The Missing

and by the time they met up in the hallway, Taige had the answers. It left a hell of a lot more questions though.

    Yes, Leon had another child.

    Yes, he was someplace with the child right now.

    But that was when the answers stopped and new questions began. Because it was a child Penny knew somehow, a child Penny had put into Leon’s hands, knowing what he’d do.

    She’s got evil inside her, Leon. Bad, nasty evil. You need to purify her.

    And as she said it, she’d stared at Leon with the blind devotion of a madwoman.

    “Taige . . .” Penny gave Taige a puzzled look and glanced back the busted front door. “Do you know what happened to the front door?”

    “I did it. Where is my . . . uncle?” The word left a nasty taste in her mouth, just saying it. How could somebody that evil be her blood? It was sickening.

    “He’s out attending to the needs of his congregation,” Penny said. She frowned and cocked her head, studying Taige’s face. “You busted the door down?”

    “Actually, that was me,” Cullen said from over her shoulder. “Where exactly is he attending these needs at?”

    “I’m afraid that’s the business of Reverend Carson and his flock . . . Mr. . . . ?”

    Cullen just grunted in response, giving her no answer. “Hmmm. You do know that you’ll need to pay for the damage, Taige. Honestly, what would your mother think? A civilized person simply comes back when there is somebody home.”

    “It’s important, Penny.” Taige didn’t bother arguing with Penny about her civility or lack thereof. The woman clearly considered Leon a saint, so her judgment was definitely skewed.

    “I see. Well, no. Not exactly.” Penny’s frowned deepened, and if her face dropped any more, she was going start resembling a hound dog, all mournful-eyed and sad-faced. “I just don’t understand what could be so important that you’d break down a door. Did he even know you were coming?” As she spoke, she headed down the hall into the kitchen, leaving Taige and Cullen to follow behind.

    The kitchen was painted a cheerful yellow. The floor was bright blue, and the appliances so clean, they could have come straight off the showroom floor. Yet, like every other room in the house, it looked dark to Taige, like she was seeing it through a black veil.

    Penny stood at a bright white breakfast bar, rifling through mail and sorting it. The woman was nervous; Taige could sense it, the acrid scent of fear and nerves. Even if she hadn’t had the memory flash just a few minutes ago, she would have realized there was something weird going on with Penny.

    “Where is he?” she asked quietly, moving up behind Penny.

    Penny, in the process of shuffling through the mail, looked at Taige over her shoulder, a confused smile. “I don’t know, Taige. I’m his assistant, but he doesn’t always feel the need to keep me informed of his daily schedule. The reverend is an important man. He doesn’t answer to the likes of me.”

    “Then he can answer to me,” Taige said, her voice flat. “Where the hell is he?”

    Penny’s mouth puckered up like Taige had just shoved a lemon into her face. “You really do need God’s good grace in your life, Taige. Speaking so, swearing, displaying an utter lack of humility and compassion.” She glanced at Cullen, and the look on her face probably wouldn’t have been much different if she’d run into a john and his whore. “And the company you keep.”

    “Hmmm.” Taige didn’t bother asking again. Instead, she reached out and grabbed Penny’s wrist. Pushing her way inside a person’s mind left a bad taste in Taige’s mouth. She wasn’t a mind reader, and she was damn thankful of that. A person’s thoughts were private, and they should remain that way.

    Using her gift like this left her feeling dirty and upset, because it was wrong. It wasn’t something she had to do much, thank God. Usually, she followed psychic imprints left in the environment. But while she couldn’t read minds, she could read imprints; fresh imprints were even clearer than a person’s thoughts, and what she picked up from Penny was as clear and detailed as a blueprint.

    Narrowing her eyes, Taige stared at Penny’s face.

    “He’s at your house.”

    Penny gasped and jerked against Taige’s hold, struggling to break free. “At your house—with your granddaughter .”

    Behind her, Cullen snarled, “Son of a bitch .”

    Sick, Taige let go of Penny’s hand, and the woman