Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MOJAVE
In the end, I called Killian to help me.
He was used to borrowing Axel’s truck to help me haul water to my place, and Axel didn't even question the request when he borrowed it again. Killian showed up to Frankie’s house with the truck and concern etched into his face when I opened the door.
He immediately asked, “Does Rachel know about this?”
“Yeah,” I answered, helping Frankie up into the truck and into the back seat.
I made sure she was buckled before sliding the seat back and climbing in myself.
We’d need to stop at the clubhouse to get my bike, or Killian would be stuck staying with us, but I hadn’t felt like walking so I’d sent Killian our location to pick us up here instead.
As I was buckling, I noticed Killian staring at me, eyebrows raised like he was waiting for more.
With a sigh, I explained, “She’s in the city dealing with a case.
She said she should be back tomorrow, but we didn’t want to leave Frankie home alone and her parents never came back to get her.
They’ve got Rachel’s phone number, they know how to contact her if they do come back, but for tonight, she’ll stay with me. ”
He grunted, satisfied with that explanation, and pulled away from the curb. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he asked Frankie, “Have they ever left you for an entire weekend before?”
“No,” Frankie shook her head. “Last time they forced me to go. I hate going though. All my cousins are mean to me and my grandma always forces me to wear dresses and do my hair. I heard ‘em talkin’ about me too when they thought I wasn’t listenin’. They don’t like me.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw as I fought to keep my temper at bay. I hoped this weekend was the final straw for Rachel and she’d pull Frankie out of that house soon. Frankie deserved better than what she was getting.
“They sound like bad people,” Killian agreed. “We’re gonna pop by the clubhouse so Mojave can grab his bike, but once we’re on the road, I’ll let you pick the music. Sounds good?”
“Okay!” Frankie said cheerfully.
I appreciated him waiting until I was out of the truck for that.
We’d discussed leaving my bike at the clubhouse, but I hadn’t liked the idea of not having any form of transportation while Frankie was staying with me, and I didn't have enough space for Killian to stay too. So I’d drive separately on my bike, and Killian would drive it home and leave me with the truck.
He was the only person I trusted to drive it other than me, so I figured it was better than nothing.
Though I wished I could’ve convinced him to just pick up some gear from the clubhouse for Frankie so we could’ve just used my bike.
He said it needed to be properly fitted to her, and there was no guarantee what we had for the other club kids would work. I’d survive one night without my bike.
There was a tightness in my chest that only seemed to get worse the closer we got to my place.
I drove behind Killian since he knew where my place was without me leading, and I’d hoped the time alone would help me chill out and clear my head, but anxiety was a bitch and I was jittery and uncomfortable by the time I pulled up in front of my trailer and parked next to the truck.
Frankie hopped down with Killian’s help, looking at the trailer curiously.
I watched her uneasily, worried she’d flip her shit about being in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere.
I’d never thought about it before, but the place probably looked creepy to a little kid, especially with the motion lights blinding us after driving so long in the dark.
Killian squeezed my shoulder, nudging me toward the house. “Come on. It’s just one night. It’ll be fine.”
True. I could deal with one night.
Unlocking the door, I held it open for Frankie and Killian to come in before heading for the alarm to turn it off.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Frankie look around, wondering if she was afraid or not, until she skipped over to a shelf near the tv, standing on her toes to get a better look.
“Are those origamis? Can I see?” she asked eagerly.
Since she was too short to see all of them, I picked her up to give her a better view and moved closer.
I didn't save every piece I’d done, that’d get obnoxious, but I usually saved at least one of each once I mastered it.
I got tired of them living on the counter so I put up the shelf so they’d have somewhere to sit that was out of the way.
“Ohhh! They’re so cool! What’s that one?”
I showed her the ones she wanted to see, then set her down and pointed at the stack of paper nearby.
It was just plain computer paper, I hadn’t wanted to get anything fancy when I first started doing this in case it stopped helping, but it worked just fine.
“You can make your own with that. I’m gonna figure out where you’re going to sleep. ”
Killian, who’d been watching the exchange with his back leaning against the kitchen counter, straightened and followed me toward my room. “You’ve got the pullout for her,” he pointed out.
I made a face. The idea bugged me. She would be asleep right next to the front door, and alarms or not, that didn’t feel safe to me. “I’ll take the couch. She can have my room.”
He thankfully didn't argue with me, helping me put on fresh sheets and set her bag in the room. When we came back into the living room, she was still hard at work on what looked like a frog if I had to guess. We’d made enough the other day that she knew how to do it on her own now.
Maybe I’d get her a book with more options so she wouldn’t be stuck with only the stuff people showed her.
The library would have that shit, wouldn’t it?
Killian stepped around Frankie, putting his hands on the coffee table with a friendly smile. “I gotta move this quick, kiddo. Do you want to sit on top and move with me or go work on your stuff at the counter?”
Her eyes lit up in excitement as she asked, “I can sit on the table?”
He shrugged, shooting me a smirk. “Sure. Mojave won’t mind.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Just don’t let her fall.”
Frankie squealed in excitement and climbed onto the coffee table, giggling as Killian moved it against the wall and out of the way so I could open up the sofa bed.
While he was doing that, I shot a text to Rachel with my location so she’d know where Frankie was.
I waited for the tightness in my chest to get worse—when I first got discharged, the idea of sharing my location with people made it impossible for me to sleep—but when nothing happened, I let out a slow breath.
Hopefully that’d be a good sign that I’d sleep tonight.
Being out of my space was usually a guarantee I wouldn’t sleep well.
I glanced at Frankie, who had abandoned her folding to help Killian put new sheets on the sofa bed.
I’d deal with the discomfort. Anything to keep that kid safe.
She deserved to have at least one person in her life looking out for her.
RACHEL
My fingers tapped a nervous beat on my steering wheel as I followed the GPS to Mojave’s home.
I hated that I wasn’t there when everything went down, but I was glad I was finally going to see Mojave’s home.
It was the final thing I needed to know before officially asking if he’d be willing to take over Frankie’s care until we found her a proper foster family in the area.
When Mojave said his house was ‘out there’, I’d expected it to be a drive, but I didn’t think it’d actually be in the middle of nowhere.
The only reason I found the driveway was because Mojave was standing there waiting for me.
He lifted a hand in greeting, and I pulled to a stop next to him, rolling down my window so we could talk.
“Is, uh, is it much farther?”
He shook his head, pointing down the almost invisible dirt path with a jerk of his thumb. “Just down the path. Frankie is waiting with Killian. He brought breakfast.”
Somehow it didn’t surprise me that he wouldn’t even leave Frankie alone long enough to come down the road to meet me. I motioned to the seat beside me. “Hop in. No reason to walk when we are going in the same direction.”
He shrugged, slipping into the car after I moved my bag and the few files I’d had on the seat into the back. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. How’d it go last night?”
He nodded slowly, his expression considerate. “Fine, I think. She told me she didn’t have a bed time so I didn’t know when to put her to bed, but she fell asleep around nine while we were watching a movie.”
Nine was maybe a little late for a seven year old, but if Frankie didn’t have a set bed time, then letting her fall asleep naturally was probably the best way to handle the situation for the time being. I didn’t expect him to set her up with a routine when she was only staying a night or two.
“What movie did you watch?”
“Wall-e. Killian suggested it.”
I’d met Killian a few times. I got the feeling he was Mojave’s person because he went to him a lot for advice or suggestions.
He seemed like a good guy and was actually the one who insisted Mojave tell Prez about Frankie, who then informed me of what was going on.
It hadn’t occurred to Mojave right away that what Frankie was doing was strange.
Mojave said it wasn’t far, but his place was far enough away from the road to be out of sight until we went down a small slope.
I took in the trailer, studying it a little more critically than was necessary.
It wasn’t a bad place. Solar panels on the roof probably charged the battery and provided power.
A large water receptacle was in the shade under one of the few desert trees around.
The trailer itself was dirty, but most houses were this far out in the desert, and aside from dirt I couldn’t see any big red flags that would make me think the place was unsafe.
A little odd so out in the middle of nowhere, but not bad.
The door to the trailer flew open when I pulled up out front and Frankie waved wildly from just inside, a big beaming grin on her face. A matching smile pulled at my lips as I parked and got out of the car, wiggling my fingers as I came to join her.
“Hey, Frankie! Did you have a fun sleepover?”
“The best!” Frankie agreed, jumping up and down. “We did origami and watched a movie and Killian brought donuts for breakfast!”