An Eye For Illusion: A Private Investigator Romantic Suspense: (Dunn Security Group Book 2)

Chapter 8

Istand and push my chair back. I lift my clutch from the table before making my way to the front of the restaurant. I glance around as I walk, taking in all the happy couples enjoying their meals together. I wonder if any of them are faking smiles and happiness the way I do when I’m with Elliott.

“Goodnight, Ms. Foster,” the hostess says politely as I pass her post.

I offer a nod and a warm smile. Elliott and I frequented this restaurant when we first started dating. I used to think it was a favorite of his, but since that night, I wonder if there’s more to this being his go-to spot.

Nothing ever seems off with the service or those around us, but he always seems to find a reason to excuse himself from the table for extended periods. I used to get annoyed as hell, but now I see it as a relief.

It’s a short reprieve where I don’t have to fake a smile or pretend that he said something funny when he’s about as funny as a doorknob. I blow out a frustrated breath as I make my way out of the restaurant. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, or maybe I’m just desperately searching for my escape from the mess I’ve made for myself.

My driver is waiting out front at the curb. He opens my door and offers his hand to help me in the back seat of the large SUV.

“Thank you, Thomas.”

He nods. “My pleasure, ma’am.”

When the car door closes, the silence becomes deafening. I find myself drowning in my own thoughts lately. What if Colin doesn’t find anything on Elliott? What if Dad is upset with me for breaking it off, even if there is a big revelation about Elliott? What if Colin uncovers something far worse than I ever could have imagined?

The what ifs are the worst part of all of this.

I’m not used to having this type of doubt in my life. From the time I was a little girl, I knew I would be a strong, powerful woman. My dad always made sure I knew I was capable of doing anything I desired.

Instead of dreaming about my wedding day, I dreamed of the beautiful corner office I have now overlooking the city. I dreamed of the luxurious penthouse I’d own and all the beautiful things inside it.

More than all of that, I dreamed of the people I would be able to help. The little girls growing up without mommies like I did. The single dads like mine who struggle to raise children when they were left with no choice.

The only time I truly feel peace anymore is when I help those in need. I donate my time without telling them who I really am. I donate money anonymously. If anyone knew how big my heart really is, they’d never take me seriously. Besides, this way, it’s about those getting the help. It isn’t about me getting recognition.

Thomas climbs inside and looks at me in the mirror. “Where to, Ms. Foster?”

He’s been my driver since I was a child and has always called me Ms. Foster, even though I’ve insisted he call me Jade. Thomas is one of the few people that truly knows my heart. Thomas, Bridgette, and Dad. Who else can I trust?

No one.

“Home to change, Thomas. Then I’d like to go to the shelter on the other side of town, if you’re up for it.”

He gives me a smile in the mirror. “Always, ma’am. Always.”

He shifts the SUV to drive, and we pull away from the curb. The shelter we’ll visit tonight is one we go to often. What we do depends on the time of day or night we arrive. Sometimes we help serve meals or help clean up after meals. Other times, we offer conversation and company to the people there.

It’s amazing what a smile and taking the time to sit and talk to a complete stranger will do for them… and you.

“We weren’t expecting you tonight, Jade,” Carol says as she greets me at the door.

Carol has gray hair, round cheeks, and one of the warmest smiles I’ve ever encountered. She’s been running this shelter for the last twenty years and has become a staple figure in my life.

“It was a last-minute decision,” I respond.

Carol takes me in. Threading her arm through mine. “You’re always welcome, Jade. Expected or unexpected.”

My mind spiraled in the car, and my first thought was to come here. I always do that when I feel lost. Something about this place helps ground me. It brings me perspective and a sense of gratitude. This place is my haven, like it is for so many other women.

“You’re just in time,” Carol says as she releases my arm and claps her hands together. She turns to walk down the long hallway.

Thomas and I follow. I’m curious to see what’s on the agenda for tonight. Carol rounds a corner into the big open space the center uses for gatherings. When we clear the threshold, I immediately see a dozen or so women sitting in the chairs and sofas that dot the open space.

There are at least twice that number of children running around in their pjs. I smile when I see them. They look so happy and so carefree that my heart sings at the sight. I glance around the room and realize I recognize a few women.

I see Melanie and smile as I head in her direction. I hoped I’d see her tonight.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” she says as she stands and wraps her arms around me.

I exhale and my shoulders sag at the contact. This is exactly what I needed.

“I’ve missed you. How have you been?” I ask as I stand back to take in her face.

She looks tired, but she looks so much better than she did the first time I met her. The outside is healing, but I’m worried about the inside. I hope she’s taking care of herself. I was here the day she came in battered and bruised.

She had a huge black eye that was so swollen she could barely open it. She also had broken ribs, a fractured arm, and a shattered spirit. It’s soul crushing to see the condition some of these women arrive in. It’s taken her months to heal from those injuries, and it will take much longer to heal from the ones the eye can’t see.

Not all situations are like Melanie’s though. Some women are down on their luck, but it wasn’t abuse that brought them here. Most have nowhere else they can go, and they’re parenting on their own. Carol is here to help, no matter the reason, no matter the cost.

She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m doing better, I guess. Tony hasn’t found us, so that’s a plus.”

That’s the beauty of what Carol does here. It isn’t advertised as a women’s shelter exclusively. It’s a community center with two divisions. One houses women and children, and the other houses men. They’re kept separate for obvious reasons, but the branding also helps the women hide in plain sight. Most abusers don’t think to look here since men are housed here.

It’s damn brilliant if I say so myself. All thanks to Carol.

“Alright, ladies and kiddos! Let’s play some bingo,” Carol announces. “And we have a very special guest with us tonight, and I know she would looove to call out the numbers!” Carol giggles at the last part as her eyes find mine.

Mine crinkle in response. She knows I hate calling attention to myself around here since no one knows who I am. They simply know me as Jade, not a corporate powerhouse, and that’s exactly how I like it. There’s no pressure to be anyone but myself here, and I’m unsure I have that luxury anywhere else in my life. Carol likes to use every opportunity she gets to call attention to me.

I playfully groan.

“You heard her. Get up there, hot stuff. Let’s hope you’re my lucky charm tonight. I haven’t won one of these since I’ve been here!” Melanie says as she gently pushes me in Carol’s direction.

“B-14, I repeat B, as in boy, 14.” My voice cracks a little at the end with how much I’ve been talking this evening. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and I’m so glad I came instead of going home to a cold, empty penthouse.

“Bingo!” Melanie shoots up from her chair across the room. A look of pure triumph on her sweet face. I hoped she’d get a bingo. She needs a win.

“Call out your numbers, Melanie, and let’s see if you’re a winner!” I call back.

Carol goes over to take a look at her card as she calls out her numbers.

“We have a winner, folks, and this was our last one for the night!” Carol announces.

A few people grumble, but for the most part, everyone is tired and ready to call it a night.

Melanie practically skips over to claim her little baggy of treats. The rest of the women and children file out of the room to head to their rooms for the night, except for Melanie’s little boy, Noah.

I pick up Melanie’s prize to hand it to her. “That was fun,” I say genuinely.

“Sure was! I’ve been dying for some of the fudge bars Brenda makes for these bags, and I finally got one!” Her excitement is infectious as she digs into the bag and pulls out a baggie with a giant fudge bar in it.

I’ve never had Brenda’s fudge, but by how Melanie moans after her first bite, they must be freaking delicious.

She breaks off a piece and hands it over to me. “You have to try this.” She breaks off another piece for Noah, and he takes it before scurrying off again.

I start to say no because I’m strict with my diet. I rarely eat sweets, and when I do, I never eat them this late. However, I stop myself before I tell her no.

Why the hell not? Tonight, I’m going to live a little. It’s about damn time.

I reach out and take the fudge, and before I can talk myself out of it, I shove it into my mouth. Oh, holy hell. Why is that so freaking good?

I moan along with Melanie as we eat up the sweet treat. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth,” she says just as Thomas comes up beside us from the back of the room.

He played bingo as well but didn’t win tonight.

“You have to try this,” I say, and Melanie breaks off a corner and hands it to him.

He looks at me questioningly.

“I know, I know, but I made an exception. Try it. It’s totally worth it.”

“I think that’s the best fudge I’ve ever eaten!” he says as Melanie giggles.

“I just said the same thing!” I smile.

“I swear Brenda must put something sketchy in them because they’re too darn addictive,” Carol says as she comes up beside us.

We all burst out laughing at that. Boy, I hope not, but I’m already craving another piece, so maybe she’s not too far off.

I dust the crumbles off my t-shirt as I gather the bingo supplies. Melanie and Carol talk about tomorrow, and I can’t help but be curious.

“I’m nervous because I won’t have an attorney, and I know Tony hired one,” Melanie says. I furrow my eyebrows in concern.

“I know, my dear, but all you have to do is go in there and tell the truth,” Carol says.

“What if it’s not enough? What if they grant him custody? He can’t have Noah. He just can’t.”

“That won’t happen. You have the pictures and the police reports. Don’t let him get into your head like this. You have the full support of the center behind you.”

“I know you guys support me, but I can’t use any resources from here because he’ll find out where we’re staying. This is the first peace we’ve had in years.” Her earlier happiness is now gone. In its place is desperation, something I know all about.

“All you can do is tell the truth. Be open and honest. That always prevails,” Carol says reassuringly.

My heart dips when I think, but what if it doesn’t?

I’ve seen plenty of times where the truth doesn’t prevail, not when someone else has a good enough attorney to spin the story.

I reach over and gently wrap my fingers around her arm. “It’ll be okay,.” I try to reassure her myself.

Her sad smile as she whispers, “I hope so,” tugs so strongly at my heart that I almost blurt out who I am. I almost ruin my cover to give this woman some kind of hope that I can help her, but I don’t.

“Mommy, mommy! Can I have some more?” Noah asks as he comes running up to her side.

“Not tonight, sweet boy. It’s too late for you. It will keep you up all night.”

He whines. “Please? I promise to go to sleep like I’m supposed to!”

Melanie picks up her little boy and speaks into his ear. “What if we make a deal? How about you have some for breakfast?”

“Really? You’ll let me have it before you go to your important meeting?”

“Yep! As long as you promise to be good for Ms. Carol while I’m gone,” she says.

“Okay! I’ll be the bestest boy in the whole wide world, mommy. I promise!”

Melanie looks just as defeated in this moment as the day she came here, beaten to within an inch of her life. “I need to get this one to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, Carol. Jade don’t be a stranger. You’re my bingo good luck charm.”

“Any way I can help, please let me know,” I say, meaning every word.

Her sad, responding smile and choked, “Thanks,” is all she says as she heads off to her room with Noah on her hip.

As soon as she clears the threshold, I turn toward Carol. “Why can’t she get a public defender?”

“She tried, but she doesn’t qualify because this is a family law case. She’s too scared to use one of our attorneys because she thinks Tony can find her that way, and I can’t say I blame her because it’s happened before. It’s a mess, Jade. I wish there was more we could do to help her.”

“What do women in her position normally do, then?” I’m outraged that she doesn’t have any options. There has to be something the center can do.

“Most of these women don’t have the connections or money that Tony does. They usually show up unrepresented. With the countless police reports and documented abuse, it’s a slam dunk for the ladies, but Melanie will have to fight harder because Tony got some hotshot lawyer from a firm that specializes in getting ‘fathers the rights they deserve.’” She spits the last sentence with disdain.

I scoff. How in the world could this man have a chance of winning any kind of custody when he used his wife as a punching bag every day of the week?

Carol sees my distress. “I know, trust me, I know. There’s so much injustice in this world. All we can do is pray that tomorrow isn’t one of them.”

Oh, we can do more than pray.

I quickly say my goodbyes, with Thomas following close behind me.

“See you next time, my dear!” Carol says as I throw my hand in the air with a quick wave.

“You have a plan, boss?” Thomas asks as he opens my car door. He overheard everything and seems just as pissed as I am if his pinched eyebrows and squared shoulders are any indication.

“Of course, I do. I always do,” I reply as I slide into the back seat. He simply nods as he closes the back door and rounds the car to the driver’s side.

I pull out my phone, find the contact I need, and hit dial.

“Jade?” he answers after the third ring.

“Harvey, I need a favor.”