by Jaci Burton
She took a walk into the tented areas.
“Hey, guys. I know you’re out here somewhere. I just want you to know I brought some friends with me. They used to live out here, too, so you don’t need to worry about them. I’d never give you up. You know you can trust me.”
She stepped out of their personal space, waiting out on the fringes.
Lexie came out first, her sweet smile always a bright spot in Becks’s visits. Maybe it was because Lexie reminded her so much of herself. Tough on the outside, but kind of a marshmallow on the inside. She knew what it was like to act like you didn’t need anyone, when in reality all you really wanted was someone to love you. So Lexie was special to her and she always wanted Lexie to feel as if someone cared about her.
“Hi, Becks.”
“Hey, Lexie. How’s it going?”
“It’s been fine. Really hot out here.”
“I know, baby. You staying cool in the trees here?”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
“I brought you some things. I brought everyone some things.”
From the corner of her eye, Becks noticed a young woman watching them. She couldn’t be more than twenty at most, but she was eyeing Becks.
As Lexie came closer, the woman frowned.
“That a new friend of yours?” Becks asked.
Lexie looked over her shoulder, then smiled. “That’s Aria. She’s been here a while. Stays in the adult camp, but she keeps an eye on us.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
“So what did you bring me?” Lexie asked, eyeing the bags sitting at Jackson, Rafe and Kal’s feet.
“Is it okay if I bring my friends over to meet everyone?”
Lexie glanced around her to look at the guys, then back at Becks. “You sure they’re not with the cops or the services?”
“Cross my heart.” And she did.
“Okay.”
Becks turned and nodded at the guys. They picked up the bags and entered the camp. Becks found the bag she’d packed for Lexie. The kid rifled through it, smiled, and then her eyes widened. She lifted her gaze to Becks and she leaned in to whisper in Becks’s ear.
“You got me a bra?”
“I thought you might need one.”
“I do.” She threw her arms around Becks. “Thanks.”
Becks’s heart squeezed. “You’re welcome.”
Soon enough, everyone appeared, seemingly from nowhere. Becks knew exactly how it was done. When you were a homeless kid, you could become a ghost, disappearing into the trees, blending into the walls, becoming invisible.
Sometimes that meant you had to run and run fast. Sometimes you got caught and you’d get stuck in a foster home. Or for some kids, what was even worse, your real home.
“How’s it goin’, Becks?”
Their leader was a girl, a sixteen-year-old named Georgia. She was one of the toughest girls Becks had ever known. She had her brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
“It’s going well, Georgia. How’s the group?”
“Hangin’ in there. We lost Eddie the other day. Got caught by the cops snatching food from the taco truck at the beach.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too. But he should have known better. He went off on his own instead of with the group. You know how it is. You run off without a plan, you’ll pay for it.”
Georgia made it sound like she didn’t care. Becks knew better. Georgia had to guard her heart or else she’d fall apart. Losing one of their own was always tough. She’d seen it happen with kids she’d grown up with countless times. They thought they knew better, and they could do it their own way. But without backup and lookouts, it almost always ended in a failure, and that meant you’d get scooped up by the cops and sent either back home to your terrible parents or into the system.
“Tough break,” Jackson said.
Georgia nodded. “Who are you?”
“Sorry. Georgia, this is Jackson. Next to him are his brothers, Rafe and Kal.”
“Hey,” Georgia said.
“Hey, back,” Rafe said.
“Like me, they grew up out here,” Becks said. “In fact, back then, Jackson here was our leader, like you are now. He kept us all safe.”
Georgia looked Jackson up and down, then nodded.
Jackson nodded back.
“Brothers, huh?” Georgia asked. “You all don’t look nothing alike.”
Kal laughed. “Yeah, they’re really sad that they’re not as good- looking as me.”
Georgia snickered.
“We made our own family,” Jackson said. “But we’re all brothers.”
Lexie nodded. “They made a family, just like we do.”
“We brought you some food for the group,” Becks said, “along with a few other things.”
“Thanks,” Georgia said. “We appreciate it.”
“Let’s get everything disbursed,” Kal said. “I know you all are hungry.”
* * *
• • •
Jackson let Becks handle the kids. He helped out with handing out the bags, but he mostly waited and watched, knowing how hard it was for these kids to trust any adult, especially adults who didn’t live like they did.
Plus, he wanted to stand back, hover in the periphery, not engage. Just being here was hard enough, made his pulse race and his stomach tie itself in knots.
He never came back here. The location wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close to where they used to call home, and the encampment looked the same. Tents and boxes and anything that would keep the blistering hot sun off you. And something you could grab in a hurry in case you needed to run.
Fortunately the cops mostly left you alone unless you were causing shit.
So they never caused shit. Most of them hadn’t, anyway.
Becks motioned for him, so he stepped in to help out.
Georgia was a force, for sure. The younger ones wanted to dive in and just grab stuff. She made them wait for Becks to hand them a bag. Then they all hurried off to their hideouts to eat and see what else was in their bags.
Jackson didn’t blame them. Food was their number-one priority, and unfortunately a scarcity. Without it you’d die out here. Shelter was secondary. Third was a place to hide out. Cops and social services were always looking to snatch the homeless kids off the streets, so you had to be adept at covering your ass, making sure you weren’t noticed.
Kal and Rafe had already made friends with some of the boys. That didn’t surprise him. His brothers were friendly and approachable, whereas Jackson had chosen to stand back and observe. He knew how skittish these kids could be, especially Georgia, who felt responsible for protecting them. He didn’t want to do anything to scare them and he’d rather err on the side of caution.
Right now Kal and Rafe were kicking the soccer ball around with several of the kids, boys and girls alike and varying age groups. Jackson smiled.
“So you think you’re too good to get in there and get dirty with the rest of them?”
He looked up and saw a raven-haired young woman who’d come to stand beside him. She couldn’t be more than twenty or so, and she was eyeing him with a look of distaste.
“I’m not too good for anything. And you are?”
“None of your business. Still waiting for you to tell me who you are.”
She wasn’t going to give, so he was going to have to. “A guy who pretty much grew up here.”
“Yeah? You got out, huh?”
“You could say that.”
“So you’re slumming today, figured you’d allay some of your guilt by feeding the kiddies?”
She was smart. And she was a smartass, too. But he understood. He’d been there. “You got a chip on your shoulder the size of a mountain, don’t you? And this wasn’t my idea
. It’s all Becks’s doing.”
“Which means you turned your back on where you came from and never intended to come back.”
Wow, was she ever irritating. And pretty damned accurate in her assessment of him. “I don’t think you can have it both ways. And I didn’t turn my back and I’m not here to massage away any guilt. I took care of my group when I was here. The only reason I left was I got caught up in a fire and rescued by a firefighter.”
She stared at him. “Oh, so you guys are the ones who got adopted by the fireman. Everybody knows that story.”
“They do?”
“Yeah. Which one are you?”
“I’m Jackson.”
“No kidding?” Her entire demeanor changed. “You’re like . . . legendary around here. I’m Aria, by the way.”
Legendary? Why? He didn’t know anyone even knew what had happened to them. Or cared.
Becks came over. “Hi, I’m Becks. I see you met Jackson.”
“I’m Aria. I just found out this is Jackson. He used to lead a group here.”
Becks smiled. “I know. I was part of his group way back.”
Aria’s bright green eyes glittered with interest. “Really? What was it like?”
Becks laughed. “Pretty much like it is now.”
“People tell stories about Jackson.”
Becks looked at Jackson, then over at Aria. “They do, huh? What kinds of stories?”
“About how he used to forage for food, bring back pizzas and sandwiches for everyone. How he’d steal clothes and rain gear and shoes so no one would go without. How he’d go without so no one else would go hungry.”
“Huh. Just like Robin Hood of the Homeless.” Becks quirked her lips at Jackson, who held up his hands.
“No idea,” Jackson said.
“Seriously,” Aria said. “Just like that.”
“Where did you hear these stories?” Becks asked.
“From Mason. We’d sit around the circle at night and Mason would tell us all stories about when he was a kid. Jackson, you had hero status.”
Jackson’s heart skipped a beat. After Becks told him Mason had disappeared from their group, he’d thought about him a lot. “Mason? You know him?”
“Sure I do.”
“He’s here?” Becks asked.
“Not at the moment. He comes and goes,” Aria said. “He doesn’t like to stay in one place too long. It makes him anxious.”
“I’ve never seen him on all my visits here,” Becks said. “Not that I’m sure I’d even recognize him now. It’s been such a long time.”
“He’s moving around right now,” Aria said. “He’ll probably be back next week. He’s never gone for more than a couple of weeks at a time. I think he has a couple of camps he stays at.”
“Why do you think he does that?” Becks asked.
“He got arrested a few times and he hates that feeling of confinement. So he says if he stays on the move, the cops won’t be able to find him.”
Becks looked over at Jackson, who shrugged. “He was fine when we were younger. I don’t know what happened.”
Rafe and Kal had come over, just as surprised as Jackson was to discover Mason was still there.
“Wow,” Rafe said. “I can’t believe Mason is still here.”
“I’m just glad he’s okay,” Kal said, then turned to Aria. “Is he okay?”
“After you and the guys left, he was fine,” Becks said. “He stepped up and was strong and capable. But like I told you before, I have no idea what happened to him after I went into foster care.”
Aria shrugged. “We’re not sure. Everyone here thinks he’s manifested a form of mental illness. He’s super paranoid about everything, always looking over his shoulder. But since he won’t go to a clinic to get checked out and treated, it’s hard to say what’s going on inside his head.”
“It’s not drugs?” Rafe asked.
Aria shook her head. “Never touches them. He thinks drugs are poison and the people that deal them are trying to kill him. So we know for sure he’s not doing any kinds of drugs. And he doesn’t touch alcohol, either. I’ve never seen him drink anything but bottled water.”
“Well, damn,” Jackson said. He knew that a lot of homeless people struggled with mental illness. Either it put them in the position of being homeless, or sometimes they ended up manifesting symptoms because of a lack of adequate health care.
“I’ll try to see him sometime when I’m out here,” Becks said. “Maybe he’ll remember me and I can talk him into seeking help.”
“Good luck with that,” Aria said. “We’ve all tried. I do my best to keep an eye on him, but sometimes I’m at work.”
Jackson arched a brow. “You got a job? That’s great.”
“Yeah. Temp work and it’s only part-time, but it allows me to feed myself and some of the folks here.”
“Hey, getting employment is awesome,” Becks said. “I know how hard it can be to get a job.”
“Yeah, it’s been okay. Only downfall is I can’t save any money to get out of here.”
“It’s hard for people to get out,” Rafe said. “But you’re on the right track.”
“I’m trying,” Aria said.
“What kind of temp work?” Becks asked.
“Answering phones. Scheduling stuff. I work for a couple of bail bondsmen. I started out doing fast food, squirreled enough money away to buy some decent pants and shirts so I could step up my game and hopefully make better money.”
“You know computers?”
Aria smiled at Becks. “Yeah. Aced those classes in school. I don’t intend to live on the streets forever.”
Becks nodded. “I understand.”
“I like your ink,” Aria said. “Don’t have any myself yet, but someday, when I can afford luxuries.”
Jackson watched the wheels turning in Becks’s head. He had no idea what she was thinking about, but he knew it had something to do with Aria.
“Are you looking for a full-time position?” she asked.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Okay, I have an offer for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m opening my new tattoo shop on Tuesday.”
“Ohh, that explains all the ink. You do all those yourself?”
“Just a few.”
“Are you good?”
Becks’s lips lifted, and Jackson could tell she wasn’t bothered at all by Aria’s line of questions. “I’m damn good.”
“Okay. Tell me about the job offer.”
“It’s about a three-block walk from here, or you could take the bus. I normally operate by myself, but I could use someone to help me out, answering the phone and keeping my schedule.”
Aria’s eyes narrowed, as if she didn’t believe what Becks was dishing out. “Are you serious?”
“Dead. I have in mind to hire another artist now that I have the space, because that’ll draw in even more business. At my other shop I always had to turn away clients and I hated doing that. Now that I have the room, I won’t have to do that. Which means the shop will be even busier and I won’t be able to work on clients plus answer phones plus do scheduling plus deal with walk-ins. You’ll also learn all the supplies we use and how to keep track of and order them. I need a receptionist and assistant. I’ll pay you a decent wage. We start at noon and close around eight p.m. I’ll give you a ride back here so you don’t have to walk home alone.”
“Yes.”
Becks paused. “Yes, as in you’ll take the job?”
“Yes, as in I’ll take the job.”
Becks smiled. “Great. I’ll give you the address to the shop. Start tomorrow so we can set everything up. Be on time.”
Becks wrote down the address in a notebook Aria produced.
“Do you have a p
hone?” Becks asked.
“Yes.”
They traded phone numbers.
“Any dress code?” Aria asked.
Becks shook her head. “No. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“I’ll look presentable.”
Becks nodded, then started to turn away.
“Hey, Becks?” Aria asked.
“Yeah?”
Aria nodded. “Thanks for this.”
Becks didn’t smile. “It’s not a handout, Aria. I need the help, and you’ll earn every dollar.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”
When they finished up, they said their good-byes.
Becks hugged Lexie.
“You’ll come back soon?” Lexie asked.
“Very soon.”
Jackson’s heart squeezed as he watched the way Lexie hugged tight to Becks, like she didn’t want to let go of her.
He understood the sad look on Becks’s face as they climbed into Jackson’s truck.
“It’s hard to leave her, isn’t it?” he asked.
She was watching in the side mirror as they pulled away. “Yeah. Always is.”
“And that whole job offer thing. You did that for Aria.”
She pulled her attention away from the mirror and onto Jackson. “Partly. But I wasn’t lying about needing help at the shop. I’ve just been lazy about running an ad or looking for someone.”
“Hopefully she won’t let you down.”
“She won’t. People like Aria just need someone to give them a chance. We all needed a chance once.”
“What did you do when you aged out of the system?”
“I was lucky. I had already been working part-time in retail and made friends who let me share an apartment with them. And I already knew what I wanted to do with my life, so I worked three jobs, paid rent on time and saved money like crazy so I could eventually start buying supplies for my tattoo business.
“Then I got a job apprenticing for this great tattoo artist. She taught me a lot about how to do ink. I worked with her for three years before I went off on my own.”
He pulled onto the highway. “I’ll bet it was hard to start your own business.”
