The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) by Chelsea M. Campbell Read Free Book Online Page A

awkward silence. Zach squeezes his eyes shut, opening one eye slowly to survey the fallout. Riley hunches his shoulders and doesn’t look at anyone.
    Finally Curtis chuckles to himself a little and sets the ice cream on the table. Their mom follows suit with the brownies, as if everyone’s silently agreeing to pretend it didn’t happen. Except for Riley, who glares at me and mouths, Thanks a lot.
    As if it’s my fault he’s so easily agitated.
    “So, Riley,” Curtis says as he takes his seat across the table, “tell me about what happened during your final. I hear there was some trouble?” His eyes go right to me as he says that part.
    “Oh, leave the boys alone, Curtis.” Their mom swats his arm. “It was one mistake. I seem to remember you making more than your fair share when you were their age.”
    “I didn’t have a League scholarship on the line.”
    Riley swallows, looking guilty, as if what happened was in any way his fault.
    “You know your mom can’t afford for you to go to Heroesworth on her own. And you know why you have that scholarship. Don’t dishonor him by losing it.”
    Yeah, no pressure. I don’t know what scholarship he’s talking about, but I can’t help glaring at him. “Riley didn’t do anything wrong. It was my fault. He just happened to be there.”
    “And by ‘just happening to be there’ and not stopping you, he broke a League rule. Heroes can’t just let people go around hurting others. And he has a League scholarship to think about, and they don’t look too favorably on that kind of thing. A hero needs to be aware of what company he keeps. His father would have never gone into battle with someone he couldn’t trust. With a...” He trails off, apparently deciding it would be too rude to say half villain at the dinner table.
    Zach sits up straighter, like maybe he’s going to tell him where he can shove it, or maybe launch himself across the table in an attack.
    Riley’s eyes go wide. His voice takes on a defensive edge. “I trust Damien.”
    Curtis raises his eyebrows and tilts his head, like Are you sure about that? “As I understand it, none of the heroes in your group shot anyone. You were there with him, meaning it was your responsibility to stop him. He put you in a situation you shouldn’t have been in, and now the League’s putting you on probation for your scholarship. Your father and I never would have done that to each other.” He gestures at me and Riley with his fork. “There’s more to trust than knowing he won’t shoot you while your back is turned.”
    “I resent that,” I mutter. “I would so shoot him to his face.”
    Curtis ignores me. “You have to know he’s looking out for you. That he’s not going to do anything crazy and take you down with him.”
    “They’re sixteen ,” Riley’s mom says. “They’re kids, not adults in the League. They’re allowed to mess up sometimes.”
    “I trust Damien,” Riley repeats. “He didn’t mean to get me in trouble.”
    “Doesn’t matter—it still happened.” Curtis turns to me and says, “I don’t mean to offend you, son, but you put our Riley here in a difficult position. How can he fight villains in the field if he’s got to worry about the one on his team?”
    I keep my fists clenched under the table as electricity surges in my palms. Must. Not. Zap. Douchebag. I open my mouth to speak, but then Zach beats me to it.
    He gets to his feet and leans forward, pressing his palms into the table. “Damien’s our friend and you don’t even know him, so just shut up! You’re not our dad and you never will be, so stop acting like it!” He turns and runs off to his room in a fit of drama, slamming the door behind him.
    He may have picked that up from Amelia.
    “Zach!” their mom shouts. She gets up to go after him.
    Curtis shakes his head at me, like this is all my doing.
    And I think maybe Mom’s right. Maybe I do always have to cause a scene.
    “The other heroes on our team might