Wayne Gray

Thanks, Dave! I appreciate the read and the comment.

Hehehe. Well, it was time, right? We're coming up on the end of this one, but there's a bit more to go in the continuation of the tale. I may take a couple of weeks off posting and get it into really good condition for my poor editor, but it will come. Thanks for reading and commenting, droughtquake.

There's a continuation of the story that follows a few new folks around, and some of our regulars too. I'm glad that you're enjoying what I've posted so far.

Thanks for the comment and for reading. There's more to come on Wednesday, so stay tuned. 🙂

Thanks, molly! I really liked this moment too. 🙂 By the way ... A Silent Song is my next posting I'll do. 😉

July 13 (Friday, 10:14 a.m.) Joseph pulled up to the curb to see Orson and Elias, each with their bags, fresh off their flight. He stopped in the loading zone, and the guys tossed their bags into the trunk of his little car. Orson got in the front seat and Elias jumped in the back. He gave Orson a tentative smile. "Hey." Orson grinned at him, and that expression let Joseph know everything he needed - that everything was okay. "Hey. Thanks for picking us up." Joseph didn't answer.

That's true. They see the good, bad, the attempts to keep things from them, and openness and honesty too. They learn how to deal with the world by seeing others work within it. Sobering thought ... we need to keep that in mind when dealing with kids. The Costa are definitely persistent. We'll have to see what can be done about that. Thanks for reading!

Thanks, Tom. I'm finally back on my feet, after over a week! Ugh. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. More to come. Later today, actually! I'm well on the way to better, thanks. Elias really did let the guys know how he felt, and luckily they listened. Maybe so, yeah. But we all do things to protect our hearts that aren't exactly admirable. He's just a guy trying to avoid pain he could see coming. Cowardly, yes. A bit. But, I like my characters to be human, and he's showing how much he is exactly that. He does really care, and he shows it. I am feeling better. Thank you! 🙂

Thanks for the great comments. Orson did not see Elias refusing to go to the school. That didn't enter his head as a possibility. 🙂

If it wasn't there, they'd have found it wherever Harris hid it. We live in a digital world, and Harris kept certain things offline very intentionally. The skills required to do what the cleaner did are disappearing. I mean, why dig for analog dirt when you can hack it digitally so much more easily? Well, Harris is why. He doesn't leave much of a digital trail, so whoever sent the cleaner had to resort to something far more old-fashioned. Frankly, those items were far safer where they were than anything Harris may have scanned and saved to a hard drive somewhere. Could he have done a better job? Put the items in a safe-deposit box, perhaps? Did you know you can pay a bit of money (there may be free versions out there, but I've not found one in my research), and do a name search to see if there are boxes registered to that person you searched? In a really connected world, Harris did the best thing he could have to keep those items secret and safe. It's just that the people after the information are willing to use means most have abandoned to acquire it.

Mmm. Perhaps so. But if Agent Harris is worth anything, he'll figure things out on his own, saving Corbin the decision.

Thank you, Dave! Yeah, I'm working on that whole getting better thing. It's sort of a drag! Er, being sick that is.

Think about it. Elias is a malleable, world-talent artist that can be shaped to whatever purpose desired by the shaper. The upper echelons of the art world are closely tied to big money, high society, banking, and more. The Costa play a long game. If they could recruit someone like Elias, and slowly acclimate him to their world, then they would have grown their own legitimate link to that world of high society art. Diana has failed to deliver on this, so far. But, she was eager to settle up with a free ride to the Art Institute. However ... love saved Elias from that particular path into the clutches of the Costa.

Thank you. I’m almost there - just a bit to go. Thanks for reading too!

Thank you, molly. you're right. It's hard to read about a kid getting mistreated. It just sucks to see or hear about it. Elias was in a dark spot, but at least now he has people who actually care to look after him. Sometimes, we're not born into our families. Sometimes, we have to go find them.

Thanks! You may be right. There will need to be a reason for the Costa to really leave him be. Hopefully we'll get to find out what that may be, eh?

Elias has had to be very observant when it comes to others, just to stay alive. He notices things in those he loves, and in situations around him. It's part of who he is now. Thank you for reading and commenting!

Yeah. I get you, Fae. He was trying to get out before he got any deeper. I too understand his logic, flawed though it might be.

I'm happy that the story could possibly inspire you to do so. 🙂

July 10 (Tuesday, 7:45 p.m. - Central Time) They had just landed in Chicago, and the plane had taxied to their gate. The seatbelt sign went off and Orson stood. He ensured Elias was okay and helped the boy with his new, rolling luggage bag. Elias had never flown, so it was an experience for the young man in many ways. Though Orson felt that it may have given the boy a skewed perception of flying. Their tickets were first class. Orson had never flown that way before, and it was a step up

I know it wasn't intentional, but "Thank Wayne" really has sort of a nice ring to it. 😄

Well, he doesn't have to play the pronoun game anymore with anybody, eh? Nice chapter, Thorn.

Absolutely.

No, Corbin knew Stefano well. Or, rather, he thought that he did.

Oh, the men are just as chatty. 😉