by Aden Lowe
She made a note on her tablet. "I'm sorry, Mr. Reach, but I was told otherwise."
I glanced at Crank. Now who the fuck had a reason to say such a thing? "Uh huh. Well, for your information, I spoke to Alexis and the kids regularly by phone. I sent gifts at birthdays and holidays. I might not have been physically present, but there was no estrangement of any sort." I stood up. "Now, unless you have some reason to withhold them from me, take me to Nicole and Tyler."
The bitch was not happy, judging by the jerky way she rose and headed for the door. I didn't care. Nothing mattered but getting to the kids and making sure they were okay.
Outside, when I started toward where we'd parked the bikes, Crank stopped me. "This way, man. I figured a rental car might work a little better for this part."
Damn it, he was right. "Good idea." I followed him to the black SUV that absolutely reeked of 'rental car'. It didn't matter, though.
Crank drove, following Ms. Channing's little state-owned sedan at a careful distance. She drove slow as hell, like she was trying to provoke him into making some reckless move, but Crank just hung back and took it all in stride. Couldn't say the same for myself. I cursed and bitched the whole way, until we pulled up in front of a modest little ranch in the middle of a tract development.
Ms. Channing got out of her car and waited for us. "Now, Mr. Reach, I have to caution you to go slowly, and remember the children don't know you."
About that time, the front door opened and two kids blasted out, racing toward us. I froze, unsure what was happening.
"Fabio! You came!" My niece, Nicole, launched herself at me, and practically knocked me on my ass.
I caught her and dropped to one knee to catch Tyler, too. For a moment, all I could do was clutch them to me. "Course I came." A huge knot in my chest unraveled to leave me gasping for breath. "Nothing could keep me away." Yeah, I might have dreaded coming here, but that was the truth. These kids needed me, and come hell or high water, I had their backs.
15
Fabio
Bringing the kids back to their house seemed like the best option for the moment, even though it would be painful for them. Regardless, we would have to go there long enough to pack their shit.
Nicole seemed relieved at the suggestion. "Can we go now?"
Something in the tone of her voice worried me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "In just a few minutes. Why don't you guys get your shit, and I'll say thanks to the Thomases? We'll get the hell out of here, then."
"Mr. Reach!" The way Ms. Channing said my name made me double check to make sure my fly was zipped. "Watch your language in front of the children!" She spit at me like a little cat, all pissed off.
"Yeah, whatever." Unimpressed, I headed inside with Nicole and Tyler. About the time we reached the door, I missed Crank, and looked back to find him grinning ear to ear, while Ms. Channing scolded him about something. "Yo, Crank! Outta your league, man."
Inside, Crank's sexual pursuits flew straight out of my mind. The couple standing in the immaculate, if tiny, living room, looked about as uptight as people could get without going postal, or some shit. A little girl, somewhere between Tyler and Nicole in age, stood between them, her dark hair in pigtails so tight they had to be cutting off her circulation.
Deciding to ignore appearances, I held out my hand. "Caleb Reach. Thanks for looking after Nicole and Tyler until I could get here."
The woman turned to the man. "I'm going to get Ms. Channing. Surely she can't mean to let them go with… this person." She looked at me like I was something she wiped off the bottom of her shoe, as she stormed past. "Ms. Channing!"
"What the actual—" I swallowed the rest of my words. "Nicole, you and Tyler get your stuff."
Nicole took Tyler's hand and led him away.
Mr. Thomas clutched the little girl's hand hard enough to make her squeak. "Are you really going to take them away from everyone they know and love?"
My hackles were already up, and his words made things worse. "Excuse me?" I forced myself to slow down. "Man, I don't know who you think you are, but those kids are my family. Their momma and daddy are dead, and you and your ol' lady pulling some bullshit drama ain't going to help them one bit."
The uptight woman returned, dragging Ms. Channing along, and Crank followed, wearing the poker face he reserved for the moment before he took someone's head off with his bare hands. The woman turned to point an accusing finger at me. "Ms. Channing, you simply cannot allow this…this hooligan to take Lexi's children!"
My eyebrow probably went up, but I stayed silent, waiting to hear what the social worker might say.
Ms. Channing shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Thomas, but until he proves himself unfit, I have no choice. At least, for the moment. We'll see what happens when the will goes to the probate judge."
"But, just look at him! He's clearly a criminal! You can't put my best friend's children in danger like this!" The woman looked like stroking out waited in her very near future. "I won't let you do this!"
Nicole and Tyler came back in, and slipped their hands into mine. That fucking blew me away. Yeah, they knew me, from phone calls and video, but they didn't know me. And they felt safer with me, than with their parents'—what was the fucking word the club girls used? Besties? Yeah, that was it. Fuck, no.
"Hol' up right there, lady. You don't know a damn thing about me. And I'm thinking you weren't that close to Alexis and Simon, either. Otherwise, you would know she hated to be called Lexi." The more I thought about it, the more pissed I became. "You would also know I wasn't estranged from them, either."
Mrs. Thomas' eyes widened and her face went even redder. For his part, Mr. Thomas sort of shrunk down, while their kid grinned up at me. Odd as fuck. "Adam, call the police. Now! I will not allow this common criminal to take Lexi's children from me."
"Mrs. Thomas, you could call the police, of course. That's your right." Ms. Channing held out a placating hand. "However, think of the children. You care for them, so you obviously wouldn't want them upset further." She glanced at me, then toward the door, in a clear signal.
She didn't have to tell me twice. I ushered the kids to the door, and right on out, no stopping to be polite, or anything. They both practically dragged my ass to the SUV and climbed in without urging.
As soon as they were in, Crank and Ms. Channing came out of the house. Crank waved me to the driver's seat. "Get the fuck outta here, man." He hustled Ms. Channing to her car and climbed behind her wheel.
I wasted no time getting out of that neighborhood. "Nicole, honey, you have to tell me how to get to your house from here."
For a twelve-year old girl, she gave clear directions, telling me each turn to make. Crank and Ms. Channing followed close behind.
"Fabio?"
"Yeah, honey?"
"I'm glad you came. They're crazy. Mom and Dad would never have wanted us to be with them." Nicole's voice quavered at the mention of her parents, but she took a deep breath and went on. "They weren't even friends. Dad worked with Mr. Thomas, but had to fire him a few weeks ago. I heard them talking. They thought they would get a lot of money for taking care of us."
My fingers curled around the wheel with enough force to make it creak. "Why were you with them, then?"
She took another deep breath and swiped her fingers under her eyes. "I'm not sure, really. We were at school, and Ms. Channing came to get us, and told us what happened. We were at her office for a while, and then she took us there. She didn't listen when I told her we didn't even know them. I wanted us to go to my friend Tamara's house. Her parents offered us to stay there until you came."
The rage that poured through me was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. "Did she say who told her to take you there?"
Nicole shook her head, dark hair flying. "No. She just kept saying it was for the best."
Huh. That really sounded like someone on high pulling strings. But why? Seemed like I needed to have a little talk with Ms. Channing. Best to let it
drop for the moment, especially since Nicole seemed so upset. The kid didn't need any more adult bullshit dropped in her lap than she already had.
"Are you guys hungry? We could pick up takeout." What the hell did I know about when kids needed to eat? But my own stomach grumbled like a pissed off Harley, so I figured they might need food, too.
For the first time, Tyler really spoke. "Can we gets ice cream?"
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Tell you what. How about we get chicken or something like that, and then later, I'll take you back out for ice cream?"
Nicole giggled and looked back at the little guy. "Looks like he's already got you figured out, Ty-ty."
The kid whined a little, but ended up accepting my proposal, although he did talk his way into sprinkles on his ice cream. Little man had the negotiating skills of a career politician.
We stopped at a KFC, and I got Crank and Ms. Channing to go in and order for us all. While we waited, I turned in my seat so I could see both the kids' faces. I needed to let them know things weren't going to be perfect.
"Listen guys, this isn't going to be easy for any of us. You're going to miss your parents, and I'm not used to kids. But we're family, and I love you. So we'll make it work. Make sense?"
Nicole nodded immediately, but Tyler just looked at me with these huge blue eyes. "I like to work. What kin'a work?"
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. At five years old, he seemed to have his own perspective on things. "Well, let's see. You'll have to show me how to do dishes. And I can't cook worth a damn."
His eyes got bigger. "We can't say that word. Momma says it a groaned up word."
Confusion hit me for a second before realization set it. Well shit. I better get a lot better at watching my language, it seemed. "That's true, li'l man. I'll try to remember not to say it so much around you guys."
"It's okay, Fahv-bio. I forget, too."
"See, we've already got a lot in common." I offered him a fist bump, which he returned. Crank smacked the fender as he passed by with Ms. Channing, both of them juggling the big order.
When we reached my sister's house, I felt like Ryker's fucking knee smashed into my gut again. She had lived there, and now she didn't live. A ton of things I didn't want to feel bombarded me from every direction. More than anything, right now, I wanted to give Alexis a hug. The grief at not being able to tell her goodbye threatened to drown me. Only this time, I couldn't get sucked under.
Not like I did when Justine abandoned me. Then, it was only me. It didn't matter if I stayed drunk for a month, or got myself killed on a mission. But now, with Nicole and Tyler counting on me to take care of them, I had to keep my shit together and keep moving forward.
So I sat down at the table with the kids and Crank, and even Ms. Channing, and we all ate our fucking chicken. "You guys will have to help me out here. I have no idea what all you're supposed to do and when. I mean, do you have homework? Soccer? Hell, bedtime?"
Nicole laughed, and Ms. Channing even smiled. "I always have homework, and Tamara's getting all my work I miss for me. Tyler doesn't have homework this year, but he likes to practice writing and stuff while I do mine. Soccer, no. Tyler's bedtime is eight during the week, nine on weekends."
I raised my brows in mock surprise. "Well, look at you, all on top of everything."
The rest of the meal passed with the kids chattering about just about anything and everything, including how much they missed their parents.
Crank spoke up when Tyler teared up a little, wishing his momma could read him his bedtime story. "Hey, li'l man, I know you miss your mom and dad. It's not fair to lose them. But you're okay. You have Fabio to take care of you, and he might be dumb as a rock about kids, but he's one smart hombre. Besides him, you got me. I'm not all that smart, but I'm a real good listener."
"Do you have kids, Crank?" Nicole looked at the bastard with this doe-eyed expression that reminded me she wasn't really a little girl. At twelve, she was well on her way to being a young woman. Now how the fuck was I supposed to deal with that shit?
"Nah. I'm not really the settling down and getting married type. I travel a lot for the Club, and I work insane hours. Not all that conducive to family."
"What kind of work do you do, Mr. uh…Crank?" Ms. Channing took another bite of her potato wedge.
Crank gave me a quick look, and I gave my head a tiny shake. "I'm a security consultant. Boring as hell."
"That doesn't sound boring. And the Club you mentioned?"
Well, fuck. I preferred to keep that information away from CPS.
She evidently picked up on our reluctance. "It's okay, I was just curious. I mean, look at you. You're definitely not the Leave It To Beaver types."
Crank grinned. "Damn. What gave us away? Be honest, it was the trail of broken hearts, right?"
Both Nicole and Ms. Channing laughed again. "Well, it could have something to do with all the tattoos and piercings."
"Oh, those. Wait until you see the bikes."
That caught Tyler's attention. "I has a bike. It's red and it gots training wheels. Does yours bikes gots training wheels?"
"No, Tyler, not your kind of bike. He means motorcycles." Nicole leaned in close to ruffle the little guy's hair.
His eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped. "Real motorcycles?"
Crank told him a little about Harleys, probably just enough to pique his interest. I took a minute to just watch. I'd been utterly fucking stupid, missing out on all this for so long. I cheated these kids, my sister, and mostly, myself.
16
Fabio
With the remnants of dinner cleaned up, Nicole took Tyler to find his pajamas and get ready for his bath, and Ms. Channing started to leave.
"Uh, I know you've been off the clock a while now, but if you have a minute, I'd like to talk to you? Or set up a time to meet tomorrow?" The suspicious bastard in me refused to let go of why someone wanted the Thomas couple to have the kids. Crank knew me well enough to stay put.
"I have time now." Ms. Channing gave a self-deprecating smile. "One of the hazards of social work is no social life." She sat back down at the table, and I didn't miss that she chose the chair beside Crank. "What can I do for you?"
"I talked to the kids on the way over here. Nicole said they didn't even know those people. So that got me curious about who told you to take them there."
Sarah Channing went deathly pale. "What do you mean, they didn't know them?"
I explained to her what Nicole had told me.
She stood, fingers over her lips, even paler than before. "Oh my God. I can't believe that bastard." Her whisper sent a chill down my spine.
"Which bastard?" From Crank's cold tone, someone's future held pain.
Ms. Channing sat back down with a sigh. "My supervisor. He said he'd known Mrs. Blair very well, that they'd even almost married at one point, but he decided he wasn't ready. He'd kept in touch, though, and they both also knew Mrs. Thomas from school. He said he knew Alexis would want her kids to be with her lifelong friend."
"What did he say about family? Aren't relatives generally given the first consideration?" I was beginning to get used to feeling as if Ryker slammed me with a knee or elbow. It happened every damn time I turned around in this situation.
"He said the only family to deal with would be Mrs. Blair's estranged brother. He said you'd had no contact with the family for years, and that she would never consider the kids being with you." She looked like she might lose her dinner.
I shrugged. "Who is this motherfucker?"
"Jared Sennit."
I shrugged again. The name meant absolutely nothing to me. "I have no clue who that is. Why would he do something like that?"
Ms. Channing shook her head. "I don't know. I can't even imagine this happening."
Crank sat back. "Well, it's not unheard of. I've read a few articles about similar things, where someone got a kickback for placing foster kids with certain homes, stuff like that."
Nicole's word
s echoed in my ears again, and my knees went weak at the implication. "She said those people hoped to get a lot of money for taking care of them."
Ms. Channing stood to pace the kitchen. "I've heard rumors, and thought there was nothing to them. I mean, anyone would have to be stupid to do that, right?"
"Do what, Sarah?" Crank's use of Ms. Channing's first name took me back a little. Normally when he turned on the charm to get information from a woman, he used a pet name. Interesting, but I didn't have time to think about it right now.
"To game the system." She stopped and turned to face Crank. "Sending kids to certain foster homes for a kickback is small. The people don't make that much from taking in kids, but if there's high volume, it would add up. And a percentage of that isn't something to sneeze at. But to steer an orphaned child to be placed with a specific person, and orchestrate things for that placement to become permanent, could mean life insurance benefits. A percentage of that could be big."
Cold rage froze my blood. "You think that could be what was happening here?" I could forgive a lot of things, but deliberately keeping a kid from their family in that kind of situation? That pissed me off in a big way.
"I'm just not sure. But it could be."
I turned to Crank. "I'd like to get to the bottom of this, Brother. You didn't sign on for shakin' crooked bureaucrats out of the trees. No hard feelings if you decide to head on home."
"Nah, man, I ain't got nothin' better to do at the moment." He gave Ms. Channing a meaningful glance. "Besides, I kinda like the scenery around here."
"I appreciate it, man."
Nicole came back in. "Tyler's getting his bath. Is it okay if I call Tamara? I'd like to let her know we're home."
I nodded. "First, though, I'd like to find out a little more about those people you stayed with. You up for talking about it?"
She bit her lip, and nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear. "What do you want to know?"
