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“That’s what I said,” Nick muttered. “But she claims it’s because she’s undercover, gathering all she can about what Burke’s doing. She tried to stick it out with Action News as long as shecould, but she hit a wall. The only way she could get further was to join his campaign.”
Dad spoke for the first time. He’d been eerily quiet since coming to the backyard, face pinched. He’d taken a seat next to Cap and Mary, listening intently, but not saying a word. At least until it was time to ask the one question Nick knew was coming but didn’t know how to answer. “Do you believe her?”
“We don’t want to,” Seth said slowly. He glanced at the tablet Jazz held, the photo of Lauren and her father on the screen. Then he looked at Nick, silently asking for permission. Gnawing on his bottom lip, Nick nodded. “But she confirmed something that we’d heard from Owen and it makes us believe most of what she said.”
“What was that?” Chris asked.
Nick didn’t look at him. He only had eyes for Dad, going over to him and crouching down before him, taking his father’s hands in his own. Dad gripped him tightly. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Dad asked gruffly.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Nick whispered. “But no more secrets, yeah?”
Dad pulled his right hand free, wrapping it around the back of Nick’s neck. “No more secrets, kid. I can handle it.”
Nick nodded. He took a deep breath, knowing he was about to break Dad’s heart even more, but powerless to do anything to stop it. “She… the bank. The robbery. It was all a ruse. Burke ordered those men there. She—Momwouldn’t help him. He wanted to use her. She refused.” He swallowed thickly. “So he had her killed. It was Burke, Dad. He might not have pulled the trigger, but it was on his orders that she died.”
People began to mutter around them, but Nick didn’t look away from Dad, who exhaled explosively as if the breath had been knocked from his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, fingers on Nick’s neck digging in. When he opened his eyes again, they were wet, pained, but clear. “I… okay.” He gritted his teeth together. “I always thought there was more to it than we found out.”
“I’m sorry,” Nick said again.
Dad shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for, kid. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s me. I was the one who brought Burke into our lives. I was the one who thought he could help us. Help you. If I hadn’t…” He made a strangled noise, whatever else he wanted to say lost.
“It’s not your fault,” Martha said, causing both Nick and Dad to look at her. She smiled sadly, Bob nodding in his seat next to hers. “Not you. Not Nick. Not anyone here. It’s all on Burke, and we’ll remind you of that as long as you need us to.” Her smile faded slightly. “But that does raise some concerns.”
“About what?” Seth asked.
“Whether we’re thinking with our heads, and not our hearts,” Bob said, and Nick loved him for making it about all of them, not just Nick and Dad. “Stopping him is one thing, especially if it’s for the greater good. But if this is revenge, we’re going to fail before we begin. Anger changes a person. Blinds them, leading to mistakes. And the stakes are too high for that. I trust you, Nick. I won’t pretend to know what you and Aaron must be feeling right now, but I know what grief does to a person.”
“Jazz asked the same thing,” Nick said, glancing at his friend, who nodded at him, encouraging him on. “If I’d answered right away, I’d have said hell yes, it was about revenge. And I’d have meant it.”
“But,” Dad said.
“But then I remembered what someone did for me once, even though I didn’t know it at the time. I needed something to believe in. I needed a hero. And Seth knew that. He became Pyro Storm because he saw how much losing Mom destroyed me. It wasn’t about revenge for him. It was about trying to stop the same thing from happening to anyone else.”
Martha wiped her eyes. “He’s a good boy. The best, really.”
Seth blushed, but looked determined. “If we can stop Burke from hurting anyone else, then we owe it to them and ourselves to try. It’s not just about us, or what he’s donetous. It’s about protecting people, even if they hate us. It’s about making sureanyone who comes after us—anyone who can do what we can but are scared because of the rhetoric—gets to feel safe. Gets to be free to be who they are without fear. That’s why we’re doing this. That’s why we’re Lighthouse.”
“Spoken like a true hero,” Jo Kensington said. “I’m proud of you kids. I wish more than anything it didn’t have to be this way, but it is, and so long as you remember that you’re not alone, I know you’ll do the right thing. With our help, of course.”
“Damn right,” Miles agreed. “Lighthouse, with support from the Dad Squad.”
Aysha laughed. “I’m going to bedazzle the hell out of your shirts. A good team looks uniform, so no one gets to argue.”
“Hell yes,” Trey breathed. “We are going to look so badass.” He frowned. “Wait, back up. What are we saying here? We’re going to… what. Attack them head-on? Who’s going to believe us when Patricia Burke can change the way she looks? Or manipulate people and make them believe things that aren’t real?” He folded his arms. “If you think I’m going to let my daughter walk into a trap, you’re out of your damned minds.”
“Dad,” Gibby said. “I can handle myself. And even if you think I can’t, I’m eighteen now, which means I get to make my own decisions.”
“No one’s saying you can’t,” Aysha told her. “But this is different, Lola. This isn’t Smoke and Ice at your prom, though that was scary enough. This is Burke. We know what he’s capable of. And you do, too.”
“They’re right,” Miles said, and Jazz glared at him. “I can’t speak for Seth and Nick, but there are limitations to what the rest of us can do. The rest of us don’t have powers. Patricia Burke already got ahold of us once. What if she does it again, only this time, she makes you or all of us forget everything? You really think we’re going to put our daughter in that position?” He exchanged a glance with Jo, who nodded. “We can’t take that chance.”
“Ifwe’re going to do something,” Jo said, “and I’m not agreeing to anything yet, why couldn’t Jazz and Gibby run comms inthe secret lair like they always do?” She blanched. “Not that I want Seth and Nick in danger, but…”
Gibby and Jazz began to sputter angrily, and everyone else seemed to have an opinion on the matter, voices raised, talking over each other. It wasn’t until someone cleared their throat quite loudly that they all fell silent, looking at him. He had his legs crossed, fingers tapping on his thigh. “Hey,” he said. “Thanks for including me. I have no idea what’s going on, and this is some crazy-ass shit, but I like being part of things.”
“I don’t think I know who you are,” Mateo said, squinting at him.
