Always for You: Jack (Sergeant Joe's Boys #1)

by Alexis Morgan

  Jack sensed his mother moving up beside him. For her sake, he crammed his temper down deep and under tight control. “I make no claim to be an expert on the subject, Detective. I can speak to the fact that Ricky looked a helluva lot like I did at that age when I was living on the streets myself. Clothes a mix of too small and too big, everything badly worn and in need of being laundered. I’m guessing he also hadn’t bathed in a while. When I shared my lunch with him, he wolfed down one and a half sandwiches but made sure to put the other half away for later. He was also sporting an impressive set of faded bruises.”

  The cops both went on point. “Why didn’t you report the kid to the authorities?”

  “Because I didn’t know anything about him other than he told me to call him Ricky. I had no idea if that was even his real name nor did I know how old he was.” Jack weighed how much to tell them. “He came back again the next day to work, but that’s the last I saw of him.”

  Deciding he’d answered enough questions, he asked his own. “What happened to him, and how bad is it?”

  Detective St. John glanced at Detective Daily, who nodded. “Richard is currently in surgery to repair a broken arm. He also has a few other more minor injuries. He refused to tell us who attacked him. The reason we came here is that your card was the only thing the kid had on him other than a bogus driver’s license.”

  “No missing person’s report on him?”

  “Not that we can find, at least not under that name or fitting his description. Until he wakes up and tells us what’s going on, we’ll hold off doing any more searching.”

  Good. At least they were smart enough to know that the last people the kid might need right now is his own family, especially if one of them was responsible for his injuries. At least their delay would buy Jack some time. “Which hospital is he in?”

  Detective Daily hesitated. “I’m guessing you want to head over there to check on the kid.”

  Jack widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “I do. You got a problem with that?”

  His mother chose that moment to get involved. “Jack, please. These officers don’t know you, and they have good cause to be concerned about your young friend.”

  She was right. They didn’t deserve his anger. He met her gaze and offered her a small nod, both as an apology and to acknowledge she was right. “Sorry, gentlemen. Given my own past, this has stirred up some unpleasant memories for me. Yes, I would like to be there when Ricky gets out of surgery. He’ll do better if at least one familiar face is there when he wakes up. Kids with experience similar to his and mine rarely respond well to being surrounded by police uniforms.”

  “No, they don’t,” Detective Daily admitted. “Just so you know, we’ve already notified Child Protective Services, so they’ll be getting involved in the case.”

  “I’d expect no less.”

  Poor Ricky. Dollars to dimes the boy already had more than a passing knowledge of how the system worked and hadn’t liked it one bit. Jack’s gut feeling was that Ricky had been put into foster care at some point, but it hadn’t worked out. Either that or the authorities had sent him right back into the same environment that had netted the kid those bruises in the first place. The only question was if Ricky was protecting someone with his silence and, if so, why? Until he was ready to risk trusting someone, it would be hard for anyone to get a straight answer out of him, but Jack stood a better chance than the cops did.

  “If he tells me anything useful, I promise to share.”

  “You’d better.” Detective Daily softened the remark with a smile and then glanced in Marlene’s direction. “I knew your husband, ma’am. Joe was a good man. We shared more than one beer at the veteran’s hall over the years. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  As always when her husband was mentioned, Marlene’s grief peeked through. “Thank you, Detective.”

  The cop turned his attention back to Jack. “Your dad was damn proud of his sons. I’m putting my ass on the line by telling you where Richard is. Don’t screw me over.”

  Yeah, Jack could see how this man would’ve been friends with Joe. “I’ll do my best not to, sir.”

  The cops each shook Jack’s hand and left after giving him the name of the hospital. He waited until they pulled away before saying anything. Jack needed to get dressed and head out. But before that, he was going to need to enlist his mother’s help to get past all the rules and regulations that would otherwise prevent him from parking Ricky’s ass right here in this house.

  “Will you help?” Although he already knew he didn’t really need to ask.

  She nodded. “I’ll be ready to go in twenty minutes.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  He took off running to take a quick shower and get dressed. Twenty minutes wasn’t long, and it should only take another twenty to reach the hospital at this time of night. Throw in parking and finding Ricky’s room, and they should be with him in just under an hour. Even so, that was too long. Sixty minutes in the life of a terrified kid was an eternity.

  —

  “Are you sure about this, Jack?”

  He tore his eyes away from staring at the bruised and battered kid in the bed to meet his mother’s gaze head-on, letting her see for herself that he was serious as death about his decision.

  She kept her voice low when she spoke. “As I recall, you were only going to finish up the few jobs your father had on the books and that would be it. You shouldn’t take on responsibility for a boy like Ricky if you’re not willing to be there for the long haul.”

  When he started to protest, she held up her hand to cut him off. “I’ve kept up my foster care credentials all these years, but I’m too old to take on a boy his age for more than a short-term emergency stay. That’s not what he needs any more than it was when you and your brothers came to stay with Joe and me.”

  Damn, he hated it, but she was right. As he thought over all the ramifications, he couldn’t help staring at Ricky. The teenager did need stability. Even more, he needed a place where he could feel safe. Time for some hard truths. “I look at him and see me, Mom, not to mention Tino and Mikhail. There’s no way I can walk away from that kid now, not after seeing him like this. If that means staying here and keeping Dad’s business going, then that’s what I’ll do.”

  Marlene circled around the bed to stand beside him. “Okay, then. I’ll talk to his caseworker and see if she will assign him to me for now. If she’s willing to do that, then you’ll have to have Joe’s infamous Talk with him.”

  For the first time in hours, Jack smiled. He and his brothers had always thought of the conversation they’d each had with Joe right after they’d come to live with him and Marlene as the Talk, with a capital T. That was when Joe had laid out the details about the deal he was offering them. What was expected of them and what they would get in return. To this day, Jack didn’t know why he had accepted the offer, but he’d never once regretted that decision. He hoped Ricky would feel the same way.

  He hugged his mother, needing that physical connection with one of the two people who had saved his soul. “If he’s as stubborn as the three of us were, this could prove interesting.”

  “But so worth it, Jack.” She gave him a hard squeeze before stepping back. “And one more thing. You’ll need to get approved for foster care yourself. I’ve raised my sons. This one is your responsibility.”

  A flutter of panic settled in his gut. Suddenly he felt like the raw recruit he’d been at eighteen when he had asked Joe if he thought Jack had what it took to be a good soldier. Just like then, lives depended on the answer to that question. “Do you think I can do this, Mom? Or maybe I should be asking if I ought to? After all, what do I know about what a kid needs?”

  They both watched Ricky, who was starting to stir a bit. “Son, no one knows better than you what a boy like him needs. Your father and I only read about what you’d been through. You actually lived it. Like anyone taking on the role of parent, you don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to be there for him.”

  Suddenly, Ricky’s eyes popped open, and a whole slew of emotions flashed across his pale face: confusion, pain, fear, and then more confusion. Marlene immediately left the room to fetch the nurse, who’d asked them to let her know when Ricky woke up.

  Meanwhile, Jack stepped closer to the bed. “It’s all right, kid. You’re safe. The doctor told me that he did a bang-up job on your broken arm. You’ve also got a whole new crop of bumps and bruises, so you’re going to hurt some for a while. Right now, you’re still dopey from the anesthesia. Just so you know, that woman who just left was my mother. She went to track down the nurse to let her know you’re awake.”

  The fog in Ricky’s eyes started to clear, and he struggled to sit up, wincing in pain. “Jack? What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Lie still and let me help you. And watch your language when my mother comes back in. She doesn’t much like anyone cursing around her.” Jack pressed the button to raise the head of the bed. “As far as the rest goes, the cops found my card in your pocket when you were brought into the hospital. They came to the house to see why you had it and if I knew you.”

  The fear was back. “What did you tell them?”

  “That I was your friend, but they’re going to be back and want some answers to their questions.”

  He gave Ricky a minute to assimilate that much before going on. “I don’t know how much you remember about what happened. Evidently, the cops got an anonymous call from a burner phone that someone was badly hurt. When they found you, there was no one else around. It was raining so hard that they figure any evidence probably got washed away or compromised. They also ran the driver’s license you were carrying, but it’s bogus. No hits on it or the name. Right now that’s all they know.”

  Jack quit talking, hoping the kid would offer up some explanation about what had happened to him. Some of Ricky’s tension drained away, but his mouth remained firmly shut. No doubt he wouldn’t be any more forthcoming with the police when they did show up.

  “Is there anyone you want me to call?”

  Just that quickly, Ricky was wound up tight again. “No, nobody.”

  “Ricky Patton, if that is even your real name, I know you don’t really know me. I’m just a guy who gave you a few bucks and a couple of meals.”

  “So? I was doing okay on my own before that, and I’ll be okay once I get out of here.”

  “That’s bullshit, and we both know it.” Jack leaned in close enough to force Ricky to look at him. Lacing his words with pure steel, he laid it all out for the kid. “You’ve got to trust someone sometime. I’m not saying it has to be me. Hell, the two cops who came to see me seemed like decent sorts. Pick one of them instead. But regardless of who you choose, the bottom line is that you could have been killed today. Someone left you lying there in the gutter all broken and bleeding. Whoever the bastard is that did that belongs behind bars, not roaming the streets free to do it again. And if it’s you he’s specifically targeting, the next time the two of you cross paths will more than likely be the last, because you’ll be dead. At the very least, tell the cops what you know so they can go after the guy.”

  Ricky turned even more pale. “Get out of my face! I’m not telling the cops a damn thing. Like I said, I can take care of myself.”

  Despite the brave words, the scared kid behind the bravado showed in his wide eyes and in the way his voice cracked. Jack backed away just a hair. He’d bet anything the kid was trying to protect someone, just not himself.

  “Okay, so here’s the deal. The cops are assuming you’re under eighteen. I’m guessing they’re right, and for sure they’ve already called CPS. My mom has the right credentials to provide foster care and probably knows the caseworker assigned to your case. You’re going to need a safe place to stay, especially with your arm screwed up like that. Give yourself a break and come live with us at least until your arm heals. You’ll have your own room, which has a lock on the inside. No one will come in or out unless you let them.”

  Ricky shifted and turned away from Jack, but the kid didn’t tell Jack to fuck off. Maybe he was getting through to him.

  “We’re willing to have you come stay with the two of us, meaning my mom and me, but I won’t lie to you. People in our house are expected to pull their own weight, so there will be some rules and regulations involved. Stuff like working toward getting back into school. As your arm allows, you’ll be doing chores and have other responsibilities for as long as you’re with us. And for the record, there’s no time limit on how long you can stay as long as you make a solid effort to toe the line. We can talk about the details when you’re feeling more alert.”

  Silence, but again no rejection. At least the kid was thinking about it. Jack was about to walk away to give the kid some space, when Ricky flopped back over onto his back, cursing when it jarred his arm. “Why would you do this? What do you get out of it?”

  God, the kid sounded just like Jack had back in the day. He grinned at Ricky. “My best guess is a lot of lip from you.”

  A small smirk came and went before Ricky could hide it. Still mistrustful, he frowned big-time. “Seriously, why would you do this? Nobody does shit for anybody without getting something out of it.”

  Now wasn’t the time for Jack’s life story. He settled for what Ricky really needed to hear. “For now, all you need to know is my mom took me in off the streets when I was about your age, and I turned out okay. Maybe I think you deserve the same chance I got.”

  He could hear his mom talking with someone, which meant she and the nurse were nearly to the door. “You don’t have to decide right away, Ricky. I just thought you’d rest better knowing what was going on and what your options would be when they boot your skinny ass out of here.”

  The corner of Ricky’s mouth twitched upward just a bit. “Two things, Jack. First, my ass ain’t skinny. Second, does your mom bake cookies very often?”

  Jack stared down at him, straight-faced and serious as hell. “Two answers, kid. Yes, it is, and yes, she does.”

  Ricky slowly lifted his good hand and held it out. “Then it’s a deal.”

  “I knew you were smarter than you looked, kid.”

  Jack shook Ricky’s hand but ignored the sudden sheen in the teenager’s eyes and the way he was blinking like crazy to clear the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. Jack knew from experience how much pride meant to a kid like Ricky. When you had nothing but the clothes on your back, sometimes pride was all you had going for you. As he turned to greet both the nurse and his mother, Jack realized that the ten-ton boulder of worry that had been parked on his shoulders all night suddenly felt a helluva lot smaller.

  —

  Caitlyn Curtis pulled to the curb and parked. Before getting out of her car, she studied the house where her newest client was staying. It was probably two decades older than the one she’d grown up in, but there were definite similarities. If she had to guess, the main living space was probably on the first floor while the bedrooms were all on the second. The master bedroom was most likely located toward the front with the smaller ones overlooking the backyard. At least that had been true of the two cozy rooms she and her older brother had laid claim to in their childhood home. The memory of that room had her smiling. How many hours had she spent curled up in the window seat daydreaming as she stared out at the world outside?

  She shook her head, clearing away the memories to concentrate on her first impressions of her newest clients. She liked that the yard was freshly mowed, and the flowerbeds were kept neat and tidy. The house itself was also well maintained, so that even a casual observer would know the owners took pride in their home. Hopefully that meant they would extend the same degree of care to the boy who had been sent to live with them.

  Only one way to find out. She picked up her briefcase and purse before getting out of the car. She walked up the driveway, taking note of the pair of vehicles parked there. One was definitely a workingman’s truck with
all the dents and dings to prove it. There was a sign on the driver’s door that read JOE’S CONSTRUCTION. The second one, a late-model SUV, was obviously someone’s pampered baby. It would be interesting to meet the owners and see if she could guess which one belonged with each vehicle.

  The front door swung open before she had a chance to knock. Caitlyn knew she should introduce herself, but at that moment she wasn’t sure she could string the words together in any coherent order. She’d been told that Marlene Lukash, the foster parent, was a woman in her late fifties.

  Instead, the person on the other side of the screen door was a man of about her own age, and what a man! He was around five inches taller than she was, making him a shade under six feet tall, but his shoulders came close to spanning the full width of the door. His reddish-brown hair was cut military short, and his green eyes bore into hers with an incredible intensity. God, she hoped she wasn’t drooling.

  He quirked an eyebrow, clearly wondering why she was just standing there and not saying a word. “Ms. Curtis?”

  She managed to answer. “Yes, sorry. I wasn’t expecting…they told me you’d be older.” And deciding she might as well go for broke, she added, “and a woman.”

  His mouth quirked up in a small grin, clearly enjoying her embarrassment. “So, tell me, Ms. Curtis. Are you disappointed that neither of those things are true?”

  No way she was going to answer that one. Even so, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so aware of a man. While his features were too bold to be considered classically handsome, his looks were still compelling. Then there was the fact that she’d always been a sucker for a guy with a wicked sense of humor. Those amazing shoulders and smiling eyes were just the icing on the cake, rich and all too tempting. She took a mental deep breath and got back on task. “Is Mrs. Lukash available? I’m the tutor she’s hired to work with her foster son.”

  “Actually, I’m the one who will be footing your bill.” He opened the door to let her in. “I’m Jack McShane. Marlene Lukash is my mother. She and Ricky are at the store, but they’ll be back in just a few minutes. I wanted a chance to talk to you before you meet your new student.”