had used Abel to torture him, making him believe that he was helpless to save the boy he loved. And for a man like Gabe – that kind of psychological torture was worse than any physical pain. The man gazed back at him, his love for Abel easily visible in his eyes even from across the courtroom. If things hadn’t worked out with Devlin...would Cole and Gabe have taken him for their own? As he stared at the two men, the answer was obvious and left no room for doubt or wondering.
Jensen approached the stand, drawing Abel’s focus back to the task at hand. “Abel,” he said, “I want you to tell the court, in your own words, about the day you met Craig Grant for the first time.”
Drawing a shaky breath, Abel’s lips tightened and he nodded slowly. “My sister and I had only been at the orphanage a couple weeks when Craig began volunteering there. Missus Keller, one of the counsellors, introduced me to Craig. Said he was from a Christian outreach center and was there to help, and said I could talk to him if anything was bothering me or I just felt the need to talk about things.”
“Did you like Craig when you first met him?” Jensen asked.
Abel bit his lower lip and shook his head. “No,” he murmured.
“Why is that?”
“He...” Abel’s gaze jumped quickly to Devlin then back to Jensen. “Something in the way he looked at me, it made me uncomfortable.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know...” Abel frowned. “I just felt queasy and scared.”
“Did he say or do anything to make you feel that way?”
Abel shook his head. “No. It was just something in his eyes. I didn’t...I didn’t feel safe with him.”
Nodding slowly, Jensen cleared his throat. “And after that first meeting, what kind of interaction did you have with him?”
“Not much,” Abel admitted. “I mean, I tried not to, anyway. He would come into the rec room, hang out with the other kids. But he was always watching me and Savannah.”
“Watching you how?” Jensen asked. “In a big brother, concerned manner?”
“No,” Abel answered quickly, shaking his head, remembering how Craig’s stare used to make him feel exposed – naked. “It was a look of lust.”
“How old were you then?”
“Almost thirteen.”
“Did you even understand what lust was?” Jensen asked. “Are you sure that’s how he was looking at you and your little sister?”
“I knew,” Abel said quietly. “Sometimes my parents would have company over, other users. I saw that look in both my mom and my dad’s eyes when they wanted to...to have sex with someone other than each other. I saw it all the time.”
“I see,” Jensen murmured. “And you say that Craig wasn’t just watching you...but your sister as well?”
Abel’s stomach twisted painfully at the memories. “Yes.”
“How old was your sister at the time?”
“Ten.”
“Did Craig ever approach you or your sister directly?”
Abel nodded. “A couple times. He tried to get us to play games with him in the rec room. But I would just tell him we didn’t like games, and take Savannah to another part of the room, away from him. After a while, he stopped trying to interact with us. But he continued to watch us.”
“Is the rec room the only place you ever saw Craig?”
Hugging his gut, Abel shook his head. “No. He came to my room once, during the day. I was having a bad day, one of the other older kids had been pushing me around, calling me a faggot. I was on my bed, crying. Craig came in and said that the other boy had been reprimanded.”
“Did Craig do anything while he was in your room?”
“He sat on the bed and started rubbing my back, telling me he was my friend, that I could come to him and tell him anytime someone bothered me.” Abel tightened his arm around his waist. “Then he told me it was okay if I was gay, he said he liked boys too. Then he...”
“What?” Jensen prodded gently when Abel faltered.
Abel glanced at Devlin again. Though the hurt in the
Jensen approached the stand, drawing Abel’s focus back to the task at hand. “Abel,” he said, “I want you to tell the court, in your own words, about the day you met Craig Grant for the first time.”
Drawing a shaky breath, Abel’s lips tightened and he nodded slowly. “My sister and I had only been at the orphanage a couple weeks when Craig began volunteering there. Missus Keller, one of the counsellors, introduced me to Craig. Said he was from a Christian outreach center and was there to help, and said I could talk to him if anything was bothering me or I just felt the need to talk about things.”
“Did you like Craig when you first met him?” Jensen asked.
Abel bit his lower lip and shook his head. “No,” he murmured.
“Why is that?”
“He...” Abel’s gaze jumped quickly to Devlin then back to Jensen. “Something in the way he looked at me, it made me uncomfortable.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know...” Abel frowned. “I just felt queasy and scared.”
“Did he say or do anything to make you feel that way?”
Abel shook his head. “No. It was just something in his eyes. I didn’t...I didn’t feel safe with him.”
Nodding slowly, Jensen cleared his throat. “And after that first meeting, what kind of interaction did you have with him?”
“Not much,” Abel admitted. “I mean, I tried not to, anyway. He would come into the rec room, hang out with the other kids. But he was always watching me and Savannah.”
“Watching you how?” Jensen asked. “In a big brother, concerned manner?”
“No,” Abel answered quickly, shaking his head, remembering how Craig’s stare used to make him feel exposed – naked. “It was a look of lust.”
“How old were you then?”
“Almost thirteen.”
“Did you even understand what lust was?” Jensen asked. “Are you sure that’s how he was looking at you and your little sister?”
“I knew,” Abel said quietly. “Sometimes my parents would have company over, other users. I saw that look in both my mom and my dad’s eyes when they wanted to...to have sex with someone other than each other. I saw it all the time.”
“I see,” Jensen murmured. “And you say that Craig wasn’t just watching you...but your sister as well?”
Abel’s stomach twisted painfully at the memories. “Yes.”
“How old was your sister at the time?”
“Ten.”
“Did Craig ever approach you or your sister directly?”
Abel nodded. “A couple times. He tried to get us to play games with him in the rec room. But I would just tell him we didn’t like games, and take Savannah to another part of the room, away from him. After a while, he stopped trying to interact with us. But he continued to watch us.”
“Is the rec room the only place you ever saw Craig?”
Hugging his gut, Abel shook his head. “No. He came to my room once, during the day. I was having a bad day, one of the other older kids had been pushing me around, calling me a faggot. I was on my bed, crying. Craig came in and said that the other boy had been reprimanded.”
“Did Craig do anything while he was in your room?”
“He sat on the bed and started rubbing my back, telling me he was my friend, that I could come to him and tell him anytime someone bothered me.” Abel tightened his arm around his waist. “Then he told me it was okay if I was gay, he said he liked boys too. Then he...”
“What?” Jensen prodded gently when Abel faltered.
Abel glanced at Devlin again. Though the hurt in the
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