PHILIP
I was livid as I pulled my phone from my pocket and started dialing the number for child services. “Don’t fucking move,” I growled at Sylvia. She was the third foster parent Abby had been moved to since I met the little girl six months before.
Abby had a rough life. At seven years old she’d been found in the closet days after her drug addicted mother was brutally murdered by her boyfriend. She then went to live with her grandmother after that, but she took her daughter’s death so hard, she passed not long after, leaving Abby with no family and a ward of the state. The first family she’d been with started bringing her to meetings. In lieu of therapy—which would have been my preference for a child—the counselor thought it would benefit her to understand the effects of addiction. Abby had two speeds, screaming her head off and being completely silent. That first family took her back to child services not long after because they couldn’t handle her. This was her third placement in six months; it was a testament to her strength and youth that she’d managed to find a middle ground in her swinging emotions.
“Daniel, we have a situation,” I said into the phone as Sylvia looked at me angrily.
“What’s going on, Philip?”
“Abby Parker and any other foster kids need to be removed from Sylvia Jacobs’ home immediately. She and her husband should be arrested.”
“What?” Sylvia shrieked as she started walking to her car.
“I said, don’t fucking move!” Grabbing her arm so she couldn’t escape, I boxed her in between me and the car. “We’re at the church on Fifth and Main.”
“I’ll be there, along with a squad car in five minutes. Sit tight,” Daniel said before hanging up the phone, knowing me well enough to trust my judgment.
“You have no right to detain me.” Sylvia attempted to push me away, but hell if I was going to let her run from this. “That little girl is crazy. I should have never taken her in. I knew she’d be trouble, especially after getting removed from two homes before.”
Next thing I knew, Ryan was standing next to us, gripping Abby’s hand tightly in his. The little girl’s head was down, clearly wanting to be anywhere but here.
“Your husband is a sick fuck,” he seethed. “I don’t know what’s worse; the fact that your husband abuses these kids or the fact that you threaten them into keeping quiet about it.” Ryan’s face was molten; he looked like he was about to hit her.
I grabbed his arm, pulling him back away, and as he took a step back, I leaned down and Abby climbed up into my arms. “Calm down, Ryan.”
“No. They should never be allowed to have kids.”
“Listen to me,” I said as quietly as I could, while rubbing Abby’s back as she cried into my shoulder. “And they won’t ever again. I already called child services. They and the police are on their way.”
“You don’t know what they did to her,” he ground out. Ryan then glared at the woman. “You know, my mother may have been a drug addict, but at least she did what she could to protect me from sick fucks like your husband. That makes her ten times the woman a scumbag like you will ever be.” He all but spit at her feet.
“She’s lying,” Sylvia screeched lunging for Abby.
“Don’t you fucking touch her.” Ryan stepped in front of me and Abby. “She told me what you said, that you threatened her. That if she ever told anyone what Harold did to her every night, you would punish her because no one would ever believe the daughter of a dead junkie.”
That had me growling low in my throat and pulling Abby in that much closer to my chest. She was sobbing, and while I tried to comfort her it just seemed to make her cry harder.
Daniel pulled up a minute later with two police officers in tow. He hopped out of the car, concern written all over his face at the scene before him. “Sylvia, I thought I told you this was your last chance. You told me that Harold was fine.”
“Wait, you knew?” Ryan growled. “I thought it was your job to protect these kids.”
“Relax. Years ago, Harold battled the bottle, but he’s been sober for ten years; he’s been in AA meetings. It’s one of the conditions of fostering that he continues. Why, what is Abby saying he did?”
“He molested her, and then this,” Ryan screamed pointing at Sylvia, “psycho threatened her.” Daniel’s face turned red in anger.
“Arrest her for collusion and whatever else you can charge her with. You.” His eyes never left Sylvia’s. “You should be locked away in prison for the rest of your life, and if I have anything to say about it, you will.”
“She’s lying!” Sylvia screamed as she struggled against the police officer, who had come up behind her, clearly expecting her to escape. “I never should have taken her in after what happened at the other homes. The child is crazy. She’s the one who should be locked up. Not me.”
Ryan was losing his shit. It was completely unlike the normal calm, cool, collected student I saw three days a week in class. He was a force to be reckoned with. “She’s a little girl. She needs help. She needs someone to guide her, not hurt her. Or let her be hurt and then threatened.”
“Who are you?” Daniel raised a brow as the cop dragged the screaming woman to the squad car.
“I’m Ryan, the outcry witness.” Daniel’s gaze whipped over to mine, both of us stunned that Ryan knew the term, as well as the responsibilities of being legally obligated to report what Abby confided. “When we were inside, after Dr. Marks left to follow Sylvia, Abby told me what that bastard did to her, as well as the threat she’s received,” he said almost on a sob. Hoping my touch would be felt as comfort, I put a hand on his shoulder.
“Ryan, is she gone?” Abby asked softly, looking up from my neck.
“Yeah, princess, she can’t hurt you anymore.” As he pushed her hair behind her ear, she reached over for him wrapping her arms around his neck.
Now carried by her new hero, she asked, “Where are they going to take me now?”
“They’re going to take you to a new family. A good family that will take care of you the way a perfect little princess deserves.” He bounced her on his hip as she hugged him tight.
“Can’t I come home with you?” I’d never seen a child warm up to someone as fast as Abby warmed up to Ryan. They were kindred spirits; both having lost drug addicted moms. Seeing the haunted look in his eyes when he talked about protecting the kids in the system, I would have been an idiot not to realize the depth of his pain. Had someone other than his mother hurt him? Had he been abused during his brief stint in foster care? How had I not seen how fragile he really was?
“I wish you could, princess. But where I live, little girls aren’t allowed.” Her face fell and her eyes filled with tears. “But, what if I talk to Daniel and we figure out some kind of schedule where I can come hang out with you every week? Would you like that?”
“Yes,” she squealed happily nodding her head excitedly.
“Do you think that’s doable, Daniel?” Ryan asked. I stood there watching the entire thing as if I were a mute. Hearing his story earlier, it was easy to think this nineteen year old was mature, but seeing him in action showed me firsthand. However, with schoolwork, part-time jobs, and exams, as well as dealing the mind-shit he lived with, I hoped he didn’t flake out on Abby; she’d already seen so much to handle another adult disappointment in her short life.
“Okay, princess, Daniel is gonna take you now, but I will see you soon, all right? I promise,” he said as she hugged him tighter. “Ah princess Abby, I don’t want you to leave either but I promise I will see you soon, yeah?”
Abby finally nodded and let Ryan put her on her feet. He nodded encouragingly as Daniel led her to the car. “That was a big promise, Ryan.”
“I have every intention of keeping it, as long as Daniel gives me the go ahead.”
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure? You already have two jobs and classes taking up most of your time.”
“As long as Daniel lets me know when I can hang out with her, I will be there,” Ryan stated adamantly.
We stood there watching Daniel place Abby in the back of the Ford. “Well, maybe you and Abby can help each other then.” I smiled at the thought. Ryan was perfect, strong, yet weak at the same time. I honestly believed helping Abby would help them both heal.
We walked over to him, so we could keep an eye on Abby in the car. Daniel held out his cell phone to Ryan. “Give me your information and as soon as I find out where we are placing her, I will make sure you have visitation, once you file the paperwork and it gets approved.” After putting his contact in, he handed the phone back. “As the outcry witness you will have to testify in court as to what she told you. You know that, right?”
Ryan reached out to shake the social worker’s hand. “I would be happy to testify against those sick fucks. Anything to keep them from getting any more kids,” Ryan resolved.
“Okay,” Daniel said eyeing him with interest. What the hell is that?
I glared at the man, practically marking my territory. His eyebrow raised in response, and Ryan noticed the interaction immediately.
“Here’s my information,” he began, deflecting the awkward moment back to himself. “If you need anything else let me know, and please let me know where she ends up and when I can hang out with her.” The pleading tone in Ryan’s voice had my heart constricting but I schooled my features.
Daniel chanced a glance at me before responding to Ryan. We’d had a brief relationship a few years ago and when it ended we remained friends. I could tell by the interest in his eyes that he saw Ryan’s vulnerability and need to protect Abby as just as much of a turn on as I did. I shook my head at him discreetly, even though I knew I had no right to discourage anything between them. I knew Ryan wasn’t straight, even though I’d overheard a few of the female students talking about him in class. More than likely he was bi, and after the night before when I felt him harden against me as he cried for his mother, I knew he was either attracted to both men and women or sexually confused.
“Call me anytime,” Daniel said winking at Ryan, either trying to annoy me, or deciding he didn’t give a rat’s ass and was going to go for it. “You know, to get an update on Abby. I will make sure you’re given any information you need.” He grabbed his forearm and squeezed, and shocking the hell out of me, Ryan looked at him with a predatory smile. I chuckled under my breath with the inkling that Ryan thought himself an aggressor, but he had no idea. The boy would be dominated like he’d never been dominated before. My cock hardened.
“Are we done here, Daniel?” I asked gruffly. He shot me a quizzical look, then nodded. Did he seriously not get the warning I’d been throwing out there?
“Yeah, we’re done. But, Ryan?” He glanced back, before opening the driver’s side door. “Be available for the police, since they’ll want to know exactly what Abby told you.”
Abby waved at both of us from the back seat, and yelled, “Bye!” out the car window.
When he pulled away, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad she’ll be safe.” Ryan broke the silence. “That poor little girl. I never had anyone to protect me, so I hope I can protect her.”
“You already have protected her, Ryan,” I said softly, touching his bicep and turning him to face me. “You believed her when most people wouldn’t have. You’re her hero.”
“I’m no hero,” he replied. “I just heard her story and couldn’t bear to see her treated like... so many other kids are. When she walked over after my speech and offered me comfort with no questions asked, her innocence gave me hope. I know it sounds stupid, but she made me feel better even though she offered nothing more than ‘I’m sorry.’”
He started to walk away when a police officer approached us. “Are you Ryan? Officer Gonzalez sent me down here to speak with you. I understand you heard the little girl’s statement?”
“Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, exposing the strain in his muscles as he stood there. Something bigger than Abby was going on here, and I was starting to believe that it had more to do with his own demons than anything else.