“That’s never going to happen. I’ll always be Hinder’s daughter. And it’s even worse now that there’s a clone of him running around out there somewhere.”
It hit me right in the gut. “You’re afraid you can’t beat him.”
“Terrified of it, actually.”
If we weren’t in the middle of the lounge with a dozen other people around, I’d have hauled her into a hug. Even before we discovered the clones of our loved ones, Teresa doubted herself and her ability to lead. She’d been shoved into the position because of her powers and her father’s history as an amazing Ranger hero. She did her best, and she kept us alive, but she still worried. All the time.
I tugged her into the hallway, which was empty and much quieter. In a whisper, I asked, “Don’t slug me for this, but have you thought about turning over leadership to someone else?”
She blinked at me like I’d just suggested she have sex with a goat. “What?”
“You have to have thought about it.”
“Sure, I’ve thought about it, but never seriously.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my job.”
“A job you can quit, if you want.”
She scowled. “I don’t want to quit.”
“Why not?”
“You need me. I can’t quit on you guys, and I care too much to leave your lives in someone else’s hands. I’m responsible.”
I grinned, glad she’d said all those things out loud and with only a little bit of prompting. “Exactly. This is your team, T, no one else’s. Not mine, not Gage’s, not Lacey’s, not your father’s. Yours. And your way has been working pretty damned well since we started this superhero gig.”
Her face softened into a grateful smile. “This is why you’re my best friend.”
“My amazing pep talks?”
“Yes, and your no-bullshit way of phrasing things. Thank you.”
“Anytime. But get it together, or I’ll start charging you for these little therapy sessions.”
She laughed, then hugged me gently, careful of my wounded arm. “Where are you headed?”
“No idea. I was—”
Her phone rang with a tone I didn’t recognize. Her eyes widened in surprised and delighted eagerness. She answered with a firm, “Trance.” A few seconds passed and she mouthed a word that made my heart pound.
Seventeen
Teresa held the call long enough for us to get into the privacy of the conference room, then turned it onto speaker. “Okay, I can talk here,” she said.
“Who else is there?” Sasha asked.
“Just me and Flex.”
“Fine.” Sasha was doing an admirable job of sounding tough, but she was trying a little too hard.
“I’m sorry about what happened at the high school this morning. That wasn’t how I intended things.”
“Fucking cops.”
“How are your friends? One of them was shot.”
A long pause made us exchange a worried look.
“Maddie was hit,” Sasha finally said. “She’s not doing so well. We can’t take her to a hospital, and none of us knows any doctors.”
“You could bring her here. Our doctor—”
“No, that’s not why I called.”
“So why did you call?”
“We need supplies, but we can’t draw attention to ourselves by stealing it from a hospital or doctor’s office.”
“You want us to give you medical supplies to treat Maddie?” Teresa asked.
“Yes.”
“I could agree to a trade.”
“What do you want?” From Sasha’s tone, it was clear she expected us to ask for her to offer up a kidney or something.
“Thirty minutes.”
“For what?”
“For you to listen to what Bethany and Landon have to say.”
“About what?”
She was either really thick or playing dumb to annoy us.
“About why they chose to come with us,” Teresa said. “Landon’s father knew your mother, Sasha. He knew Tate’s father, too.”
“I want to see all three of them.”
“Landon will only be available by phone. He was nearly killed on Sunday by some other Meta soldiers on orders from your Uncle, and he’s not allowed out of bed.”
“Fine. Bethany and Landon’s father. I’ve never met a Bane face-to-face before.”
“Thatcher isn’t a Bane anymore.”
“Whatever.”
“I’d like one of my people to go with them.”
“To make sure we don’t kill Thatcher, snatch Bethany and the supplies, and then run?”
“Something like that.”
“Fine. I pick.”
Teresa frowned. “Okay.”
“I want Flex. She seems harmless enough.”
I grunted, wanting nothing more than to put my hands through the phone and throttle Sasha for that little jab. It hurt, because it was something I’d thought about myself all too frequently. I wasn’t as powerful as my friends. My abilities only half worked, thanks to my scars. I got taken out in the first thirty seconds of the fight this morning. I was the perfect potential hostage.
Teresa waited for me to nod approval before saying, “Deal. Who’s coming with you?”
“Just Rick. I won’t need anyone else.”
“And Rick is?”
“He made the blue power sparklers.”
Firework Boy. Good to know.
“Where do you want to meet?” Teresa asked.
“Off the New Jersey Turnpike.”
“The J. Fenimore Cooper rest stop,” I said without thinking. I’d been there, I knew how to get back. And it seemed fitting, somehow.
“Agreed,” Sasha said. “Nine p.m.”
“They’ll be there, with the supplies.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Sasha hung up. We stared at Teresa’s phone for a few seconds, letting that sink in. My nerves jumped. Another clandestine meet-up with brainwashed superpowered teenagers on the side of the turnpike. The first one had ended in a semi-kidnapping to a strange, small town. I had to assume this one would end better.
