Kyle nodded. “It can be hard on a kid when other kids find out. I don’t blame Monica for keeping that a secret.”
“Okay, so what can we do about this?” asked Ashton.
“There’s no we. There’s me and the police department,” Kyle replied. “You need to let us handle it.”
Carlos nodded, but his thoughts were on Polly. How this affected her. She was his first priority. Her safety. Duke had already stopped by the house once. Now he’d left a knife in the door at Ashton’s. A man with nothing to lose usually didn’t think through his actions.
“What am I supposed to do in the meantime while you look into this?” Ashton asked. “Other than shutting the center down. The kids need it. Their parents work during the day, or things at home aren’t very good and they need somewhere to go. Some of these kids don’t have any food at home. They eat at the center before they leave at night.”
“The most I can do at the moment is offer the presence of an officer during your open hours and send extra patrols past the center. That should curb any chance of something happening while you’re here. I can’t station an officer outside your home, but I can beef up police presence in your neighborhood.”
She chewed her lip. “Okay. I doubt Duke wants to tangle with cops just after getting out of prison.”
As Kyle stood, Ashton and Carlos stood with him. Shaking his head, Kyle said, “No, I doubt he does.” He shook Ashton’s hand and then Carlos’s. “We’ll get to work on this. If you see anything, hear anything, or remember anything else, don’t hesitate to call me.” He handed her his card.
Ashton smiled as she took it. “Thank you. I will.”
Once Kyle was gone, Carlos turned to her. Unlike Duke, he did have something to lose. As he put his arms around Ashton, his heart sank. There was only one answer.
“Ashton,” he said, leaning back. “I think Polly and I need to take a step back for a little while.”
“What?” she asked, pulling away.
“I didn’t tell you at the time because I thought it would blow over, but Duke knows where I live. He knows about Polly. I made a promise to make her a priority.”
Ashton nodded. “Of course, but you heard Kyle. There’ll be extra security.”
“At the center. I’m at the station twenty-four hours at a time. I can’t be with Polly every second of the day. I can’t risk her safety. I—”
“You haven’t told her about us, have you?” Her chin trembled, and tears pooled in her eyes. “This is just an excuse to get out of a hard conversation with her.”
His eyebrows knitted together at the accusation. “No, it’s not, but there’s no point in having the conversation right now. I can’t put her at risk. This man? He’s in a gang. I’m already outnumbered before the battle starts.”
Ashton blinked, sending tears coursing down her cheeks. “So, that’s it? No you? No Polly?”
“I can’t think of another way to handle this.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Until this is settled, I can’t let her go back. Not when they know where we live.” He paused and cast his gaze to the floor, shame beginning to flood him with what he’d say next. He’d fallen for her, and now he was likely killing any and all future chances of being with her. It gutted him to think he wouldn’t have her in his life, but Polly meant the world to him too. “And I don’t like the idea of us being tied together. He already knows there’s something between you and me.”
She took in a shaky breath. “I understand. Your first priority is her. I told you I’d never come between the two of you.”
Ashton was taking this a lot better than he pictured his little sister would. Polly would be furious with him, but notes stuck to doors with knives was where he had to draw the line.
“Polly isn’t going to be happy with me.”
Stepping into him, Ashton cupped his cheek. “She’ll probably text or call me. If she does, I’ll talk to her.”
As if he couldn’t feel like more of a heel. “I’m sorry.”
“I think you might need to go now.” She stepped back, and the chasm of distance between them felt tangible.
He wanted so badly to hold her, or at least to touch her. To comfort her in any way he could. The painful truth was that it would comfort him, not her. He didn’t like being the source of her heartache. “This doesn’t have to be forever. Don’t forget that. And if you need anything…”
“I’ll call.”
He nodded and opened the front door, stepping out onto the porch.
The door clicked shut, and he stood there a moment as the sound of her crying filtered through the door. It hurt now, but it wasn’t permanent. It wasn’t. This whole situation would resolve itself, and they could try again.
Sometimes he lied to himself.
Chapter 26
Polly stared at Carlos from across the dining table. He’d fixed her favorite meal and put enough spice in it that he expected it to break out in song. Instead of allowing her to go to the center, he’d texted just after her last class and asked her to come home.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Polly asked.
Setting his fork down, he wiped his sweating palms down his pants. He’d already been nervous about talking to her, and with the added spice, it was a wonder he could think straight.
“Yeah,” he said and took a drink of milk. “We need to talk about the center.”
She sat forward. “Did they catch those jerks who tore it up?”
He shook his head. “No, and that’s the problem. There was another threat made, and I can’t have you down there when all of this is going on.”
Her mouth dropped open with a scoff. “I’m not a coward. I’m not just leaving Ashton to deal with all this on her own. She needs me.”
“No. The guy doing all the threatening is a member of a gang. They know where we live. He’s threatened you.”
The chair scraped the floor as Polly stood. “You run into burning buildings every day, and you’re going to sit there and tell me I can’t. I’m almost eighteen.”
“But you aren’t eighteen, and I made a promise to our parents that I’d take care of you and keep you safe. I’m going to keep to my promise.”
“This isn’t fair, Carlos.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or did the two of you break up?”
He stood. “What? Break up?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back. “Are you going to stand there and tell me you weren’t seeing her? I may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.” She threw her hands up. “See? This is why I didn’t want you dating my teachers.”
Carlos swallowed down the lump in his throat. If he’d just kept his distance. Why couldn’t he? “I’m sorry, Polly. I just—”
“Sorry? There are plenty of women in Baker Beach, and you just had to go after my friend. I volunteer there, Carlos.” She put her hands to her head. “You’ve ruined the whole thing. I don’t even know how to face her now.” Dropping her hands, she met his gaze, and tears brimmed her lids. “I’m going to go stay with Elise—”
Carlos set his hands on his hips. “I know I messed up, but you can’t go to Elise’s house. Not while I’ve got a target on me. We have a target.”
Polly’s lips pinched together. “I’m not the one who decided to break my promise. I’m not the one who got involved with your friend. I’m going to Elise’s, and if you don’t let me walk out of this house, I’ll sneak out. But I’m not staying with you.” With that, she spun on her heels and stormed out of the kitchen.
Following her, Carlos took her by the arm. “You might be close to adulthood, but until you hit that magic number, you are my responsibility. You are not going anywhere.”
Polly jerked her arm from his hand and gave him a look that could have withered steel. “Fine.” She walked to the stairs. “But just so you know, we aren’t on speaking terms, and we might not be for a long while. You broke all your promises. To Mom and Dad. To me. To Ashton. You said you’d be there for her, and instea
d of just being her friend, you had to go and make it messy. She’s all alone. And it’s all your fault.” The words had enough venom to kill a herd of elephants. She stomped the rest of the way up the stairs, leaving Carlos feeling like he had third-degree burns.
He walked to the couch and sank down onto it with his head in his hands. Polly was right. He’d ruined everything because he’s broken his promises. She was hurt, he was broken, and he had no idea how to fix any of it.
Leaning back, he dropped his hands to his lap, his heart in so many pieces there was no chance he’d be putting it back together anytime soon.
Pushing off the couch, he went back to the kitchen to put the food away and then made his way up the stairs. He paused by Polly’s door, and whatever was left of his heart shredded as he listened to his little sister weep.
Yeah. He was lonely before, and the road forward seemed even more so.
Chapter 27
Ashton lifted her gaze to the sky and closed her eyes, letting the sound of the ocean soothe her. Man, she wished she had a place right on the beach. It might make her current situation a bit more bearable.
The door to Bryan’s beach house opened, and Elise pulled Ashton into a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” As pathetic as her voice was, that was one sad okay. “Is Polly furious with me?”
“No, Carlos is the target of her wrath.” Elise stepped aside, allowing Ashton to pass her.
The door shut, and Ashton shrugged off her coat. “I thought she might be mad at me too.” She looked around the open first floor. “Where is she?”
“She just finished taking a bath.” Elise heaved a sigh. “She waited until he went to work and then came here. She’s been refusing to go home, and she skipped school on Friday.”
Ashton chewed her bottom lip. “I’m surprised Carlos didn’t come get her.”
They each found a seat in the living room, and Elise rolled her eyes. “Oh, he was about to, but I talked him out of it. She needs a minute.”
“Did she tell you anything?”
“No, she’s mostly been staying in the guestroom and crying. Thank goodness. It’s been like four days, and this evening, I told her to go take a bath because we needed to talk about whatever it was upsetting her. I asked her if I could invite you over, and she wailed a yes.”
Chuckling, Ashton shook her head. “Poor thing. I was pretty hurt when Carlos told me he couldn’t let her come to the center anymore…or see me.” She lowered her gaze to her lap. “I understood. I really did. She’s his first priority, and I told him I never, ever, wanted to come between them.”
“But you like him.”
“I’ve fallen so hard I’ve got a concussion.”
Elise barked a laugh and then sighed. “I’ve been there. Still am. Did he say why he couldn’t see you?”
“Polly’s safety, but I think he was just using that as an excuse, to be honest. He hadn’t told Polly that there was something between us, and I understand. I do, but, oh, my heart hurts.” She blinked back tears.
“You liked him too?” Polly’s voice rang out from the stairs.
Ashton jumped and turned around, a hand coming to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Polly.”
Carlos’s sister shuffled to the couch, taking a seat next to Ashton and giving her a hug. “I’m not mad at you. It’s his fault. He should have just made it clear that he wanted to be friends.”
Ashton nodded. “Actually, he did, but your brother is a really likable guy.”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want him dating my teachers or people I look up to or ones I call friend. He messed everything up.”
Before Ashton could respond, Elise tilted her head and said, “Polly, that’s really selfish.”
Polly looked at Elise like she had two heads. “What? No, it’s not. It makes things messy. If he hadn’t made a move on my friend, none of this would be happening.”
Elise shook her head. “That’s not true. Duke would still be a jerk. The center would still have been vandalized. The knife in the note. All of it. The only thing different is that he wouldn’t have worried about breaking his promise to you. He’d be here for Ashton. I mean, not here here, because he’s at work, but you know what I mean.”
Waving Elise off, Ashton tried to dismiss it. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine.”
“No, you aren’t, and neither is Carlos,” Elise said to Ashton. She turned her attention to Polly. “When is the last time Carlos went on a date?”
Polly shrugged. “I don’t know. He tried to make a date with my teacher, but I told it would be weird, so he broke it off.”
“And my question stands. When was the last time he dated anyone?” Elise asked again.
Polly chewed her bottom lip and seemed to shrink back. “Not since he took me in.”
“Do you have any idea how lonely he is? He has no one to talk to, no one to call other than the guys at the station. One of the first things you complained about when we met was that you missed having a woman to talk to about things.”
Ashton hugged herself, trying to blend in with the couch. Elise was basically chewing Polly out, and it was because of her. “Really, Elise—”
“No, you care about him—”
“I love him.” Ashton’s eyes widened as she said it. Holy ravioli. She’d said that aloud. In front of Polly and Elise. “I mean…” She withered. “I mean exactly what I said. I love him. He is the sweetest man.” Turning to Polly, she said, “Relationships are hard. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.”
Polly crossed her arms over her chest. “I know that. It’s just…I didn’t want him to get hurt either. He doesn’t know it, but I overheard him having conversations with our parents right after they died. He would sound so heartbroken. I didn’t want that to happen again.”
Ashton put her arms around Polly. “You are such a sweet girl. How about I make you a deal?”
“A deal?”
“If—and that’s a big if—something happens to mine and Carlos’s relationship, I vow with as solemn a vow as I can that nothing between you and me will change. I will be your best friend for the rest of my life.” She held out her pinky. “We will be sisters forever, and there’s not a man alive that will tear us apart.”
Elise smiled. “I’d take that deal if I were you.”
Polly hesitated a fraction of a second and then linked her pinky with Ashton’s. “It’s a deal.” She used her free hand to point at Ashton. “But no breaking my brother’s heart.” She groaned. “Which is probably what I did the other night.”
“He’ll forgive you without a second thought,” Ashton said. “He absolutely adores you. He’s so proud of you.”
Elise nodded in agreement.
Leaning her head on Ashton’s shoulder, Polly sniffled. “I’m sorry for hurting you too. If I hadn’t been such a jerk, he probably wouldn’t have broken up with you.”
“I wouldn’t say that. We were enjoying each other’s company, but we weren’t official.”
With a chuckle, Polly lifted her head. “Seriously? I watched you guys making googly eyes at each other for, like, a week. Just because you didn’t say you were official doesn’t mean you weren’t.”
Ashton put her arms around her, squeezing her. “You really are a great kid, and I really do love him.”
From there, the conversation with Polly went from her brother to a guy she liked at school to her favorite colleges. It seemed that the longer they talked the more Polly smiled. Being an only child, it felt to Ashton like she was gaining a sister. Something she’d wanted for a long time.
It gave her hope that maybe her relationship with Carlos could be mended. Maybe. Ashton still had reservations about it. Yes, there was danger, but there were off-duty police officers voluntarily guarding the center, along with plenty of police cruising by the center and her home, and she’d never felt safer. The feeling she had was that the true roadblock went deeper than just Polly’s safety or even a promise.
Maybe by the ti
me things were settled, Carlos would have it figured out. Otherwise, Ashton couldn’t see herself in a relationship with him no matter how much she loved him. It was all or nothing, and in a relationship, both had to be all in. She didn’t want half, even if it meant her heart breaking more than it had.
Chapter 28
With Polly hiding out at Bryan’s place, Carlos had spent the last few nights at the station. Mostly so he didn’t feel so isolated and alone. He’d felt miserable since the night he told Ashton they couldn’t see each other anymore, and the blowup with Polly had only made it worse.
“Are you going to play, or are you going to continue brooding?” Harris asked.
Gregg faced them from where he was standing at the stove. “My bet is on brooding.”
“Both of you stop. I’m…I’m not brooding. I have a lot on my mind.” More than a lot. He missed Ashton. His sister was furious with him. He was worried about them, and he felt useless.
Harris laid his cards down. “Then talk. What’s on your mind?”
“I’ll figure it out.” Carlos focused on his cards, and a second later, his thoughts wandered again. Groaning, he set them down and shook his head. “I told Ashton the center was too dangerous for Polly to volunteer there.”
Gregg motioned with his hand. “And? Because there’s an and in there.”
Carlos leaned back in his chair. “I told Ashton I couldn’t see her anymore. That when this whole thing was over and Polly was at college—”
“Does Polly know? What does she think?”
With a sigh, Carlos sagged. “She’s furious. First for my refusal to let her volunteer, and then…” He squeezed his eyes shut. “She knew something was going on with me and Ashton. She assumed I’d broken it off, but she—"
“That’s stupid.” Harris crossed his arms over his chest.
Gregg grunted an agreement and turned back to the pot of chili he’d been working on for the last two hours.
Firefighter's Risk: A Clean First Responders Romance Book Two Page 10
