by Dee J. Stone
Red Masked Heroine
By
Dee J. Stone
Copyright © 2017 Dee J. Stone.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to real life, movies, television, games, or books is entirely coincidental and was not intended by the author.
Titles by Dee J. Stone:
Young Adult Superhero Series:
No Ordinary Hero (Keepers of Justice, Book 1)
Hero’s Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2)
Hero Reborn (Keepers of Justice, Book 3)
No Ordinary Villain (Keepers of Justice, Book 4)
Villain’s Choice (Keepers of Justice, Book 5)
Long Lost Hero (Keepers of Justice, Book 6)
Blue Masked Hero (Blue Masked Hero, Book 1)
Red Masked Heroine (Blue Masked Hero, Book 2)
Secret Villain (Blue Masked Hero, Book 3)
Sucked into an RPG series:
Sucked into an RPG (Sucked into an RPG, Book 1)
Stuck in an RPG (Sucked into an RPG, Book 2)
Young Adult Romance:
Cruiser (Cruiser & Lex, Book 1)
Second Chance (Cruiser & Lex, Book 2)
Forever (Cruiser & Lex, Book 3)
Cruiser & Lex: The Complete Series Box Set
Chasing Sam
Young Adult Paranormal:
Emily’s Curse
Paranormal Romance:
Merman’s Kiss (Merman’s Kiss, Book 1)
Merman’s Touch (Merman’s Kiss, Book 2)
Merman’s Bond (Merman’s Kiss, Book 3)
Merman’s Love (Merman’s Kiss, Book 4)
Merman’s Devotion (Merman’s Kiss, Book 5)
Damarian (A Merman’s Kiss Novel)
Falling for the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 1)
Loving the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 2)
Keeping the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 3)
Email the author at [email protected].
For more information and updates on new releases, check out Dee J. Stone here: https://deejstone.wordpress.com. Or follow on Facebook and Twitter.
Red Masked Heroine
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Excerpt from Secret Villain (Blue Masked Hero, Book 3)
About the Author
Chapter One
“Maddie?”
I stare down at my best friend—my girlfriend—who’s lying on the ground in the forest. She’s unconscious, her breathing going from heavy to soft. She’s the one who was in the red uniform? The one who saved me from those people who demanded I work for them?
She’s got powers. But how? How could she be different like me?
Why did she keep it from me? She lied to me all this time.
I watch her sleep. I’m so relieved she’s okay, and I love her more than anything, but I can’t help the betrayal that’s entering my body.
My head whips around, my eyes looking for those guys who kidnapped me and attacked us. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else here. It’s late at night, but I don’t know the time. I can’t call home to reassure my parents I’m okay because those guys took my phone. I wonder if it got destroyed in the fire.
Kaylee. This guy—I mean Maddie—told me Kaylee’s safe with my parents. How do I know she was telling the truth? I can’t be sure about anything anymore. The girl I’ve been best friends with for years was hiding something huge from me. I don’t know if I can ever trust her again.
“Nick?” a sleepy voice says.
I look down. When Maddie takes in her surroundings and peers at her red uniform, her blue eyes go wide. They widen even more as she touches her mask-less face.
There’s so much I want to say, want to ask, but I can’t get the words out. They’re lodged in my throat like a rock. Maddie just stares at me like she doesn’t know what to do.
Finally after what feels like hours but are probably only seconds, I say, “Where’s my sister?”
She swallows as she slowly sits up. My hands reach to help her, but I curl my fingers at my sides.
“At home,” she says.
“You sure?”
She nods. “Brought her there myself, then I…” Her voice trails off as she looks away.
“You what?”
“Came to save you.”
We’re quiet. The only sound is from the wind.
“Nick—”
I’m on my feet. “I need to get home.” Need to make sure everyone is okay.
Her hand is on my arm. “Nick—”
I shrug it off. “I can’t…I can’t deal with this right now.”
I shoot in the air and hover above. I don’t want to leave her after she got badly wounded, but she seems okay and well. She looks up at me and I look at her. Regret and guilt are written all over her face.
Turning away, I find my way home. The house is still swarming with police, but it’s not because they’re looking for Kaylee. It’s because she’s here. She’s all snuggled in Mom’s arms in the kitchen. Dad’s kissing her cheeks and forehead. Matt’s sitting next to them with a relieved smile on his face.
Kaylee’s fine and well. Maddie was telling me the truth.
“Nick!” Mom reaches for my hand and I head over. When Kaylee sees me, she jumps into my arms. I’m not sure if she remembers being kidnapped, since she was probably drugged.
Dad claps me on the back. “Good job, Nick. But how did you know where to find her? And why did you sneak her in through your bedroom window and not the front door? And where have you been all this time?”
By now the cops are all quiet and everyone turns to me for an explanation. I don’t know what they’re saying, but then a thought hits me. I scan the table and see my letter sitting there. They must have found it and thought I saved Kaylee.
I’m not going to tell them the truth. I can’t. Not until I know what’s going on and who those people are.
“I didn’t,” I say.
They’re all confused.
“Then how did she turn up in your room?” Dad asks.
“I don’t know. I went out looking for her like I told you in the letter, but I couldn’t find her. I just got back now.” I hate lying to them, but I’m just trying to protect them. Going to the cops doesn’t seem like a good idea. Besides, they don’t exactly like me or trust me. And judging by the looks on their faces, they suspect I had something to do with my sister’s disappearance.
My parents look very worried.
“I suggest you take her to the hospital,” the short cop says. “Just to make sure she’s well and healthy.”
My parents nod.
“Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. McGui
re,” the other cop says. “We’ll catch the guy who took your little girl.” His eyes flick to me. Is he serious?
Mom and Dad thank them and they leave the house along with the other cops and their equipment. I want to chase after them and set them straight that I had nothing to do with Kaylee’s disappearance, but I decide not to. It’ll only make things worse. Besides I want to go with my parents to the hospital.
“Nick, you look exhausted,” Mom says, running her hand over my forehead. “And you’re a little warm. You worked so hard searching for your sister and you deserve some rest. We’ll call you.” She’s trying to be strong, but I know she’s worried about Kaylee. We all are. But they don’t know the worst of it. Someone—or someones—took her so I’d be forced to work for them. Those people said I belonged to them. What the hell did they mean? Are they still around or did I kill them all? I’m guessing they’re not done with me.
How am I supposed to keep my family safe?
“I want Nick to come, too,” Kaylee says. She has no clue what’s going on or why she has to go to the hospital. She does look a little freaked out, though.
I bend down to her. “Of course I’ll come.”
She gives me a small smile.
Matt decides to stay behind in case family and friends call for updates. Mom, Dad, Kaylee, and I get into the car and head for the hospital. As the doctors do all these tests to make sure she’s okay, I’m at her side whenever I’m allowed to. Kaylee’s hand doesn’t leave mine. I give her reassuring smiles and tell her a few jokes, which calm her down a bit.
Once all the tests are done and Kaylee is asleep, the doctors tell us they found drugs inside her. Nothing life-threatening. I was right. They drugged her to keep her asleep. Those bastards. The doctors also tell us that she has rope marks on her arms and legs, evidence that she was tied up.
“Who would do this to her?” Mom’s voice trembles. “And why?”
Dad pulls her into his arms, resting his chin on her head. “I don’t know, but the important thing is that she’s alive and healthy.” He pauses, his eyes filled with worry. “We’ll watch over her. Over everyone. We’ll do everything in our power to keep our family safe.”
“You can count on me,” I tell them. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to anyone.”
Mom and Dad smile with gratitude. I don’t know who those people who kidnapped Kaylee are, but one thing’s for sure: they’re not going to get their hands on her or my family again. I’ll make sure of it.
Chapter Two
Kaylee doesn’t leave anyone’s sight when we get back home a few hours later. It annoys the heck out of her, especially when she wants to go outside and play. Not only is it dark out, but Mom and Dad aren’t going to let her do anything unless someone’s there to watch her.
Now she’s all snuggled under the blankets while my parents stare down at her. I sit with them for a bit while Dad reads her favorite story, then I head to my room. I’m beat. After being bound and gagged and fighting my captors and learning that Maddie’s been lying to me for weeks, all I want to do is shut my eyes. To slip out of the real world for a bit. But I can’t do any of that because there’s a presence outside my window. Someone’s in the tree.
I don’t have to guess who it is.
Maddie waves her hand, motioning for me to come out or to let her in. I drag myself to the window and open it a crack. The November weather has gotten very cold lately and the wind smacks me across the face.
“Yeah?” I say.
“Can I come in? I really need to talk to you. To explain—”
“Why you lied to me all these weeks?”
Her mouth shuts. She nods.
It’s so cold and dark and all she’s wearing is a hoodie and jeans. I’m a little pissed at her, but she doesn’t have to freeze to death because of it.
I open the window wider and step aside. After Maddie crawls in, I shut it before plopping down on my bed. She’s left standing on the side, her eyes on me. I cross my arms over my chest. It’s kind of immature for me to be so mad at her, but I can’t help it. For weeks I thought I was weird and different and a freak. Then I find out my best friend—my girlfriend—is just as much a freak.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.
She looks away.
“I don’t get it. You helped me with flying and all that. Why couldn’t you tell me the truth? Do you have any clue how stupid I feel?”
She takes a step closer. “Why do you feel stupid?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I’m too stupid of a boyfriend for you to tell me this huge part of you. How long have you had your powers, anyway? And where did they come from?”
She’s quiet, her gaze anywhere but on me.
“What?” I ask. “Is it some sort of secret? Like are you here to take me back to our planet?”
“Our planet?”
I shrug. “Well, we can’t be from Earth if we have these powers. So we must be aliens.”
“No, we’re not from another planet.”
“So you do know where these powers came from.”
With her eyes on my rug, she slowly nods.
“And you’re not telling me for some reason. Is it this top secret thing? Like are you part of some secret government—”
“It’s not like that. I mean, it sort of is.” She sighs. “I guess I should start from the beginning.”
“Might be a good idea.”
She makes her way to my bed and sits down next to me. I almost forgot how nice she smells. It’s her usual Maddie smell that I’ve known for years, but it seems different. Not only because she’s my girlfriend, but maybe because we have this other connection. A connection of the paranormal.
Maddie holds out her hand. I put mine in. She takes a deep breath. “I was twelve when I got my powers. I didn’t tell anyone about it. I—I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
She looks away, her lower lip trembling a bit. So does her hand that’s clutching mine. “Because I hurt people.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Her eyes flick to me before returning to the bedspread. “Mom and I were at the mall. She was shopping for something to wear on her date with Stepdad.” She pauses. “You know I hate shopping and I hated Stepdad. So while she was trying on different outfits, I wandered around. I was mad because Mom was getting very serious with him and I didn’t want a new dad. Besides, I hated his daughter. While I was walking around the mall, all this anger was inside me and I don’t know how it happened, but one minute I was watching the shoppers and the next the mall was on fire.” She swallows. “Many people managed to run to safety, including Mom and me, but a few died. All because of me.” She faces me. “I knew I was responsible, but of course I didn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t. From that day on I was determined to get my powers under control. I turned my emotions off and didn’t let myself feel anything. It was the only way. That’s why I’m so distant.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.
“I hated myself for what I did. I didn’t want anyone to find out that I’m a…a murderer.” Tears flash in her eyes, but she blinks them away.
I pull her hand to my chest. “You’re not a murderer. You didn’t know what you were doing.”
She pulls her hand away.
I take it back in mine. “Listen to me. It sucks that those people died, but you had no control over that. Don’t beat yourself up.”
She’s not looking my way. “I’ve got most of it under control, but I’m still dangerous. No one can find out about me. I have to stay hidden. To protect everyone, which is why I promised myself never to use my powers unless I have to.” She turns to me. “That’s why I pushed you to be a hero.” Her voice is low. “To make up for all the destruction I caused. I’m sorry I pushed you. I just had to…I had to…”
I wrap my arms around her. “I get it. And I’m really sorry that happened.”
She pushes my arms off. “You’re not pissed I was using you to clear my conscience?”
“You wer
e never using me. You know how happy I am to help people, so don’t feel bad about it.”
Now everything makes sense. How she knew to fly and to help me with my powers. I squeeze her to me. “You have always been there for me and I want to be there for you, too.” I give her a gentle kiss on her forehead.
She runs her fingers through my long, dark brown hair. “No more secrets from now on. I swear.” She gazes into my eyes. “I’ll tell you everything.”
I stare at her. “There’s more?”
Biting her lip, she nods. “You deserve to know why we have these powers.”
“Only if you’re up for it. I can wait a day or however long you need.”
Her smile is small. “Thanks, you’re sweet. But I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
She nods, but doesn’t say more. We sit here in silence for a few seconds. Feels like hours until she starts. “When I got my powers, I thought I was the only one. I Googled like crazy but couldn’t find anything. Then you showed me your powers.” She stops like she’s trying to get her thoughts together. Then she continues, “I realized that I wasn’t the only one. I knew it wasn’t possible for both of us to just randomly have powers. Like you, I figured we weren’t from this world. I guess I thought that for a few days. But then I remembered something I saw a few years ago, when Mom and I were cleaning out her office because it was a mess.”
“What did you see?”
She hesitates. “It was a document. A few documents actually. I was little so I didn’t understand what they meant. But now I do. Loud and clear.”
I wait for her to go on, but she doesn’t. I’m not sure if I should press her or just wait.
She turns to me with this serious look on her face. “It was talking about a group of kids who had been experimented on.”
I shoot to my feet. “Experimented on? Like lab rats?”
She nods. “Experimented on their genes. My mom was part of it.”
My mouth drops. “She…she messed with kids’ genes? With our genes? With yours?”
Again, she just nods.
“What else did it say?”
“I don’t know. I only caught a glimpse of it before she grabbed it away and dumped it in a box. I didn’t understand it anyway and never asked her about it.”
