“You were angry,” Michael signed and Diesel knew he was talking about himself as well.

“You’re right. I was very angry,” he said for Dani’s benefit. Her sniffling was audible now. She had to know that he knew she was there.

She had to know this was the only way he was going to be able to tell her.

“I got older. The abuse went on. My mother didn’t know what to do with me.”

“Did she keep working for the doctor?”

“Yes.” Diesel needed a second so he poured himself some more tea. “She married him when I was ten.” It had been the single worst day of his life. He’d had to be dragged into the church by one of his mother’s friends, who scolded him for being so selfish. He’d left the reception to throw up. Much as he’d done when he’d seen the photos in Richard Fischer’s super-secret database.

“Oh God,” Michael signed, his face growing pale.

“Oh God,” Dani whispered on the other side of the doorway. He could hear the slide of her body against the wall as she sank to the floor.

“She admired him,” Diesel went on. “All her friends said how lucky she was to marry a doctor. We moved to a nicer house. His house. And he didn’t need a playroom any longer.”

“He came to your room,” Michael signed numbly.

“Yes, he came to my room. Not every night, and that almost made it worse. I was never sure if he was coming or not. I never slept. I still have trouble sleeping.”

Michael looked at his hands, then back up, ashamed. “I sleep with the light on.”

“I did, too, until I was in the army.” Diesel’s lips quirked up. “They wouldn’t let me.”

“Dani got me a lamp with a night-light.”

“She’s good that way. She helps other people. Sometimes she forgets to help herself, so we’re going to have to remind her, okay?”

Michael nodded. “When did he stop?”

“He stopped the day he ran a red light and hit a car that had the green light. He and my mom were killed instantly. He’d been drinking. The family of the people in the other car sued his estate for damages, so there was nothing left for me.”

“Then your grandfather took you in?”

“Yeah. My grandfather was strict. He’d heard about the trouble I got into at school, all the fights. The poor grades. He was going to fix me or die trying.”

“Did he? Die trying?”