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

not have zapped anybody,” I tell Curtis, “but they didn’t go after the bad guy, either. Two of them wouldn’t even come in the building to save those kids. And I might be a half villain”—and I might even be trouble—“but at least I’m not a coward.”
    And at least I know that, no matter what, I’ve always got Riley’s back.

Chapter 4
    “W ELL,” SARAH SAYS, ADJUSTING her glasses and pushing them farther up the bridge of her nose, “Curtis has a point—you did put Riley in a difficult position.”
    I can’t believe her. “ Sarah . You’re supposed to be on my side.”
    “I am on your side.” She pauses to peer into the store window at Masquerade , the upscale cape shop in the mall. It’s literally a store that sells only capes. The one in the window is red velvet with white fur trim and is on a manikin dressed like Santa. I don’t even want to know who would be lame enough to buy that. The store, like the rest of the mall, is decked out for Christmas with evergreen garlands, wreathes, and giant Christmas trees overloaded with ornaments. Sarah looks like she’s thinking about going in, but then thankfully changes her mind and keeps walking. “But that doesn’t make what Curtis said not true. Riley was supposed to stop you. In theory. That means he broke a League rule.”
    As if Riley would ever do that. At least, not on purpose. “Even if he could have stopped me”—which I’m pretty sure he couldn’t—“there wasn’t time. It’s a stupid rule.”
    “But he was still supposed to stop you. Whether he wanted to or not.”
    “Okay, but I didn’t know that.” I stuff my hands in the front pocket of my sweatshirt.
    “You broke the League rules, Damien. And you almost killed a superhero.”
    She should talk. She’s the one who’s always urging me to shoot first and ask questions later. Or at least she was, before she went crazy this fall and almost blew up a whole generation of supervillains. “I thought he was a murderer. And I didn’t almost kill him. Geez.”
    “What if he’d had a weak heart?”
    “A kidnapper with a weak heart? That would be his fault for choosing such a hazardous profession. And I thought you of all people would understand why I did it.”
    “I do understand, and that’s why I know you shouldn’t have done it.” She stops in front of a bookstore that sells mostly movies and games, pausing just long enough for us to get jostled by some overly aggressive shoppers before deciding to go inside. One of them glances back at us, obviously recognizing me, but he keeps moving. Sarah chews her lip. “Maybe you should join my rehabilitation program.”
    She means the self-imposed one she made for herself after the incident at Vilmore. “Wow, could I ? I didn’t realize you were accepting new members.”
    “We could use some more volunteers at the retirement home,” she says, leading me over to a wall of DVDs and not catching my sarcasm. “Though it would make more sense for you to work at one for superheroes instead of villains.”
    “Yeah, I’m not doing that. I don’t need rehabilitation, and neither do you.”
    “Maybe not anymore. Oh!” Her eyes light up, and she reaches out and grabs a boxed set of DVDs off the wall. “This would be perfect for Riley.”
    It’s a documentary. On the history of Golden City.
    Right.
    “Uh, Sarah...”
    “We saw part of it on TV, but we couldn’t watch the whole thing because we were going to the movies, and I know he was really disappointed about not getting to see the rest.”
    “Sure, but... You can’t get him that.”
    She scrunches up her face. “But it’s in my price range.”
    “Get him something cheaper. The more you save on him, the more you can spend on me.”
    “I already got your present. And you know how he loves historical documentaries. Even the boring ones.”
    Especially the boring ones. “You think it’s boring?”
    “It’s really slow. And pretentious. That’s the only reason it won