Hero's Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2)

by Dee J. Stone

  Four ShadowBlades are in the room. The two guards who brought me here and two others I saw upstairs. They stand at the four corners of the room, arms crossed over their chests, legs spread apart. They’re wearing masks, and when I try to peer through them to see their faces, I get nothing. Vlayne must be controlling my mind. Won’t let me see their true identities.

  I squint through the walls and ceilings to search for Vlayne, but I can’t see her anywhere. She won’t let me.

  I lie here for a while until I hear footsteps. A few seconds later, Vlayne appears, walking with her masked head held high. She glances from Stealth to me. I thrash against my restraints and yell into the gag. That causes her to smirk.

  Her shoes tap against the cemented ground as she makes her way toward me. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you so soon.” She touches my head. I growl and twist my head away.

  She moves to Stealth and touches the top of her head. I yell into my gag again, yanking at the bindings. Vlayne releases a sinister laugh. “I’m sorry? I can’t hear you. Perhaps we should remove the gag.” She motions to the Blade closest to me. He steps forward and slides the gag down my chin.

  “Don’t you dare touch her!”

  That causes her to laugh again. She strokes Stealth’s hair. “If you give me what I want, there won’t be a need to hurt anyone.”

  What’s she talking about?

  Stealth stirs. Moans. Her eyes flutter open before closing again. She’s really weak.

  Vlayne returns to my side. Stands over me. “Give it to me,” she demands.

  “Give you what? What the hell do you want from me?”

  Her eyes fill with fury. She stretches her hand toward Stealth, and my heartbeat races. Vlayne spreads her fingers apart, and Stealth shrieks in pain. Her body rises, like someone is sucking out her brain. Her wails echo across the room, tearing my heart apart.

  “Stop!” I shout.

  “Give me the antidote!” Vlayne’s face is demonic.

  Stealth continues to cry out.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What antidote?”

  She curls her fingers and pushes her palm outward. Stealth howls. I jerk at the restraints again. “Leave her alone! I’ll do anything you want. Just leave her alone.”

  Vlayne lowers her hand. Stealth slumps down, her head rolling to the side. Vlayne steps closer to me and raises her hand toward my face. The next thing I feel is my brain on fire. I cry out. It feels like my entire body is engulfed in flames. I writhe against the restraints and clench my teeth as I hold back from roaring. My body twists in different directions.

  The pain suddenly disappears. I open my eyes and find Vlayne next to Stealth again. I shout at her to stop, just as she lifts her hand and tortures Stealth once more.

  “Give me what’s mine!” she says to me.

  “I don’t know what you want,” I mutter, my body weakening from her telepathic assault. “Take what you want. Leave her alone.”

  My eyes droop. When I force them open, I find Vlayne at my side. “Lower your defenses and give me access.”

  My brain burns again, and I cry out. But I don’t fight her. I don’t know what she wants from me, why she’s invading my mind. But whatever it is, she can have it.

  When the pain stops, I look at Vlayne. Her face is filled with even more fury. I’m too weak to do anything, to say anything. My head rolls to the side and I black out.

  ***

  Someone is touching my mouth, tugging on the cloth. I open my eyes and find myself back in my cell. Stealth is standing over me. Before I can react, she places her fingers on my lips.

  She must have gotten out of her restraints.

  Looking to her right and left, she makes sure no guard is around. She then grabs my hand and we mist away.

  We materialize in an unknown area. I’m not sure we’re still in New York, because all I see are tall mountains and grass. I’m free from my ropes. My head still burns and my body is weak. Stealth presses something into my hand. Some sort of cookie.

  “Eat it. It’ll give you energy.”

  I stuff it into my mouth and feel a little better. I haul Stealth to my chest.

  She pulls off. “You need to run.”

  “What?”

  She looks around, then shoves me. “You need to run away and hide somewhere safe. My mom’s going to find you.” She clutches my shoulders. “She’ll be here any second. Run!”

  I don’t move. Just stare at her. Her words aren’t entering my head.

  Stealth grabs me and crushes her mouth to mine. “Run, Jericho.”

  She gives me another shove before misting away. I gaze at the spot she just occupied, as though she’ll reappear. She doesn’t. My heart pounds in my head as her words swirl around inside. Mom? Who was she—?

  No. Hell no. She can’t mean...

  Vlayne.

  All this time Stealth wasn’t helping us destroy the Blades. She was on their side. A double agent.

  How could I be so stupid to trust her?

  Dammit, I love…loved her.

  No, I can’t think about this right now. I need to get to safety.

  I focus on contacting Scar. Like Kale, he can pick up telepathic messages. I don’t know what Vlayne’s after, but I’ll be safe with him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I climb down into the New Jersey sewers and head toward Scar and the others. It’s been over four months since I’ve seen my old friends. My old family.

  My thoughts flick to Stealth, regardless of how much I try to force them not to. I miss her, which is really pathetic and stupid. I want to tear my brain out. I need to get rid of these ridiculous feelings. It was fake. All fake.

  She played us all.

  I’m an idiot.

  I ram my foot into the wall. Grab my hair and pull. Stifling a yell, I slide down to the ground.

  “Ray?” a soft, familiar voice says. At first I think it’s Stealth coming back for me, but when I raise my head, I see purple hair and brown eyes. Phase.

  I didn’t realize I’m outside the entrance to the sewer house.

  Phase rushes over, crouches down, and wraps her arms around me. “Scar told us you were coming back,” she whispers against my cheek. “Is this permanent?”

  I don’t know what to say because I don’t know the answer.

  She and I were good friends when I lived in the sewers. She was upset when I left, and she seems so happy I’m back. But I can’t make promises I can’t keep.

  “Ray!” Blaze runs toward me and hauls me to my feet. Pulls me into a hug. “What brings you back?”

  He holds his beer bottle out to me. It’s tempting to take it. Hell, it’ll help drown out my problems for a little while. But I wave it away.

  Soon more of my old friends hurry over and drag me into the house, slapping my back, shaking my hand, hugging me, and welcoming me home.

  With Blaze’s arm slung over my shoulder, we enter the living room and sit around the couches. Some others grab more beer bottles. Phase sits in the chair near me.

  I look around. One of the members here has the ability to mold earth and transform it into the interior of a house. The place resembles the previous sewer houses they’ve been in. No one here likes change. There are a few faces I don’t recognize. Probably others who have been rescued from the streets, as I had been.

  “What’s up?” Blaze asks.

  It isn’t a good idea to inform them of the real reason I’m here. There’s no need to freak them out. Scar’s a smart man and feels it’s safe for me to be here. His telepathy is almost equal to Vlayne’s. Prior to my coming here, he told me, telepathically, that he pushed Vlayne’s hold on my mind out of my head and protected me with his own telepathic shield. I only hope it’s strong enough. I don’t want anyone here dying on my account.

  Scar also told me that he informed Samson and Cindy of what happened and that I’m here and safe. They probably learned of Stealth’s true identity and reprogrammed the Tower’s security system
to not allow her near the premises. Unfortunately, the League can’t track down the Blades because the warehouse I was held at is not their headquarters and they most likely left.

  I look around some more and realize that everyone is waiting for an answer. “Had enough of the Keepers.”

  Blaze laughs. “Yeah, I figured living with them was no fun. All those rules you gotta follow.”

  I don’t say anything as I gaze at the gray carpet. I think of Kale and how much he wanted me to stay, regardless of how much I wanted to flee. If he dies while I’m here, I’ll never forgive myself. I don’t know how long I have to be in hiding, but I need to say goodbye.

  “Hey.” Blaze rests his hand on my arm. “Heard what happened with that Stretch kid. You okay?”

  I nod.

  “And we also heard about Kale. Sorry. Anything we can do to help?”

  Not unless they can regenerate his brain cells. I shake my head.

  The room grows silent, except for the sounds of beer being slurped.

  “Where’s Scar?” I ask.

  “In his room,” Blaze says. “Not to be disturbed.”

  Good thing, because I’m not really in the mood to talk to him, or to anyone. I need to be alone. To think. And forget. “Any free rooms?” I ask.

  Phase stands up. “I’ll show you.”

  I follow her down the narrow hallway to where the bedrooms are. There are many, to house all the fifty people living here. As I walk, the smell engulfs me. I’m not sure what the smell is, but it’s always here, no matter how many times we move. It smells like home. Like I belong.

  I don’t, though. I can’t go back to living here. Yes, I feel like an outsider back in the Tower, but I can’t go backward, only forward. This place with these people is part of my past.

  “Here,” Phase says, opening the door to the last room in the hall. Just like my previous room. I liked to be alone in a corner. Isolated.

  “Thanks.” I enter. The walls are painted gray, as was my last room. Black was my first choice, but I would wake up terrified of the dark and I had it repainted.

  “You like it?” Phase asks.

  “Looks like my old room.”

  She sits down on the bed, which takes up most of my room. She runs her finger across the bedspread before her eyes lift to meet mine. “Every time we move, I paint it this color. I knew you’d return.”

  I lower myself onto the floor near my bed. “I’m not here to stay,” I say, slowly looking up at her. Her face fills with disappointment and she breaks her gaze from mine. Doesn’t say a word.

  Phase never accepted my decision to leave. We didn’t talk for a week. Then the day before I left for the League, she told me I wouldn’t last two days there and would run back to the sewers.

  She was right, in a way. My first month with the Keepers was difficult. I couldn’t adjust to the rules. No drugs. No thievery. No fighting. If not for Glen who helped me sober up and for Kale and Stretch for befriending me, I would have done exactly as Phase predicted.

  “How long, then?” she asks.

  I glance at the walls. There are no windows here. I miss watching the moonlight shine into my room. It calmed me during those sleepless nights.

  “Not sure,” I say.

  “Where will you go? Back to the Keepers? You have nothing there. Nothing. Everything you know and love is here.”

  I don’t say anything as I stare at the sewer dirt on my sneakers.

  “Everyone wants you here. We miss you. I miss you.”

  I shut my eyes. “I know.”

  We used to be close. She helped me get through my problems. I was happy. But it didn’t last long. I needed more. I couldn’t live that way for the rest of my life. It was time to move on.

  “I’m a little tired,” I tell her. “We’ll catch up later?”

  She nods, gets up, and turns to me. “I’m glad you’re back. Maybe you’ll want to stay this time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I turn over onto my side. Something is beside me. Moving my hand around, I feel arms, legs, and long hair. I open my eyes. Stealth is lying next to me. She takes my hand and rests her cheek on mine. “There’s nothing we could have done,” she whispers. “He’s gone.”

  My gaze shoots to the hospital, but can’t find Kale, only Samson and Cindy huddled around a bed. A blanket covers it. Piercing that, I see Kale. His chest isn’t rising and falling. His skin is a shade of light blue.

  He’s dead.

  “No,” I choke as tears enter my eyes. Stealth pulls me into her arms, but I shove her off. “No!”

  He can’t be dead. I won’t accept it. Won’t.

  Stealth envelopes me in a hug. “It’s okay,” she murmurs, pressing her mouth to the side of my head. To my cheek. My mouth.

  I pull her close, pressing our bodies and lips together. My hands roam all over her as I push Kale’s death out of my head. Bury myself into this kiss, into Stealth. I lie down on the bed and lower her on top of me. Our lips don’t part, not even to breathe.

  As my hands weave through her hair, something creeps up from behind her. Squinting through the darkness, I see a head. As it bends closer, Stealth disappears, and hands reach to haul me off the bed. I can’t move my arms or legs. Feels like the bed has transformed to quicksand, sucking me in.

  The head is closer now. Red mask, wicked grin. Vlayne.

  I yell, thrashing against the quicksand as I try to regain control of my muscles. I’m paralyzed.

  She’s in my head now, attacking each brain cell. I yell as scorching pain burns through me.

  Mustering all my strength, I force my body to flee. It’s as though I’m pushing a steel door, trying to escape. All I manage is to collapse to the floor.

  My eyes shoot open. I’m surrounded in darkness. I look around, until I remember where I am. In the sewers. Then I remember what Stealth has done. As much as my brain orders my heart to be mad at her, it won’t listen. I can’t hate someone I still love.

  Kale.

  It was only a dream, which means there’s a chance he’s still alive. My body heaves a sigh of relief.

  I throw my blanket off and head to the living room. I turn on the TV and settle on the couch. The news is on. A reporter is talking about the many people who have been returned to their homes. Samson is shown at a press conference, informing the world that they tracked down the Black Nightmares and have freed the hostages. Images and videos of their capture are displayed.

  The crowd cheers.

  I wonder if Stealth’s thinking of me. If she misses me. Clenching my teeth, I want to punch myself. Of course she doesn’t miss me. She’s a Blade. I need to keep reminding myself of that crucial detail.

  She fooled us. Nothing more. Every touch, every kiss, was just a joke.

  I grab one of the beer bottles and hurl it across the room. It smashes against the wall, the liquid spilling into the rug. Why did I fall in love with her, dammit? I shouldn’t have lowered my guard and let her conquer my heart.

  I grab more bottles and do the same, biting my forearm to prevent the yells from escaping my mouth.

  A few of my sewer mates shift in their beds. I didn’t mean to wake anyone up. Getting to my feet, I exit the sewer house and make my way outside. I feel like going for a run. Maybe it will clear my head.

  The streets are mainly deserted at this hour. A few homeless people wander around, some lying on the ground or on the park benches. I rush past them all, quickening my pace. Sweat drips down my forehead. Down my chest and underarms.

  Ray, Scar’s voice says in my head. Return. You are not safe.

  I don’t give a damn. Don’t care if Vlayne finds me. I lift my fisted hands. I’m ready.

  Ray. His voice is sharp and clipped. He’s not asking me to return. He’s demanding.

  Gasping, I stop and bend over to catch my breath. I can’t let Stealth do this to me. Can’t let her win.

  I won’t let her screw around with my emotions.

  I turn around and head for t
he sewers.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Ray?”

  Phase walks through my bedroom door. I’m on the floor with my back pressed against the bed. It’s late evening the next day. I spent most of my time sleeping.

  She sits down beside me and crosses her legs. “Some of us are going scavenging. Come. It’ll be like old times.”

  Scavenging, also known as thieving. They’re going to roam the streets for anything and everything. Use their powers to gather food, clothing, whatever they need. Unlike those bastards I lived with on the streets who got a kick of out harming innocent people, my sewer mates don’t harm anyone unless needed.

  “Will you come?” Phase asks.

  “Thieving is part of my past.”

  Phase is quiet. Then she says, “I just thought—”

  “It’ll never be like old times.” My gaze is on the floor. I don’t want to hurt her, but she needs to understand that although I’m back with my old family, I’ve changed. “I’m sorry.”

  She doesn’t say a word. Disappointment is written on her face.

  “Phase—”

  She stands up. “It’s fine.”

  I watch her phase through my room and meet Blaze and the others outside. I feel terrible for hurting her, but I’ve made so much progress and don’t want to undo it all.

  Once they’re gone, I return to staring at the walls, the ceiling, the floor, forcing my mind to shut out any thoughts of Stealth. Of the Blades, the League, Kale.

  The door opens and Scar walks in. He has no mouth and uses his telepathy to communicate with others.

  Your behavior is not due to Stretch or Kale, he says, pulling a chair toward me and sitting down.

  He frequently accompanies the others on the hunt, but I’m guessing he stayed behind tonight because of me. I know I acted like a madman last night. I know I could have hurt someone, and I hate myself for that.

  But why the hell did she have to do that to me? Why did I fall for it?

  If she’s on her mother’s side, why would she free me?

  It’s a girl, Scar says. The daughter of Vlayne Amador.