Safe Harbor - 38

Bobby had been correct. Nothing had happened. So as the sky began to brighten imperceptibly he’d come down off the roof to tell the girls they’d try again that evening. Arch and Tank had come over to join them then, Tank whispering, "You know Father Kurt is here."

"Yeah." Bobby didn’t get a chance to say anything more as the man himself strode up to them.

"The five of you are to get your asses back to the shelter now." Kurt glared at them. "Not one word," he growled when it looked as if they were going to protest. "I would have called an end to this when I got here but…" He was pissed and exasperated, whether at them or himself he wasn’t certain at the moment. "Move it."

Twenty minutes later Kurt looked from one to another of the five young people sitting in front of him in his office at the shelter. "What the hell did you guys think you were doing? Or were you thinking?"

"We wanted to stop those men," Arch mumbled.

"That is what the police are for."

Bobby scowled at Kurt. "Like they’ve done such a good job."

"So it’s better to endanger the girls and yourselves in some misbegotten plan to play superheroes?"

"It woulda worked if the bastards had shown up. Five of us against two of them or…" Bobby shot a knowing look at Kurt, "eight if we count you and those two kids. I notice you didn’t try to stop us once you found us."

Kurt nodded in acknowledgement of his words. "True, I didn’t."

"Because you want them caught as bad as we do, Father." Jo-Jo pointed out almost defiantly.

"Of course I do, but damn it. Did it even occur to you they are probably armed with more than a couple of pairs of handcuffs. You talk about how they look like cops including the belts they wear with all the equipment on them. Last time I checked police equipment includes batons, pepper spray, and…" Kurt smacked his hand down on the desk to make certain he had their attention, "guns. You do know what those are I presume. You aim one, pull the trigger and a bullet comes out the front and blows a big hole in something, in this case one of you."

"Yeah, yeah, we know what they are." Bobby spat out the words but it was apparent from the look on his face it hadn’t occurred to him the killers might actually be armed.

"Father…" Cry’s voice was low as if she was afraid to speak.

"Yes?"

"Why didn’t you make us quit when you got there?"

Kurt was silent for a moment before replying. "To be honest, I don’t know. I suppose because deep down inside I hoped if they’d show up we could get them. And yes, that is just the opposite of what I’ve been yelling at you about but I’m human too. I want them stopped but not by you, by any of us. If there’s any justice in the world Bets will regain consciousness and be able to tell the police more about her attackers and where they took her."

The kids all nodded and Kurt almost smiled when he saw both Jo-Jo and Cry cross their fingers.