Ironheart

By Nico Rosso

Love is a battlefield...

Superhero Vince “The Anvil” can take on knives, bullets, and bombs, but he’s not invincible. It was a hard hit when Kara, AKA “Snapdragon,” flew off after their explosive affair. And he’s especially vulnerable when she returns, looking for his help.

Kara is new to the superhero game, and villain TechHead is too much for her and her teammates to handle. He’s determined to use their combined power to fuel his ultimate weapon. Her only chance to take him on is with Vince’s brutal skill. But bringing Vince into the fight leaves her exposed to the white hot passion that had scared her away in the first place.

When TechHead captures Kara, Vince will stop at nothing to rescue her–even if it means sacrificing his heart.


Ironheart was previously released as part of the Holding Out for a Hero anthology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jan 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781633755635

Nico Rosso

Nico Rosso was a writer in search of a genre until he was introduced to romance by his wife, Zoë Archer. He's worked in many forms and was deeply honored to have one of his Romantic Suspense novels final in the RWA RITA™ contest. When he's not writing, Nico can be found in his shop, building furniture for the California home he shares with his wife and their cats.

Book preview

Love is a battlefield

Superhero Vince The Anvil can take on knives, bullets, and bombs, but he’s not invincible. It was a hard hit when Kara, AKA Snapdragon, flew off after their explosive affair. And he’s especially vulnerable when she returns, looking for his help.

Kara is new to the superhero game, and villain TechHead is too much for her and her teammates to handle. He’s determined to use their combined power to fuel his ultimate weapon. Her only chance to take him on is with Vince’s brutal skill. But bringing Vince into the fight leaves her exposed to the white hot passion that had scared her away in the first place.

When TechHead captures Kara, Vince will stop at nothing to rescue her–even if it means sacrificing his heart.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

About the Author

Discover more Entangled Select Otherworld titles…

Undying Destiny

Angel Kin

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Nico Rosso. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

2614 South Timberline Road

Suite 109

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

Select Otherworld is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

Edited by Kerri-Leigh Grady and Adrien-Luc Sanders

Cover design by Cora Graphics

Cover art from Shutterstock

ISBN 978-1-63375-563-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition January 2013

To Ami, my superhero.

Chapter One

Five shadowy figures blocked Vince’s path. Five men he’d have to knock out before dinner. Another typical night.

He glared at the men on the street. I’ve put my fist through an asteroid crashing toward our planet. I’ve fought swarms of giant ants. Once, I kept the claws of an inter-dimensional jellyfish from getting hold of Earth and destroying life as we know it.

The men didn’t move.

Vince was hungry, but knew there would be a fight before food. You punks really want to get between me, my chili burgers, and a six-pack of beer?

Dense San Francisco fog stretched from the ground high into the night. Only a solitary yellow streetlamp struggled against the darkness. Vince couldn’t see the men’s faces, but they snickered like children with secrets.

The boldest one stepped forward into the weak light, revealing the acid green and grey jumpsuit of the GearHeads—the henchmen of the power-hungry TechHead. The man’s mouth and nose were covered by a cowl, but his eyes were narrow and mean.

And he held a heavy crowbar.

We’re not looking for trouble, Anvil. The GearHead spat out the name. We’re just looking for your girlfriend.

Was this son of a bitch serious? Vince barked out a laugh. You got bad intel from your boss. I ain’t the Anvil anymore. And I ain’t got a girlfriend. Not now. Not since SnapDragon killed that chance by flying off into the bright sky.

Another GearHead came into the light. He also held a crowbar. It swung in his hand and sparked against the cracked pavement with a rhythmic ping.

That’s not what TechHead’s satellite photos sh-showed, the second man stuttered with excitement. You and SnapDragon made a hell of a super p-porno.

Goddamnit, it was painful enough to have those memories rushing back, but knowing there were pictures of it was extra bad. Forget about the public seeing them. If Vince ever laid eyes on the shots, he might not ever forget her.

Old news, he said.

Two more GearHeads revealed themselves. Both had twisted fireplace pokers and bad intentions. Behind Vince, the green fluorescent light of the burger joint flicked off. The restaurant knew a fight was on its way. The other small markets and shops on the street were already dark. Some were hollowed out, no glass in the windows.

One of the GearHeads puffed up his chest. But you’ll know where to find her, and you’re going to tell us. He held out the iron fireplace poker. We didn’t bring any of TechHead’s weapons to kill you. Just have these for…persuasion.

Doesn’t take a genius to do an internet search. Vince scraped his boot over the crumbling asphalt, testing his footing. But iron won’t make me weak. I’ll still kick your asses.

The GearHead shook his head. You won’t bluff your way out of this. Our boss needs the information.

Vince’s powers might make him steel-hard, but he still had a heart for people in need. Though he felt less than generous when it came to these bastards. Based on his previous run-ins with TechHead, the only thing Vince wanted to give this GearHead’s boss was a beat down. Vince wasn’t going to give up one shred of information about SnapDragon to these punks. "I know this isn’t the best neighborhood in San Francisco. But the people don’t mind me being here, and I help out when I can. We don’t need more trouble. So fuck off."

Big-time super-powered fights in populated areas were what got Vince in trouble in the first place. Most cities endured a super battle once or twice a month, but that didn’t mean the people looked forward to them like a little spring rain.

The second henchman kept ringing his crow bar against the ground, a distant bell tolling someone’s execution. Fuck off. That’s f-funny. If you’d kept it in your pants, we w-wouldn’t be bothering you. But TechHead wants to consult with SnapDragon about s-some things, and he thinks you know how to find her.

Consult, bullshit. When Vince had been part of the West Coast superhero group Omni Force, they’d tussled with TechHead’s inventions a few times. The guy was on the short list of really bad guys, one who liked his toys to do his consultations for him. No way he’s got good intentions.

The first GearHead spoke up. Not your concern. TechHead’s satellite also showed us a lot of nights of you eating burgers alone. She left you. What do you owe her? If it’s over between you, there’s no reason to protect her. Just tell us where she is, and we’ll leave you alone.

Vince stepped to one side of the street and put his dinner on a busted bus bench. A couple of dark shapes scurried deeper into a cluttered alley. The homeless guys were clearing out ahead of the inevitable battle. There was a parked car someone should probably move, but by the way it sagged low into the potholes, it couldn’t have been driven in thirty years.

Vince tried to keep his growing anger under control. No sense throwing down with these assholes if he wasn’t going to enjoy it. The fact that the GearHead was right about Vince spending his nights alone made him more than ready to smash his fist into something. But the last thing this neighborhood needed was super-powered holes in the derelict buildings. This was supposed to be another quiet night without any thoughts of SnapDragon.

Like every other night he didn’t spend thinking about her.

Too late for that. At least this fight might distract him. Try and make me talk.

The last of the five henchmen came forward, a length of iron chain wrapped around his fist and forearm. He was so excited he nearly jumped out of his heavy boots. Omni Force isn’t here to back you up this time.

No, they weren’t. Got tired of doing their dirty work.

Fighting by their side, he’d saved the world enough times to get some decent press, or at least a pat on the back. But it was always the same headline: Superhero Nearly as Bad as the Bad Guys. It didn’t matter that he only hurt the villains. So what if he wrecked a couple of buildings doing it? He didn’t have swirling energy beams like Solarus or the invisible mental powers of Dr. Doctor. Vince used his fists, and didn’t always shave before a fight.

In the eyes of the public he was brutal, just a fine line away from the villains he battled. Omni Force was only interested in keeping West Coast safe while preserving their do-gooder reputations. They’d let the Anvil take the heat, allowing them to stay clean.

So he’d walked.

Vince growled at the GearHeads. Enough