Excerpt
     “I heard that, too,” dispatch said, “They’re on their way. You stay out. You hear me?”
     “I’m not looking to get hurt,” Foil agreed and clicked off.
     The next wail followed by a cracking thump turned urgent into immediate. The Foil rammed his shoulder against the door. It popped open with a bang.
     Lit dimly by the lights on the street outside, The Foil could see a young woman curled up defensively on the floor while two other girls cowered in the corner. Standing over the victim was Apple Norelli, one of Charlie Gibbons’ bad boys, kicking the life out of her.
     “Hey!” The Foil called out.
     Apple looked up with surprise then smiled when he saw who it was. He stepped over the girl and pointed both index fingers at The Foil. In a worn black leather coat and jeans, he was freakishly pale and called Apple because his Adam’s apple could easily have been as big as his nose and made his whole throat warble when he spoke. ” “Hey, hey,” he croaked, “if it ain’t the masked avenger. What brings you round at this particular time of night?”
     “The cops are on their way,” The Foil said. “All you have to do is slither out.”
     Apple shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss. Come on, girls.”
     Suddenly, this became a game changing moment for The Foil. The bloody faced girl clutching her guts was the quintessential damsel in distress. The other two were dumbstruck with fear. He looked from them to Norelli to the girl on the floor. He had to separate these women from the creep. Oh, shit, he thought, how do I walk away and still call myself a hero, super or not? If I slink away I better hang up my mask and my manhood, he thought, because at that point I know what I’m made of. And it ain’t much.
     “You walk away alone,” The Foil said. “Whatever happens later, so be it.” He was probably more afraid than the two girls who had squeezed even further into the dust.