The Frame-Up (The Golden Arrow #1)(70)

Usually I’d respond with an “I got this, no problem,” but I am s-t-u-c-k stuck, and my brain can’t seem to come up with anything original. New MG thinks that just maybe having Kyle help won’t be so bad. My shoulders relax just a hair. “Okay. I’d like that. If I’m still stuck.”

I head out the office door and toward the elevator. I don’t know where I’m going exactly, but I have this constant need to move right now. Anything to alleviate the feeling of anticipation. Like the other shoe is about to drop and I’m not going to like it.

With a ding and a hiss, the doors slide open. I step inside, only to realize that Lelani already occupies the car. She’s cool and poised in a tweed skirt suit. If Casey Junior hired her for affirmative action, at least he hired someone who looks the part of an executive.

“Hello, MG.”

I offer a polite smile and turn to face the front. She may not be warm, but at least she doesn’t call me Michael. “Ms. Kalapuani.”

We wait for the doors to close, and I lean forward to press the “Close Door” button, even though it doesn’t hasten any movement.

The awkward silence stretches, though it appears I’m the only one who feels the awkward part of that. “So, uh, how are you liking Genius Comics?”

Lelani smiles. I note that her smile is made up of small even white teeth. The effect should be charming, but something about her smile reminds me of a shark. “I like it very much, thank you.”

I can’t help myself from prying. I really want to know why Casey Junior hired her. Was it just to have a skirt among the pants? “So did you work for a comic business before this? How does Genius compare?”

Her smile doesn’t falter. “No, I’ve never worked on this side of the industry. Before this, I acted in and helped market superhero adaptations for movies.”

“So you were an actress?” No surprise there; she’s gorgeous. But it’s an unusual résumé for a marketing executive.

The elevator begins to move. Thank God. “Among other things. I’ve been meaning to come find you and check in about your Hero Girls issue. I have some ideas.”

“Oh yeah?” And now she wants to meddle. Fantastic.

“Mr. Casey isn’t the most fond of it, but I’d like to become an advocate. We girls need to stick together, right?”

I study her face. She looks sincere. She sounds sincere too, but I can’t shake the feeling that Lelani’s Cheshire smile doesn’t reach her eyes. That she’s calculating. Maybe she’s sizing me up as much as I am her. Touché. “Right.”

The elevator seems to be taking forever to descend five stories. I don’t know that it’s ever felt this long. It’s on par with how I feel reading a Sentry issue.

Lelani breaks the silence first. “You’re a good writer, MG. The best on your team.”

I’m surprised at the straightforward compliment. Two points for no womanly, manipulative mind games. “Thanks.”

“But you tend to isolate yourself.”

Or not. Ouch. Has she been talking to Casey about our promotion? “Um . . .” is all I can manage. I’m not sure how to respond.

“Your characters, I mean.” She offers another smile that has me thinking she may have a hidden agenda. “I’d like to see Hero Girls play more with some other characters. Maybe get them into a few of the special team issues with our big hitters. Stuff like that, maximize their exposure. It makes it harder to nix the project if it’s not all by itself out on a limb.”

Nix the project? I’m taken aback. Partly at what might be a veiled threat and partly at the genius of her idea. It’s so simply stated, so . . . spot-on, that I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it before. And her comments about being a team player. Either she’s been reading my mind, or she’s incredibly insightful. Eerily so. Didn’t I just have this conversation with Ryan?

“And your villains. I think if we changed up what you’re doing just a little, we’d have more commercial success.”

And just like that, my hackles are back up. “My villains don’t need to be ‘changed up.’”

The elevator dings, the floor sways beneath my feet, and the doors open onto the polished marble floor of the lobby. I start to step out, planning on making a hasty excuse and exit, but Lelani’s cool hand on my arm stops me cold.

“I’ve upset you. I didn’t mean that. I only meant to say that your villains, your world, are so black and white. Good guys and bad guys.”

I huff, resisting the urge to shake off her arm. Who cares if I write Supes instead of Bat? Sure, the Falcon is a bit of a rogue, but he operates within the law . . . usually. He certainly has never set anything on fire like the Golden Arrow has. And while I love a good Han Solo in my love life, this is my writing we are talking about. “Well, of course there are good guys and bad guys. That’s what comics are all about.” She has to know that, being an actress and all.

Her lips press together slightly, and she shakes her loose long dark hair over her shoulder. “That’s what the old comics are about. I’m talking about the new breed of superheroes. The new breed of villains. The gray area. I think you need to broaden your views and your writings to think that your superheroes may not always be good and your villains may not always be bad.”