Free The Empath (The Above and Beyond Series Book 1) by Jody Klaire

the food. Note to self—never shop when I’m hungry. Seriously. Everything looked like a three course meal—a three course meal that I couldn’t cook. I settled for sandwiches and a bag of chips. Although, I didn’t know what the hell had happened to chips since I’d gone inside. I picked the bag up, thinking it was a multi-pack, like twelve bags in one but no, it was one bag. Even the chocolate bars were twice the size.
    Now, I knew Abe was watching from his counter. Old Hawkeye hovered over his store like you were about to raid his nest and he thought everyone was a pilfering little thief. In my case, this had always been right but it was down to the fact that the grumpy ol’ tool would never serve me so what did he expect?
    I kept my head down as I walked toward the counter and handed him my haul. He bagged them and charged me, all the while shooting to catch a glimpse of my face. He was as nosy as a crow. I could feel his little guesses. Was I a useless hobo? Was I a rich eccentric? Was I scoping out the store to break into the safe under his desk?
    When I got my receipt and my goods and they were unequivocally mine, I looked up and let him see my face.
    He went purple. “What the hell are you doing here?”
    “Nice to see you too, Uncle Abe.” Everyone was so sweet, so welcoming in this town.
    “You’re nothing to me. Crawling back here—”
    “Pa?”
    We looked at the spotty kid poking his head around the door to the back room.
    “What is it, Uri?” Abe asked.
    I could feel his panic, his face a picture. Uri, the prince, had revealed his hiding place. The big bad monster would surely devour him now. I looked at my uncle and would have laughed if I couldn’t feel the severity of his fear. What the hell did he think I was going to do to Uri?
    “Who’s this?” Uri asked.
    I looked at him. Oh, he was spoiled. He was spoiled, sneaky, and every bit as messed up as I had been. Only, he didn’t have my burdens so I could read him like a book.
    “I wouldn’t if I were you,” I warned.
    He cocked his head. A girl talking to him like this? Yeah, kid . . . you take a picture and post it and I will string you up .
    “Don’t talk to Uri like that,” Abe snapped.
    “Unless you want the world knowing that I shopped in your store . . .” I raised an eyebrow.
    Uncle Abe knew enough about my peculiarities to know I was right about the runt’s intentions. “Uri, go help your mother.”
    Uri looked at his father with more disgust than Uncle Abe normally looked at me. “But—”
    “Go!”
    The kid ignored him and pulled out one of those smart phones. I knew enough from watching the guards in Serenity Hills that tapping away meant trouble. My hand was over the phone before he could snap the photo. I ripped it off him and threw it on the floor, then stamped on it for good measure.
    Uri was heading the same way I had but for different reasons and no way was I letting him think he could get one over on me. Abe slipped off the stool and pulled a now sobbing brat away from me. With one hand secured around Uri, he picked up the receiver and called the police. He probably had them on speed dial.
    Abe’s wife, Sara, rushed in from the back and took her son away from dangerous old me. I waited patiently for the police to arrive and ate my sandwiches much to Abe’s irritation. At least I could say that my homecoming had been memorable.
     
    Chapter 22
     
    UNSURPRISINGLY, MY FATHER answered the call. He always did follow Abe’s orders but I had managed to eat my sandwiches and half the monster bag of chips before he hurried in through the door. I was unprepared for how old he’d gotten since I’d been in Serenity Hills. He’d never had masses of hair but now it was more gray than black and his face looked a lot grayer too. The best way I could’ve described him was weathered. He looked like I felt.
    My father thought very little of me, this I knew from his words, ’cause I couldn’t read a darn thing off him.