Empath's Angel - M J Marlow (easy readers .TXT) 📗

Empath’s Angel

* Dominik had kept his child’s existence secret from his wife for twelve years; but the night he had nearly murdered a former co-worker had changed his plans. Sarah had insisted to be taken to the child,and one sight of the pretty raven-haired child with her huge emerald green eyes, was all it took for Sarah. She lost her heart to the child. Dominik couldn’t tell her that the child was carrying information on her that would jeopardize lives if the wrong people got their hands on it. Sarah would have insisted that they could protect the girl. He also could not tell her that the girl was not a true orphan; he was her father. Sarah wondered why the child hadn’t been adopted earlier,and the nuns told her that Emilia had always seemed to find another child who would ‘fit’ with the prospective parents better than she could. That had been the clincher for them. Dominik forgot the reasons for keeping her where she was. There was no way they were going to leave the little angel behind after that. Over the next six years, they were more worried that the tougher kids in their neighborhood would take advantage of their new daughter, than that the people Dominik had escaped from that night would find them, but neither happened. More often than not, they would find their daughter defending the younger children, bandaging wounds,and soothing ruffled feelings.And the older boysand girls stood as her protectors from anyone outside the neighborhood. Dominik had taught her Polishand she had caught onto it as if she’d been speaking it all her life. Whenever she grew overly emotional, she would lapse into Polish. Because of Emilia, Dominikand Sarah had become more social in the neighborhood than they had originally planned. They couldn’t see keeping Emilia isolated when everyone she met went out of their way to do things for her. It was Sarah who realized first that this protective streak was something the child unconsciously awoke in others. The girl had innateparanormal abilities. Because everyone in the neighborhood became Emilia’s protectors, the garage saw an almost never-ending parade of people coming through its doors. Dominikand Sarah became pillars of a community that they had been meant to disappear into as Donaldand Sally Marks. Dominik watched her from behind the cash register as she moved through the crowd outside, with the slow grace she had inherited from her real mother. At 18, Emilia was showing the promise of the exquisite woman she would become; her skin was a soft cream color that accentuated her brilliant emerald eyesand rich raven black hair. Several of the boys in town had begun to eye her in a way that bothered Dominik, but Emilia seemed oblivious to it. She treated them all like her brothers. The Cross boysand the Kennedy boys had declared themselves her protectors; any boy who got too close, or too fresh was politely warned not to pursue the pretty child. His only real worry now was that she went about her life in her gentle manner, as if nothing bad could happen. He was glad that he had insisted that she learn how to defend herself; especially when Sarah had just died. If anything happened to him, Emilia would be all right. He looked out the front windows of the garage officeand smiled as he found her, as always, surrounded by her friends. She was so like her mother, he thought, as she glowed in the sun like an animated beam of light. “Hey, Emi,” Ryan; one of the tall red-haired Kennedy twins; smiled as he came over to join the throng. “Why isn’t your Dad here?” “Tax time, Ryan,” Emilia frowned. She glanced over towards the garageand knew where he was. “1040s before fun.” “Doesn’t sound like much fun to me,” Ryan replied. “Day like this should be enjoyed.” “You’re right, Ryan.” She excused herself with one of her warm smilesand headed towards the building, determined to get her father to enjoy himself. “Ojciec,” Emilia called out in Polish as she came into the storeand music from the wedding reception/ block party floated with her. She fiddled with the locket he had given her the day she’d been adopted. “You’re missing out on the cake. Jasmine is going to be hurt if you don’t come to at least a few minutes of the wedding reception you helped pay for.” Dominik looked upand smiled wearily. Emilia knew he’d been up all night working on his paperwork,and she sighed. He was much too handsome to be locking himself away in this garage. Dominik should be out meeting people, having fun, being reminded that life was to be enjoyed. She frowned as his green eyes glazed overand knew that her thoughts had transmitted themselves to him. Oh Father, I’m sorry. She clamped down on her talentand laid her hand on his. He shook his head to clear it of the fog that had suddenly descended. Removing his reading glasses, he ran a hand through his thick wavy black hair. “I’ll be right there, Mój córka,” Dominik nodded. He closed the booksand locked them away. Then he came around the counterand took her hand. “You’re getting moreand more like your mother every day.” “Thank you,” Emilia smiled up at him. She cocked her headand a mischievous grin lit up her face. “You did mean that in a good way, didn’t you?” Dominik laughedand shook his head. She was such an imp, he thought fondly, as he put his arm around her shoulder. For the next hour, the world was at peace, as he joined the party. Even Dominik was beginning to feel that nothing bad could happen to them here. Out here, their friends surrounded them,and the air was filled with musicand laughter. What could possibly happen? He looked up from where he was talking to the block’s self-appointed guardian, Mama Cross, the matriarch of the Greek American family that lived across the street from the garage,and a reminder of everything he feared was standing at the door of his garage. They had found him! “Is something wrong, Don?” Mama Cross asked as she saw his attention drawn away. She followed his glanceand noted the tall, dark haired man in the dark leather jacket. Something about this man sent a chill up her spine. He meant trouble. “Should I call someone?” “What?” Dominik blinked as her voice got through the fog of fear that had settled on his mind. “No, Mama Cross,” he smiled weakly, “it’s all right. Just a reminder of things I wish I could forget.” He nodded towards Jasmineand her husband Ezekiel “Webb” Webster, an upand coming football player. “Your attention should be for your child now. You don’t need to be worrying about a silly old man who’s seeing ghosts.” “Silly old men who see ghosts,” Mama Cross frowned as she felt his unease mounting, “need to be worried about.” She saw that his attention had returned to the man standing outside the garage. He had a companion now, taller, a bit less threatening; but equally as dangerous. “I’ll keep an eye on Emilia for you then.” She nodded over to where Emilia was dancing with her oldest son, Jason, “All right?” Dominik noddedand moved towards the garage, now determined to keep them from disrupting the party. He had hoped that he would never see these men again. He looked around for his daughterand saw Emilia coming his way. Oh God! She was headed directly for him. He couldn’t let them know about her. He held his hand up to the menand turned to meet Emilia. She looked up at him,and he could see that she had picked up on his feelingsand been led to his side. Her empathic abilities were quite impressive, but they were going to cause problems for him. He saw the frown on her face as she caught his feelingsand his fear mounted. He couldn’t let them involve her in whatever they had come for. Before Emilia could say anything, Webb’s brother,and leader of the band playing for the reception, Nathaniel Webster, stepped up to themand beamed. “Emilia,” he greeted her. “I hear you’re going to sing with us.” “What?” Emilia was puzzled for a second. “Oh, Yes,” she nodded, smiling. “Jasmineand Webb asked if I would sing a song or two.” “Of course they would!” Nathaniel nodded,and guided Emilia away from her father. “You have a voice like an angel. Come tell us what you want to sing.” Dominik turned on his heeland entered the building. Emilia was distracted nowand he could deal with his visitors in peace. Once the door closed, he ran for the counter, but they were on Dominik before he could hit the silent alarm. The taller man held Dominik’s arms behind his back, a great deal more forcefully than necessary. Dominik could see that these men were not all that concerned about whether or not they caused him pain. But then, men who worked for Professor Winslow, the man he had been hiding from all these years, were not hired to be gentle. “We have to talk, old man,” the shorter of the two men said as he turned the sign. “It’s time for you to come back.” He pulled down the shade, his eyes cold as he saw Dominik’s refusal. “He’s not going to take no for an answer, Sobieski!” “You can go back to the Professor,” Dominik hissed as he was dragged away from the doorand shoved into the apartment in back, “and tell him to go to hell!” “Now, Doc,” the taller man laughed humorlessly, “that’s no way to talk. The Professor just wants you to return to work.” “Is that all?” Dominik scowled. “Never mind that the poison he wants me to create for him will destroy lives.” He tried to pull freeand only succeeded in hurting himself. “Like I said before, Peters,” he continued, his eyes coldand hard with anger, “the Professor can go to hell.” “I was hoping you’d say that, Doc,” Peters smiled as he shoved the man to the couch. He cracked his knuckles, his eyes remaining on Dominik. “I haven’t gotten a chance to beat on anyone in a very long time.” “We could always ask the child,” the other man said, from where he leaned in the doorway. He could just see the girl from where he stood. “I’m sure she’d be more cooperative.” “Leave her alone,” Dominik cried out in anger. “Emilia has nothing to do with this.” “Then let’s keep it that way,” the shorter man said. He nodded to his companion. “Keep an eye on her, Murphy.” Emilia stood by the stage set up for the band, wondering what had just happened. Her father was upset about something, afraid for her. She saw him strapped into a chair, writhing in pain because he wanted to protect her. She couldn’t let that happen, Emilia told herself. She excused herself from the band and went to the door of the garage; frowning as she found it locked. Her father never locked the door during business hours. Something bad was happening to her father,and she had to help. She started back towards the store, unaware of the man watching her from inside the garage. One of the band members helped the girl up on stageand put a microphone in her hand. She was blushing as the guests all burst into spontaneous applause. Then the music startedand she sang, her voice warmand sweet as it launched into the ballad. Murphy was lost; this child was talent personified. The crowd insisted on another song,and she hesitated only briefly. She chose one that had the crowd clapping alongand Murphy was hard-pressed not to join them. Her joy was infectious.