by S. J. Delos
“Why? No one seems to care that I was Crushette anymore. All they see now is Kayo.”
“Which is why I want it. Don’t you see? Everyone’s so busy looking at the hero, the story about the girl before her rise will be a novelty. It’s really the scoop of the decade.”
I shook my head, sighing again. I really did not want to dig up the past, especially not for a guy I needed a shower after talking to. However, he was responsible for delivering a blow to my mysterious antagonist, which also cleared me of any wrong-doing.
In addition, I could guess that it would be all too easy for Max to find a way to discredit his own footage, throwing me back on the defensive.
“Fine,” I said after a few moments. “But I reserve the right to refuse to answer certain questions. Deal?”
“Deal,” he said. I could almost hear the slobber of excitement in his voice. “When?”
I needed to stall, but also needed a believable reason for stalling. “After the Heroes’ Banquet.”
“But… that’s not for another week. I was hoping to get you alone in a room with a recorder sooner than that.” The way he said it made me shiver with nausea.
I lowered my voice, as if pulling him into a secret I was willing to share. “Look, I’ve been nominated for Hero of the Year. If you publish a story that focuses on Crushette, that’s going to detract from the good work I’ve done as Kayo. It might even put my getting the award in jeopardy.” I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was probably lapping up every bit of what I was putting down. “Now, if I happen to win, think of how many people will want to know the history of a bad girl who could rise so high in such a short period of time. Wouldn’t that make the scoop even more valuable?”
There was a lengthy pause, making me worried that he might have seen through my ruse. Instead, he laughed again. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. Okay, immediately after you get back from the banquet. Okay?”
“Great,” I said, injecting enthusiasm I didn’t feel into my voice. “Thanks again for that video.”
“My pleasure, Kayo. Good-bye.”
I hung up the phone, then leaned against the wall. Darla broke away from the rest, walking over to me. She stared at my face for a few seconds before gesturing at the phone in my hand.
“King?” She asked in a near-whisper.
I nodded. “He’s the one who gave that video to the news.”
She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “What does he want in return?”
“An interview about my days as Crushette. He wants the whole story, things that aren’t in the police reports or public records.”
“You know he’ll just turn it into something sordid, right? I mean, you might have done some bad things while you were Crushette, but Max King will twist it into something that will make you look even worse.” Her eyes narrowed as her jaw tightened. “He has an unbelievable hard-on for pulling heroes down into the muck, Karen. I honestly believe it’s like a drug to him.”
“Does this have anything to do with the—”
“The video of Richard and me?”
I nodded. “He said that Richard paid a lot of money to keep it quiet.”
She took my arm, pulling me out of the room. Once we were alone in the hallway, she sighed and leaned against the wall. Her cheeks were flush, making her look like she was going to be sick at any moment.
“He did pay King. It was a sickening amount, too.” She stared at me, her eyes full of shame mixed with anger. “At first, Richard refused. I mean, we thought he was bluffing. Then he sent a few minutes’ worth of the video to my grandmother.” She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, then shrugged. “She still won’t talk to me to this day.”
I arched a brow. I had never known my grandparents. All three of them were dead before I was born, and the last, Grandma Hashimoto, passed away in Okayama while I was still a toddler. Sure there were pictures. I used to imagine what they might have been like, based on all the stories my parents told me. But I dreaded trying to guess what they would have thought of me as Crushette.
“Because some pervert videoed you having sex? Not exactly your fault, Darla. Your grandmother shouldn’t be mad that you were just doing what adults do.”
“I was married at the time… to a Norm.” She shrugged again. “It wasn’t a publicly known fact because I didn’t want some villain coming after him. We were having problems, mainly due to my hero life. When I joined The Good Guys, I met Richard. He was kind and interested, so…”
I held up my hand. “Okay. I get it. You had an affair, this scuzzball caught it on tape. Then extorted money from Richard to keep it from going public. Consider the warning duly noted.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Well, I guess I’ll have to lie about some stuff, then.” I reached out, touching her on the arm. “Thanks for the heads up, Darla. I really appreciate it.”
She nodded, gave a little smile, then turned to head toward the kitchen.
About an hour after Darla’s confession and warning, Greg called me to the briefing room.
When I arrived, he and Richard were standing in front of the large monitor with their backs to the door. At my entrance, both turned as one to look at me. I nearly about-faced to retreat.
The last time I was in this room with just those two, my wet t-shirt and I had just made the front page. I certainly wasn’t in the mood for another lecture on my behavior or appearance.
“Karen,” Greg said, gesturing at the darkened screen. “Someone would like to speak with you.” His voice was stern, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if warning me to behave.
When I glanced over at Richard to see he wore a similar expression. He gave me a quick nod, reaffirming Greg’s silent order.
Who the hell was on the com? The President?
I gave Greg a cautious glance. “Okay, what’s really going on?”
Rather than answer, he picked up the remote, aiming it at the screen. The projected blankness went to a static pattern, then the image of a man’s head filled the viewer. It took me less than a nanosecond to recognize the person smiling out at me, but the acceptance of who it was came much slower.
Two dark brown eyes stared from the holes in the crimson mask wrapped around his head. The five-point star set in the middle of his forehead was a brilliant shade of dark blue. His jaw, mouth, and chin were the only parts of his face not covered, and a big grin beamed out at us.
Well, at me, specifically.
My heart hammered like a miniature speedster in my chest as my knees trembled slightly. I reached out a hand to place it on the back of a nearby chair. Just to be sure I wasn’t going to fall. You know, just in case I fainted or something. Which I really hoped I wouldn’t do. The embarrassment alone would probably kill me.
I mean, really, how often do you get to look into the face of the person you spent years idolizing? The one individual who inspired you to take that first step toward your future?
“Good afternoon, Kayo,” Major Freedom said from the screen. “Congratulations on your nomination. And on defeating Princess Snow.”
My mouth opened, but it was a few seconds before my voice decided to play along.
“Oh. Uh, thank you… sir?” My voice sounded as shaky as my limbs. What the hell were you supposed to call the guy who was a hero to heroes? The man who’d practically started the whole “costumed saving the day” gig?
“Major will do just fine.” He laughed in a very jovial manner before cutting his gigantic eyes over to the other two. “Mister Manpower. Captain Awesome. How are things down in Charlotte?”
Greg crossed his arms over his chest. “Things are well, Major. Or at least finally heading in that direction.”
The smile faltered, Major Freedom nodding his head just the slightest bit. “Yes. I looked over that information you sent me. If even half of what’s in it is true, then there could be serious trouble on the horizon. For all of us.”
“Then let’s hope I was just being overly cautious,” Greg said. Then he tilted his
head in my direction. “I believe you called specifically to speak to Kayo?”
“I did indeed.” The masked man’s gaze turned to me again. “Kayo, I would like to invite you to be my guest in Chicago for a few days before the banquet.”
“Your… guest?”
“Yes. I would consider it an honor if you would accept. I can speak for the whole Justice Brigade when I tell you that we’re all interested in meeting you in person. Without all the crowded hoopla of the gala.”
“Oh, wow. That’s, uh, flattering. Really” I crossed my arms over my chest, then lowered them clasp together behind my back. “But I was planning on skipping it. The banquet, I mean.”
Greg and Richard both turned to me, staring as if I’d lost my damned mind. I returned their gazes with an annoyed one of my own. I was pretty sure I already made it clear that I wasn’t going?
“Oh,” Major Freedom said as a frown formed on his face. “I didn’t realize that. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of anyone turning down an invite before.”
Greg turned to me. “I think you should go. I think it would be a positive reflection on this team if the most popular hero to come along in years showed up to represent us.”
I arched a brow at him. “Is that an official order?”
“No. It’s merely a request.”
The man on the screen cleared his throat, bringing our attention back to him. “Well, should you change your mind, Kayo, the invitation still stands. If not, perhaps you will consent to being our guest at another time.”
I nodded. “I would like that very much.”
“Mister Manpower, I will let you know what my sources find out.”
“Thank you, Major Freedom.”
The iconic hero gave us all another nod, then the screen went back to black. Almost instantly, the two of them spun to face me.
“Did you seriously just turn down an invitation from Major Freedom?” Greg shook his head. “I thought you said he was your idol.”
“He was,” I said. “I mean, he is.” I threw my hands in the air. “Jesus, did you have to throw me in front of the bus like that? Now he’s going to think that his invitation is the reason I’m not going to the damned ball.”
“Why don’t you want to go?” Richard asked. His tone was curious, not accusing. The expression on his face was genuinely confused.
“I don’t know!” I yelled. “Because of all the attention it’s getting? Maybe it’s because I think my name came up as someone’s idea to increase ratings. The whole bad-girl-gone-good cliché.” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest, looking away. “Besides, I don’t have anything to wear to an event like that.”
“Seriously?” Greg asked, looking a bit put out. “You don’t want to go because you think it’s some sort of publicity stunt?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you think might happen when Crushette walks into a room full of superheroes? Especially when she’s got a rough history with many of them.”
“Crushette wasn’t invited. Kayo was. And I think they’ll congratulate her on turning her life around. Probably even express their support for all the good she’s done.” He sighed. “Karen, the whole hero community knows that by stopping Daniel from carrying out his scheme, you saved their asses as well.”
“You would think that, right?” I said as I walked out the door.
CHAPTER 21:
ADVICE FROM BEYOND
My parents’ house looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen it from above. Physically, at least. However, there was a sense of sadness surrounded the structure. A dark aura, despite the brilliant sunshine. Once again, I found myself hesitating to land and go inside.
Since the funeral, my father and I had spoken on the phone twice, me calling to check up on how he was doing. However, I hadn’t seen him in person. Each time I tried to tell him I wanted to come over, but he insisted that he was fine and asked that I not come.
“I need to get used to her not being here, Kaori,” he said, sounding tired. “Please give me the chance to process the change. Alone.”
I knew it was just his way of dealing with the loss of his wife. I had to respect that.
But I missed her, too.
So, when he called Tuesday morning, asking me to come over when I could, I immediately threw on some clothes and left. Zooming to the house as fast as I could.
I touched down next to the back door, knocking before I opened it. I couldn’t recall ever doing that before. Nor could I say why I did it then. Respect, maybe? Perhaps it might be an intrusion to just barge right on in.
The interior of the house was dark, all the shades drawn tight. The persistent daylight, however, still attempted to get inside, creating glowing halos all around the edges of the windows. The silence inside the house possessed weight and presence, pushing my thoughts back to the quietness of the cemetery. Moisture surged to the surface of my palms, a clammy dampness that I immediately wiped on the leg of my jeans before I dared to venture any further.
“Hello?” I called out. “Father?” I couldn’t stop the cold tickle sliding down the skin at the base of my skull, lightly stroking my worry.
I don’t know why images of my father, lying unbreathing on his bed, came to mind. But come they did, accompanied by the nauseating detail of an empty bottle of pills resting on the nightstand nearby. Of course, the idea was beyond ludicrous. If my father were to decide to kill himself, he sure as hell wouldn’t call me to come over so I could be the one who found the body.
That just wasn’t his style.
“Hello?” I asked again, this time as I walked through the living room to the stairs in the hallway.
As I stared intently up the carpeted steps to the railing above, my hands curled into fists, and the thumping in my chest increased its pace. Maybe this was a trap. What if someone who wanted revenge on me—there were more of those folks in the world than I cared to count—had come here, making my father call me to an ambush?
If I needed backup, it would take the rest of the team, with the exception of Zip, at least ten minutes to get here. That would be more than enough time for someone, or group of someones, with a well-developed attack plan to take me out.
I put a foot lightly on the first step, still staring up into the dimly lit area. When the darkened shape of a head suddenly appeared over the edge of the wooden rail to stare down at me, my mouth reacted much faster than my brain. I screamed as I leapt backward with my fists raised, ready to fight the intruder.
“Kaori?” the familiar voice called down.
I sighed, slumping against the wall and placed my hand hard over my chest, as if pressure alone would stop the powerful slamming taking place beneath the ribcage. Some hero I was, yelling like a little schoolgirl who just walked through a spider web.
I walked back to the steps, looking up again. “Father?”
I could see the frown resting on his face. “I’m sorry I startled you, Kaori,” he said softly. “I was in your mother’s closet and did not hear you come in.”
Feeling embarrassed about reacting like some horror-movie teen, I trudged up the steps to him. “It’s okay,” I said. “Just caught me off-guard.”
I looked through the doorway leading into the master bedroom. Several cardboard boxes were scattered around the room, and on the bed, most of them full of clothing. The wardrobe of Rebecca Hashimoto could have clothed a small nation. Or probably even a middle-sized one. The double doors of the closet on the far side of the room stood open, the light inside barely illuminating the rest of the room.“Been keeping busy?” I asked as I turned back to him.
He frowned again, a guilty expression swam onto his face. He glanced into the room, looked back at me, then tilted his head down. “Your mother wanted me to donate most of her things to charity. It is taking… much longer than I expected.”
I knew the man before me well enough to fathom the slow pace was not due to volume.
A few weeks after Tommy’s death, I tried to help my parents pack u
p his things. I got chastised at by my mother for trying to rush them through the painful chore. Now my father was having to do it again, only this time all by himself.
“She did have a lot of stuff,” I said as I placed my hand on his arm. “Do you want some help going through it all?”
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “No, thank you, Kaori. In this task, I am in no hurry to finish.”
I didn’t want to embarrass him by insisting that he let me help, so I nodded in agreement before tilting my head to the side. “Did you need to see me for something specific? Or did you just want some company?” I smiled, hoping it was the latter.
He patted my hand. Then he turned to step inside the bedroom, grabbing something from the top of my mother’s dresser. He emerged holding a white envelope out toward me.
“This is for you. I found it only just this morning.”
I took the envelope. “Kaori” was scrawled on the front of it in my mother’s exquisite handwriting. I might have gotten my hair and my stubbornness from the woman, but there was little doubt where my worse-than-a-doctor’s penmanship came from.
I looked up from the envelope to him. “Mother?” It was a dumb question, but it came out nonetheless.
He nodded. “There were two. The other was addressed to me.” When I turned the envelope over to open it, he placed his hand on my arm. “No, Kaori. Not here.”
I blinked, looking at him. “What? Why not?”
He swallowed, and I saw a tear hanging on for dear life in the corner of one eye. “It is personal. She wrote it for you to read alone. I think you should do so.”
“Seriously?” I arched a brow, finger still under the edge of the flap, ready to tear it open. “What’s in it?”
“A message. Something, I think, she could not say in person.” The hand on my arm gave a little squeeze. “Please, Kaori. Honor her wish.”
I sighed. Folding the letter, I shoved it into my back pocket. I was beginning to worry about the man’s sanity. “Fine,” I huffed. “But we are having dinner together tonight. I don’t care if we go out, I come here, or you show up at headquarters. I’ve given you the space you asked for, but… dammit, Dad. I miss you. “