Mairead nodded, clinging to Clio. "You have to promise not to tell them where I am," she hissed at Patrick. "Or I'm running away!"
Patrick, who had once taken in a runaway because of how his father treated him, knew how well she would survive on the streets. "They won't hear it from me," he promised. "But if it's alright...can I ask you some more questions?" He hadn't worked at the shelter for years now, but his instincts were still in place.
"I guess," Mairead nodded.
"Have they done this to you before?" he asked gently. When she nodded, he tried not to look livid but he failed.