The Super Jerk Trilogy (Now 3-in-1)

23. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

{Sarah}

For a second, all we can do is gape at Cam. He hasn't said anything about the Red Knight even being remotely related to him, and I have to wonder what's gotten him into this speculation. Maybe this is what he was keeping from me, because he had no evidence. I instantly regret accusing him of that. Ignorance was bliss, until something like that came out.

   "What..." Kaelie's the first to recover. "How could you possibly know that?"

   "I dunno." Cam's hand tightens on the strap of his backpack, digging his other one into his hair. "There's just something telling me it's true."

   "What was your first clue?" Kitty asks, sounding as confused as I feel.

   "When his fingerprints came up without a match," he says, dropping his hand and shoving it into his pocket. "Supers are really good at disguising their identities. Like, really good. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why. He's so far into the Red Knight persona he's actually managed to get rid of his former self."

   "So, your dad then," I finally speak up, and I see him look over at me, lips sucked tightly between his teeth. "Any other...facts that could help support this one?"

   "Well, he..." Cam looks around, and I can see why. There's still groups of people nearby, loitering on bicycles or sitting on the big rocks in the rock garden near us. "Can we go somewhere else? You never know who could be listening."

   With that he walks off, and we have to hurry to catch up with him. I get there first, and he looks down at me, a close-lipped smile pulling up a corner of his mouth. He may be right in saying that revealing whatever he has to say won't get me to go back to him. But Merlin, a heartfelt apology and another rescue as Blue Bolt topped off with a kiss just might.

   We're at the baseball diamond bleachers before he decides to stop. He hops up to the middle, and we follow. I realize, before we sit down, that if I look behind and slightly to our left, I can see the football field from here. That was where he promised to me he would get Kaelie out of the way — in his super guise — and where I met Green Phoenix, who turned out to be my best friend. That seems like such a long time ago. Everything's changed completely now.

   "So this thing about your dad," Trevor prompts when we're all settled.

   "Right." Cam drops his backpack at his feet. "He went rouge when we were still kids...me, you, and Pink. Dad left my mom when I was just a baby. I don't remember a ton about him. But it's easily possible that he was just reinventing himself by then."

   "Do you mean he was this city's super hero?" Kitty asks, sounding awestruck.

   Cam nods and shrugs. "A city's hero, yeah. Ithaca, New York, where he grew up, and then New York City. You know. Before everything went crazy and blew up. At least...that's the extent of what Mom'll tell me about him."

   "Quite literally." Trevor provides, reminding us of the red super's invisibility powers.

   At that Cam smiles. "Yeah. Guess he got tired of being Hero, so he crossed over to the dark side and started committing crimes and stuff."

   "Any more evidence pointing to him?" Kitty says, sliding so far forward she bumps into me.

   Cam shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no, not yet. So you can see why my claim's unfounded."

   "We'll get more evidence," Trevor says confidently. "And then he's goin' down. Once and for all."

   Cam's mouth pulls up into a half-smile again, the kind that makes me feel a twinge in the back of my throat. Mom had had a long talk with me the night I'd broken up with him, putting forward the suggestion that I'd been too hard on him. We all have secrets that we don't want anyone else to know about. The super villain of St. Louis being related to the superhero is definitely one of them.