curves of her body.
I wasn’t simply enjoying her body.
I wanted to touch her, to make her feel good.
After a while, she began impatiently rocking her hips, rubbing her aching core against my increasingly hard erection through our underwear.
I broke the kiss again and looked into her eyes.
Annie was clearly ready.
I ran my hands down her slender body, then grabbed her firm ass and hooked my fingers into the waistband of her panties, pulling them down and exposing her.
She awkwardly tried to remove my underwear as well, eager to finally get her hands on me, but I helped her finish the job faster.
I positioned myself against her wet entrance.
Annie shuddered in anticipation as I pushed inside her.
It felt incredible to finally have her.
“Mmm…” The blonde bit her lip and moaned as she lowered herself onto me.
I gripped her ass more firmly and moved my hips.
Annie responded by rolling her hips against mine.
Her pussy clenched greedily around me, although not enough to cause me any discomfort.
She began moving even faster.
I could feel the tension building inside her, making her practically writhe against me.
My own movements remained more controlled, maintaining a steady rhythm and pace.
“Ohh…” Annie breathed heavily.
She was already extremely aroused.
Her short, sensual movements quickly pushed her to the edge, and then the wave of her orgasm finally swept over her.
“O-ahh-ahh…”
She moaned loudly without holding back.
She collapsed against me, pressing her beautiful body against mine.
A brilliant light flashed from beneath her half-closed eyelids, flickering erratically as it faded and then flared back to life.
I hadn’t finished yet, so I decided to speed up while she was still enjoying the pulsing aftershocks of her orgasm.
Her body was extremely sensitive at that moment, and every continued movement gave her even more pleasure.
But finally…
With one hard thrust, I froze in place, burying myself as deeply inside Annie as I could before releasing a thick burst of semen inside her.
It reminded me of Becca and Maeve.
Yeah, I was fully aware that Annie could get pregnant after this.
It was still extremely unlikely, but if it did happen, I’d be able to handle the situation.
I wasn’t going to let what happened with the hiding of my child happen again.
“Haa… damn.”
Even after coming inside her, I didn’t immediately pull out.
It felt far too good to simply stop.
Instead, I gently stroked her cheek before kissing her again and resuming my movements.
Our bodies were far more resilient than those of ordinary humans, including when it came to libido and stamina.
So there was no problem with simply continuing without much of a break or changing positions.
I pulled off her bra so I could admire her beautiful breasts.
Young, beautiful breasts…
I couldn’t simply stare at them for long.
Giving in to the impulse, I lowered my mouth to them.
Starlight moaned and wrapped her arms around my head, running her fingers through my hair.
I only became more eager, sucking greedily on her breast while squeezing it with one hand.
But that only made my frustration grow, which in turn made my desire even stronger.
“S-stop…” the girl pleaded breathlessly.
“Sorry. Was I too rough?”
With a sigh, I released her breast.
“A little… ohh…”
She came again because we hadn’t stopped moving the entire time.
And after eventually bringing Starlight to orgasm for the fourth time, I decided to change positions.
I laid her down on the couch, positioned myself against her again, and pushed inside her before leaning over her.
She gasped in surprise when I grabbed her thighs and lifted her legs.
Pulling her hips higher, I increased the pace, driving into her with powerful thrusts.
I held back a little less this time, and her moans were soon mixed with excited cries.
She was stunned.
After all, thrusts like these could easily have seriously injured an ordinary woman.
Starlight’s abilities, however, allowed her not only to withstand it, but to enjoy it even more than before.
“Uhh…”
I soon threw my head back and released another wave of tension inside Annie.
Without leaving her, I turned her onto her side, bent one of her legs, and started moving inside her again.
“Maaah…”
Another brilliant flash erupted from her eyes.
Then, with one final thrust, another burst of semen spilled from me.
The couch beneath us finally couldn’t take it anymore.
It broke apart and collapsed beneath us.
“Ahh!”
Annie squeaked, breathing heavily.
I lay back and exhaled after everything we’d just done, pulling her against me.
Considering we weren’t leaving for a while…
This vacation was going to be quite eventful.
The office was neatly furnished, complete with a desk and an American flag standing in the corner.
Everything looked exactly as you’d expect from the office of the CIA’s deputy director.
Susan Raynor was currently sitting at the conference table, looking with quiet superiority at the equally powerful woman sitting across from her, the Senior Vice President of Hero Management.
Two operatives sat on either side of Raynor, there to witness everything that was said.
If Stillwell had previously had little reason to fear attacks from the CIA, the situation was now completely reversed.
“Ms. Raynor, I understand perfectly well that you’re enjoying this moment and savoring the opportunity to deliver whatever unpleasant news you have for me. But please get on with it. As you can imagine, I’m a very busy woman.”
Stillwell spoke with an irritatingly polite smile.
“Oh, of course. I’m afraid, however, that for the next several years you’ll be very busy dealing with what I’m about to tell you, you corporate whore.”
Raynor smirked and placed a vial filled with blue liquid on the table.
She took considerable pleasure in watching Stillwell lose her composure, if only for a moment.
“What is that?”
She pulled out a photograph of an Asian woman in shackles.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Stillwell’s smile disappeared completely.
She clearly had no idea why Raynor was showing her some Asian woman, but she had no trouble putting two and two together.
“I’m talking about the scandal of the century, Madelyn. Vought’s stock will collapse. Lawsuits will come pouring in. Criminal prosecution will follow, and then bankruptcy. And you’ll be trading that nice suit for an orange jumpsuit, somewhere between fifteen and thirty years.”
Raynor smiled as she looked directly into the woman’s eyes.
“What do you want?”
“For starters, no superheroes in the armed forces.”
“The bill has already been submitted for a vote. The vote is expected to happen any day now.”
“Then you’ll withdraw it. Rework the concept, send it back later, whatever. I don’t care. It’s not happening. We’re restoring the status quo, when we control the law and the power in this country.”
She leaned back.
“And you people can go back to prancing around in colorful tights in front of your brain-dead fans. Is that clear?”
“I’ll have to discuss this with my superiors.”
“Well then, run along, Forrest.”
Raynor smiled as the woman stood and walked out of the room.
She then turned toward the two operatives.
“You can go.”
The moment they left, Raynor stood and settled into her favorite chair, the one she’d spent years fighting tooth and nail to earn.
Why not relax in it now that she’d earned the right?
Unfortunately, she didn’t even get a minute to enjoy it.
Her secretary entered the office.
“Mrs. Raynor, Mr. Butcher would like to see you.”
The young woman sounded nervous.
“Let him in. And I don’t want any visitors or phone calls.”
Raynor sighed as she watched the bearded British man enter.
“Well, hello there, Raynor.”
Butcher casually dropped into a chair and crossed one leg over the other.
“How did it go?”
“Fine.”
The woman had absolutely no desire to deal with the bastard in the black coat right now.
“So my demands will be met?”
Billy smirked in his usual way.
“How did you manage to avoid being exposed? As far as I know, they have no idea who’s behind all this.”
Raynor looked at him suspiciously instead of answering immediately.
“Let’s just say I have my ways.”
Billy leaned forward, looking her directly in the eyes.
“I know your methods, Butcher.”
Susan gave the Brit a skeptical look.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Butcher frowned.
He gave her the kind of look that sent a shiver down her spine.
This was not a man she wanted to play games with.
“Homelander can’t simply be arrested.”
“What if I bring you undeniable evidence?”
The man refused to back down.
“Billy, we don’t have anything that could even come close to capturing that bastard, let alone protecting ourselves from him.”
Raynor sighed.
“Unless you find some kind of weapon capable of doing it. Or at least something we can use to put pressure on him.”
“And if I find one?”
“More power to you.”
Raynor pursed her lips, fully aware of the problems such a search could create.
But she couldn’t stop him either.
“Right. I’ll be waiting for your call telling me the necessary documents are ready and the boys and I can get to work.”
Butcher stood and soon walked out the door.
“He left like an Englishman. Predictable.”
Raynor snorted and leaned back in her chair.
She could only hope the bastard didn’t ruin everything.
She had work of her own to do, starting with getting rid of whoever had organized that damn terrorist attack on the passenger plane.
Butcher calmly left the office and made his way to the elevator.
A short while later, he found himself outside.
He walked to the parking lot, climbed into the van, and met the gaze of M.M.
“So?”
The large black man impatiently tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
“Everything went perfectly. Our demands will be met tomorrow.”
Butcher grinned.
“You told her about Homelander?”
M.M. asked, only to receive an extremely expressive look in response.
“You didn’t.”
“He apparently erased all the camera footage, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Don’t need to worry? Butcher, he knows what we look like, and he probably already knows where I live. Don’t even get me started on you and Hughie.”
M.M. clearly wasn’t reassured.
“Without Raynor’s protection…”
“He’ll find us anyway.”
Butcher frowned.
“Your family is already safe, so be happy about that. In a few days, they’ll be untouchable.”
“That’s what you call outcasts.”
M.M. sighed and leaned back in his seat.
“What, you think I’m a professor? How was I supposed to know?”
Butcher sounded genuinely offended.
“Why would Homelander do this?”
M.M. suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
“Is this some kind of game? Where he deliberately lets his prey escape so he can…”
“That’s not his goal. We just happened to get lucky. That bastard probably would’ve taken everything to Raynor himself even without us. You heard his speech.”
“And what now?”
“We need to stop somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Malory’s.”
“Are you sure?”
M.M. asked uncertainly.
“What do you think?”
Butcher looked at him with complete seriousness.
A moment later, the van pulled onto the road.