Page 78 of No Capes

“I never really got to know him.” That’s the truth. Part of it. The other part is that, maybe, I was starting to.

Fox loosens his jaw. “Sounds like a real loser.”

“Thanks for listening. That was probably, um, shocking.”

He folds his hands behind his head. “Every Super has a weakness, right? His could be that he’s unlucky. Like, he probably didn’t guess that immediately after he kissed you, he’d have to kill you.”

“Now you tell me a secret,” I command.

“Excuse me, Madeline.”

“I just poured my heart out to you.”

Fox folds an ankle over his opposite knee. “Fine. Hmm, Maddy wants a secret, which one shall it be?”

I gape mockingly. “How many do you have?”

He pauses for longer than necessary, stirring up suspense. “Did you know that I actually hate water? I hate swimming more than anything because I cannot stand being in the water.”

“Duh, you used to cry at swim practice when they made you go under water. You grew out of that though.”

Fox puts his hands up defensively. “Did not, I swear. I always get headaches at practice from being in the pool. I come late sometimes, just to avoid being in it. That’s why I swim so fast, to get it over with.”

“That’s you swimming fast?”

“Hey.” Fox swats me. “Telling a secret here. Water is like my own personal weakness, which is why I go to practice at all.”

Quietness ebbs through the room as I realize he’s serious.

“Thanks for sharing,” I say. A new energy seeps into my legs, forcing me to stand.

“You too, Maddragon.” Fox winds his arm around my waist and helps me walk back to the pool table. “Your first kiss was from an evil Super, huh?”

“We don’t know he’s evil, or weren’t you paying attention?”

“Oh, I was paying attention alright.”

I punch Fox right in the rib cage, but only at about half-strength, which is significant because I consider myself pretty strong.

“Was that supposed to hurt?” he asks, laughing.

Fox stands against the table so we’re close. The heat radiating off him finds my face, and my skin tingles under his hand.

Is this some kind of trap? Is Fox messing with my feelings?I meet his gaze, and the way he looks at me carves a hole into my core, filling it with hope. I breathe in the closeness, the familiarity.

I touch his chest, where his cotton shirt stretches. His heartbeat quickens when he brushes a finger beneath my chin. He searches for something in my eyes, a signal for what I want. If I want him.

I don’t get to answer.

In the second before I can make some space between us, Arielle bolts down the stairs. “Madeline,” she says, not acknowledging the way Fox and I are standing. “Madeline, Phil kidnapped Dad. He has him. Dad’s gone.”

Twenty Seven

“What happened?” Fox speaks first, because I can’t.

Arielle holds my phone. “I borrowed this to check if Dad called, but Madeline got a voicemail from Phil. Dad’s on it. If we don’t turn ourselves in, Dad’s…”

My knees buckle. It hurts the most because we saw this coming. What happened after Brynn checked on him last night? I should have asked Dark Static or Golden Ace to watch out for my dad, but I didn’t. I was caught up in the thrill of using my powers and secrets and boys, and my dad might die because of it.