CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 27: POWER

After work, I dropped by the courthouse to talk to the boss since Rockie thought I should, even though I didn't care what he said; I wasn't going to quit my job as a police officer. I still wanted to try to gain his trust which I knew wouldn't be an easy task since I tried to kill him. I was still perplexed about why he let me live.

I gingerly knocked on his office door.

"Come on in!"

I slowly opened the door.

"Ah, Crypto," the boss said, "I was wondering when you'd show up. Come in and shut the door. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about."

I closed the door and stood in the center of the office since there were still no chairs to sit at, but I didn't mind. I had been sitting in my police car most of the day.

"You're probably wondering why you're still alive," he said. "I know I told you you were replaceable, but I was wrong. Rockie told me you know your power."

"Yeah, I kinda overexaggerated about my power to him. I only know how to make very small explosions. You know, like those little fireworks the little kids play with on Independence Day."

"Pop-Its?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

"Powers just take practice to get better," he said. "It's learning them in the first place that's hard."

"If you want me to use my power to kill people, I won't do it," I asserted.

"I guess you're of no use to me then. It was nice knowing you, Crypto."

"Wait," I sighed. "What is it you want me to do?"

Spiney smiled. "Practice on your power and then get back to me. You have until the end of next month to make it the size of a semi-truck."

"I think I can do that."

"You better," he said. "You may go now."

I spent the next month going to work, hanging out with the poker gang, and practicing my power on the side. I had made explosions the size of trucks before, but I had a harder time controlling the size when I wasn't feeling strong emotions. I learned to think about something that made me angry to make bigger explosions, such as what the mafia did to my parents. Nothing made me angrier than that. I was going to get them back for what they did. I didn't know how yet, but I would figure it out. All I needed was proof that Spiney was tied to the mafia which was responsible for the explosion in Laughlin.

I tried to persuade my uncle to confess in court that he was in the mafia and was ordered by Spiney to create the explosions, but my uncle didn't go for it. He was convinced Spiney had too much power and would have him killed the same day he confessed. Nothing I said could change his mind. I had to find another way to prove them guilty.