Piper (Queen's Birds of Prey #4) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,28

The man picked him up when Benson started for the couch again. “I’m sorry. The doctor told me I don’t have long to live. Please, make sure you clean up well. I’d hate to have you get what I have.”

The man, Grant, looked at his wife. When she nodded, the most extraordinary thing happened. The man put his hand over his chest, and Benson felt...well, he felt wonderful. Like every bit of his body was given a power-up like they give you in games.

“You’ll have to rest for a little while. In the meantime, I’m going to order us some food.” Grant told Piper he’d go get something. When he kissed the woman goodbye, Benson had a feeling he’d startled her with the kiss. Shaking his head, he wondered what was going on. Piper sat across from him. “All right. In the event you have no idea what just happened, I’ll explain. Grant cured you of everything you had recently. You’ll live a full and good life. If, and this is a huge if, you don’t fuck up. If you do, I will shift into my bird and burn you to a fucking crisp. I’m a phoenix, and I’m well within my rights to murder you where you sit.”

He stared at her for several seconds before he nodded. Under normal circumstances, he would have laughed at her, or at the very least, called her a liar. But he was feeling good, better than he had in years, and he knew it was because of something unspoken between her and Grant. She leaned back on the chair she was sitting on.

“You believe me.” He said he had no reason not to believe her. He, as a matter of fact, was feeling too good to doubt her. “Abe has no idea that we’re here to get you. We’ve not told him anything about you saying you’re his biological father either. And until we can figure out what kind of scam you’re running—if any, I mean—then he won’t. He’s a wonderful kid, and there isn’t any way I’m going to see him hurt again.”

“Did Retha hurt him?” Nothing. Not even a blink of her eye. “I have a feeling he was one of the children that were raped in that home, wasn’t he? You don’t have to answer me. But I do want you to know that had I known he was there, I would have gone to get him. I tried to buy him when Retha put him up for sale a few years ago. But somehow, she slipped by me, and the police and I missed him.”

“Jude said you had a DNA test done. Why didn’t you take that to the police when you found out he was your son?” He told her about how he was dying. “You’re not now. You won’t—unless, as I said, you fuck up. How long did she live with you? Retha. Did she hurt Abe when he was here?”

“She lived here with him for a few months. About three, I think. Abe was about three months old when she arrived. As for her hurting him? I’m not sure if you consider neglecting him hurting him, but I do. Retha ignored him over partying the entire time she was here. I didn’t say anything to her. I wanted to make sure Abe was well taken care of. Then about six weeks after she up and left, I found out that I have AIDS. I’d not slept with her when she returned. I got it from her when she conceived Abe.” Again, he felt the tears fill his eyes. “If you end up ending my life, could I please, just once, see him? From a distance, if that’s all I can have. I’ve been worried about him since he was brought here.”

She went to the door and opened it just as Grant was there. When he came in, he put the large bag on the table and went to help Benson up. He wasn’t nearly as weak as he had been, but he was still unsteady on his feet. Glad for the help and the food, he bawled like a baby when they sat the boxes of Chinese food in front of him.

“Come on, big guy. Eat up, and we’ll be on our way.” Grant spoke to him in a soft voice. There was no censure to what he was saying, either. While the two of them spoke about speaking to Duncan about something, he gathered himself