Page 95 of Black Bird

They both quieted and Kane lifted his eyes. Nick watched the blue turn to the darkest black he’d ever seen. It was like staring death right in its face. The black spread like ink until there was no white left in his eyes at all.

“We let them. If they’re brave enough … they’ll have me to deal with,” he said in a voice that had every hair standing on end. A wicked smirk curled up one side of Kane’s mouth and Nick swallowed hard.

“Could you return that to her for me? Tell her that her job is safe. I just want her to remain safe as well.”

Kane raised up from his chair, his eyes returning to their normal color. “Thanks for the heads up. If anything else seems off, I would assume you know to call me.”

“You got it.” Nick nodded, stiffly.

The detective didn’t say another word. He spun his keys around his finger and headed for the door. He wished he could have the confidence that man had. There wasn’t anything Nick wouldn’t do for the sake of his family, but even dying for them might not be enough to keep them safe. Maybe becoming whatever Kane was would benefit him. As thedoor shut and he was left alone, he reminded himself of how unhappy anyone associated with that coven seemed to be … even with immortality.

Nick let that idea slip right out of his head.

There were tears, and plenty of photos taken with grateful parents and sick children as Conrad Stratford met with hospital staff and cancer-stricken families that should have made him feel … bad about this. As he shook hands with the president of the children’s hospital, and carried a list in his pocket of possible candidates to receive a trial of the drug he was hoping to present to the world, he wondered why he felt nothing. His wretched existence must have finally consumed him at this point. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation to look down at the top five names of those children and try to make a decision. All were willing recipients, per their desperate parents, and all were under ten years old.

He found two with the same condition. The one he was most inclined to try for. Acute myeloid leukemia—cancer of the blood. Decidedly, the most fatal with the lowest survival rate after five years of diagnosis. Conrad spoke with a nurse to find the room where the first child sat occupied with two books in her lap, surprised to see her alone. His secretary, Gretchen, followed behind him and pushed the press back as she closed the door behind them.

“Good afternoon.” He smiled, seeming everything like the caring father he wasn’t. “Are you Anne?” The frail little girl looked up from her books at him, her head bare and bruised. As were several other places on her arms and hands.

“Depends on who’s asking … are you here to pump me with more crap?” she asked. Conrad smiled at her boldness.

“My name is Conrad. I’m—”

“I know who you are.” She closed her book and sat up straighter. “You’re the senator with the dashing son.”

Gretchen snorted as she stood with her leather binder by the door. He was inclined to follow up with a chuckle of his own. “How old are you, Anne?”

“I’ll be ten next month … that is, if I make it that long.” She leaned back against a stack of pillows. He admired her spunk.

“You don’t sound like a ten-year-old girl. I would have guessed at least sixteen.” He gestured toward her books. “What are you reading?”

“Books about law … and one true crime story when my mom isn’t around.”

“That’s a little stiff for a girl your age, isn’t it?”

She shrugged. “I know what I want. If I don’t live to be old enough to get it, then at least I can pretend there’s hope while I’m still here.”

“And what is it that you want, Anne?” he asked, stepping closer.

“I wanna be a lawyer. The kind that makes headlines. A badass in a suit that nobody wants to mess with … not even disease.” She smirked. “You know … kinda like your son.”

Conrad huffed a laugh. “I see. So that’s why you know him.”

“Oh, if I live through this, I’m gonna marry him.”

He and Gretchen had a good laugh at that one. He pulled a chair up to the side of her bed. “May I?” he asked. Anne nodded. Conrad sat and scooted closer. Cameras flashed outside the window by the door. “Where are your parents?”

“Downstairs having lunch with my older sister. I’ve been waiting for them to leave so I could get my book out.”

“I’m sorry we disturbed you.”

“It’s okay.” She shrugged again. “So … are you gonna tell me why you’re here?”

“Straight to the point. I like it.” He smiled. “I came to offer you a way out. Your parents applied for a clinical trial since you haven’t been responding to treatment. I wanted to offer you a place in the trial if you’re interested … personally.”

“Why would a senator be offering me something like that instead of a doctor?”

Conrad leaned forward. “Because I’m half the reason the option exists. And I’m looking for the bravest soldiers. You seem like you’re one of those.”

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