Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
MOJAVE
Calling a social worker seemed like an overreaction. Skipping school wasn’t enough of a reason to call in a government official in my opinion. It’d only cause trouble when I was more than happy to walk Frankie back to school without all the fuss.
When I was Frankie’s age, I wandered everywhere and anywhere.
My parents didn’t care either way, they were too busy working their tails off to make ends meet to follow me around, and I was a good enough kid that could take care of myself.
Frankie seemed the same. Aside from playing where she shouldn’t, she didn’t get into anything or cause trouble.
And all kids skipped school at least once.
But when Prez said I needed to call it in to him if she showed up again so the social worker could check in, I didn’t fight him. It was his call.
The social worker studied me for a long moment.
We’d met once when I warned her about her husband’s activities, but I didn’t look into her like I had him.
She had long copper hair, cornflower blue eyes, and a curvy figure that only a dead man would ignore.
Any time I saw her around town, she was wearing a strappy sundress or long skirts, somehow looking sweet and innocent despite being a grown ass woman fresh out of a divorce.
If I didn’t have issues trusting people, I might’ve made an attempt to shoot my shot.
Before my time in the military, she would have been just my type.
Squatting down and smoothing her skirt over her knees, she gave her attention to Frankie, who eyed her suspiciously, her fingers clutching tightly to the chains of the swing. The kid looked as suspicious as I felt.
“Hey there. I’m Rachel. I’m a social worker. Can I ask you some questions?”
Frankie cast a glance my way and I nodded once to reassure her. The social worker might’ve given Wraith a hard time when his little brother came to stay with him, but that was before she knew the truth. She’d proven herself an ally since then. At least, that was what Prez said when I talked to him.
“What kind of questions?” Frankie finally asked.
“Well, first, can I ask your name?”
That calculating look I saw the first time I met Frankie crossed her face before she said “Frankie,” in a tight tone.
The social worker didn’t even flinch, her voice calm and even as she spoke to the little kid who’d decided to become my shadow. “It’s nice to meet you, Frankie. Do your parents know you’re out here right now? It’s a school day, isn’t it?”
Frankie shrugged, but didn’t reply. That was the whole reason I texted Prez. Seeing Frankie around after school wasn’t all that weird, but as far as I knew, kids were still in school and it was too early in the day for them to be released. It was barely lunchtime.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to answer right away. Can you tell me about your school? What grade are you in?”
“Second,” Frankie grumbled.
It took some coaxing from the social worker to get her to give more than one word answers.
I didn’t blame the kid. She hadn’t told me yet where the bloody nose came from earlier in the week, and I knew a normal kid without any issues at home wouldn’t be following around a random biker just for the fun of it.
She was closed up tighter than a vault and the social worker was good at her job to even get the basics out of her.
“What’s your favorite subject?”
Frankie shrugged again, kicking her feet in the dirt. “Does recess count?”
“Yes,” I answered automatically.
Frankie looked up at me, a little smirk flashing across her face before she masked it and frowned at the social worker again. The social worker smiled softly.
“I think it counts, too. It’s nice being outside, especially when it’s not too hot like today. What’s your favorite thing to do during recess? I was a big fan of the slide myself.”
“Swings. That way if someone wants to bother me, I can kick ‘em in the face.”
I snorted without thinking about it, then realized she’d just said something important. “Who’s botherin’ you?” I demanded.
She looked pleased that she’d made me laugh, but her face fell when I asked that question and she looked away, going back to shrugging as her answer. I frowned at her profile. If she was being bullied, then she needed to tell someone. Little kids shouldn’t be afraid to go to school.
Instead of demanding more information, the social worker nodded slowly. “That must be nice, having somewhere you feel safe. Do any of the other kids swing with you?”
“No,” Frankie grumbled. “They don’t like me.”
That comment bothered me. Frankie seemed like a cool kid to me. She was creative setting up that little box house and brave as all get out if she was willing to kick people who were messing with her. Why the hell would kids not like her?
“They don’t? What do they say that makes you feel like that?” the social worker cajoled.
Frankie shrugged again, frowning at her feet as she avoided eye contact. “They said I don’t look like a girl so I’m a freak.” Her face twisted into a scowl. “What’s so great about bein’ a girl anyway? Girls are stupid.”
When I shook my head, Frankie’s attention snapped to me and she demanded, “You think they aren’t?”
“I think everyone can be stupid. Gender don’t matter.”
“Mojave,” the social worker chastised. “That’s not–”
Frankie perked up, nodding rapidly in agreement to my statement. “Boys are stupid too. They said because I’m a girl, I can’t play with them.”
“Sounds stupid,” I agreed.
The social worker sighed, giving me a look that said I wasn’t helping. I just stared blankly at her. The kid was right. People were stupid, no matter the gender. Still, we were supposed to be helping, not making it worse.
“If you don’t want to end up stupid too, you gotta go to school,” I added in an attempt to help. “Book learnin’ is the easiest way to not end up stupid.”
My response made Frankie smirk, but the social worker smacked her palm against her forehead, looking exasperated almost exactly like Prez had when I told him a kid was following me and I hadn’t reported it to the pigs.
I wasn’t an idiot, I knew it wasn’t safe for little kids to be wandering around, but she was safe with me and not doing anything dangerous.
I figured I didn’t need to. If it’d been me, the cops would’ve brought me home, my parents wouldn’t have batted an eye, and I’d be right back out the next day. It was better to just leave it be.
“What Mojave means,” the social worker finally said as she dropped her hand and gave her attention back to Frankie, “is that school’s usually where the interesting stuff happens.
Recess, art projects, library day. I really liked reading, so library day was my favorite.
What about you, Mojave? What was your favorite subject in school? ”
My brows furrowed as I thought about it.
I barely remembered that far back, and I mostly only cared about playing with my friends.
Still, based on the significant look the social worker flashed me when Frankie wasn’t looking, that wasn’t what she wanted to hear and it wouldn’t help Frankie anyway if she was having trouble making friends.
“Uh… Science, I guess. I like being outside. Learnin’ about what’s out there was interesting.”
The social worker nodded in approval. “That’s right. Being outside is fun and all, but it’s even better when you learn about what’s around you. Trees, bugs, the way things move.” She tipped her head toward the swings we were sitting on. “Even swings. There’s science in that too.”
Frankie’s nose wrinkled. “Really?”
“Yep. I bet if you ask your teacher, they can tell you all about it.” She pushed to her feet, giving Frankie a patient smile.
“I’m betting your teacher is wondering where you are right now.
Should we head back together, or would you prefer to call your parents and talk to them about what’s been going on at school? ”
The look on Frankie’s face said neither option sounded good to her, so I offered, “I can walk you home after school if you want. No one will bother you with me around.”
It seemed to help, if only a little. Frankie looked reluctant when she hopped off her swing, but she didn’t run off or refuse to move. She scooped her backpack up from where she’d dropped it and trudged in the direction of the elementary school with me and the social worker following behind her.
“Thank you for calling this in,” the social worker whispered to me. “I’m going to make sure to have a talk with her parents as soon as I get ahold of them. If you don’t mind, I’d like to join you when you walk her home.”
I shrugged, shoving my hands into my pockets. It wasn’t my place to tell people where to go or where not to go. I was just helping out.
Frankie hesitated across the street from the school, looking all kinds of uncomfortable with the thought of going in. Putting a hand on her shoulder, I gave her a reassuring nod. “Go learn. It makes you better than them.”
The social worker made a strangled sound behind me but when we glanced at her, she plastered on a smile and offered her hand for Frankie to take. “I’ll walk you to your class, okay?”
Begrudgingly, Frankie took her hand and allowed the social worker to lead her inside. After the doors closed, I looked around with a frown. I realized belatedly I should’ve asked what time I needed to meet Frankie to walk her home. What times did schools get out anyway?
My phone rang before I could decide what to do about it and I wandered away to a shady patch down the block, leaning my back against a tree as I answered the phone. “Yeah?”
“Got more activity from the crew that’s been causing trouble,” Wraith said in lieu of greeting. “What side of town are you on right now?”
Did it really matter? If he needed me to look into something, I’d do it. It didn’t matter where I was. “Where are they?”
He didn’t complain about me not answering the question or demand answers from me. He knew me well enough by now to stick to what was important. “West side, by the college campus. I need to know if there are cameras in the area that might’ve caught them in action.”
“I’ll head that way now.”
I immediately turned to where I’d left my bike, hesitating when I remembered the promise I made to Frankie. My crew could say a lot of shit about me, but I always kept my word. I wasn’t going to ditch Frankie after promising her I’d get her home safely.
“What time does the elementary school let out?”
Wraith obviously hadn’t been expecting the question because he went quiet for a minute before asking, “Is this about the kid who’s been following you around?”
It didn’t surprise me that he knew. He was the club VP and Prez probably told him to keep him in the loop. “Yeah. I promised I’d walk her home.”
Another long pause before I heard the tapping of keys like he was looking up the answer to my question. “Three thirty. If you’re driving, though, show up at least fifteen minutes before. When I pick up Xander, there’s always a line and it takes forever to get through.”
I grunted in acknowledgement and hung up. That gave me about three hours to get to the location Wraith wanted me to look at and back to the school. I could manage that and keep my promise to Frankie.