Chapter 14
After her conversation with Kylie, Sachie sat silently, unmoving and emotionally drained. Hearing the heartache in the teen’s tone and her anguished feeling that she hadn’t done enough to save Luke, mirrored everything Sachie felt.
Whether she was on a quest to seek justice for Luke or to redeem herself for failing him, she had to know what had driven him to take his own life. The Boys’ Club, or someone near it, had held a threat over Luke’s head, one he ultimately couldn’t live with.
Sachie was fired up and ready to go into battle for her dead patient. Not that it would bring him back, but maybe by finding the assholes who’d pushed him to the edge, she could stop them from doing the same to another susceptible teen.
And while she was at the club, she’d look for Luke’s friend Mark and make sure he wasn’t in the same predicament Luke had found himself in.
As Teller pulled into the parking lot, Sachie glanced his way, her heart swelling.
She couldn’t have come this far without the support of the former Delta Force protector.
Her hand remained warm from when he’d held it throughout her conversation with Kylie.
He was there to protect her, not to hold her hand or hold her through the night when she had nightmares.
She wouldn’t be as confident going into the Boys’ Club by herself. She’d do it to find out what had spooked Luke into ending his life. Having Teller with her made her more confident.
“The building looks to be in good repair,” Teller noted. “I’m not excited about the buildings surrounding it. The neighborhood seems a little sketchy to me.”
Sachie agreed with his initial assessment. “I noticed some graffiti on some of the buildings. There are probably some gangs in the area.”
“Hopefully, the club keeps some kids off the streets and out of gangs.” He turned to Sachie. “So what’s it going to be? Are we going in guns blazing, demanding answers?”
Sachie shook her head. “We don’t know if it was people inside the facility putting the pressure on Luke or someone in the area around it.”
“Then we should probably go in, look around and ask what the Boys’ Club is doing for the at-risk kids in this area,” Teller offered. “It’s a legitimate concern for a counselor working with troubled teens.”
“Right. That covers me. I am a counselor.” She raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”
“I’m your fiancé, along for the ride. We’re going to dinner after we tour the facility.”
Sachie’s pulse quickened at Teller’s words. Her fiancé? She’d never considered marriage. Never really thought she could trust a man with her physical well-being, much less her heart.
Having spent less than two days with Teller, she truly believed he would never willingly hurt her and that she could trust him with her life.
As for her heart...
It wasn’t a matter of trusting him not to break it.
It was more a question of whether he would even want her heart.
She preached the importance of believing in yourself and marched to that chorus.
She believed in herself as an individual, strong enough to survive on her own.
She didn’t need anyone to make her happy.
That was all on her. But did she really believe a good man could love her after all she’d endured?
That he could get past the incest inflicted on her body and soul to love the woman who’d come out of that chapter of her life heavily scarred, but stronger?
“Does that work for you?” Teller asked as he killed the engine and released his seatbelt buckle.
Sachie blinked to pull herself back to reality. “Yes. That works.” She pushed open her door and started to get out but couldn’t. She must have been more flustered by the idea of being Teller’s fiancée than she’d thought. She’d forgotten to unbuckle her own seatbelt.
Heat rising up her neck into her cheeks, she released the buckle and jumped out, hoping Teller hadn’t seen her struggle or guessed that she was affected by his announcement.
They entered the large building that housed a gymnasium down the middle and a number of smaller rooms lining either side.
A man in a royal blue T-shirt stood with his back to the entrance, watching young boys playing basketball in the gymnasium.
When he turned and realized Teller and Sachie had entered, a smile stretched across his face.
“Welcome to the Honolulu Boys’ Club. Have you come for the open house? ” he asked.
Sachie nodded. “We have.”
“Great.” The man held out his hand to Sachie. “I’m Grant Simmons, the director.”
“Sachie Moore.” Sachie shook the man’s hand and turned to the man beside her.
“This is my...fiancé, Teller Osgood.” A little thrill shivered through her.
Calling Teller her fiancé felt weird and strangely right at the same time.
Maybe she was finally getting past her marriage phobia.
Whatever it was, she didn’t need to be thinking about marriage, especially with a man who’d been hired to protect her.
“Well, tell me, Ms. Moore, are you and your fiancé looking to the future at what options are available in this area for after-school programs? Or would you like us to add you to the waitlist for immediate placement if an opening becomes available?”
Heat burned Sachie’s cheeks again.
Kids? She hadn’t even considered kids because she hadn’t dreamed of ever marrying until an extremely sexy, hunk of a Delta Force guy suggested they pretend to be engaged.
Now, she was falling down a rabbit hole of unrealistic possibilities.
“No. Not yet, anyway,” Teller answered for her, placing a hand at the small of her back. “My beautiful fiancée is a counselor for troubled teens and children from less-than-ideal home situations. She wanted to check out what the Boys’ Club could offer some of her kids.”
“Perfect,” Simmons said. “We have a full-time staff of myself, an administrative assistant and a janitor. We employ older students as leaders in the after-school program, who keep the boys moving and learning. We also have volunteers who fill in when they’re needed and available.
Although we’re down two after-school leaders, we're actively recruiting to fill those positions.”
“Do you have high turnover of your teen leaders?” Sachie asked.
“Not often,” the director said. “Although they eventually age out and move on to college or the workforce.”
Sachie knew why they were down at least one of their leaders. The director was smart not to mention they’d lost one to suicide. It could be bad for business.
Simmons led them down a hallway flanked by rooms with tables and chairs, explaining the kids had study time to work on their homework as well as activities to expand their minds through art and music.
“We want the boys to have a rich environment of learning and moving to keep them physically and mentally healthy. Our gymnasium allows them to learn skills in different sports and learn the value of teamwork.”
They stepped into the gym where a couple dozen boys of different ages and sizes drilled in different skills involving basketballs.
At one end of the gym, a teenage boy worked with the smaller kids, demonstrating how to bounce a basketball, alternating hands.
At the other end of the gym, preteens and teens were engaged in a half-court game, each team wearing different-colored bibs. In the middle of the teens was an adult who stood taller than most of the kids around him.
Sachie’s eyes narrowed. The man looked familiar, but he was moving quickly and was a little too far away for her to see clearly.
“Speaking of volunteers,” Director Simmons nodded toward the adult at the far end of the gym.
“That’s one of our frequent volunteers. His full-time job is as a police officer with the Hawaii Police Department.
He’s a regular, showing up for an hour or two a couple of times a week.
The older kids like it when he plays basketball with them, as you can see. ”
“Is that Officer Roland?” Sachie asked.
“Yes, ma’am, it is,” the director grinned. “Do you know him?”
She nodded, glad she’d figured out who it was. Knowing there was an off-duty police officer in the building made her feel they might want to concentrate their search for bad guys in the buildings surrounding the club.
Roland stepped away from the kids, leaving them to continue playing without him. He crossed the gym floor in his shorts and sweaty T-shirt, coming to a stop in front of Sachie and Teller. “Ms. Moore, I didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you around?”
“I’m always looking for places parents can count on to keep their children occupied with other alternatives to cell phones and video games.”
“What do you think so far?” Roland waved a hand toward the gym and the kids actively engaged.
Sachie nodded. “Mr. Simmons has taken us on the grand tour. I like that the club provides a much-needed service to the youth of the city who might otherwise not have the resources to afford what it offers.”
Roland gave a brief nod. “The staff is committed to giving the kids a safe environment to be kids.”
The director’s cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the display. “I’ve been expecting this call. I need to take it. Please excuse me. Officer Roland can answer any questions you may have.” The director walked away as he answered his phone.
Roland lowered his voice. “I heard you’ve had some issues with a stalker? Have you had any luck identifying who it is?”
Sachie shook her head. “Not yet.”
The officer frowned. “You don’t think he’s here, do you?”
“No,” Sachie said. “I’m trying to get some closure on a teen who used to work here.”
“The one who committed suicide?” Roland shook his head. “Tragic loss. Luke was a good kid. He had a bright future ahead of him.”
“Did you have much interaction with him?” Sachie asked.
“Not too often,” Roland said. “We occasionally played basketball with the kids.”
Sachie glanced around, her gaze landing on the teen leader working with the smaller kids.