Dina didn’t have the exciting and important business of being a hero after her day’s work, not like the rest of the survivors. She’d remained just what she was—ordinary. Her day of “special” came when she’d landed a job in the mail room at the studio. With hard work, she clawed her way up, and when she’d seen her break, she’d taken it. Catching the wily, old Ervin’s attention hadn’t been easy. He could smell ratings a mile away. She must have stunk of them because he’d taken her under his wing.
Here she was, six years later. She wasn’t a doe-eyed twenty-year-old anymore. She was about to score a career homerun, but she didn’t feel happy. She gazed at the promotional material in front of her. A picture of Zane, all decked out in his Mind Man spandex, smiled up at her. He’d agreed to do the photo shoot on one condition. Dina glanced at the clock. In three hours, she was going to live up to her end of the bargain. Gritting her teeth, she slapped the cover of the portfolio on her desk back down. Dinner with an old friend, it wouldn’t be so bad, or so she told herself. Just a casual bite to eat, at least that was all she was willing to give him. Memories of why she left assaulted her and she closed her eyes, overwhelmed.
Dina was home alone, as usual. She sat curled on the couch, worrying while the others risked their lives patrolling the streets. They’d started helping out in the neighborhood by chance, but now it was becoming a nightly thing. Ella had even made them all costumes, everyone but Dina, the-one-who-wasn’t-good-for-anything-but-worrying. The place they lived in was a dive, but it was better than the squatting in abandoned buildings as they’d done when they’d been younger.
She had to work in the morning, but she couldn’t sleep, not when her sister, boyfriend, and the others were out there in danger. She stood at the window, looking at the city that never gave her loved ones a moment of rest. She needed to find a better job than the gas station, something where she didn’t have to hide behind bulletproof glass and pray she wasn’t going to get robbed.
She barely heard the door opening. They were back early. Relief filled her. The clock told her it was just after midnight. Dina turned to welcome them when hands came around her, pushing her roughly against the wall. A scream burst from her lips, but a strong hand clamped over her mouth. In this neighborhood, it was unlikely anyone would come to help if they’d heard her anyway. Painfully, she struggled as her attacker pushed her brutally against the rough wood paneling.
“Don’t fight me.” His voice was familiar. Ian?
Confusion filled her. He turned her around to face him. Dina looked into the face of the youngest of them, a boy she considered her brother. He took his hand off her mouth.
“Let go of me. What are you doing?” she screamed while glaring at him.
“We’re alone, Di.”
“Don’t call me that.” Only Zane called her by the nickname.
Ian scowled. Dark rage filled his eyes. “Don’t be blind, Dina. I’ve loved you since I was able to understand the emotion. I know you don’t see it yet, but we’re meant to be together. You’d love me if Zane weren’t around. I’m stronger than he is. I may be younger, but my abilities are the best of them all. I’ll take care of you, Dina. Be with me and I’ll give you a life that’ll make up for all the abuse and pain we went through as kids. You’re weak, I need to protect you. I’m seventeen now. I know what I want. You’ve always been the one I love.”
She couldn’t understand why he was saying such crazy stuff.
“Please let me go. I do love you, but like a kid brother. You’re hurting me.” He was strong and she could see the energy running up and down his arms. The way his face scrunched and sweat beaded on his forehead told her he was charging up to use his power of electrical current. Her life hung by a very slender thread. If he lost the small amount of control he had, she’d die instantly.
“I can do things with this. I’m more powerful than the others—than Zane. You’re the weakest, we belong together. I can protect you.”
“Right now the only thing I need protection from is you,” she spat angrily.
“Be with me, Di…or I’ll kill them—him. I’ll take him away from you. Tell me you’ll give me a chance. Have sex with me, you’ll see I’m better.”
She was certain Ian was a virgin, which only made his boastfulness more ridiculous. Normally, she’d have said something sassy, but the crazed look in his eyes kept her silent. She knew enough not to throw water on electricity. His power was unstable, as was his mind. She wasn’t giving him a reason to destroy her.
Pity constricted her heart. Even after what he’d done, she hurt for him. He’d only been six when they’d started experimenting on him. Anger had kept him alive, but it had also twisted him. “Please let me go now. I don’t want this, and I know you don’t want to hurt me,” she whispered quietly.
Hurt and rage filled his eyes. Not a good combination, especially in someone who controlled electricity. Her heart pounded.
“I’m going to have you, Dina. I’m going to have you right now,” he said with a childish edge in his tone.
Ian pinned her again before she could move. He was so fast, so strong. She’d never realized how dangerous he was until now.
“You’re mine.”
She turned her head before he could kiss her mouth. She whimpered as his clammy lips connected with her throat. He sucked and then bit her. Dina screamed. He forced his lips against hers in a brutal kiss.
When he released her mouth she turned her head to the side and spat blood on the floor. “Don’t kill me. I’ll never love you like a woman, but I’ll always love you like a sister.”
She gasped with relief as he pushed her away. Her hand clamped over the wound on her throat. Panting, glad the terrible moment was over, she turned to look at the shaking young man. He looked so vulnerable it broke her heart.
“I’m so sorry, Ian.”
Her tender words didn’t have the desired effect. He moved with unnatural speed, holding her back against the chair. This time he used his human strength, and it was still too much for her. She tried to push him away when he began to kiss her, but he was just so much larger, all muscle and desire. She couldn’t budge him. His erection pressed painfully into her thigh. Terror filled her, tears trailed rivers down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out what was happening. Then his unwelcome weight was gone.
Zane stood toe to toe with Ian, their height equal, neither backing down.
“Ms. Dell, marketing asked me to come and get the proofs if they have your okay.”
She gasped. The messenger interrupted her terrible memory, she was grateful.
“They look great. Tell Jonny he did good.”
The young man nodded and took the portfolio from her hands. He rushed away and she sat back with a sad sigh. Dina ran her hand through her hair and opened her browser. She looked at the station’s website. They’d just updated it again. The hype machine was already working overtime. The studio ran with the idea so quickly. In only four short weeks, her show had gone from idea to anticipated sensation.
Guilt nibbled at her constantly. Staying on top meant standing on Zane’s bleached bones as the media vultures picked him clean. So many times she’d thought about marching into Ervin’s big, plush office. All she had to do was say it had all been a terrible mistake and Mind Man wouldn’t be able to be on the show. Each time she chickened out long before she arrived at his door. She was a coward.
Crime wouldn’t take a vacation, and Zane had a real job too. He was going to have to fit filming a show into his schedule. The whole damn city relied on him. They needed him. As much as she hated him risking his life, what he did mattered. Kids looked up to him. The weak and poor worshiped him. Begrudgingly, the police allowed him to do what he did because they were spread too thin.
She grabbed her purse and headed out the door. It took her the normal twenty minutes to get home and when she arrived, Zane was already there, waiting in the parking lot.
“Sorry, work was crazy—I... Never mi
nd.”
She cringed when he smiled. He didn’t seem the least bit pissed and that only added to her guilt. He wanted something she’d never give him.
“So where are we eating? I’m starved. Should I run and change?” Maybe eating like a linebacker would turn him off.
“No place fancy. You look perfect.”
“Thanks,” she replied stiffly. She needed him to do the show, but didn’t want to let him know her feelings hadn’t died as she’d tried to make him believe. Dina walked the line between pissing him off and being cold carefully. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed, which annoyed her, she was working hard at being a bitch. Don’t hate me, but don’t love me so damn much. She just wanted him to be her friend, but not to want what they could never have.
“You’re tense,” he observed.
“Sure. There’s a lot going on. I’m exhausted. Let’s get going.”
They walked over to his car. He opened the door for her and she got inside. When he was in the driver’s seat and the engine roared to life, he glanced at her.
“I’m sorry if you had other plans. I’ve really missed you.” He reached over and covered her hand with his. She jerked away as if he’d burned her. Zane frowned. “I’m not so heroic that I’m above extortion when it comes to your time, Dina.”
Her mouth curled to one side with annoyance and she looked out the window. When he said stuff like that, she crumbled inside. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but that would be foolish, for both of them.
They drove for a few blocks in silence. “We’re almost there,” he said quietly.
There weren’t any restaurants close by. This area was all residential neighborhoods. She gave him a skeptical look and he grinned.
“Don’t worry. I plan to feed you.”
They’d endured their fair share of hunger. A statement like that might not mean the same thing it did to most people. The simple act of providing for each other had once meant so much between them. She held her breath and fought the primal response growing inside of her. She wanted to kiss him. The old feelings might be dormant when he was away, but the moment she was next to him, she was twenty again and madly in love. Sometimes she hated herself for not being able to let go.
There was a small park up ahead. She remembered it. They’d come here when they wanted to get away from the others. They’d eaten here many summer nights. He’d bring her a sandwich and they’d eat and talk. She loved the simple moments. Even if the park hadn’t been the safest place after dark, she’d never worried because her superman had her back. Even now, with the decaying park displaying deteriorating standards, she didn’t feel a single twinge of fear. Zane would protect her; he always took care of her.
She hated the way she felt. He made her so content. The only time she felt this whole was when he was with her. She’d tried to love other men, but they’d always left her feeling lost. Zane was like a trail of breadcrumbs. When she found him, she was home again.
Zane stopped the car with no restaurants in sight. Dina watched as he got out and went around to the trunk. Before she could open her door, he was gallantly helping her out of the car. She noticed he had a basket. Sandwiches. She hated how good it sounded to eat something so simple as long as she was with him. Food tasted better when he made it. The air smelled cleaner when he was with her. The whole, good-for-nothing world looked brighter when he was standing next to her. Dina wanted to slap herself, but she knew that would look really strange.
He grinned as if he knew what she was thinking. Her eyebrow rose. He shrugged. She suspected he could read minds, but he’d never come out and admitted it. He took her arm and led her to a picnic table. The thing showed obvious signs of recent repair. Their table, it was still there, and she suspected he was the one who’d done the recent patchwork. The effort he’d put into taking her out for supper touched her so deeply she hated herself even more.
Zane spread a cloth over the worn wood. She sat down on the top instead of the seat, just like she’d done in the old days. He sat down right next to her, grinning. “Good choice,” he said.
She shrugged. “Heck, feels like the thing to do.”
He opened the basket and handed her a sandwich. Ham and cheese, no crust, mayo on one side, butter on the other, the thing was perfect. This was so much like those long ago days that she shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“No,” she lied. She was cold, but it was on the inside not the outside. Her soul was frozen. The woman who loved him was trapped in a prison of ice that the woman who feared losing him had imprisoned her in.
She took a bite and chewed methodically. It might as well have been sawdust. Her mouth was dry. She couldn’t breathe right because he was so close.
“How is it?” he asked.
She detected a note of anxiety in his question, and it was adorable. Dina hated adorable, but it looked sexy on Zane. His hair had fallen into his beautiful eyes. In the dusk light, he looked like the most delicious thing on the menu. She wanted to taste something that wasn’t in the basket—him.
“Great. Thanks.” She was keeping it as simple as possible. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve eaten all year because you made it for me. I want to kiss you right now. In fact, I think I’ll take you right here in this picnic table. Drop your drawers ’cause I’m planning to ride you all night. Instead of saying that, she took another bite of her sandwich, but Zane gave her a smoldering look and a sexy grin. The man could make her wet with nothing but eye contact. He should come with a warning label. His grin widened. She looked away and kept eating.
He handed her some chips, the generic ones she loved, and a Coke. Every time she glanced at him, he was looking at her too. She forced herself to swallow.
“This is nice,” he murmured. She agreed, but couldn’t tell him her feelings..
“Sure. Okay, I’m full. Let’s go. She tossed her half eaten sandwich in a trash can as she ran to his car. She slammed the door and buckled up.
The hurt on his face only made the few bites she’d taken feel like a lump in her stomach. She hated doing this to him.
He cleaned up and put the basket back in his trunk. Zane drove her home without another word. She turned to him. There was a tick in his jaw. She wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
“Go to bed, Dina,” he ordered, without looking at her.
Heat burned in her cheeks. She hated that she’d refused to reminisce with him. He had no idea just how much those old feelings still lived inside of her. She opened the door, this time he didn’t get it for her, and she ran up the stairs and into her building like the chicken she was. Her inner voice made clucking sounds the whole time she fled. Nothing terrified her quite like her longing for him. She wondered if he knew it and hoped he didn’t.
She’d never get any rest and she had a mountain of work so she sat down and started going over everything. There was a lot more to putting on good TV than just turning on a camera. The phone rang and she jumped. Her hand slapped around on top of all the papers on the desk until she found her cellphone buried under them. Her eyes were so blurry that she didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID.
“Hello,” Dina said.
“I’ve never been ashamed of you until today. Dina, how could you? You know Zane would never let you down. You used his feelings to abuse his good heart. I’m so angry with you that I don’t even know the right words to express it. If you needed something, why didn’t you talk to me first? I could’ve helped you. We could’ve come up with something different.”
There was a pause. Dina didn’t know what to say. It was a small relief when Ella continued.
“He hates the media, and now he’ll not only just be on your show, but the tabloids will eat him alive too. They’ll do all they can to find out his secret identity. You know the lies those rags print. This will start a feeding frenzy.”
Dina knew she deserved the tongue lashing, so she said nothing. She had no defense, because her twin was right
.
“Call this off. Please, as my sister, do this for me and save the best man in the city from this horrible mistake. I know how you feel about him, and you know how I feel about him. We both know how he feels about you.”
There was another pause. Dina’s throat closed. She knew, and it tore at her heart.
“Are you still there?” Ella sounded annoyed.
“Yes,” Dina whispered brokenly.
“When you left, you ripped out his guts. Don’t destroy his life. He still loves you.”
“I know.” That was what made asking him to be on the show so damn hard.
“I don’t know why you turned your back on us, but you owe him. We all do. He’s the best of us. We’ve lost Aaron. Don’t take Zane away too. If he’s exposed, God only knows what will happen to him—us. Don’t do this, Dina.”
She bit her lip. She wanted to tell her sister she’d come to her senses, but it was too late.
“Ella, I’m so sorry. I hate myself, but it’s too late. They’re already airing the promos on the network, and the casting call went out. In the morning, I’m going to have dozens of women begging me to be on this show. Zane and I have been over for a very long time. We both know which one of us is in his life. You should be with him, not me. I’m his Achilles heel.”
Reality Hero Page 4
