Chapter 35 Whip #2
My brain knew these kids weren’t the ones I’d lost. But it didn’t matter.
Levi caught my gaze. His eyes burned with the same intensity. “Breathe,” he murmured.
Our gazes locked on each other. We both inhaled audibly, and I forced air down my lungs, hoping it quelled the rage inside me. I didn’t understand how people could abuse their own children the way Violet’s foster parents had.
How did they get to keep their kids? I’d done everything for mine, loved them, cared for them, went without so they would have everything they needed.
And yet I’d lost them.
While people like Violet’s foster parents just got to keep theirs? How was any of that fair on any of us?
I needed another three deep breaths before I even felt remotely in control of my emotions.
By the time Levi and I had finished deep breathing, X had the kids’ hands washed and them sitting up at the kitchen counter, Pop-Tarts in the toaster, plates in front of them, waiting for them to be ready.
X tapped a knife on the edge of the countertop, battling back his amusement. “If you two want me to lead you in some yoga, just say the word.” He sniggered. “Gray is going to be so happy you’re using his calming techniques.”
I rolled my eyes, pulling out a stool next to Will. “Speaking of Grayson, is he coming over?”
“Should be here any minute. Trig and the others are taking care of…” Levi eyed the kids. “You know.”
“You mean the dead bodies?” Will piped up.
Levi grimaced. “Well, yeah.”
Will nodded, but then X put a Pop-Tart in front of him, and the kid wolfed it down like he hadn’t been fed in weeks.
It made me sick to my stomach that there was a good possibility he hadn’t ever had a regular supply of food. He was tiny. All skin and bones. I’d thought him maybe six, judging by his size, but after speaking to him, I suspected he was actually a good few years older. Maybe eight or nine.
“How old are you guys?” I put my Pop-Tart on Will’s plate.
Will glanced at his sister.
She shrugged; chocolate filling smeared across her mouth. “I don’t know.”
X frowned at them. “Do you know your birthday? Or what year you were born?”
They shook their heads.
I tried a different line of questioning. “What about school? What grade are you in?” At least that would give us the general idea of how old they were.
“We’ve never been,” Ari mumbled with her mouth full. Her eyes lit up. “Could we go?”
I didn’t even bother asking them if their parents had homeschooled them. I knew there was no chance that would have happened.
I gave her a tight smile. “I think it’s safe to say you’re definitely going to go to school now.”
She shook her brother’s arm in excitement. “Did you hear that? Will, did you hear him? This is the best day ever.”
And that was possibly the saddest thing I’d ever heard.
From down the hallway, the water running in the bathroom stopped. A quiet knock came from the front of the house, and I slid off the stool.
The others went back to their conversation, and I went to the door. Grayson stood on the other side, looking haggard.
I stepped aside so he could come in, and checked the street, making sure nothing was out of place before I closed the door.
He didn’t make a move to go any farther into the house. He just jerked his head toward the living room. “Kids in there?”
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the wall. “You been over to the scene?”
He grimaced. “It’s a lot. But the others are over there, dealing with it. They said to tell you, you now owe them multiple cleanups.”
That was great and a tiny weight off my mind. I didn’t even care that at some point, I’d have to pay back the favor and get my hands dirty, cleaning up a mess Trig and his guys had made. That’s what we did for each other. We always had.
But what we’d left for them tonight was a mess of epic proportions.
And we’d brought two of the biggest problems home with us.
“Did you find anything out about the kids?” I asked him.
He made a face. “Not really. I had a quick search around while the guys were dealing with the bodies. Found a creepy as hell trapdoor that led to a coffin-sized box beneath the floor. But there were no signs of birth certificates or anything with their legal names on it. I know some people at DCFS, and in the morning, I’ll subtly ask them to look up any kids who might have been staying at that address.
You said Violet had been fostered there when she was younger, right? So it’s possible they’re foster kids.”
I nodded. “They said they were their parents, but maybe they’re too young to remember if they came there from another family. I don’t know.”
“We’ll know more tomorrow when I can get my friend to look into it.” He glanced past me at the kids sitting at the kitchen counter. “Question is, what are we going to do with them in the meantime?” Grayson frowned. “I guess I could take them with me—”
Ari’s head jerked up, and she twisted to stare at us.
She’d clearly been listening. That fear was back in her eyes again. The one we’d only just removed through reassurances and food and stupid I Spy games.
Her eyes begged me not to give her away.
“No,” I told Grayson, but my words were for the little girl sitting in my home with sugar on her face. “They stay here with us.”