Chapter 3 #2
“No, I will,” Alan said. “I was the one who went over this with the damn governor. They’re all supposed to get the same PO.
” He looked truly upset when he met my gaze.
“I’m so sorry. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for this.
This was my baby and—I wanted to do good with this, but so much has happened and—I didn’t realize it—I just had to look away—”
“It happens, man,” I forgave. “No foul if you really fix it. I worked hard for this chance and I wanted it.”
Ms. Reed cleared her throat. “Okay, so I didn’t realize you didn’t know who he is. This is Dr. Alan Carpenter, Head of Trauma and Emergency Services.”
Whoops!
I apologized and then looked at Ms. Reed.
“Could you extend the program for maintenance? This is a good job if everyone stopped hassling me that I am an ex-con. My manager is great and understanding. He isn’t an asshole to us about our past, and the other guys wanted this chance too even if it wasn’t what we thought it was.
If we need to be replaced anyways…” I shrugged.
“That’s actually a fantastic idea,” she muttered. “I just don’t know that I have the capacity for that or—”
“I will make the capacity for it with the governor,” Dr. Carpenter said. “I think it’s great for pups. We require a bit older for the first responders program, but that would be fantastic for pups who get tossed out of juvie. We know the statistics of what becomes of them.”
Yeah, they ended up in prison. I knew dozens with that exact story. “I’d like to help if you’re willing to let me.”
“Same,” my manager told Dr. Carpenter, nodding when the doctor seemed surprised. “You’re not the only one who believes in giving second chances. Ms. Reed gave me mine even if I wasn’t in prison. She simply swooped in before I landed there.”
“You were worth taking the chance,” she said with a tired smile.
“I’m glad you thought so. I’d like to have that faith in others now.”
Okay, now I understood why Aurora had put so much faith in Ms. Reed and this place to figure out what was really going on. I remembered what happened with her and turned towards the couch… Only to find her awake and watching us.
“How are you?” I asked quietly, not wanting to spook her.
“Embarrassed on many levels,” she whispered. “Grateful.”
“I think we need to have a talk,” I hedged.
She started to nod but then froze. “There’s not much I can tell because it’s not—Ellie is your boss and it’s not my place to tell her story or—”
“Aurora, you can’t never have people in your life because you would tell them my past,” Ms. Reed said gently.
“You know the parts he doesn’t need to know.
The rest is your story and I’m just someone who was in it.
” She met my gaze. “He’s smart enough to know I would lay waste to him if he tried to use it against either of us. ”
My lips twitched. “I am, but for the record, you are not as scary as you think you are.”
“Oh, she is, but you’re just used to predators who are more boisterous and full of themselves, pup,” Dr. Capenter chuckled darkly.
Okay then.
“Let’s get you home, Mrs. Reed,” the bodyguard said when I went to focus back on Aurora. She visibly flinched at being called that and I growled.
“Use her maiden name if you want to keep professional and not use her first name,” I snapped. “You can see that makes her uncomfortable.”
Aurora looked near tears as she hung her head. “My family said I am unable to use their name after I shamed them—”
“Fuck that, Aurora,” I said firmly as I knelt down next to her.
I moved my hand under her chin and made her look at me.
“Fine, let them erase you from their family tree. Don’t be part of their family, but you were still born with that name.
No matter what they say, they can’t fucking change that.
The gods can’t change that. It’s your name too. ”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, sounding so lost that again it was like a kicked puppy.
“Fine, then just pick anything else for now,” I pushed.
“Be Aurora Bond because you’re hotter than any fucking Bond girl I’ve ever seen.
Pick something badass that makes you feel like you can get through this.
” That made me think of something. “Who’s your favorite character?
If you know four languages, you’ve read a lot. Pick a last name of someone you like.”
Her eyes stopped being so sad and then slowly filled with something like hope. “Thank you, Creed. I’ll try that.”
“Good.” I let out a slow breath. “Family sucks, but they only win if you let them defeat you. Take this chance to show them you don’t need them and thrive without them.”
She studied me a moment. “Who are you trying to tell that to?”
I nodded, knowing it was fair. “I say it to myself every damn day in the mirror. It’s working, so listen to me.”
“I do.” Her cheeks flushed deeply. “You’ve helped me a lot.”
I ignored when Ms. Reed sighed heavily, clearly getting there was something going on already and she didn’t like it.
Yeah, well… I wanted to say I didn’t either, but Aurora made me feel things I didn’t know I could, so even if I was an idiot and chicks were trouble, I wasn’t going to lie about how I felt.
Plus, she was the reason I had a chance at maybe getting my life back on track to that second chance I’d hoped for.
I realized something and swore under my breath. “I don’t know how we’re going to talk if you’re uncomfortable being alone with me.”
“Why is she uncomfortable being alone with you?” Ms. Reed demanded, her tone cold and hard.
“I’m not anymore,” Aurora told me firmly before looking at Ellie. “I’m not. Not after he saved me from Andrew. I was before because…”
Ms. Reed let out a slow breath. “I’m proud of you, Aurora. Good on you for saying you needed that.”
“Creed makes it easy on me.” She focused back on me. “Will you come over to my condo after work? We can talk then about whatever you want to.” She flushed lava hot as she probably realized how that sounded. “Dinner and then you can go home.”
Shit, she was a bit too innocent, and that made the predator in me want to gobble her up. I opened my mouth to accept but sighed. “I can’t. I have to get back to the halfway house right after work. I’m there for a few more months before I can try and get my own place for the rest of my parole.”
“And I can’t visit you there?” she asked quietly.
“No,” I snorted, apologizing when she looked hurt. “My PO would freak out and—I wouldn’t ever want you around him. He treats everyone who comes there like criminals or…” I shook my head.
“Lovely,” Ms. Reed drawled.
“I’m already texting with one of the governor’s people,” Dr. Carpenter muttered. “Let me see what we can work out. That’s ridiculous. I get the first month and—has his PO spoken to you about his work or how he’s been acting?”
“No, and I’ve tried to submit reports like I do the other three,” my manager replied. “He has maybe the nastiest PO I’ve ever talked to. Real bully and—whoever approved him to reform anyone hates the idea of parole.”
“I’m sorry,” Aurora whispered.
“Why are you apologizing?” I grumbled. “I’m the one who’s making things complicated, and I don’t want to be dismissive like a phone call is good enough for this kind of thing—not that we’ve even exchanged numbers.”
“Theresa taught me to FaceTime,” she offered.
I swallowed a sigh. “This is not a blowoff or a line. I swear it.”
“Those halfway houses have next to no privacy, Aurora,” Ms. Reed said, saving me from having to explain.
“People rooming on either side would hear your conversation. Anyone in the hallway—I’ll handle this and find a solution.
” She held up her hand when Aurora opened her mouth.
“I’ll do this for Creed. He works for me, and I’m mortified he’s been treated this way. ”
The look of love and pride Aurora gave her confused me. “Of course you will.”
So that was that. The bodyguard seemed a bit too eager to get Aurora away from me and be alone with her and then we were gone. I should have left it alone, but… I didn’t.
“You saw that, right?” I muttered to Ms. Reed before she got wrapped up in whatever came next.
“Yes, but he’s been completely professional.” She sighed when I simply raised an eyebrow. “Aurora is maybe the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen in centuries. She always has that effect on men. Always.” She shrugged.
Fair enough… I guess. To me, she was—it wasn’t her beauty that drew me to her. Yeah, it helped and of course I liked the way she looked.
Of course I did.
But if she was gorgeous and had a different personality, there was no chance I would have kept eating with her. None.
There was some back and forth, but Ms. Reed really did have the power and sway like people said. Either to bitch about, mock, or praise because she used it well. I was now switching from the first bucket to the last because she was using it for me in a big way.
Hours later she handled what most couldn’t over days or maybe a week. Andrew Graves was in North America without permission, so that was a big deal. The camera didn’t get a great shot of what happened, but it definitely showed he put hands on Aurora and I showed up later, so I was covered.
I was a big fan of that given my situation.
My parole officer was no longer my parole officer and I didn’t think he would be one ever again.
There was now going to be an aide to the governor who was going to handle the four of us who got screwed over and the new people they planned to bring in to replace our positions.
That was the part people squirmed about.
“I’m fine staying in my current position for now,” I said firmly, interjecting into the back and forth.
I met Ms. Reed’s gaze. “You’re taking this seriously and have apologized.
I get it. Shit happens, and I’m not about to screw my manager or the other guys in the department who have all been nice to us.
” I was glad when the other guys agreed.
“Thank you. Really,” she accepted.
It was clear why Ms. Reed was the big boss with the way she handled everything. She kept calm and cool about the huge mess… Until the end when most everyone had cleared out.
She grabbed that attending by the front of his scrubs and hissed in his face, her fangs out.
“I don’t give a flying fuck if you don’t like ex-cons or whatever your fucking deal is, but he’s got magic on him and you didn’t help him?
What is wrong with you? You took an oath to do no harm—I’ll have your fucking license for this, not just—”
The guy tried to break her hold but couldn’t, looking scared which was stupid because he was a warlock and she was a vampire. Sometimes idiots let their penises overrule their brains and like fucking science.
“He’s got what the prison always puts on them!
” the guy interrupted. “They all have it, Ms. Reed. I swear it, okay?” He glanced between us and then frowned when Ms. Reed eased back but still wasn’t happy.
“I didn’t scan him. He just had magic on him—the prisons put location whatever on anyone on parole. ”
Her fangs retracted and she shoved him away. “You’re a shit warlock. You’re supposed to protect the people under you, even the ones you don’t like. I’m a vampire and I can tell it’s more than that, idiot.”
He frowned as he glanced at me before focusing on her. “What else does he have?”
The look she gave him about how stupid that question was amused me even if I was freaking out at the topic. “I’m not a witch, so asking me is like asking you how drinking blood feels, yeah?”
“Right, of course,” he muttered, accepting the rest of her tongue-lashing before getting out of there.
“Do you really not know what it is?” I asked quietly when we were alone.
“No.” She let out a slow breath and then met my gaze, her caramel eyes full of worry. “But I’ve been around enough magic for over a hundred years to know it’s not something done to help you, Creed.”
Of course not. My life was too fucked for that.