Judith (Queen's Birds of Prey 3)

Joel was just where Mercy had said he’d be. He didn’t try and shove Abe into the car but allowed him to move at his own pace. When he stood in front of the front door of the big limo, Joel not only opened it for him to sit inside, but he also asked if he’d allow him to buckle him in. It was the first time Abe had allowed anyone to do anything for him but her. She knew at that moment she could not only trust these people, but she thought she might be able to get them to take care of Abe as he needed to be.

“I’m going to be eighteen in a year and a half. I know people are only looking for babies. So if you have any pull with the couple you said is going to take us, I’d like for you to see if they’ll allow me to stay until I can get my brother situated.” Mercy asked her why she thought they’d turn her out when she turned eighteen. “As I said, people looking for children don’t want a grown woman hanging around too.”

“I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by Jude and Duncan. They’re as good a couple as that bitch isn’t.” They both heard laughter from the front seat, and Tracy knew it was her brother. “He’s had some trauma in his life, hasn’t he? Someone hurt him badly.”

“Yes.” She looked out the window as the houses became fewer and fewer, and the open fields became more. “His father did it. Not to him directly, but he sold him to one of his buddies. His mom thought it was a hoot. He has nightmares about it, and I got the information from him when I woke him from a bad dream.”

“Does he visit them?” Tracy said he’d not seen them since they’d been arrested. “Do you think he’d want anything to do with them?”

“No. Why?” Mercy didn’t say anything, but Joel did. He asked her if he would be happy if they were gone. “You mean dead? I doubt very much he’s given much thought about them being around him very much. I’m sure he couldn’t care less if they were alive or dead. However, I don’t want you to do it. You’re very ready to right wrongs with killing, aren’t you?”

“In this, selling that young man to other men is a killing offense if you ask me. No one, especially a parent, should ever have something like that even enter their head about their own flesh and blood. Do you?” Tracy didn’t, but she didn’t want this woman to have it on her conscience that she’d killed someone. “Killing them won’t ever be on my mind after they’re gone. People like them make me physically ill. The very fact they can be alive while he’s suffering as he does is enough to make me want to lose my temper with them.”

“Don’t do it. Why should they not have to live every day with the consequences of their actions? Both of them are in solitary confinement to keep the other inmates from killing them. To me, being cut off from everything around them is more of a punishment than you ending their time in prison.” Tracy looked at them both. “I’m not going to ask you for a promise to kill them. I don’t think I have to. What I am going to ask you is, would you not do so? Would you please not kill them while they’re in prison?”

“All right.” She knew that it had been hard for Mercy to give her what she wanted. Tracy told her she’d owe her for this. “I’ll take that too. You will owe me one favor. A favor of whatever I ask, you’ll do. I will tell you it will be nothing illegal, nor will it be harmful to you or your brother’s health and wellbeing.”

They were pulling up in front of

the large castle when Tracy put out her hand. Mercy looked at it, then at her. Tracy wasn’t sure she would take it at all until she spoke.

“I’m magical, as I’m sure you’ve gathered. Touching our hands, it will give you something. I’m not sure what, but you will get some of my magic.” She smiled at her then. “You’ll also get some from all the birds, now that I think on it. This could be really fun.”

When she got out of the car, Tracy looked at Joel. He was grinning as well. She asked him about birds and what that meant. His laughter wasn’t very encouraging.

“We’re all birds. All of us. I would guess you will be as well.” He got out then, and she still sat there.

Mercy looked into the limo where she was still sitting and put out her hand. The moment their fingers touched, Tracy felt it. The tingling down her arm told her she was going to be in deeper shit than she’d realized the moment she and her brother entered the house. But they’d be safe. For her, that was more than enough to put up with a little magic and some tiny birds. What kind of harm could a bird do to her if she messed up? Time would tell, Tracy supposed. Hopefully, she had plenty of time left to figure it out.

Mercy was still laughing as they entered the castle with Abe. Holy crap monkeys, Tracy thought, it really was a castle. And there were beautiful decorations everywhere. Abe just stood in the middle of the great hall and looked around.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The whispered voice could only be one person. “You’ll get back into whatever brought you here right this minute and go back to the home. I will deal with you later.”

“I sent for them.” Tracy turned to look at the beautiful woman standing next to a tall man. “You were told when arrangements were made that everyone was to come to this party. If you want to talk to me about it later, I’ll be all ears. But for now, come along, Tracy, my husband and I would like a word with you and your brother Abe.”

Tracy followed the woman and her husband to the room with the Christmas tree. While Tracy didn’t know exactly what was in store for her at the end of the day, she decided she and Abe would have the best time of their lives today. Tomorrow might find them both locked away again, but the here and now was going to be for them.

Chapter 5

Duncan kept an eye on Mr. Bloom. As soon as he arrived, he became grandda to each and every child he came in contact with. With the adults, he was a little less friendly, but especially Mrs. Holloway. The first words out of the older man’s mouth were a snide remark about her so-called job.

When one of the younger kids asked to pull on Mr. Bloom’s beard, Duncan was making his way to them when the elderly man laughed and allowed her to pull on it. Duncan was still standing close to him when he reached up to close his mouth.

“You’re confused.” Duncan nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Something that your new missus spoke to me about when she came out to the house. She sure is a pushy little thing, isn’t she?”

“She doesn’t have to be pushy with me. I do what she wants.” Mr. Bloom said he was a good man for that. “Why are you here? Not that I mind you coming to see the children. They have so extraordinarily little in their lives as it is. They’ve taken a shine to you, that’s for sure.”

“I love children. Always have.” The two of them watched as the children played with some of the toys they’d unearthed. “My missus and I weren’t blessed with any children. We both wanted them, but I had me something terrible when I was overseas—mumps, of all things. Anyway, when she passed a few years ago, I found myself all alone and not feeling very sociable anymore. You know, you could do a lot for this town if you wanted.”

“Such as? I’ve been working on a few projects. My wife and I are going to help with a couple of things for the schools, as well as the elderly home. What else do you think I should get my hands dirty with?” He nodded toward Ms. Holloway. “I don’t think the two of you have been friends. Something I should know about?”

“Yes. Plenty. But I’m only going to tell you what I experienced with her. She don’t let them kids go.” Duncan didn’t understand what he meant. Mr. Bloom walked toward his office, and Duncan followed him inside. Shutting the door seemed to have been all the signal he needed to speak freely. “She’s a rotten bitch if you ask me. Me and my missus, as I said, we weren’t able to have any children. At the time, she had about a dozen babies there—war babies, they were called back then. Mothers couldn’t raise them on their own when the daddy was killed. You understand that story. Anyway, she told us point blank that the kids were for her. She was going to see that they got them a good home. Let me ask you something, young man. Do I strike you as a person that would harm a little fellow? No. I’m telling you right now, I would have given just about anything for us to be able to take one of them babies on. But she kept them, right up until they weren’t cute no more. I’m thinking she does something with them. Ain’t a soul I know that has gotten a single child out of that place.”

“I can look into that—I will look into that. Just give me a second and—” Mr. Bloom asked him what he was. “You mean other than a man? I have a great deal of magic. But for what I might be called, I guess you could say bird. My wife, she’s an eagle. Her sisters, all of them, they’re birds as well.”

“They ain’t sisters though, are they? Not that it matters, but a man can see they’re closer than any sisters would be. Love you men, too.” Duncan said he hoped so. “Plain as the nose on your face that she loves you. You do something with your magic and look into the bitch from the school’s head. I know you can do it. Can’t you?”

“I can.” Duncan could do it, but since he wasn’t sure what he would be looking for, he just reached out to her mind. “Christ.”