Hero Unmasked: 3 (Heroes of Saturn) Read Free Page B

tow trucks arrived and Dhavin waved one to the front of the accident where he stood and the second around the back to where Officer Reutgers hung half in and half out of the broken back window of an SUV, tending to a victim.
    Dhavin waved to the woman huddled in the driver’s seat of the car on his end. “Hang tight, Ms. Shurgard. We’ll have you out soon.”
    She gave him a weak nod and sank farther into her seat, curling into a tight ball and warily watching the roof above her creak and moan as the weight crushing the car was lessened.
    He accepted a hook from the tow truck driver and crawled under the vehicle and attached it to the front axle. The sound of shifting timber encouraged him to work quickly and shimmy out to a safer location. He climbed back to his feet and reached for his radio. “Ready. Reutgers, you secure?”
    “We have a go. In three. Three. Two. One.”
    Dhavin waved the go-ahead for the driver to start pulling, and he heard the wrecker on the other side begin to drag its load. The scrape of wood on metal made his teeth ache. As the cars began to move, the blockage of logs shuddered.
    “Chameleon,” Dhavin shouted. “We have to move.”
    Kristos nodded and stepped up his movements.
    The SUV cleared the barricade sooner than the sedan, tipping the rest of the load in Dhavin’s direction. A log with the diameter of a big-wheel tire slid toward his head. With lightning-fast reflexes, he threw up his hand, stopping its momentum an inch from his nose.
    His arm trembled under the weight as he held the avalanche up so the sedan could continue its slow slide to safety. Sweat rolled down his face as his muscles spasmed with the exertion.
    “Come on. Come on,” he muttered through tightly clenched teeth.
    With a grunt, he kicked at the bumper, sending it skidding the last several feet before he dropped his hand and leapt to the side.
    The ground trembled and a tremendous dust cloud arose, obscuring all vision as timber crashed to the road.
    Dhavin swatted at the bits of flying wood splinters. “Is everyone all right?”
    Brett ran to his side. “Were you hit?”
    “No. I am good. Is everyone clear?”
    “Yeah. Barely. Smooth move there.” Her features tightened as her eyes widened and her pointed glare went to the car with the boot-sized dent in its bumper.
    “Just performing my duty, ma’am.”
    All around them the crowd cheered and waved their arms. Their elation raised the hair on his neck and made him feel like he was floating on air. He helped to save the day, yet no one was looking in his direction. Following their gaze, he spotted the Chameleon on the roof, one hand lifted in acknowledgment of their praise. Kristos nodded once then fled, skipping from rooftop to rooftop away from the scene.
    Disappointment settled on Dhavin’s shoulders. If this had been his day off, he’d be the one in the suit receiving all the accolades and being called hero instead of his cousin.
    Hell, he didn’t begrudge Kristos of the attention. When he wore the mask, his efforts were just as celebrated. But today the praise for his cousin bothered him. More specifically, the praise of one person.
    Fiona was jumping up and down, her hands cupped to her mouth, shouting her jubilation. Even at this distance he could see the sparkle in her eyes.
    That was what he wanted. He wanted her to look at him as if he were her hero.
    “Come on.” Brett slapped him on the back. “Let’s start directing the cleanup so we can head home.”
    Home.
    The word went right into his ear and struck a nerve that made the muscles in his jaw clench.
    Home for the time being was living in his cousin Lucian’s former room at the house of their adopted Earth-uncle. It was comfortable and Uncle Harlan was an easy man to live with, but it wasn’t really a home. Not like what Kristos had with Brett, or Lucian had with his wife Amaryllis. He was missing the hearth to his home.
    Ahh.
    The realization struck him dumb for a moment. So there was