Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
MOJAVE
Rachel made me take more pain meds before we crawled into bed again, and I managed to take the time to pull on the sweats before falling asleep again.
I hated that they belonged to her ex, but she was right when she warned me to have something on in the morning or risk getting caught by Frankie.
I was still half asleep when she tiptoed into the room to put my coffee down.
I cracked open an eye to check, ensuring she didn’t feel apprehensive like she had the day before.
She didn’t immediately sneak off like she did last time.
Instead, she seemed to contemplate me for a long moment before deciding what she wanted to do.
I didn’t see it coming for even a second.
One minute, I was trying to wake up my brain and wondering what she was thinking, the next, she took a few steps back, then rushed over and took a flying leap, landing on top of me like a little wrecking ball.
I grunted from the impact, groaning when a knee collided with my lower back right above my kidney.
Frankie’s giggles were the only thing that made it worth it, and when she climbed up enough to lean her face over mine and grinned at me, I had to fight to hide my smile.
“Frankie? What happened–” Rachel’s voice cut off in surprise as she stepped into the room. “Oh, Frankie, honey, we shouldn’t climb on Mojave right now. He’s hurt, remember?”
“She’s fine,” I mumbled, tucking an arm behind me so that when I sat up, she wouldn’t fall onto the floor.
She clung to my back instead, still giggling as I pushed to my feet and took her with me.
She only got down when I was up and out of bed, grinning up at me like she’d just played the funniest prank.
I let her think that, rubbing my hand over her bed head. “Thanks for the wake up call.”
She beamed, entirely unrepentant. “You’re welcome. Are we walkin’ to school?”
“Probably,” I agreed with a nod, accepting the coffee she handed me and taking a sip. “It’s not that far. Closer than your parents’ house even.”
“It’s raining,” she pointed out.
I blinked, turning to glance toward the window. It rained so rarely this time of year, I hadn’t even thought to check. I shrugged. “That’s what umbrellas are for.” I shot a questioning look at Rachel. “You got one she can borrow?”
She huffed a laugh and nodded. “I’ve got enough for the both of you. I was going to offer to give you a ride since your bike is all wet, but–”
I waved that away, taking another sip of coffee. “I’ll walk today. I like the rain.”
It wasn’t like much in town was that far of a walk, and Rachel’s place was actually closer to the clubhouse than Frankie’s parents’ place was. It was farther from Killian’s shop, but I didn't mind the walk.
“Perry wanted you to see him today,” Rachel pointed out.
I made a face. I’d forgotten about that.
“That other man wanted you to call him too,” Frankie added, then poked my side. “He said to poke you.”
Feigning a grunt at her little poke, I put a hand up in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll go to my appointments today. I’ve got a leather jacket in my saddle bag that will keep me dry enough. We’re still walkin’ to school though. Fresh air is good for kids.”
That was what I read anyway. I hadn’t thought I’d be taking Frankie in for longer than the weekend, but I’d looked up the basics after me and Rachel had started spending most afternoons with her.
I didn’t want to bring her places that weren’t appropriate and I didn’t know what kids her age even liked to do.
I’d need to do more, maybe even take a class if she was going to be living with me for a little while.
I’d get official notice about that this afternoon from Rachel after she talked to her supervisor.
Rooster mentioned taking a couple classes. I could probably ask him.
A part of me was nervous, I didn't feel at all good enough to be Frankie’s temporary guardian, and I’d bet good money the supervisor or whatever would think the same thing, but I was also afraid they’d say no and Frankie would be sent away. I didn’t want that to happen.
“Is that safe?” Rachel asked worriedly. “You got hurt yesterday and with the rain–”
“It’ll be fine,” I reassured her, planting a kiss on her cheek as I headed for the bathroom to get dressed. I’d need to stop at home today at some point. I had been wearing the same clothes for a few days now. “I’ve been riding long enough to know how to handle the rain. I know how to be careful.”
She pressed her lips together, considering me before finally giving in.
“If you’d said anything other than knowing how to be careful, I would’ve argued more.
But I trust you to be cautious. You have to show up to pick up Frankie, after all.
I’ve got a meeting this afternoon and I’m not sure how long it’ll run. ”
I never wanted to break my promise to Frankie and not show up, especially when she wasn’t likely going back to her parents’ house tonight.
Which meant I’d need to go straight to Perry after dropping her off to make sure I wasn’t late again.
I’d stop at my place after to change since that was a lot closer and I wouldn’t be late getting back making that trip.
A knock on the door made us all frown, and we trooped to the front door together to find out who it was. When Rachel opened the door, I narrowed my eyes on my best friend.
“What are you doing here?”
He had an umbrella to keep him out of the rain and he lifted a plastic bag with an amused expression on his face. “I’m here to give you a ride to the city, and since you stayed here two nights in a row, I figured you’d need some clothes to change into.”
My gaze shifted past him to Axel’s truck parked behind Rachel’s car in the driveway. I made a face.
“I can drive in the rain.”
“You can,” he agreed. “But you’re not going that far in the rain the day after getting a concussion. As your best friend, I’m allowed to be a pain in the ass about this. Now go get changed.”
“I’m walking Frankie to school first,” I argued. “I promised.”
He shrugged, like that didn’t bother him. “Then I guess we’ll walk together. I don’t mind.”
Snickering, Rachel stepped back to let him in. “Come in, Killian. Do you want some coffee?”
“Please and thank you,” he replied with a smug smile directed at me. He shoved the bag against my chest. “It’s a good thing you had a few things at my place. I hate driving to your trailer when it’s raining. Axel always makes me get his truck washed before I give it back.”
RACHEL
Killian moved the truck before joining Frankie and Mojave on the walk to school.
I couldn’t join them, I had to get to the office, but Frankie looked pleased as punch to walk to school with two bikers watching over her, skipping between them and talking animatedly, the little umbrella I gave her spinning constantly on her shoulder.
I watched them go with a smile on my face before I got in my car and headed into work.
After the confrontation with Scott, I was more cautious pulling into the parking lot of my building.
I wasn’t sure if he was released on bail or still in jail, and I didn’t trust him not to continue to harass me.
Luckily, I was early enough that the parking lot was empty and there were no other cars or people loitering nearby.
I hustled inside to stay as dry as possible and took a few minutes to turn on the lights and unlock the doors before sitting behind my desk.
Resignation and determination warred in my chest as I dialed my supervisor’s number, pulling up Frankie’s file on my desktop while I waited for her to answer.
“Rachel,” Meredith, my direct supervisor, answered in greeting. “Why do I get the feeling you calling this early isn’t a good thing?”
“Good morning, Meredith. Unfortunately, I don’t have good news to share. I need to upgrade Francine Smythe’s case to urgent. After everything that happened this weekend, I no longer think it’s safe for Frankie’s emotional well being to remain in that house.”
She hummed and I could hear her flipping through papers, likely looking for the case file on her desk.
Meredith was what I’d call chaotic organized.
Her desk was a mess, but she almost always seemed to know where a file was when she needed it.
It was a skill I admired, as my desk could get just as messy and I struggled sometimes to find where I’d put things, which was why I was always quick to upload notes and information into the system.
At least if it was there, it was easy to find.
“I was actually going to call later today to inform you that the paperwork was signed by the judge to remove Francine from the home and to put the parents on a reunification plan. But you calling me concerns me. Tell me what happened. It won’t change the plan, but it may affect the reunification plan we’ve currently written up for them. ”
I explained what happened over the weekend, not only them handing Frankie’s care to a stranger, which I’d already informed them about but gave more details now, but also the confrontation the other night that occurred in front of Frankie.
It was important to document everything in cases like these.
We all wanted Frankie’s parents to step up and do right by her, but we needed to address each misstep they made to ensure it didn’t happen again before we could return her to her parents.
Meredith sighed heavily and I could almost see her rubbing her temples in irritation. “That’s… concerning. You’re right that it definitely needs to be addressed. And the man they put in charge of her care? Is he connected to the family at all? A family friend? Distant relation?”
“No,” I explained, gearing myself up for what came next.
The fact that Mojave had no connection to Frankie was going to be the biggest hurdle I needed to face to get Frankie temporarily placed with him.
“Mojave is connected to me, not to the family. I know he’s safe because I’m familiar with him and his crew.
But he informed me honestly that he’d only ever shared a few words with Frankie’s parents.
They don’t know him, aside from his connection with me.
While it turned out for the best, trusting their daughter to a virtual stranger was–”
“Dangerous,” Meredith finished. “I agree, and we’ll need to address that with them, but tell me more about this guy. Mojave. You said he watched Frankie over the weekend? Why?”
I had to start from the beginning to give her the full picture of Mojave and the dedication he showed for Frankie and her wellbeing from the very beginning.
It was obvious by the panic on his face when I suggested he become her temporary guardian that it’d never been his intention to do more than make sure she got home safely that first day.
He continued to show up because he cared for Frankie, which was more than I could say about her parents.
“You want her to continue to stay with him,” Meredith said after I finished, her voice somewhat annoyed. “I can hear it in your voice. You realize that is blurring the lines ethically speaking because he’s dating you, right?”
“I do, and if I need to recuse myself, I’ll do it, but she feels safe with him, Meredith.
From what I’ve seen and heard from her, she didn’t blink twice at spending time away from her parents.
It was when I suggested bringing her home last night and separating her from Mojave that she truly got upset.
It’s likely he’s the first person to ever make her feel safe and heard.
I think it’d have negative effects on the both of them if we separate them.
And there’s no other fosters that could provide a safe space for Frankie while keeping her near the people she trusts. ”
“There’s also the possibility that if we pull her away from town, it’d be even less incentive for neglectful parents to put in the effort to see their child,” Meredith mumbled.
“I’ve seen it before. The drive becomes just one more reason to fight the process.
” She sighed heavily. “Fine. Because I trust your judgment, I’ll agree to it, but I want frequent check-ins.
Single men taking in little girls is a red flag for me. ”
I couldn’t fault her for that. She didn't know Mojave like I did. If she got to know him, she’d know Frankie was in the safest place she could be with him watching over her. I knew that down to my core.