She loosened her grip on his neck, and he helped her from the floor back into the chair. He knelt in front of her. “Mikey, I’m sorry about earlier.”
“It’s okay. Victoria, tell me what happened.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t think you wanted me to.”
She cocked her head to the side like she used to, and said nothing for a moment. In a flash, he remembered every moment he’d seen that before: during tests, when they were studying, or playing board games. Anytime she needed to figure something out. “That was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, twelve years. So, tell me what happened.”
She looked around the store, retracing her steps. “After I paid for my gas, I went to the bathroom. Down the candy aisle, past the drinks…”—she looked at him for a moment—“…while I was in there, I realized I’d left my key on the counter when I took the bathroom key from the cashier. By the time I ran out someone else had walked in, picked up my keys, and left.” Her head fell into her hands. “God, I don’t know where my head is.” Her shoulders bounced with silent sobs, and then a petite balled fist slammed into the side of the chair. “What am I gonna do now?”
He grabbed her hand and held it. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix this.” The pads of his fingers ran across the purplish bruise forming on the side of her fist. “Everything will be okay.” Damn. He almost brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. What the hell was he thinking? Her hand fell to her lap from his as if on fire.
Victoria’s tear-filled eyes focused on him. Her loss and pain were beginning to make him act stupid. It took too many years for him to put her and their past behind him. He stood to move away, but he couldn’t stop staring into her watery hazel eyes.
How many times had he heard of someone doing something stupid like leaving a key under a mat or hiding jewelry in an underwear drawer or giving a friend their ATM PIN? People always ended up getting taken in those instances, but walking away from your key in a store. The word “intelligent” barely began to describe Victoria back when he knew her. Honor Society. Drama Club. Cheerleader. What was going on with her that she’d walk away from her car keys? “Victoria, you wait here. Let me talk to Jenny. Do you want anything more to drink?”
“No.” Victoria sat with a vacant expression in her eyes. Slumped in the chair, defeated, she seemed to be thinking or looking at nothing. Just sipping from the bottle of water.
He approached Jenny at the counter. “Can you give me an accurate description of the person or people involved?”
“I only had one customer after her, and he was one of the neighborhood kids. I think his name is Jamal. Jamal somethin’. ‘bout foteen or so.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“Nawh, but he be in here all the time.”
Jenny didn’t have all the details, but she knew enough. It wouldn’t take him long to find Jamal. He hoped he could find him before somebody stripped down Victoria’s car and sold every part, maxed out every credit card, and fenced every possession in her moving truck. He broadcast a lookout for her car and truck, and wondered where she would sleep tonight.
After breaking the sound barrier returning to the district, Chad had gone back to the gas station where he’d left Victoria. As promised, Jenny had watched over her. Providing her with orange juice and conversation. As soon as he returned, she gathered up Victoria’s leftovers, and helped them to the car.
His tiny one bedroom, Paige’s domain when she visited, wasn’t big enough for them, let alone him and Victoria, but where else was he going to take Victoria? He couldn’t afford to put her in a hotel, and her purse was gone, locked in the trunk for safety. How would she pay for it herself? So, he stripped the dirty sheets from his bed, shoved dolls, games, and books into a toy chest, and cleaned up the bathroom. He left Victoria in the tiny overstuffed room, and made up the couch for himself.
When he went back to the bedroom to check on her, she was sitting at the foot of the bed, head hung with her hands tucked between her knees. Quiet and sad.
His words were soft. In his mind, he pictured her crumbling at the sound of his voice. “Victoria, I know you’re tired, but we need to contact your banks and credit card companies. I think we’ll find your car and hopefully your stuff fast, but they might try to use your cards over the Internet or at stores where they have friends.”
Dazed, her expression latched onto him. He’d only seen the hurt in her eyes once before, and he’d promised himself then he’d never see it again, but here it was. Big beautiful hazel eyes stared at him. Tangled shoulder length curls surrounded her pear-shaped face. He glanced around the room for a piece of paper and a pen. Paige’s colored pencils and drawing paper were the best he could find. The bed squeaked and shifted under his weight. “Victoria, write down the names of your banks and credit card companies for me.”
She took the red pencil, and began to write. Her hand was steady, but she still didn’t speak. The list she jotted down was thankfully short: two credit cards, and two bank cards. The bank cards he called first, and then the credit card companies. The second card he left open because there had been activity. Eventually, the activity would lead him to Jamal. The customer service department was more than happy to work with an officer in tracking down the stolen card. The calls were easy enough to make, and at least he wouldn’t have to worry about all her money vanishing.
“Victoria, you need to sleep.” Again, he examined the dark circles under her eyes, and her droopy shoulders. The healthy glow of her sandy brown skin was gone. “I need to take care of a few things.” He placed a hand on each of her shoulders, and twisted her toward him. “Will you be okay? Do you need anything?”
“Don’t leave me, Mikey.” His name coming out of her mouth warmed parts of him it shouldn’t. He fought the urges inside of him to wipe away the tears from her lips with his own.
The pain and exhaustion in her voice cut right through him. “I’ll be back. I just want to check on some things.”
Her arms circled his waist, and she rested her head on his chest. “Lie beside me. I don’t want to be alone.”
For twelve years, he’d wanted another opportunity to lie beside her, but now he couldn’t take advantage of it because if he did, he might be unable to catch Jamal before he sold everything she owned. And because this time he would not be able to let her walk away. He reached around to where her hands locked together behind his back, and gently, but firmly pulled them apart. Soft curls brushed against his chin. A hint of aloe overtook him. Memories of burying his fingers into those curls, and her scent on his body flooded through him. He needed to get out, get away, before he made a fool of himself, again. “I’ll be back.”
He rummaged through his closet, and found a t-shirt. He inspected it; once navy blue, now it was more of a dingy blue, maybe gray. The orange logo on the left breast chipped more with each wash, but it was still one of his favorite shirts. As he handed it to her, he hoped it was long enough to cover any part of her tempting body. Then he glanced at legs nearly as long as his own. No way.
“Mikey.” The single word hung on her tongue.
Her spending the night was a bad idea. Why did she say his name like that? He hesitated in the doorway. “Victory…”—a name he hadn’t used in a long time. A name he and her grandparents would yell at competitions and games to support her. “Victory, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. I’ll be back, soon.”
Chapter Two
Tracking down the kid who had walked away with everything important to Victoria had taken Chad and his partner all night. First, Wal-Mart, then, an all-night grocery, and now, he’d stopped for food at a local carry-out. Oddly enough, the grocery had been Chad’s best lead. Their camera worked, and the cashier knew Jamal Echols.
Chad’s partner, Alex Myles, pulled up to the carry-out and parked. It was in the same neighborhood as the gas station. Jenny had been close, but Jamal was actually sixteen, and he’d already been in and out of
juvie. Like too many others who had made his job hard, not because of what they did, but because of who they were—children—Jamal’s parents were missing in action. Both had their own histories in and out of jail. Without their guidance and he guessed nothing or no one else positive to replace them, Jamal linked in with Memphis’ growing gangs. The wrong kind of family, but a family.
Technically, Chad was off-duty, but Myles wasn’t. He couldn’t count the number of times Alex Myles had done him a favor that saved his ass. And he returned the favor just as often. Myles had been on the Memphis Police Department for almost twenty years. Five years ago, he’d trained Chad. Chad trusted him with his life. He stared at the chocolate complexioned man. Over the past years, he’d witnessed the man morph from a pre-retirement ball buster cop to a man on cruise control while he contemplated early retirement instead of working his last five years. Retiring to a warm climate with his wife was all the man talked about.
Myles and Chad strolled toward the diner. Each scanned the lot: looked for cars with passengers, unnecessary people hanging out, or any activity that would let them know whether Jamal was backed up by his gang or alone. Victoria’s car was parked right up front by the glass. He guessed Jamal wanted to keep an eye on it before he scrapped it. Didn’t want to give somebody else the chance to walk away with his prize.
The door chime tolled at their entry. After a nod from Myles, Chad casually walked to the register to speak with the cashier. They wanted to be sure no one else was going to surprise them from a backroom or bathroom. Myles continued to Jamal’s table. The woman he sat with placed her hand on top of his, and said something Chad couldn’t hear. The kid nodded, and kept stuffing chicken in his face.
Myles flashed his badge. “Jamal Echols. You’re a person of interest in an investigation. I need you to come with me.”
The young woman with her back to Myles spoke. “He has to come with you for what?” She turned to face Myles. “What did he do?”
“Ma’am, who are you?” Myles wasn’t about to waste his time.
Chad wanted the kid, so he could finally go home. Twenty-four hours without sleep was nipping at his eyelids. From where he stood, he couldn’t make out her expression. But, she hesitated before she spoke, wiping her mouth with her fingers. “I’m a family friend.”
“A family friend?”
Chad walked over, and stood beside the woman; Myles rounded the table to Jamal. Myles and Chad exchanged glances. The woman’s words didn’t ring true. Chad knew she wasn’t his mother, but their dark skin, round eyes, and full lips definitely mirrored.
“Yes.” Intricately designed fake nails scratched at tufts of black hair near her forehead. With each score her auburn wig moved back and forth.
Chad and Myles traded another ‘yeah-right’ glance. Technically, he was off duty, so he watched the interchange. “Well, family friend, unless you’re a guardian, and can show proof, Jamal will be leaving with us, and you can let his family know,” said Myles.
Myles dropped his card on the table, grabbed Jamal by an arm, and lifted the boy from his seat. Mild mannered by nature, Myles’ rounded physique usually hid his strength, and he liked it that way. Myles mirandized Jamal as he twisted the kid’s arms behind his back. Jamal’s eyes widened as the cuffs ratcheted into place. He stared at the nameless woman as if telepathically willing her to do something. For the first time since they’d found Jamal, he showed fear. At sixteen, if he went to jail this time, things might be different. It might not be juvie.
She used the card to pick chicken remnants from underneath her fingernails. Her eyebrows bunched together. Maybe from pain. Maybe from concern. “Where can we pick him up?” Then her tongue flicked in and out of her mouth. She made a loud sucking noise as she tried to dislodge food stuck between her teeth.
Myles nodded at the card in her hand. “You call the number on the card, and they’ll let a lawyer or someone from the family know everything.” Myles began to lead Jamal toward the door. Chad motioned at the car through the window. “Oh yeah, we’ll need the keys to the car outside.”
Flicking one of her shiny Pocahontas plaits over her shoulder, she glanced down at keys sprawled on the table.
The kid winced as Myles shifted him around; Myles grabbed the keys, and they exited. They sat in the lot until the tow truck showed up to get the car, and take it to the impound lot. Searching Jamal, they’d found Victoria’s credit cards, and her purse was in the car, but the moving truck was gone. Chad was positive the woman at the table knew where it was, but so did Jamal. Maybe they’d get lucky and find something, but Jamal was a minor, and it would be hard with youth services slowing down everything. Good thing, Jamal’s parents didn’t care, so they had time.
Early the next morning, Chad woke to the smells of breakfast: bacon, eggs, syrup—molasses. He leaned over the side of the couch, and grabbed his cell phone. 11:30 in the morning. Only three hours of sleep. He threw his legs over the side of the couch, and followed his nose into the kitchen to find Victoria on her tiptoes trying to reach the plates on the top shelf.
His eyes scanned her long lean legs accented with muscular calves. The t-shirt he’d given her to sleep in rose up to her hips. It barely covered her bottom, and the boy cut panties she wore didn’t hide anything either. “Mmm.” Her back arched slightly, and her breasts thrust forward. She wasn’t wearing a bra, but her small perky breasts didn’t seem to need the support. His mouth began to water at the lure of much more than a hot breakfast. Really, really crazy ass idea.
Small ringlets flopped around her head when she turned, acknowledging his presence.
Wide-eyed, her mouth hung open for a moment before she spoke. “Good morning. After last night, I didn’t think you’d be awake so soon.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I could say the same thing for you, but even I can’t believe I’m awake.” Eyeing the plates, he said, “Let me get those for you.”
“Yeah, I didn’t hear you come in, but I thought you might like some breakfast. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry.” She lowered herself to her bare feet, and stepped to the side allowing him as much room as she could in the small kitchen.
“Don’t worry about it. I wanted to talk to you anyway.” He knew she was anxious to know details, and he wanted to tell her. “But, I didn’t want to wake you.”
Victoria took the plates he handed her and loaded them with bacon, scrambled eggs, stretched with milk and cheese, and French toast. She really loved French toast, especially her grandmother’s. Extra thick slices of homemade bread loaded with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top would be better. He had a few end pieces of wheat and potato bread, but it would do for today. For too long, she focused on the sugar topping, no cinnamon. But, what else was she going to do? Gawk at the half naked gorgeous guy staring at her like he wanted to put her on a plate? No, she couldn’t stare because she might let him.
As she poured generous amounts of syrup on the French toast, he spoke.
“We found the kid that stole your car.”
The glass syrup bottle slapped the countertop, and she threw her body into his. His hard chest pressed against her breasts. Hesitantly, his arms circled her waist, and she tightened her grip. She didn’t think he’d found anything since he hadn’t awakened her.
If nothing else, she could trade-in or sell her car. Along with her savings she might be okay until she figured out something else. “Thank you. Thank you.”
She planted small kisses on his lips over and over. After a minute, she realized what she was doing, and stopped. Whoa! What on earth was she thinking? When she stepped out of his reluctant release and gazed into his eyes, the air in the room seemed to be sucked away. The intensity in them increased her desire for him, but made her even more aware of where she was, and who she was with. The man whose baby she... The sadness that had crammed her mind and heart as she’d driven for fourteen hours began to fill her to overload. With a deep breath, she smoothed her hands down her torso, wrapped them around he
rself, and then rested her butt against the countertop. “How did you do it?”
“We tracked the activity on one of your cards, and combined that with information from lo-jack which led us to a carry-out. I…we didn’t just want the car, we wanted Jamal, and he had the car with him. Before he was bailed out, he told us he’d sold or pawned most of your stuff. We visited the pawn shops…‘fall off the back of the truck’ type of establishments, but your clothes and the small stuff we have no real way of tracking. Street hustlers.”
Victoria heard him, but she couldn’t believe he’d accomplished so much so fast. She stared at the tiny plate of food, and wondered how she could pay him back for what he’d done.
“You won’t be able to get the car and stuff for a while; it’s evidence. But I’ll speed things up as much as I can.” He leaned back against the wall in the small kitchen, bare-chested. Loose-fitted pajama bottoms hung low on his hips. Deeply defined ab muscles disappeared beneath the drawstring.
Without him, without her stuff, what would she do? She would have had to start over from scratch, and with her grandfather waiting for her, she didn’t know how to thank him. She kissed her Mikey. Warm and soft, his lips welcomed her. They parted slightly, and she leaned in further. Their tongues touched, and she jumped. What was she doing? Again. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay you back for all of this. You really didn’t have to do it.” She couldn’t resist the touch of his skin, and slid her hand along his bare arm. Her fingers tumbled over each muscle. The lower her hand slid, the more his back pushed against the wall behind him. She grasped his hand, and led him back to the couch where he’d slept.
When she left him his tense expression mellowed. Carrying his plate of food and a glass of apple juice, she returned. It was the only juice in the refrigerator. If he’d had champagne and orange juice she would’ve served Mimosas in celebration. Moments later, she returned with her own plate, and sat beside him.
HeartWorks Page 23
