Free Reality Hero by Ashlynn Monroe Page B

her connection to her sister. He knew she did it to protect Rain, but Ella felt the offense as the sister, not the hero. She’d never looked into Dina’s actions to see Dina was just trying to protect her—them. Understanding suddenly dawned on him as to why she left. Her earlier words about being a risk to them only emphasized the rationale. He’d been as blinded by hurt as Ella was. Could it really be that simple? Did Dina stay away because she loved them? When she looked up at him he saw the longing in her expression. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
    He put his hand on her cheek, stroking the softness with his thumb. She felt so delicate. Her eyes never left his. He ran the pad of his thumb over her lips. He wanted to kiss her again, but refused to give in to the feeling. Zane closed his eyes and returned to his apartment without saying a word to her.
    * * * *
    Dina sat staring into empty space. He’d gone as suddenly as he arrived, and she really hated how he could do that. A normal guy would have had to say goodbye before he ran away. There was nothing normal about Zane, or the mixed-up emotion between them. Biting her lip, she picked up her phone and listened to her voicemail. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
    “Hello, lovely. I’ve missed you. I see that you’re still hanging with the old crowd. I’ll be watching you. If you want a real man for your little television show, I’m here for you, just say the word.”
    Ian sounded downright creepy. She wondered if he was dramatizing his creepiness or if all the evil he’d done had actually changed the way he spoke. He didn’t sound like the teenager she remembered. He’d been scary powerful as a kid. The idea of that kind of uncontrolled ability wielded by a man bent on destruction gave her the heebie-jeebies.
    Closing her eyes, she tried to shut out the fear. Should she call Ella, Zane, or Bridget? No, she wouldn’t say anything. They all had enough to worry about right now. He was just messing with her. He hadn’t threatened her. Maybe this was the way a super villain said “break a leg”.
    Even if the others wouldn’t tell her, she wasn’t stupid. She knew he was behind the recent string of electricity related crimes. All the recent freak accidents weren’t accidents at all. Shaking off the feeling of someone watching her, she deleted the message. The creepy call had come from a private number, which seemed to belie his statement about finding him.
    She forced the bad memories away as she noticed the time. “Fuck.” She cursed under her breath. She stood up, straightening her skirt before rushing to the conference room. The ten contestants would be waiting. She was late.
    Right away, she noticed how the group eyed each other up and down as if estimating the level of completion they could expect. She tried to hide a smile. This was going to be interesting. To get everyone’s attention, she cleared her throat. Ten heads snapped in her direction, looking at her expectantly.
    Sitting down and opening her portfolio, she started to pass out the ten booklets of paperwork and information to the assembled group. Many of them looked unhappy. She noticed Purity opened hers enthusiastically. When each woman had one, she started her presentation. “Welcome, ladies. This will be a historic, unprecedented television event. There are a few rules that you should be aware of before you sign these. Firstly, no one is to remove Mind Man’s mask. If he chooses to unmask for you, he’ll make the call. I highly doubt it’ll be on camera.”
    She hated the tone in her voice. She sounded like a grumpy, elderly librarian. Being friends with the contestants would be a mistake. She had to maintain her façade of iron-control if she was going to keep the chaos at bay, but that didn’t mean she liked being the bad guy. The looks the girls were giving her made it clear—she wasn’t going to be popular.
    “Secondly, no one is to ask him about his