Page 31 of Stryker

“Yeah, that makes sense.You were curious what your father had hidden away foryou.”

“What if I told you what Iimagined seeing is, in fact, what is truly inside?”

“You mean like you couldsee through the box to its contents without even openingit?”

“Yeah. Crazy,right?”

“What else has thisoccurred with?”

“It doesn’t happen all thetime, but I found that if I stare at something long enough, Iimagine an image in my mind. I never honestly thought perhaps I wasseeing what was really behind it. A few times I’d freak myself outand get lucky, or at least I thought it was just a lucky hunch, butnow, with this new information the detective gave us, I’m unsure ifitismyimagination.”

John didn’t want to look up atStryker. He didn’t want to see the look of doubt in his eyes. He’dnever told anyone this, not even Jason.

Stryker reached over and placed hishand under John’s chin, raising it slightly so he was looking athim.

“Hey, it’s okay. I believeyou.”

John searched Stryker’s face for anyhint that he might be lying or just playing along and foundnone.

“You do?”

“I do. Hell, on a missionlast year, Harris and his sister stopped a bullet in mid-air thatwould have killed Gator. Freddie can talk to spirits or the dead,and Conor can tell if a person is being truthful and if they’rehiding anything. According to the detective, he can heal at aninsane pace. So why wouldn’t I believe you have super X-ray visionof some sort? I trust you, and I think you trust me. We don’t lieto each other.”

John didn’t know what possessed him,but he jumped out of his chair and flew into Stryker’s arms. Theystood holding each other, and John had never felt as safe andunderstood since before his parents were killed.

“Thank you,Stryker.”

Stryker chuckled. “You’re welcome,Clark Kent,” he said teasingly. “I think we’ve just determined thisteam may be the new Justice League. I’m down with that.”

***

Stryker

If Stryker felt protective over Johnbefore, it was tenfold now. If people knew what he could do, theunsavory among the human race could use that ability to theiradvantage. Unlike Conor, Harris, and Jennifer, who could defendthemselves and those around them, John wasn’t in the same category.With his injury and without any formal training, he could be atarget for kidnapping.

“I think we should tellBrick about all this tomorrow, let him decide how we tell the restof the team,” Stryker said.

John looked at him.“Youdobelieveme?”

“I do. But I want to makesure Brick decides who should know the truth, and it certainlywon’t be that arsehole Woodley if I have any say in it. He seemsthe sort to use you as bait to find out what happened to his dad,without taking your welfare into consideration.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t thinkof the repercussions of anyone knowing about me.”

“That’s what you have mefor,” Stryker said. “Do you want to take a look through the boxnow?”

“Sure, we might as wellget this over with.”

John sat down at the table and tookitems out of the metal box individually.

“This was mygreat-grandfather’s watch. I remember my father telling me abouthim. He died in Korea.”

“Your family has a longhistory of service to this country.”

“Yeah, I’d hope to do thesame, but my injury stopped that.”

“There are different waysyou can help people.”

John nodded, but Stryker knew he wasalready lost in his thoughts as he stared at the watch. It was anold Timex, not of great value, but it obviously meant the world toJohn.

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