Tending Their SECRET (24 page)
I’d already taken communications classes in
college, because I wanted to try something other than science, but
it did nothing to prepare me for the work I’ve been doing for the
past ten years. I’m thankful to the mentors for putting us through
the rigorous training they do, and for believing in me when I
struggled. This butterfly came out flying, and I’ve never looked
back. Well, at least not much.
It’s hard to ignore the boy who broke your
heart when he’s on every movie screen in America. And if I’m honest
with myself, I haven’t wanted to ignore him. Despite what he and
his friends did to me, a little part of me still loves him, and
probably always will.
“Isn’t that Blake Armstrong?” Ares asks me,
gesturing to where Blake is sitting with his many admirers.
“Yep,” I say with a quick glance, before
looking away again.
“Who’s the girl sitting near him?”
I look over and see her. A girl with glasses
and a book open on her lap. She looks to be around twelve, and my
heart breaks as I see that everyone around her is ignoring her. My
feet are moving before I can make them stop.
“Hi,” I say, sitting on the ground next to
her. “What are you reading?”
“Powerless.
It’s a book about superheroes and villains. Lame,
right?”
“Superheroes are definitely not lame. I love
superheroes.”
“Really? But you’re so pretty.”
“Thank you. You’re very pretty too. And yes,
I love them. So do most of my friends.”
“I love superheroes, too,” Ares says,
sitting down with us.
“I’ve seen you on the internet,” She tells
him.
“Sometimes people like to take pictures of
me because I drive fast cars,” he says with a shrug.
I could hug him right now. He has a tendency
to be an egotistical ass on occasion, but he’s holding it back for
this little girl. “Thank you” I mouth to him. He just nods back at
me.
“People take pictures of my dad, too.”
“Your dad?” I ask.
“Yeah. Blake Armstrong.”
Well, isn’t this ironic. The man who broke
my heart because I was a nerd, now has a daughter who could’ve been
me all those years ago. I don’t have time to ponder this any
longer, because the man in question is now standing over us.
“You okay, Jeanne?”
“Yeah. I’m fine, Dad. Just talking about
superheroes.”
“Do I know you?” Blake asks us.
“We met at one of my races last year,” Ares
tell him.
“I was talking to her.”
I stand up and motion for us to walk away
from Ares and Jeanne. “Know me? No, you don’t know me. I’m just the
nerdy girl you invited to prom, and then stood up because it was a
joke to you and your friends.”
“Audrey?”
“Hello, Blake.”
“You look great.”
“I know.” I tip my chin to his daughter.
“She seems like a pretty awesome kid. Make sure you treat her that
way.”
“I do. I’m sorry for what I did to you.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
There’s a commotion, and I see four men in
masks surrounding Jeanne and Ares. They’re not here for him. I know
that in my bones. Blake starts to move towards them, but I stop
him. “Stay here.”
I activate my distress signal, and grab the
gun from my purse. I see the weakest link and move on him, taking
him out easily. Ares grabs Jeanne and runs her over to Blake. I’m
shocked to see Reina approach them—how did she get here so fast? I
don’t have time to contemplate her appearance, or Ainsley’s, as we
both hold off the masked men until they start a fire and run.
We get everyone safely out of the area, and
take care of the fire before heading for the parking lot. “Is this
your mission, Ainsley?”
“Yes. I didn’t know you’d be here. It’s your
reunion?”
“Sadly, yes.”
She leads me into a shuttle bus where I see
Ares, Blake, Reina, and Jeanne are waiting for us. Blake stands
when I walk in. “You’re one of them? The Society?”
I look to Reina, who nods. “Yes, I am.”
“You’ll help my little girl then, right? You
have to help her. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met in my
life. I need you, Audrey, please help us.”
I want to say no. I want to remind him of
how he left me waiting for him in my lemon yellow prom dress for
hours while he was already there with his real date. Of how his
friends tormented me for the rest of the year, while he laughed at
their pranks. But I don’t. That little part of me that will be in
love with Blake Armstrong forever won’t let me.
“Yes. I’ll help you, Blake.”
As always, a big thank you to Dominique and
Gabi for making me proud every day.
Helen Williams, Jesse Gordon, and Ally
Murphy are a great team to have, and I appreciate all the hard work
they do for me!
For my friends, both in person and on the
internet, thanks for always supporting me!
And of course, thanks to my readers for
loving the Society!
Crystal Perkins has always been a big
reader, but she never thought she would write her own book, until
she did. She lives in Las Vegas, where you can find her running
author events and selling books at conventions when she isn’t
reading, buying too many Sherlock t-shirts online or finding a
place to put all of her Pop! figurines. A mac and cheese
connoisseur, she travels the country looking for the perfect
version, while attending book conventions and signings as a cover
for her research. The Griffin Brothers series and the Corrigan
& Co. series are international best sellers, and she’s thankful
to the readers who made those things happen!
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