Tori pulled away, gasping as she met his startled gaze. “I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have – I’m married,” she said, trying to control her breathing.
So this is how it began. She’d heard people say, “It just happened,” but she couldn’t believe they didn’t see the signs. Now she saw them all – in retrospect.
“It’s okay,” X said, reaching for her. “Trust me.”
Tori saw red again and slapped his face. “You have the morals of a snake!”
She jumped up from the bench to put some space between them. Damn, but that hurt. She rubbed her palm.
Glaring over her shoulder at him, she narrowed her eyes and looked closer. “Are you laughing?”
“No,” he laughed. He coughed and cleared his throat and rubbed his cheek. “No, I’m not laughing. I’m shocked, that’s all.”
Tori watched him. If he thought this was funny, there was no way they could be friends.
“Seriously, Tori,” he said. “A man has a tendency to react that way when he’s kissing a beautiful woman one moment, and getting slapped the next.” He paused. “I’m sorry.”
Tori felt emotionally shaken. She couldn’t trust herself to know if he meant it or not. “We can’t be friends if you think that’s ever going to happen again,” she said firmly.
“It won’t,” he promised. A different kind of smile spread over his face. “I respect your loyalty. Honest. Your husband’s very lucky.”
Tori grunted. “Tell him that,” she said under her breath as she turned away.
“Maybe I will,” X replied, standing but not coming closer.
Tori watched him uncertainly. Where was her life headed? And why was Superhero X here now when her life seemed so messed up? Maybe superheroes really did show up when you needed them.
“I better go,” she said.
“Wait,” he said, taking a step closer.
She glared a warning and he stopped, his hands raised in front of him.
“I’m going to do some research,” he said, “and find out if the SLU really thinks you could be involved in a crime. Then we’ll meet again tomorrow and come up with a plan, okay?”
Tori thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Where? Here?”
X shook his head. “I’ll call you and we’ll decide where to meet based on what I find out.” He paused, thinking, then he smiled at her. “Maybe we’ll do a little recon together. Would you like that?”
She smiled down at her shoes. “Maybe.” She met his eyes again. “Yes.” She turned to leave, smiling to herself, her step a little lighter.
“Tori,” X moved another step closer, right next to her, but he didn’t try to touch her. “You told me your secrets tonight, and I appreciate that.” He hesitated, clearly worried.
Tori tilted her head, concerned at his tone.
“I have secrets of my own that I want to – need to – share with you. Please – please try to understand.” He waited.
She didn’t know what to make of that confession. Did he work alone, no superhero friends to talk to? She couldn’t very well say no. And she did want to be his friend. “Okay,” she said finally with a teasing smile. “I promise we can be friends if you promise not to kiss me anymore.”
He grinned. “It’s a deal.”
As Tori walked away, she wondered if it was her imagination, or if she heard X say, “For now.”
TORI arrived at her dad’s office with a bag of Subway sandwiches and a long list of questions. “Hey, Dad!”
“Hi there!” Danny came out from behind his desk and gave her a big hug before accepting his sandwich. “Your call was a wonderful surprise. The loss of your temp job is my gain.”
Tori laughed and closed the door. She hadn’t told him any details about why her job ended. He didn’t need to know someone had blown up her car, despite his promises a couple weeks ago that he wouldn’t have a heart attack.
They cleared a spot on his desk and laid out their lunch. “I can’t remember the last time we had lunch together,” she said.
“So what’s the occasion?”
Tori shrugged. “No occasion. I just wanted to see my dad.”
He gave her a long look, reading her face as she tried to act nonchalant. Tori’s shoulders sagged as she struggled between knowing she couldn’t hide much from him, and hoping he could figure some of it out without her having to say it out loud. She was afraid it would sound worse if she had to verbalize it.
Danny leaned over and hugged her around the shoulders. “What’s the matter, little girl?” he asked.
He’d called her “little girl” for as long as they’d known each other, as long as Tori had any memories. As she grew older, he used it mostly when she was upset about something. Danny knew her that well. He was her dad. Kane wasn’t.
She let him hug her for a moment, then sighed and pulled away. “How do you do that? Know when something is wrong?”
“It’s a gift you’re given when you have kids. You’ll get it, too.”
He finished unwrapping his lunch. He chuckled, but Tori could feel him watching her out of the corner of his eye. Another thing parents were good at, watching you when you thought they weren’t. They bit into their sandwiches.
“Mmm, mine’s really good.”
Tori nodded her agreement.
“So?” he prompted.
“I need advice,” she said to her sandwich.
“On?” He took another bite, chewing while he waited patiently.
“Oh…marriage. Family.” She opened her chips and looked sideways at him.
Kane was wrong. Her dad loved her. She could tell.
Of course Danny loved her. But did he love Sam more because she was his own flesh and blood? That was what Kane meant, that it was some kind of genetic thing that you couldn’t help. She wanted to know if it was true, but she didn’t. She wanted to ask, but she really didn’t.
“How is marriage?” he asked.
Tori wished she could get advice without having to spill the details. “It’s not as easy as I thought it’d be.”
Danny chuckled. “It never is.”
Tori looked at him in surprise. “It is for you.”
He chuckled again and shook his head. “It’s an illusion.”
Tori opened her mouth to argue. She shook her head, hoping…surely her parents’ marriage wasn’t in trouble, too.
“No, no, our marriage is fine. Your mother and I love each other very much. The fact that it looks easy, that’s the illusion.”
“Oh.” Tori wasn’t sure that was helpful at all.
Danny pointed a chip at her. “The key is to keep making a conscious effort to choose your spouse above everything. Well, except God. But everything else – children, career, friends, money. If you keep on choosing your spouse first, you can get through anything.”
“Hmm. Maybe.”
She felt him looking at her. Tori kept her head down. She didn’t want her dad to think she was a failure if she got divorced. That would be the second worst part of this whole awful situation. Losing Joe still came in first.
“I didn’t say it’d be easy.” He rubbed her shoulder. “Just don’t give up.”
“What if he doesn’t choose me first?” Tori tried not to let her voice wobble. What if Joe wasn’t willing to choose her – the whole, real Tori with all of her faults and quirks and abnormalities – over having a nice, normal wife, a nice, normal life?
Danny sighed. “Despite the fact that you two got married so fast, I know you’re a level-headed young woman, and Joe seems like a level-headed young man. I think it’s far too soon for you to be worried.”
Tori tried not to disagree.
“One thing to consider,” he said after a moment, “ask yourself if you’ve put him in the position of having to choose something other than you. Are you not compromising on something that is damaging your relationship?”
Tori looked up then. She stared at her dad thoughtfully. Maybe she was forcing Joe to choose her as a superhero
or not at all. Maybe she needed to back up a step. Maybe she needed to be willing to walk away from that potential life in order to save and nurture her marriage.
She thought about Superhero X’s question asking what was wrong with her current life. There would definitely be something wrong with it without Joe. She’d lived this long without being a superhero, she could live without it. She would just need to find a way to hide her abilities and live a normal life. Tori suspected Lexie might know how to do that.
She kissed Danny’s cheek. “You’re good, Dad.”
He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Next question.”
Tori’s smile faded. “This one’s harder. A lot harder. I don’t even know if I…”
“Maybe I can help if you tell me,” he said. He finished his sandwich and sighed. “Is it…about Kane?”
Tori heard her own uncertainty reflected in her dad’s voice. She nodded her head. Maybe they both needed to talk about it.
“He wants to renew a relationship with you.” Danny’s voice tensed. “Is that right?”
She nodded. “Yeah…”
“And?”
She played with the straw in her drink. “I love you, Dad.”
He put his hand on her shoulder, tightened his grip, then relaxed it again and rubbed her arm as he had before. “I love you, too.”
Tori held her breath for a moment. “But different from Samantha?” She heard a waver in her voice though she’d tried to sound nonchalant. She hoped Danny would tell her the truth, not just what he thought she wanted to hear.
“Of course,” he said. “I love you all differently because you’re four different people. I admire different things about each of you.”
“But…you love Kevin and Sam more…because they’re your own, you know, genes or whatever.” She didn’t wipe at the tear falling down her cheek so Danny wouldn’t realize she was crying. She didn’t want comfort as much as she wanted the truth.
Danny pulled away, which increased the flow of tears. Tori kept her face averted, but Danny took her chin and forced her to look at him. She knew her heart showed clearly on her face, but Danny’s face began to turn red. Tori saw the muscles bunch in his jaw and knew he was angry. At her?
“Is that what he said?” Danny’s voice was fierce. He let go of her chin and took both of her shoulders, shaking her a little. “He told you I love the others more? Or did he just come out and say I don’t love you at all? Did he say I’m only acting, but it’s not real, not the way he’d love you?” Danny sneered.
Tori tried not to cry, but more tears fell when she nodded her head.
Her dad jumped up and pulled out his wallet. He hadn’t gotten the twenty-dollar bill all the way out before he started calling Kane all kinds of horrible names.
Tori’s eyes widened. Her hand covered her open mouth. Danny was the calmest, sanest man she knew. A rock. But right now he was almost scary. She’d never seen him like this, quietly cursing with enthusiasm and imagination. She didn’t recognize some of the words and phrases he used, but she certainly got the idea. It was quiet, but ugly.
When he finally stopped, he leaned heavily against his desk, breathing like he’d run a race and lost. Tori felt her tears well up again. She stood and walked the two steps between them. This was a turn-around. Danny had always been the comforter. She didn’t know how to comfort him.
She closed her eyes on a prayer and hugged him. After a moment’s hesitation, Danny hugged her tight. Finally he pulled away, fire still burning in his eyes.
“That man did the kindest thing he could when he walked away twenty years ago,” he said. “I ignored his barbs because I didn’t think it would ever come to anything. He may have fathered you, but you are my daughter. If I believed he was a good man, I wouldn’t stand between you if you wanted to get to know him better. But Tori, listen to me.”
Danny gripped her shoulders. “He is not a good man. He’s telling you lies to pull you away from your family. He wants you to choose sides. He wants you to choose him.”
Tori frowned and nodded. “I think you’re right. But what about honor your parents and love your enemies? I want to do the right thing. I’m just not sure what it is.”
“And God will help you do the right thing. But remember the Bible also says to be both as innocent as a dove and as shrewd as a snake. Don’t let him pull you down to his level – lies and selfishness and anger. Don’t trust him. Be very wary, Tori. He–”
Danny stopped and took a breath. “I have good reasons for what I’m telling you. I do. But I don’t want to scare you or…break any promises.”
“To Mom.” Tori could figure that one out on her own.
Danny nodded. “He’s trying to buy you, honey,” he said, his voice gentling. He sighed. “He’s trying to buy your love and loyalty. That’s why he’s implying that I don’t love you as much as he does. The man doesn’t understand love at all, so he doesn’t see that it could have been possible for you to love us both.”
He pulled her into a hug, then held her at arms’ length again. “Tori, you are a very special girl. I’ve known that for a long time. Don’t tell your mother I said that because it will upset her. I know you can figure out the truth about Kane. Have Lexie help you. I can’t say any more, but I know the two of you can figure this out.”
“You’re not going to help me? Daddy, I–” She started to argue but he stopped her.
“I am helping you. Think about everything you know about your past. Talk to Lexie. Do some research on Kane. I know you’re not taking your medication anymore. You must have noticed some changes by now.”
Tori stared over her dad’s shoulder, unable to hold his gaze. She nodded mutely. He knew. But did he know more than she did? She started to tell him what had been happening, but Danny held up his hand, shaking his head.
“Don’t tell me anything you don’t want your mother to know,” he said. “Please. In this matter, my loyalty lies with her and she doesn’t want to acknowledge any of it.”
Tori nodded. Another marriage lesson.
Moving his hands to cup her face, Danny smiled gently at her. “Listen to your old man for a minute. It’s time for you to stop letting other people tell you who you are, and who you aren’t. I was so proud of you when I heard you’d fired that damn doctor.”
Tori’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
Danny looked a bit sheepish. “I’ll put another twenty in the Cursing Jar after I go to the bank. I’m serious, though. You’ll find your strength in knowing the truth. Be safe.” His voice became fierce again. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”
“I will, Daddy. I promise.”
“Pray for wisdom, little girl, then use it.” He ruffled her hair a bit. “Okay?”
Tori nodded. “Okay.”
She wasn’t sure she understood everything her dad had said, but as she walked to the bus stop she wished she’d had the “record” feature going on her phone. She was pretty sure Danny had answered more questions than she’d asked, questions she didn’t yet know. She hoped she would remember his advice when the time came.
CHAPTER 17
JOE looked around the clubhouse at his friends and went straight to the point. “Tori is in trouble.”
Hayley sat up straighter on the couch where she sat next to Bull. “What happened?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Joe admitted. What he wasn’t entirely sure about was how to explain to his friends that his wife might have a super power. He figured Tori had already told Hayley about how Katie had forced her to tell the truth a few days ago. But it was time to let the rest of the team know. “She may or may not be a suspect in one or more ongoing criminal investigations.”
“What?” Hayley leapt to her feet. “Joe! I knew something like this would happen! Where is she? Is she okay?” Bull tugged Hayley back down to his side, holding her hand.
“She’s fine,” Joe said. “She’s at home.”
Mickey cleared his throat. “What else?”
“That’s all
I know right now.” Joe leaned forward on his knees, steepling his fingers together. He didn’t want to meet Mickey’s gaze. It sounded ridiculous to his own ears – Tori may be a superhero. How would it sound to real superheroes?
“What else, Joe?” Mickey pressed.
“I don’t know.” Joe kept his head down. Mickey had an uncanny ability to read people, to know when they were hiding things. “I don’t know what crimes or why. Maybe it’s a scare tactic. All I know is we need to help her, and fast, before the S – before the police arrest her.”
Hayley put her head in her hands and moaned. Bull rubbed her back and looked confused.
Mickey perked up like a watchdog smelling fresh meat. “The SLU wants to arrest her? Why?”
“I didn’t say the SLU wan–”
“Joe,” Hayley interrupted. “Tori needs a mentor. She’s been weeks without one and you know how crucial–”
“Wait, you knew?” Joe sat up straight, staring at Hayley in shock. “Before a couple days ago, you knew and you didn’t tell me?”
“Knew what?” Bull asked.
“She made me promise not to,” said Hayley. “Just like you made me promise not to tell her.”
“How long have you known?” Joe bellowed. Was he the last one to know?
Hayley moved closer to Bull. “Since the day after the robbery,” she said in a small voice. “But–”
“How long have you known, Joe?” asked Mickey.
Joe looked at him. “Don’t tell me you know, too? I found out Friday.” He looked at Bull. “I think I figured out Katie’s power.”
“You knew Katie has a super power and you didn’t tell me?” Hayley asked Bull.
“Oh, I might’ve forgotten,” said Bull. He looked at Joe. “What is it?”
“She can make people tell the truth. It’s very weird, trust me.” Joe could still remember the feel of those three words in his head – tell the truth – urging him to speak against his better judgment. Thank goodness his training had helped him recognize it before he gave in.
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