Relentless (The Hero Agenda, #2) by Tera Lynn Childs, Tracy Deebs Read Free Book Online Page B

hug. The kind of hug I always imagined my dad would give.
    I have the strangest urge to slip my arms around his waist and press my cheek to his chest. But I don’t know him. And I’m afraid that if I succumb to the urge, the fragile bits of motivation and willpower currently gluing me together will shatter.
    “Jeanine is…was one of the finest people I know,” he whispers against my hair. “She and my Evelyn were the best of friends.”
    “Mom?” Dante asks.
    Anton leans back. “Jeanine, Evelyn, and Lucinda were inseparable as girls.”
    I think we are all reeling from this revelation. My mom, Draven’s mom, and Deacon and Dante’s mom were best friends. Some crazy twist of fate must have brought us all together.
    “When Lucy died,” Anton says, his words directed at me, “your mom turned her grief into determination. She decided then and there to infiltrate the League and bring the heroes down from the inside. With her power, she was the only one who could.”
    Anton guides me over to the dining table, and I fall into the chair next to Deacon. It makes me feel better to hear Anton talk about her. To tell me things about a part of her I never knew. To help me understand why she did what she did. Why she lied. Why she lived a lie for so long.
    “We all blamed Rex for Lucy’s death,” Anton says, resting his hands on my shoulders. “But Jeanine was always smarter and more coolheaded than the rest of us. We wanted to blow up League HQ. She knew that would only get more of us killed.”
    “So she became a mole,” I whisper.
    Draven drops into the seat next to me, his attention just as focused on Anton as mine. Because Anton isn’t just talking about my mother. Lucy—Lucinda—was Draven’s mom. This is about both of us. All of us.
    “Over the years,” Anton continues, “she slipped us information. Warned us of impending attacks. Shared her discoveries. Kept us from being eradicated by the heroes.”
    I nod as the details start to make sense in my mind. “And kept the heroes from getting the weapons that might be used against you.”
    “As much as she could, without raising suspicion.”
    “What changed?” I ask. “How did they find out who—what—she was?”
    “I wish I knew.” Anton paces to the kitchen door and back again. “Her last message said she was close to finding out the truth about why Rex and his kind are so determined to wipe us out. Maybe she…”
    His voice trails off as he shakes his head. He is just as lost as the rest of us.
    I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.
    “What about my dad? Did you know him?” My voice is barely a whisper. “ Do you know him?”
    “No, I never had that—” Anton stops and spins back to face me. “What do you mean Do I know him? Is James Swift still alive?”
    I nod. “My mom said so. She told me before she…”
    I can’t say the words. Draven scoots his chair closer to mine and is just wrapping his arm around my shoulders when the cabin echoes with a high-pitched alarm.
    Anton pulls his phone from his pocket and curses when he sees the screen.
    He walks to the nearest window. “Yes? How bad? Casualties?” He pounds his fist into the wall. “I’m on my way.”
    “Dad?” Deacon asks.
    Anton turns to face the room. “I have to go.”
    “We can help,” Dante says, stepping into his father’s path.
    “Yes, you can.” Anton pushes past his son. “By staying out of the way.”
    “Five minutes ago you wanted us to come with you,” Deacon argues.
    “Plans changed,” Anton replies. “Now I want you to stay put.”
    Draven follows Anton to the door. “It’s our fight too.”
    “And ours,” I say, joining Draven.
    “Haven’t you done enough?” Anton roars. “Haven’t you nearly gotten yourself killed enough for one month?”
    “That’s not fair,” Deacon says as he struggles back to his feet. “If you’d let us help in the first place—”
    “What?” Anton throws back. “You wouldn’t have been