“No, this is a job for you to take should you want it. And I certainly hope that you do. I’ve looked into your work, Joel, and you’re very good at what you did for your other company. May I ask why you quit?” He told her that he had a handicapped daughter. “Good for you, putting family first. As I was saying, you’re very good, and I’ve decided that I’d be a fool not to hire you. And I’m not a fool. Silly at times, but never a fool when it comes to what I do.”
“Your work, it’s beautiful. The phoenix out front, it looks so lifelike.” She smiled at him, her pride showing through. “If I’m to take the job, I have to tell you, I’m broke. I’m not usually so honest with a job interview, or whatever this is, but I can’t afford to travel back and forth from my home. It’s quite a commute.”
“Yes, I can see that it would be. But that’s been taken care of as well. I have a house for you and your daughter to live in. It’s part of your package. As I said, I’m not a fool, and I need you to come and work for me. There is a car, big enough to put a wheelchair in should you wish to use it after work. I have also arranged to have your daughter’s records transferred here. The local school is brilliant, and happy to have Miley as a student. Also, there is a cook for the house that—”
“Wait, wait. This is too fast. Not to mention, too much. I’m just a guy with a good engineering degree. How do you even know if I can work with you? I don’t even know what it is you want me to do.” Again, the smile. And he remembered the last time a woman smiled at him and Joel pushed it away. “I don’t want to get here, move my daughter and I nearly across the United States, only to find out that I can’t do whatever it is that you need.”
“I think we should see your office.”
Joel was getting frustrated and wanted to talk to someone. But he’d ruined that for himself by being a prick. And on top of pushing away a beautiful woman, he’d also made it so that his daughter would barely speak to him anymore. His life sucked right now.
The office was perfect. There was a huge window that he could look out over the river. A drawing board, and several large bulletin boards as well. The desk wasn’t one that he’d thought to have. This one was wood, old wood too, and as smooth as— His mind skittered away from that thought. He leaned against the large credenza that sat under the window, where he could see pictures of Miley and him together. Joel looked at Piper.
“Tell me what the catch is.” She leaned against the door jamb and asked him what he meant. It was then that he noticed his name was already printed on the door. “You may not believe this, but I’m not stupid. I know that there is something going on. Tell me.”
“All right. But I’d like you to know, regardless of what Mercy told me about you or what to do, I’d still have hired you.” He asked why Mercy was doing this. “I have no idea. I don’t know where she is, what she’s up to, nor do I have the ability to ask her. I guess I could, but she said to leave her alone, and we are.”
“You’re what she is, a bird.” She nodded, then shook her head. “You’re not a bird? Please, explain.”
“I’m a phoenix. Just like the one out in the lobby. It’s what I guess you’d call a self-portrait. When I started out, I only did smaller things—jewelry and such. But I wanted to do something more. Have fun with my heat and metals. And without you, I can’t do all the things that I wish to do. I need an engineer to show me how to make—engineer—the things I want without them falling down on my head. Would you like to see her?” He shook his head. “Suit yourself. You will eventually. It’s how I get the heat I need to make the pieces. For some reason I was granted the gift of fire. And I use it to make my art. If you come into my lab, you’ll see me at work as well.”
Joel tried to wrap his mind around all this and had to sit down. “Are there more of you? Bird shifters.” She told him that they weren’t shifters. “But you can shift. Correct?”
“Oh yes, and we can do it in any way that we wish. From your questions, I’m assuming that you saw Mercy shift?” He nodded. “Well, she’s good at it. Lots of practice, I guess, when we were working on it. Anyway, we’re not shifters. We were, all six of us, birds before we were made into warriors. Larger than a semi in order to save the kingdom.”
“Kingdom?” She told him about the castle and the queen. “You’re...I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m assuming that you’re very old.”
“Yes. Very. And again, Mercy is older than the rest of us. Not by much, but she was with the queen longer than us. So she was very beloved by Queen Dante. You will notice that we all took a last name that was a part of our lives before. Mercy is Dante, from our queen.” She moved into the office and closed the door. “What happened between the two of you? I’m assuming that she hurt you badly.”
“No, she didn’t do a thing to me. It was me that hurt her. Not physically—I don’t think it would have come to that. I know it wouldn’t have. But I tore into her after...the next morning, and she left me. Not that I wouldn’t have done the same should someone had spoken to me that way, but.... My daughter hates me for what I did. All she knows is that I was pissed off at Mercy—for no reason, I figured out later—and she left her. They clicked, you see. My daughter and Mercy.” Piper said nothing. “I’ve been reading up on shifters. I don’t actually know any, I don’t think, but I have a feeling that she’s something to me. Mercy, I mean.”
“Yes—your mate, I would guess. And yet she did all this for you.” Joel said that he didn’t understand it either. “I don’t think, now that I’ve said that, she did any of this for you, Joel. She did this for Miley.”
“I see. So I have this wonderful opportunity, after I hurt a woman that should mean the world to me, because of my little girl.” He looked out the window, turning his back to Piper. “I said terrible things to her. Things that any man should have been killed over. I would have done it myself had I heard another man say those things. Everything a man could ever want has fallen into my lap, and I haven’t any idea what to do about it.”
“Work for me, if for no other reason than to provide for Miley. I’ve not met her, but she must have made an impression on Mercy.” Piper stood up just as he turned back to look at her. “There is a secretary for you that starts after lunch. I’m having lunch brought in so that everyone can meet you. If you decide not to work for me, let me know as soon as possible. I won’t embarrass either of us by having to explain why—”
“I’m going to take the job. I’d be a bigger fool than I already think I am if I didn’t.” She thanked him. “No, you should be thanking Mercy. And if you see her, could you—?”
“No, I won’t relay messages for you. Besides, I wasn’t supposed to tell you. Mercy had a feeling that you’d run for the hills if I did.” He said that a month ago, he might have. “Good. You’ve had time to think. All right, I know that you’re at the hotel, but I can have your daughter moved to your home today. The car you are going to be using is in the parking lot if you’d rather pick her up. Here is the address. And before you ask, no, it’s not near Mercy. You’re on your own finding her. Your health insurance started this morning, and there is no clause for preexisting illnesses or injuries. Your house information is in there as well.” She handed him a piece of paper and a thick file.
“I still have the job? After everything I told you?” Piper said that he did. “Thank you. I’ll get Miley and take her there now, if that’s all right.”
“Yes, I’m not expecting you to work until Monday, and since it’s only Wednesday, I’d take in the sights and see what the area has to offer you.” She started away and came back. “As I said, there are six of us. All birds of prey. Fuck up and we’ll raise your daughter as our own. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, very much so.” She left him there, and he stood up then sat down again. This was much more than he had ever dreamed of having. When his new secretary came in, introducing herself as Maggie Sandalwood, he was handed two cell phones. “Two?”
“Yes, Piper wanted your daughter to be able to talk
to you anytime she wishes.” She handed him yet another file. “Those are the things that I can do for you. I’m to tell you that I’m a wolf. Most of the people here are ex-cons getting a second chance. Anything you need, my home number is there for you to use. But not after ten unless you’re in deep shit. All right?”
After telling her that he understood, he asked what time the meeting was. Maggie told him that it had been changed until tomorrow, and that they wanted to meet his daughter then too, if possible. Joel went home feeling like a man on the edge. It was almost too good to be true, and perhaps it was.
~*~
Miley was trying her best not to be too excited. They were going to have a house to live in. All she could think about was that it wasn’t going to be any different than the one they had in New Mexico—a house, and not a home. When her dad had picked her up a little while ago, she could tell he was feeling the same thing—not expecting too much in the way of housing.
“This is your car?” Dad said that it was their car. “Yes, well, I don’t think I’m going to be driving anytime soon. Not even later.”
“I’m sorry, Miley. I didn’t mean that the way it came out.” She waved him off. “Piper wants to meet you. The staff does. I don’t know what that’ll entail, but you’re to come to a meeting with me tomorrow. Is that all right with you?”
“Yes, I guess. This house, do you know anything about it? Is it in the worse part or town or something?” He shook his head while he drove carefully. The car even smelled new to her. “Did you ask them about the school I was going to go to?”
“Maggie said that there was information in the folder she gave me. Oh, before I forget.” He pulled out a cell phone and handed it to her. It was the best on the market. She’d been looking at them for so long. Handing it back to him, she only said that it was nice. “That one is yours. I have one just like it. I guess it’s programed with my number, as well as Maggie’s. Don’t call her after ten. She said she’d make me regret it unless it was a dire emergency.”
“Mine? This is mine?” He said that it was a perk of the job, for her to be able to talk to him whenever she wanted. “Then I can only use it to call you. I see.” It was like having cake and ice cream with this and having it taken away.
“No, Miley, it’s your cell phone to use as you want. It has unlimited data, and it has a lot of apps already loaded on it. You can finally open yourself a social media account. But I want you to be careful with it.” She promised that she would. “Also, we have insurance. It started today. So that means when I cut myself again, I don’t have to duct tape it closed and hope it doesn’t get infected.”
She remembered that day. He’d been trying to cut a roast in half so that they could have it another day too. But the knife had slipped and had gouged out a long slice around his wrist. Miley had been terrified that he’d cut his wrist and was going to bleed out before help could arrive.
“Dad, why are they being so nice to us?” He told her what he’d heard from Piper. “I told you that she was nicer than you said.”
“And I have since changed my mind about that too. It was all on me.” He’d said that too. Two days after Mercy had left, Miley found him in his room sobbing about how he’d done Mercy wrong, said things that were mean and hurtful. And that he’d driven her away by his hatefulness. It had taken her another two days to figure out that Mercy wasn’t human—she’d found a feather by the window—and that her dad had fallen in love with the woman.
Miley maybe be only thirteen, but she wasn’t stupid. And she loved Mercy as well. She was someone that she could have looked up to, someone that she thought she could talk to. Yes, she told herself that they had only had a few hours together, and Miley assured herself that it wasn’t the gifts but the woman. Mercy was a very nice person.
Dad whistled when the car came to a stop. Miley looked where he was looking and had to remember to shut her mouth. Goodness, this was their house? She asked her dad if he had the right address.
“Yes. I looked three times. See the numbers on the wall there? That’s it. And this is the street too.” He got out and came around to get her wheelchair for her. “I have to tell you, Miley, my girl, it’s much easier to get this sucker in and out with all this room, isn’t it?”
“I know. And you don’t cuss nearly as much either.” They were both laughing as they made their way to the house. “Dad, look. There’s a wheelchair ramp for me. She thought of everything.”
The ramp was newly made. Dad pointed out that the wood still had the lumber marks on it. And as he pushed her up the nice wide ramp, he pointed at the rockers on the front porch, the flowers in the window boxes. This was, she thought, just too good to be theirs.
The house was one level. And as soon as they entered the double doors, Miley looked at her dad. The place was beautiful. There was furniture in this room that she had dreamed of all her life. And there was a fireplace, and a big picture window that looked out over the trees behind the house. Miley could just imagine the Christmas tree there in a few months, with actual presents under it this year.
Miley never complained about the lack of money to her dad. He was doing the best he could. He never missed work, even when he was very sick, but he’d take the day off if she had just the sniffles. Dad was the best possible person that a child like her could have had.
She didn’t remember her mom, nor the accident that had taken her life. Miley had been told last year how she’d ended up with her dad. And she was so happy every day that he’d been willing to take her. The accident had left her so that no one at the adoption agency would be able to give her a loving home. Only one that, she knew, could see her raped or killed because of how she had to have extra care.
They moved through the house like they were afraid to touch anything. When they entered the big warm kitchen a woman was there, kneading bread, and she had on a big smile. Miley liked her immediately.
“My name is Dutch. Last name...? I don’t rightly remember if I had one or not. But you can just call me Dutch.” Dad told her their names. “The miss, she told me that you’d be coming around today, and that I was to tell you if you don’t like the way the house is filled, you just tell Miss Piper and she’ll be the one to fix you up. I can serve you dinner anytime you want. Just you let me know any of your likes and dislikes.”
“What time will dinner be ready?” She grinned at her, and Miley grinned back. “I’m betting that you knew Mercy when she was with the queen.”
“I did. You know about that, do you?” Miley nodded. “Well, I did know her way back in the beginning. She wasn’t no human back then, though. Just a giant bird with them others. You’ll meet them soon enough, I’m thinking. But Miss Mercy, she was sure the favorite of the queen. And oh, what a wonderful queen she was. Kept us safe in the keep when all the other kings and queens were killed, and their people too. Then that nasty king of the land, he decided that Lady Dante would be his wife. Do you know what she did? Why, that queen, she came out to see us and told us that she’d be taking care of us all. That we only had to do what she asked, and no one would kill them off for their own people. And she did it too. Now. What can I make so that you’ll be able to not starve between now and dinner time?”
While she ate cheese and an apple, Dutch told them about the queen and how she’d come to move them. If she hadn’t believed in magic before, she did today. And when she went to her room, finally, Miley sat in the middle of the large room after looking all around it and cried.
“What’s the matter, honey?” Dad helped her to sit on the bed, but it would have been easy for her to do it herself. “Do you not like it? Or this house?”
“Dad, she made it so that my room is perfect. Look. I have a view to outside, and I can slide out onto the deck back there. I have a big bed that is low enough that I can get in and out of it all by myself. The bathroom has a specialized tub so that I can get in and not splash water everywhere. There’s everything in there just for me and my wheelchair. And look at that over by
the closet.”
The wheelchair was what had got her crying. It was padded, though she wouldn’t be able to feel it, and the wheels that she used were small and easier for her to turn. All she wanted to do was to hop on it and take a ride around the room. But she needed a minute.
“It’s motorized as well, Miley.” He showed her where the little arm was that she could us. “The instructions say that it’s for going uphill easier, as well as when you need a break. Then it says, it’s all right for you to need a break once in a while.”
That set her off crying again. Mercy had done so much for them and never, not once, said a thing about it. Looking at her dad through her tears, she wondered briefly if she should tell him that she spoke to Mercy nearly every day. But she’d made a promise, one that she knew she had to keep for a bit longer.
Dad’s room was bigger, of course, and so nice. The bed was giant, and she wondered if Mercy had done that for them, then dismissed that thought. Mercy said she wasn’t going to see her dad anymore, that she was just too busy. Miley hurt for the two of them. But at least she knew that Mercy was thinking of them too, and that might be good.
There were other things that she could tell her dad, things that she’d been sworn to secrecy about unless he figured them out. Then she could tell him where the magic had come from. But before then, she was just to use what she’d been given, and try very hard not to freak her dad out. Mercy said that in time, he’d have it all, but for now, he could figure it out a little at a time. She hoped her dad was curious enough to figure it out soon. She was excited for him to get freaked out and call to Mercy. If he would.
~*~
Mercy wasn’t going to tell the others that she’d been in and out of the plant for the last week or so. She supposed that Blaze would have figured it out by now. She’d been leaving her notes on things since she’d been back, and Blaze was making them work. The new policy was getting rave reviews.
One month off in the summer months for every employee that had perfect attendance. With pay. And, if they got through a year without injury that was their own fault, then they got a bonus at Christmas time. But the injury wouldn’t count against them if it was deemed the company’s fault. Mercy had told Blaze to try to be extra lenient about laying fault at the employee’s door.
Mercy: Queen’s Birds of Prey: Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Queen's Birds of Prey Book 1) Page 4
