Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
CITI
I smooth my hand over Star’s hair as she sleeps peacefully on the large bed that makes her look tiny and vulnerable.
We’d been at the hospital for the last four hours. Star’s blood had been taken, and a battery of other tests had been done. She’d woken up for a little while, confused and disoriented, but thankfully not scared. She didn’t seem to remember anything after going to bed and waking up in the hospital.
She’d fallen asleep again about thirty minutes ago, something the doctor assured me was normal. Now we were just playing the waiting game for the test results.
Ambros had fallen asleep in the chair beside mine, his head resting on the edge of the bed, his scarred hand resting on Star’s ankle.
I swallow at the sight of it, knowing it’s for her comfort as well as his own.
The more time they spend together, the closer they become.
It’s easy to see that, once I was calm enough to look beyond my panic to see Ambros’s fear.
He stirs at a tap on the door. It opens, and a woman pops her head in—a riot of red curls followed by a pair of black-framed glasses perched on a delicate face. She has porcelain skin dusted with freckles on her cheeks, and large green eyes that look both kind and curious.
“Hello, my name is Greer. I’m from CPS.”
“Greer?” Ambros sits up and blinks.
“Ah, Ambros, right? I believe we’ve met. Can I come in?”
“Um, sure, but what’s this about?”
“Cases like this are usually reported to both CPS and the police,” she says softly, making me freeze.
“You’re not taking Star away from me,” I warn her.
She shakes her head as she steps into the room. “Not at all. It’s a standard precaution, that’s all. Please don’t take offense. I’m just doing my job and I really don’t mean any harm.”
I watch her warily. She’s small, like me, though the boxy suit she’s wearing does nothing for her. From the neck down, she reminds me of the headteacher from that kids’ movie. The one who hates children and forces them to eat chocolate cake.
“Take a seat,” Ambros tells her, his hand moving to rest in my lap.
“What do you want to know?”
“I was told Star was drugged.”
“What else were you told?” Ambros asks coldly.
She sighs, lacing her hands together as she looks at me. “Not much. I’d rather hear what happened from you anyway.”
I feel Ambros tense beside me, but I open my mouth anyway and spill what I know.
I don’t embellish the details or mention things that are irrelevant.
When I get to the end of the story, I hold back the part about the note.
I might be pissed off with Havoc right now, but he’s still Star’s uncle and Nevaeh’s old man.
“So someone kidnapped Star from her bed and locked her in the truck after chloroforming her? Why would they do that?”
“Because he wanted to show us he could,” Ambros replies, taking one of my hands in his.
Greer frowns, confused.
“The man who bailed Josh out of prison is a PI. He works for someone who wants us to find his wife. This was a threat, or a reminder, that he hasn’t forgotten about us.”
I frown, looking between them. “Who is Josh?”
“He was Theo’s stepfather. He was arrested for attacking him.”
“And this Jack guy bailed him out? Theo is just a kid,” I snap, offended on Theo’s behalf.
“Trust me, I wasn’t any happier to hear about it either.
Of course, by the time I did, the damage had been done.
” Greer sighs, leaning back. “Look, I’m going to be straight with you.
One of the doctors here made a comment about the cycle of abuse often continuing, and it pissed me off.
If every person who was abused in one way or another as a child became the monster that tormented them, the world would be a dark and awful place.
Yes, sometimes history repeats itself, I can’t deny that.
But I know more people who, given the right help and support, rise above and become everything their oppressors could never dream of being. ”
“Wait…someone thought I did this to Star?” I whisper, horrified.
Greer waves me off. “It was a footnote. I chose to be the one to investigate it because I didn’t like the flippancy of the comment or the assumption.
I shall be making a note of my own, don’t you worry.
I might not know you, Citi, but I know your story.
I think it’s a testament to your strength and love for your daughter that you’re even managing to function right now.
So no, I don’t think you had anything to do with this.
That said, I don’t like either of you being in danger like this. ”
“They’re moving in with me. I’ll keep them safe.”
“I’m sure you will. I’m offering my services as well, though.
I know CPS gets a bad rap. People think it’s all about coming in and stealing people’s kids, and that’s the last thing any of us wants.
We also help families stay together by offering support and advice to those who need it. I’m not your enemy, Citi. I promise.”
I’m still not sure what to make of her, but I nod anyway.
“She’s good people, Citi. Mac and Toot know her from way back. And I know Theo, Kruger, and Delphi like her.”
“Well, that’s a ringing endorsement if ever I’ve heard one.” Greer rolls her eyes before pulling a business card out of her suit pocket. “Here’s my number. Call me if you need anything or have any questions.”
“Thanks,” I tell her, not really sure how I feel about CPS. They don’t exactly have the moral high ground here. My story made national news, yet they never came out of the woodwork to offer help or advice before.
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it. It was nice to meet you, Citi. Take care of yourself and your little girl.”
“Always.”
I watch her stand and leave before turning to Ambros.
“Don’t know her real well, but from what I can gather, there is some history between her, Mack, and Toot.
And not all of it’s good. She’s fair but colors inside the lines, which doesn’t always work with the MC.
What I do know is that if we had to involve CPS in anything, I’d want it to be Greer.
She won’t screw us over or make an opinion based on your history or my cut.
She just proved that. She really does care about kids.
I’m pretty good at reading people, and she comes across as honest and well-meaning to me. ”
I nod. I got the same kind of vibe from her, too.
“It’s gonna be okay, Citi. I promise.”
I lean my head against his shoulder and pray he’s right.
* * *
I press my head to the glass and watch the world pass by without a care. People move around like they usually do, oblivious that my world has just shifted on its axis once more.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Ambros asks softly from beside me.
“I’m okay. Tired. Hungry.”
“Yeah, as soon as we get you both settled, I’ll get you fed.” He turns the corner and pulls into a gravel driveway.
I stare in wide-mouthed surprise when a huge house comes into view. “You live here?”
“I do now. Took me a while to settle on something.” He jumps out and closes the door.
“This is settling?” I mutter as I unhook my belt. Ambros opens my door and helps me out before jogging around the rear passenger side.
“She’s awake,” he calls out to me. “Hey, princess, you hungry?” he asks, moving to lift her into his arms.
Star wraps her arms around his neck and nods before resting her head on his shoulder. I cover my mouth with my hand, swallowing a sob.
Ambros looks at me, his eyes going soft. “Come on, angel. Let’s get you inside. I’ll come back for the bags after.”
I nod, reaching in and grabbing Star’s unicorn from the backseat. Moving up beside them, I stroke my hand down Star’s back and smile when she turns to face me.
“Hey, baby,” I kiss the tip of her nose before handing her the unicorn. She takes it from me with a grin before tucking her head back under Ambros’s jaw.
Ambros leads us up the steps to the door, then opens it and enters the alarm code.
I glance around. The large entrance is bigger than my bedroom, with a black and white tiled floor and an actual chandelier hanging above it.
There are open doors on either side and a curved staircase that winds upstairs.
He walks us over to the doorway on the left first. “This is the sitting room.”
I poke my head inside. Though the room is huge, it looks homey too, with a large comfortable-looking sectional in a dark gray in the center of the room facing a ridiculously oversized television.
There’s a large chest that doubles as a coffee table just in front of the sofa, littered with magazines.
Underneath is a large rug with a dozen different shades of blue making up an abstract pattern.
It kind of matches the artwork on the walls—they’re all abstract and in various shades of blues and grays.
Except for one in the center of the far wall, which is a riot of reds and pinks, making me think of a sun exploding.
“It looks cozy.”
“I like it.”
He continues the downstairs tour, showing us the bathrooms, den, office, and home gym before leading us to the kitchen. “I still have a few rooms to do up, so I won’t bother showing you those just yet. Maybe you can help me decide what to do with them.”
I shrug helplessly. “It’s not exactly my area of expertise.”
He chuckles, but there is a hint of sadness to it. “Mine either. I usually left it all to my sister. She had such a knack for it.”
I look around the modern kitchen and wonder if she decorated in here too.
It’s the kind of kitchen I’ve only seen in magazines, with white glossy cupboards and light oak countertops.
The island sits six people, but there is a large table that seats eight more.
I imagine it’s a great place for entertaining, you know, if you had an abundance of friends and liked being social.
Before I can break out in hives at the thought, I turn to Ambros talking softly to Star.
He carries her to the fridge and pulls out a yogurt pouch, twisting off the cap for her.
I lean against the table and watch the ease they have with each other, wondering what it is about Ambros that makes us both so comfortable around him.
Whatever it is, I hope it lasts.
* * *
We order burgers and fries with milkshakes and eat in front of the TV, despite my worries about the mess. Ambros doesn’t seem to care one bit. In fact, every time I glance over at him, he appears in his element with us here.
“Alright, let’s get you changed and your teeth brushed, ready for bed,” I say, standing up and offering Star my hand.
“I’ll grab the bags and bring them up,” Ambros offers. I agree and tug Star from the sofa. She doesn’t resist, but she does slip her thumb in her mouth, something she occasionally does when she’s nervous.
“I think we’re going to like it here. And it’s nice to have Ambros around, isn’t it?”
She looks up at me and nods shyly. I ruffle her hair and lead her up the stairs. By the time we reach the top, Ambros is behind us with a couple of our bags.
“Wow, that was fast.”
“I didn’t want to keep the princess waiting.” He winks at Star before slipping past us to the second door on the left. “This is Star’s room. I hope you like it. We can change anything you want.”
“Please don’t go to any trouble, I’m sure it’s perfect….” My voice drifts off as I step into the room.
“Oh my god, Ambros…” I’m lost for words as I glance around.
The whole room is a warm, pale pink, with little 3D butterflies scattered across it, looking like they’re about to fly right off the wall.
The bed is a four-poster with a crown in the center fitting, molded into the wood.
Gauzy fabric encloses the four sides, offering privacy when needed.
One side is pulled open to show the cushions, pillows, and a giant unicorn that is almost bigger than Star herself.
Star drops my hand and strolls over to the bed as I take in the thick rugs and bookcases lined with books. A child-sized table and chairs are set up in the corner with a tea set on top of it, and against the far wall, I spot a giant dollhouse that is the stuff of dreams.
“You like it?”
I turn back to Star and find her on the bed, snuggling up to the giant unicorn. I slide my arm around Ambros’s waist and look up at him. “When did you do all this? I don’t understand. I mean, it’s amazing, but you didn’t know we were going to be moving in until today.”
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I bought this house with you guys in mind. I never assumed, but I hoped that one day you’d see me as more than a friend.”
I fight back tears. “Ambros,” I whisper.
“I wanted her to feel safe here. I wondered if some of her fear of sleeping in her own bed is how exposed she feels alone in a bigger room than she’s used to. It might make her feel vulnerable.”
“So you found a way to make the room a little smaller when she gets scared,” I guess, looking at the gauzy drapes before glancing at the unicorn. “And a protector.”
“Well, I was thinking of getting her a dog, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with that.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Anything you damn well want.”