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Howard leaned back in his chair behind the desk "Did you know Sean didn’t tell her that Shanna was us muttered

When it came to Sean Whelan, Carlos was te the party"

"She’s probably in shock" Howard propped his feet up on the desk "Shanna was going to tell her about vaht it would be better for Caitlyn to hear the news frolanced at her on theit well"

Howard snorted "Because she’s not running for her car, screaus a curious look "Why did E to hire her"

"What?" Carlos stepped back

"We’d rather have her working for us than for her father and his bloody Stake-Out teaside her If they stationed her here at Romatech, he’d have to put in for a transfer Better yet, he’d just depart iht away"

"What trip?" Howard asked

Carlos quickly explained "I’ll take the first available flight"

Angus’s brow creased with a frown "Why the big hurry?"

"Why not?" Carlos countered "Things are slow right noith Casi You don’t really need me here And you know I have to find a etting any younger"

"I understand, lad" Angus rested a hand on his shoulder "I’ so to the new school and new country I’ht now"

Carlos groaned inwardly He knew the orphans were having a rough time All the more reason for him to find a mate Coco was only six years old Raquel was nine, and Teresa twelve They needed a h the shape shifting process when they reached puberty The change could happen any tius’s cell phone rang, and he retrieved it fro Scotsn he was talking to his wife, E? Doona worry, sweetheart We’ll find the?" Carlos asked

"Coco and Raquel" Angus studied thecake and ice cream for the children, and when she caone"

Howard dropped his feet to the floor with a thud and stood "They couldn’t have gone far"

Carlos felt the usual heaviness in his chest whenever a proble, and he didn’t have a clue how towas fine wasn’t working He kne to save people physically, but emotionally? Whenever the children looked at hied inside

He spotted arden Soed The poor girls didn’t want to be found

Hethere I’ll get them" He could return them to the party, but God help him, he didn’t knohat to tell them For the last few years, he’d entertained theic tricks, and trips to the ice creah, but how could he open his heart when all he had to offer was pain and despair?

He left the security office and trudged down the hallway to the side exit The heaviness in his chest bore down on hiht he was their hero, the bravest man in the world, the one who had rescued them from a horrible death

He couldn’t let theh to face the physical pain of death, but when it came to emotional pain, he was a clueless pretender Worse than that, he thought with a snort He was a daht as she sat on the bench beneath the oak tree If vae creatures could exist? Elves? The tooth fairy? Big Foot?

A sound close by made her jump She turned and spotted so at all

She rose to her feet "Hello?"

The little girl peered around the tree Tears glistened in her big brown eyes and her bottoirl whispered froht accent and sounded tense with pain "Leave the lady alone"

"It’s all right," Caitlyn assured them Were these hybrid children like Constantine? Whatever they were, they were certainly upset

Coco rounded the tree and approached Caitlyn quietly She had a lost, frightened look in her eyes that Caitlyn had seen many times in her life, every time a stray kitten or puppy came to her for help

She sat on the bench and patted the space beside her "Tell irl cliirl, who appeared a few years older, ventured closer "I forgot your name"

"I’m Caitlyn And you are?"

"Raquel Raquel Gatina" She lifted her chin proudly "We’re from Brazil"

Coco’s thin shoulders shook as she burst into tears "I want to go holish It’s hard"

"Sweetie" Caitlyn patted her on the back "You speak whatever you like I’ll understand" Her comprehension would be immediate, but it would take a while before she could start responding in the girls’ native language

Raquel stepped closer "Are you serious?"

"Try uese

"Why do you feel bad?" Caitlyn asked in English

The girls exchanged surprised looks

"Coco’s uese "She says she hates him"

"I don’t want to hate him," Coco wailed "I like Tino But it’s not fair!"

Raquel sniffed "Tino has family and friends We don’t"

Caitlyn’s heart squeezed "You have each other And from what I could tell, every woman at the party loves you and wants to be your aunt"

Raquel frowned and kicked at the ground "They just feel sorry for us because we’re orphans"