Piper (Queen's Birds of Prey #4) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,12

else?”

“The police. I guess they dropped me off at the hospital. I’d been hurt by my parents, so they’d have a reason for wanting me there. Then they left. The police took me to the home that night. That’s where I met Tracy.” She nodded and thought about the second question. “Ask me. I can take it.”

“You were sexually abused at the home. Did you...were you abused at home with your parents?” He said no. No hesitation, just a simple no. “How were you hurt when they dropped you off?”

Abe stood up and pulled his sleeve to his shirt to his elbow. The mark there made her think the fucking shits had burned him. However, when she touched it, Piper saw just what had happened to have scarred the kid for life.

“What do you want me to do?” He sat back down, and she watched his face. He wasn’t as readable as she had hoped he’d be. When he put his hands on the table, laying his over hers, she braced herself for whatever he was about to say to her. “Tell me, Abe.”

“Dead. I want them dead.” He squeezed her hands. “I know you can do it. I know you and the other birds have killed before. They’re not going to stop, I don’t think, until they have me dead. I know I can’t die, but I was told I could be mutilated in a way that would be forever. Like blinded. They cut off my hand or something. They’ll also try and hurt Mom and Dad. Tracy too. I don’t want them to come here at all.”

Piper told him she’d talk to him later about what he wanted. After that, the two of them talked about the clay and how to work it. She was sure that whatever else they’d done to him, it was going to be far worse than anyone had thought. Piper was afraid to look and see what she could learn about his biological parents.

When she took him home, Piper was glad to see the others were at the castle. After Abe said he needed to work on something, he left them in the living room. Piper stood up and started to pace. Telling them what she’d learned tonight was difficult to share. It wasn’t breaking a promise to him—he’d told her she could talk to the others. But it was going to hurt Duncan and Jude a great deal, she thought.

“I’ve had a long conversation with Abe. There are things he told me, things I’m sure you’ve not been aware of. Mostly it has to do with his parents.” Piper looked at Mercy. “You need to find them. Now. He believes they’re on their way here.”

“They are. That’s why we’re here tonight to figure out what to do about it. Since Christmas, I’ve had a couple of people keeping an eye on them. They’re making their way here to reclaim their son.” Piper asked her where they were. “They’re having difficulties that are keeping them from arriving too soon. What is it you know that we should?”

“Abe wants them dead.” No one said a word for several minutes. “He’s terrified they’re going to try and take him and then harm you guys. I didn’t tell him they were coming; he knew they were. I think, like Dante, he can see bits of the future.”

~*~

Abe waited in line to purchase the map he was going to work from. After reading the instructions through twice, he knew he could use a purchased map to start his project, but he had to make it wholly his. Excitement ran over his body as he was next in line to buy what he needed.

The little store wasn’t busy. It was one of the new shops that had opened in town a few weeks ago—an art supply store that had everything a person could want to work on something fun. He’d been tempted to buy himself some of the paints that were on the shelf, but he didn’t want to be distracted from what he was doing now. Maybe later, he told himself.

Then he saw the woman coming into the store with a big man. As they walked by him, Abe was pushed back a few feet. Neither of them said a word to him, but Abe knew they were in here for trouble. He did the only thing he could think of and reached out to his dad. He knew he was in town today for several meetings.