Page 51 of The Outcast
“Hmm, I’ll spare you the gruesome details then.”
Aubri looked at me when she spoke up. “He told Banni and me that his father abused him.”
Raven answered, “That would explain the sadism that was involved in the murder.”
Swallowing hard, I looked down. The thought of Sparrow in the hands of a deranged sadist made the ball of lava in my stomach hurt again.
“What kind of sadism are we talking about?” Indiana asked with deep frown lines on his face.
“Where do I start? The list is long. Among other things, Keith cut off all his father’s fingers, his tongue, and gouged out his eyeballs.”
Covering his eyes with a hand, Indiana groaned. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“Yeah, and it’s not like it was done in a fit of rage. The torture was spread out over weeks. Some of the injuries were over a month old, which suggests that Keith took his time torturing his old man. If he can do that to his father, there’s no question that Sparrow is in extreme danger.” Raven’s tone dripped with worry.
I felt sick from all the worst-case examples going through my mind.
With moist eyes, Aubri reached over and touched my shoulder. “Banni, you look like you’re about to pass out.”
“We need to save Sparrow from that disturbed sociopath.”
Raven’s voice sounded in the cabin again, “We’re working on it. But listen, Indy, can you do me a favor and call Mom. She’s trying to get in contact with me, but I’m a little busy orchestrating the search and rescue with our personnel. You know that Sparrow is like a second daughter to her and just like the rest of us, Mom is out of her mind with worry.”
“I will call her right now,” Indiana promised his sister and hung up.
When Christina answered his call, she was crying. “Did you find her?”
“No, Mom, not yet.”
“Oh, poor Sparrow. How could you let someone with mental health issues in as a candidate?”
“We didn’t know. I’m not aware of any papers or diagnoses to warn us.”
“I called Athena and asked her and Linea to do that energy thing that they do. Finn says that they’ve found missing children before so I’m thinking that it can’t hurt.”
“That’s sweet of you, Christina, but we need solid clues and not feelings,” Aubri said.
“I understand, but that time I threw my back out, Athena healed me, and she made Jones’ eyesight better when he was a boy. You remember that, don’t you, Indy?”
“I can’t say that I do, Mom, but I’m sure you’re right. Athena’s energy work can’t hurt. Are you alone?”
“No, your dad dropped me and Lara off at the school. I’m trying to comfort Kya but I’m afraid I’m of no use because I can’t stop crying.”
“Stay strong. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we know something.”
“Thank you, dear.”
The cabin fell into silence as rain drummed on the glass roof of the drone. The atmosphere was heavy, and I was sweating as if we had to row the drone across the sky.
With too much time and nothing to do but wait for the drone to arrive at a place we knew Sparrow was no longer at, I had time to think about everything that had happened between us. Never had I connected with a female the way I did with Sparrow. She laughed at my jokes and always made me feel appreciated and cared for. She had told me that she was in love with me. No one in the world had ever spoken those words to me. I regretted that the indoctrination from my culture had prevented me from admitting to myself and Sparrow what was so obvious to me in that moment: my feelings were as strong as hers.
The sad expression on her face last night would haunt me until the day I died. Sitting in my seat, I leaned my head against the window and thought back to my youth. There had been moments with romantic emotions but the few times that I’d dared hint at them, the recipient had shut me down the same way that I had shut down Sparrow last night.
I raised a hand and covered my face wishing I could take back the things I said to her. If I could turn back time, I would go into that room, shake myself, and whisper in my ear what a giant ass I was for rejecting the most precious gift of my life.
“Are you crying?” Aubri asked me.
Lowering my hand, I opened my eyes. “What if I am?”
