hand against his chest. “It’s in my bag in the laundry room.”
Abe’s feeling that there was a lot more going on here than he knew about, or had been informed of, was growing stronger with every passing moment. The things that he was seeing just weren’t matching up to the things that he read about in the monthly briefings that had been sent to him and Ben.
He tried to seem nonthreatening as he smiled down at Daniel but he wasn’t sure he had achieved his goal when Daniel gulped. “You have nothing to be afraid of, Daniel. I would never hurt you.” He’d rather cut off his arm than raise a hand to Daniel.
“Danny.”
“Excuse me?”
“My name is Danny. Only my father and siblings call me Daniel.”
Abe’s jaw dropped. “Your father?”
Danny nodded. “Charles O’Shay.”
“Daniel, Char—”
“Danny.”
Abe smiled, nodding. “Danny.”
“Thank you.”
Abe nodded again.
“What were you going to say about my father?”
“Uh…” Abe suddenly didn’t want to be the one to tell Danny that Charles O’Shay wasn’t his father, especially if he had grown up believing differently. Taking away his father also meant taking away his brothers and sister. It would leave Danny without the family he had grown up with. He just couldn’t do that to Danny.
“We should really go get your inhaler,” Abe said instead. “We can talk about Charles later.”
Abe grabbed Danny’s good arm and started toward the door. Danny cringed and pulled back, trying to yank his arm away. “Please, I don’t like to be touched.”
“Oookay.” Abe would find out why that was if it was the last thing he did. If Danny grew up in the loving bosom of Charles’s family as they had been led to believe, then what had happened to him that made him afraid of touch?
Abe met his brother’s eyes as he walked by. “We’re going to get Danny’s inhaler.”
“Danny?” Ben’s eyes moved to the smaller man as he spoke silently to Abe.
“He prefers to be called Danny. He says only his father, Charles, and his siblings call him Daniel.”
“But—” Ben’s lips thinned as he pressed them together. “Is that what he really believes?”
“Yes.” Abe growled out loud even though he sent the word mentally to his brother. He just couldn’t keep from making the deep menacing sound, not when he was so enraged that his beast was starting to rouse even more. “We need to hurry up and get this over with so we can leave here before I rip this fucker’s head off.”
“We don’t know the whole story, Abe.”
“We know enough.” Careful not to touch Danny, Abe waved toward the door. “Let’s go, Danny.”
Danny licked his lips, clearly nervous and unsure of what to do. His eyes darted to Charles. “Father?”
Abe could see a runaway train headed right for Danny in Charles’s O’Shay’s spiteful eyes and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He couldn’t plug Danny’s ears and he would never reach Charles in time to keep him silent.
“I’m not your father.”
Abe expected Danny to be devastated, to maybe even cry. That was what other people did when the man that had raised them announced that he wasn’t their father. Danny just stared for the longest moment, his expression a stone mask, unreadable.
And then he glanced up at Abe. “Is that true?”
Abe winced in sympathy. “I’m afraid it is, Danny.”
Danny glanced at the others standing around Charles, nodding toward them. “And them? Are they my brothers and sister?”
“No.”
“Oh, thank god.” Abe’s eyebrows shot up when Danny grabbed his shirt and leaned his forehead against Abe’s chest. “That’s the best birthday present I’ve ever received.”
“You’re happy that you’re not related to them?” What had the O’Shay family done to Danny to make him dislike them so much that he would be happy they were not related?
Danny had a deep-seated anger in his eyes when he tilted his head back and looked up at Abe. It was
Abe’s feeling that there was a lot more going on here than he knew about, or had been informed of, was growing stronger with every passing moment. The things that he was seeing just weren’t matching up to the things that he read about in the monthly briefings that had been sent to him and Ben.
He tried to seem nonthreatening as he smiled down at Daniel but he wasn’t sure he had achieved his goal when Daniel gulped. “You have nothing to be afraid of, Daniel. I would never hurt you.” He’d rather cut off his arm than raise a hand to Daniel.
“Danny.”
“Excuse me?”
“My name is Danny. Only my father and siblings call me Daniel.”
Abe’s jaw dropped. “Your father?”
Danny nodded. “Charles O’Shay.”
“Daniel, Char—”
“Danny.”
Abe smiled, nodding. “Danny.”
“Thank you.”
Abe nodded again.
“What were you going to say about my father?”
“Uh…” Abe suddenly didn’t want to be the one to tell Danny that Charles O’Shay wasn’t his father, especially if he had grown up believing differently. Taking away his father also meant taking away his brothers and sister. It would leave Danny without the family he had grown up with. He just couldn’t do that to Danny.
“We should really go get your inhaler,” Abe said instead. “We can talk about Charles later.”
Abe grabbed Danny’s good arm and started toward the door. Danny cringed and pulled back, trying to yank his arm away. “Please, I don’t like to be touched.”
“Oookay.” Abe would find out why that was if it was the last thing he did. If Danny grew up in the loving bosom of Charles’s family as they had been led to believe, then what had happened to him that made him afraid of touch?
Abe met his brother’s eyes as he walked by. “We’re going to get Danny’s inhaler.”
“Danny?” Ben’s eyes moved to the smaller man as he spoke silently to Abe.
“He prefers to be called Danny. He says only his father, Charles, and his siblings call him Daniel.”
“But—” Ben’s lips thinned as he pressed them together. “Is that what he really believes?”
“Yes.” Abe growled out loud even though he sent the word mentally to his brother. He just couldn’t keep from making the deep menacing sound, not when he was so enraged that his beast was starting to rouse even more. “We need to hurry up and get this over with so we can leave here before I rip this fucker’s head off.”
“We don’t know the whole story, Abe.”
“We know enough.” Careful not to touch Danny, Abe waved toward the door. “Let’s go, Danny.”
Danny licked his lips, clearly nervous and unsure of what to do. His eyes darted to Charles. “Father?”
Abe could see a runaway train headed right for Danny in Charles’s O’Shay’s spiteful eyes and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He couldn’t plug Danny’s ears and he would never reach Charles in time to keep him silent.
“I’m not your father.”
Abe expected Danny to be devastated, to maybe even cry. That was what other people did when the man that had raised them announced that he wasn’t their father. Danny just stared for the longest moment, his expression a stone mask, unreadable.
And then he glanced up at Abe. “Is that true?”
Abe winced in sympathy. “I’m afraid it is, Danny.”
Danny glanced at the others standing around Charles, nodding toward them. “And them? Are they my brothers and sister?”
“No.”
“Oh, thank god.” Abe’s eyebrows shot up when Danny grabbed his shirt and leaned his forehead against Abe’s chest. “That’s the best birthday present I’ve ever received.”
“You’re happy that you’re not related to them?” What had the O’Shay family done to Danny to make him dislike them so much that he would be happy they were not related?
Danny had a deep-seated anger in his eyes when he tilted his head back and looked up at Abe. It was
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