Cursed (Cursed Superheroes #1)(6)

He nods. “Yes.”

“Where do you keep the drugs?”

“In the glovebox in my car. And there’s some in my locker at school.”

I process what he just told me and come up with a plan to make him pay for everything he’s done. An anonymous call to the police and the principal. I’ll tell them that Ian hides drugs in his locker. That should do it.

Well, almost.

“Ian, you’ve been a very bad boy,” I tell him. “And I’m going to have to make you pay for what you’ve done to those girls.”

“Yes, please, make me pay,” he practically begs. “Punish me.”

“I will,” I promise with a sly smile. “Starting with dancing.”

He slants back, blinking dazedly. “Huh?”

I unloop my arms from around his neck and look him dead in the eye. “You’re going to dance all weekend long. Even when you go home tonight, you’ll keep dancing until Monday. Got it.”

“That’s what you want me to do? Really?” He gapes at me.

I nod, putting more distance between us. “Yep.”

He gulps. “Okay.” Then his feet start to tap and his arms begin to flail as he works to keep up with the pulsating tune of the song blaring.

I walk away, a smile creeping up on my face. “Ready to get in your swimsuit so we can chill in the hot tub?” I ask Jane. “It’s starting to sound more and more appealing.”

She nods, but wariness masks her expression. “I don’t know how you get guys to listen to everything you say. It’s the craziest thing.”

“They don’t listen to everything I say,” I lie as we finish the rest of the walk to the pool house.

“That’s such a lie. You have everyone wrapped around your little finger.”

Is that how she sees me? “I don’t do it on purpose.”

She raises her brows, giving me a really look.

“Well, unless it’s for a good cause,” I add. “You heard what Ian said. He deserves what’s coming to him.” But as I say it, guilt settles over me. The darkness inside my chest is gone and a giant voice has replaced it.

“You’re kind of like a vigilante.”

“Not really.”

“Sometimes you are. You’re always watching out for everyone. So just own that you’re a good person, okay?”

I nod, even though I’m not a good person. While I can justify what I did to Ian, I can’t justify the sick, twisted pleasure I get out of knowing he’ll suffer through the weekend. Then come Monday his life could be ruined. And I sure as hell can’t justify what I did to Max.

Stop thinking about him!

When we reach the pool house, Jane pokes her head inside. “There’s only one stall in here.”

If I were here with Steph or Kara, we’d probably just go in together. But Jane never changes in front of us.

“You go first,” I tell her.

Nodding, she slips in and shuts the door. I step back into the shadows and peel my black tank top over my head, kick my sneakers off, and slide my shorts down my legs. I want to glance over at the dance floor at Ian and see if he’s still dancing, but I’m too afraid to find out the answer.

“Oh look, just in time for a show.”

The deep, male voice comes out of nowhere and startles me so badly I trip over my feet. I stumble forward with my shorts around my knees and bang my elbow against the side of the brick pool house. The skin tears open and I bite down on my tongue in pain. I’ve never felt anything like it. Pain. So much pain.

Is that the first time I’ve felt pain before?

“God, that hurts,” I groan, cradling my elbow in my hand. I stare down at the gnarly gash on my smooth skin, blood seeping out. I’ve never seen anything like it, on myself anyway. “It looks so… disgusting.”

The guy steps out from the shadows with a smirk on his face. “Don’t be so over dramatic. It’s just a cut.” His eyes drag up my body, lingering too long on my bikini covered chest. “I’m sure you’ve had a ton of them before.”

“Of course I’ve had cuts before,” I lie. The truth is, I’ve never have. Not once. Not even so much as a paper cut. I know it’s weird, but I’m just not accident prone.

“Mmm… hmmm,” he nods his head as if agreeing with me, but his condescending tone suggests otherwise. “I’m sure you have.” He smirks again. “I mean, why would you lie about something so stupid?”

I’ve never had anyone talk or look at me this way before, and I’m unsure how to react.

“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but I—“

“Cameron,” he says, cutting me off.

“Huh?”

“You said you didn’t know who I am,” he explains, amused. “I’m Cameron. I just moved here from Sin City. I like long walks on the beach, even though I live nowhere near the beach. I’m a Gemini. And a fantastic lover. And I love to dance. There, now you know who I am.” He rakes his hand through his short blond hair then crosses his arms, watching me intently.

I blink at him, too stunned for words. His emphasis on love to dance doesn’t go unnoticed. Did he notice what I did to Ian? That he’ll be dancing all night because I asked him to?