Chapter Two
DEAN headed back home, elation bubbling inside of him. After years of planning and saving, months of agonizing, it wasn’t going to be a dream any longer. The second gym would be a reality, right in the heart of Dupont Circle. He’d tried to get ahold of Andrei to give him the news and then tried not to think about where Andrei could be and what he was doing when he didn’t answer.
There were days when Andrei’s job gave him the heebie-jeebies, and today was one of them. There had been a hard bleakness in Andrei’s eyes when he’d left in the morning, and Dean just hoped that bleakness would have eased by the end of the day. Andrei always took it extra hard when he hadn’t been able to save a kid. No matter how much he insisted that he didn’t have a soft heart.
Dean was crooning along to Stone Temple Pilots’ “Big Empty” when he saw the minivan pulled over onto the narrow shoulder of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. A black woman held a baby in the crook of her arm, a little girl hovering near her knees as the woman examined her rear tire.
He didn’t even consider not stopping to help. He slowed down and pulled to a stop behind them. The woman shooed the little girl back into the van and turned to face him with a tense body and a wary expression on her face. She was pretty, with delicate features, smooth, dark skin, and her hair done up in sassy, coiled curls. She angled her body so she was between him and the baby in her arm as he got out of the car.
“Anything I can do to help?” Dean asked with a friendly smile as he approached. He glanced at the tire and couldn’t miss the bolt lodged deep in the tread. The baby wailed with the outraged tone of a hungry and tired child. He knew that sound well from all the times he’d watched his sister’s kids.
Apprehension and relief warred on her face as she jiggled the baby with a soft, soothing sound. “Could you? If I put Tristan back in his car seat right now, he’ll cry himself into fits, and like an idiot I left my cell phone at home.”
She was desperately afraid of something, that much Dean could tell, and he strove to reassure her as he crouched to look at the tire. “Well, you can borrow my phone and call your insurance company for roadside assistance, or if you have a spare, I can change it for you. Won’t take long.”
“No, Inez, you stay put,” the woman said as the van door opened. “This isn’t a neighborhood street.”
Dean smiled at the little girl who peered out. She had the paler, warm-cream complexion of a mixed-race child, and her gray eyes were alight with avid curiosity. He gave her a wink that started her giggling as the woman looked between the flat tire and the back of the van loaded down with suitcases and boxes.
“I don’t want to impose, but I don’t have anyone I can call for help. Would you mind? My mom’s expecting us soon, and if we’re too late, she’ll start to worry.”
“It’s not a problem,” Dean said as he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Oh well, it had served its purpose. Dean didn’t plan on dressing like this again anytime soon. In fact, if he ruined it, he’d have the perfect excuse to bury it in the trash.
“The tire and tools are in the compartment under the suitcases. I can pay you for your trouble.”
“Money isn’t necessary, glad to help. I’m Dean Marshall, by the way.”
“Robin,” she said tersely, looking away.
Just scared Robin with no last name and her two kids. Dean was pretty sure he knew what Andrei would say about the situation. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was running from something, probably a man, and he hoped it worked out for her. At least she had family she could go to. “Why don’t you show me what needs to be moved to get to the compartment, then you can borrow my phone to call your mom.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Robin shifted the baby, who couldn’t have been more than a few months old, onto her shoulder. She gave Dean a tentative smile, some of the fear and tension disappearing from her face. Her smile turned her from pretty to beautiful.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to help.”
Robin laid the baby back in his car seat and returned to help Dean shift and move boxes as he began to wail again. Dean smiled as he saw Inez lean over, giving her pinky to the baby as she sang “Hush Little Baby” in an off-key lilt, and he quieted. By the time they got the compartment open and the spare tire out, Inez’s distraction had ceased working, and once again the baby’s voice rose in a furious cry.
“I need to feed him before he makes himself sick,” Robin said, already taking a step toward the van door before she hesitated and glanced toward him.
“Yeah, he sounds pretty pissed.” Dean set down the jack and spare tire. “You can sit in my car with them if you want. You can’t be in the van while it’s jacked up.”
Robin gave him a dubious glance, all of the tension coming back to her in a rush. Dean wasn’t sure what he could do to reassure her past acting like everything was normal and continuing to be friendly. He knelt down on the asphalt and laid out the tools. “The jack’s flimsy,” he explained. “If you’re moving about in there, it could slip. That would cause more damage to the van and possibly hurt somebody too.”
Like him. He didn’t mind playing knight errant to help a lady out and earn good karma, but he didn’t want to waste time arguing over common sense either. To his relief, Robin nodded and lifted Inez out first before collecting the baby.
The little girl sidled closer, lifting her hand in a wave. She showed none of the hesitancy of her mother, and when she smiled, her entire face lit up. Her grin had a gap, showing off a recently lost tooth. “My name’s Inez. What’s yours?”
Dean grinned back at her. What a cute kid. He loved children, wanted to adopt enough to make their own basketball team, but Andrei was adamant that he wasn’t father material. Which was utter bullshit. Dean just thought that he was too afraid of making his parents’ mistakes to give it a try.
“I’m Dean.”
“The car got tired, Mr. Dean,” Inez said solemnly as she crouched down next to him. Her dark brown braids bobbled, the ends adorned with pale green ribbons that matched her dress. She pointed toward the flat and then examined the tools curiously. “It no wanna go no more.”
“Ah, so that’s why it happened.” Dean started wrestling with the lug nuts as soon as Robin shut the door, juggling the baby and a diaper bag. She looked worn out, not the van, and to make matters worse for her, Tristan’s wails had only gotten shriller in the last few minutes.
“Come on, Inez.”
“Can I stay with Mr. Dean? Please, Mommy? I swears I listen.”
“He’s doing enough for us right now. He doesn’t need you pestering him with endless questions, too.”
Inez’s lower lip stuck out in a stubborn sulk, and between that expression and Robin’s frayed nerves, Dean hurried to intervene before he ended up in the center of a female meltdown. “You should listen to your mom. The side of the parkway isn’t a safe place.”
If anything, her pout increased, but Inez let Robin pull her away without further argument. Dean returned to wrestling with the lug nuts that refused to give way. Note to self, check our own damn tires and make sure we have a better jack in the trunk. Dean let out an explosive breath as the first lug nut loosened. The others weren’t in much better shape.
Dean eyed the scissor jack and sighed. It was going to take forever to get the wheel off the ground. Irritation turned to frustration as the rod kept slipping out of the jack and the van rose one painstaking quarter inch at a time. Damned Mickey Mouse jack. Whoever designed this piece of shit is an idiot.
He was mounting the spare tire when he heard the car door again, the sound of the baby’s crying mercifully stopped. He looked over to see Inez skipping toward him. A quick glance at his car showed Robin fast asleep in the passenger’s seat. Poor woman. He kept a careful eye on Inez, making sure she didn’t edge toward the parkway or the cars that zipped by at speeds that made him jumpy.
“You’re going to give your mom a heart attack,” he said as she neared. “Stick close, sweetheart. This is a busy road. You don’t want to make her worry, do you?”
“Nope, she sleepin’ and so’s Tris. She always says be quiet, don’ wake the baby. If I with you, I can’t ’sturb her.”
Dean contemplated sending her back. Only the thought of her possibly slipping out again, maybe this time on the side of the parkway, stopped him. “Are you going to listen to me?”
He almost laughed out loud as Inez considered the question seriously, sticking the tip of her finger between her teeth as she inched toward him. She studied him with curious eyes and then crouched beside him again. “Yeah, I listen. Why’s the tire still broked?” she asked, pointing to the flat.
“I think it’s past fixing, sweetheart.” Dean flicked his finger against the spare tire. “This will get you back on the road so you can get to your grandma’s quickly.”
Dean began to tighten the lug nuts, answering Inez’s many questions, when the scrape of a shoe on the asphalt drew his attention. He looked over and caught a brief glimpse of a blue camper truck parked behind his car. A man in worn jeans, a faded T-shirt, and a trucker’s hat walked toward them. There was something about his stance, the way he kept his head ducked down, as if he didn’t want them to see his face, that made Dean uneasy.
He paused at Dean’s car long enough to peek in at Robin and the baby before continuing on toward Dean and Inez. “Run into some trouble?”
“Thanks for stopping, buddy. We’ve got it taken care of,” Dean said as he turned his attention back to the lug nuts. He was letting his imagination and concern for Andrei get the best of him. “Looks like someone else wants to help, but we’re all done, aren’t we?” Dean said in an aside to Inez, giving her a wink, but all of her attention remained on the man as she gripped Dean’s shoulder.
“Very fucking neighborly of you,” the man snarled. “Just what are you getting out of it?”
“Daddy?” Inez whispered and then suddenly burrowed into Dean’s side throwing him off balance. Confused, he twisted around as the man’s footsteps quickened, and he came up beside him. Dean’s eyes widened on the gun pointed at him. The sudden, hot rush of fear became an acid taste in his mouth, and his heart hammered. What the fuck was going on?
“Whoa, whoa, just wait a second. Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong.” Dean held up a hand as he pushed Inez behind him. Andrei would know what to do in a situation like this. Dean had never been confronted with a crazy man or a gun in his entire life. Inez’s little fingers dug into his shirt, and he felt her breath on his back from where she had her face pressed against him. She trembled all over, and it raised all of Dean’s protective instincts.
No little girl should ever be that afraid when she looked at her dad.
“You have no idea what I’m thinking, asshole. Now give me my daughter. She belongs with me.”
It all clicked at once in Dean’s head. What Robin had been running from had caught up with her. Dean slowly stood up, hands out so he wouldn’t appear threatening. He didn’t dare look toward his car to see if Robin had woken up. Besides, she couldn’t run while this man was distracted, not if Inez was with him. “Put the gun down and we’ll talk. I don’t want any trouble.”
Maybe somebody from the parkway would see the situation and call the police. Then his heart sank. Not likely, with the van blocking most of the view. Fuck, what would Andrei do? Something badass, no doubt. Only Dean couldn’t think of anything badass with Inez clinging to his leg. She peered around to look up at the man confronting them, whimpering under her breath.
The man glanced down at her, and his expression hardened. “Too fucking late for that,” he snapped.
Two sharp bangs pierced the air, and Dean crumpled, stumbled back, and fell to the ground. Inez screamed as Dean struggled to draw a breath through the sudden pain in his chest. It felt as if he’d been punched in the sternum, and his heart labored. He stared down at the rapidly growing bloodstain on his only good dress shirt, his mouth working, though no sound came out.
Oh God. I’ve been shot.
It was the middle of the day. People didn’t get shot in the middle of the day on the parkway.
The heat from the asphalt burned into his back as Dean tried to push away his shock and numbness to react. “Inez!” A woman’s shriek jerked him out of his circling thoughts. He rolled to his side and fought to rise, but his legs didn’t seem to want to work as he lurched onto his hands and knees. “Blake, no!”
Robin ran toward them, her face distorted with fear. Whatever she shouted was now lost in the roaring in Dean’s ears and the faltering sound of his own heartbeat. Dark droplets of blood fell to the ground, splattering the dust and gravel that littered the shoulder of the road. The little girl stood a few feet away from Dean, staring at him, her dark gray eyes huge in her face. What was her name?
“Run, sweetheart,” Dean croaked. They were along the parkway. Someone would stop to help a little girl. How could this be happening right along the parkway? The pain worsened, seizing his lungs and making it almost impossible to draw in a breath. Oh God, Andrei.
“Mommy!” the little girl screamed, her hands coming to her mouth as the gun roared again. The sound of a baby wailing came from somewhere far off. Robin stumbled to a halt, her hand coming to her chest as an expression of astonished horror crossed her face. She fell face down on the ground in a limp sprawl, and Dean flung out a hand, grabbing Inez as she tried to run to her.
The bastard was going to kill all of them. Dean had to do something before he passed out.
“Run!” Dean gave her a push in the opposite direction and groped for the lug wrench as Inez bolted. Somehow he managed to lurch to his feet, brandishing the makeshift weapon. The man started to turn to follow his daughter but faced Dean instead, his eyes widening. Dean staggered toward him, swinging the lug wrench.
The man howled in pain as it struck his left shoulder. The impact jarred Dean’s shaking hands, and the strength flowed out of his arms like water. The lug wrench clanged to the ground along with the gun, and Dean fell trying to get to it first.
“Stupid fucker,” the man snarled, booting him in his ribs. Dean’s vision went white with pain. He crumpled, detritus from the road digging into his cheek. Through the ground, he could hear small feet running, the sound fading. He breathed a prayer. Someone would find her. She’d be safe.
A baby wailed. Tristan. How could he forget about him? Dean willed past the pain and groped for the gun as a shadow fell across him. He cursed, lifting his head, tasting grit and blood on his lips. A rough foot rolled him onto his back, leaving him gasping. The edges of his vision were going dark as the monster leaned over him, the sun blazing behind him and the gun back in his hand.
Andrei. Andrei, I’m sorry.
“Tough bastard. Wrong place, wrong woman. You shoulda minded your own business.”
“Asswipe,” Dean spat. Run, Inez. Run, sweetheart. Tristan’s cries haunted him, and the sound of the gun cocking again was unnaturally loud in the sudden stillness between heartbeats.
Andrei. Dean clung to the thought of him as the third shot tore through his chest, dragging him down into darkness. I’m sorry.
MARCO hovered near Andrei, his dark eyes needy and his face pinched with anxiety. He kept looking at Andrei like he had all the answers and could magically make everything better, and then he’d get defensive again and become a prickly wall of teenage attitude. Andrei preferred the attitude, because there was nothing more he could do for Marco now. The rest remained with his parents, counselors, and Marco himself.
The police station bustled around them, punctuated by happy cries and tears as families were reunited with their kids. Andrei just wanted to get home. He still stank of gasoline, and it gave him a headache even though Justin had loaned him a clean shirt that hung too large off his lean frame. His ribs ached and he hoped there wouldn’t be any bruising to make Dean worry. Until Marco was ready, though, he wouldn’t budge.
“Are they really here?” Marco asked, staring down in misery at his hands.
“Yeah, Detective Mansle put them in a waiting room for you.”
Marco bit his lip and looked away. “You must think that I’m the worst pussy asshole on the fucking earth.”
Andrei remembered how Marco got between him and the other kids in the room when he’d found them, and shook his head. “I think you’ve been through one brutal ordeal and things are going to be pretty messed up for a while for you, but you’ve got the guts to work it through.”
“What would your parents have said if, well you know?” Marco asked with a tense, sideways glance.
“My parents aren’t the best to judge this by, Marco. They left me in a church when I was about your age. I haven’t seen them since.” After all of these years, it still brought up a dull, distant pain whenever he said those words, though Andrei had come to the point where he didn’t blame himself anymore. Marco turned toward him, his eyes widening. “They would never have paid for a private investigator to bring their son back to them like your parents did.”
“Why would they do that?”
A picture of a young girl, her black hair in twin braids and mischief on her face, rose up in his mind. It ate at him, not knowing if his parents had been right, if his big sister would’ve been better off if he’d ignored her. There was no telling what Ileana would’ve done. Maybe she would’ve moved on like they said she would.
“I broke the rules once too often. And it all kind of fell apart when they caught me kissing another guy.” It certainly hadn’t helped that the boy had been a gadje, an outsider. Though by that point, Andrei didn’t think the outsider part made much of a difference. Bad enough that he talked with ghosts. Bad enough that he kissed another boy. A gadje boy was just another finger in his parents’ eye after breaking yet another cardinal rule.
“They kicked you out for that?”
“Well there was a lot more to it than that. The family had always been sticklers for tradition, and ever since I was little, I rebelled against them. It didn’t make a comfortable environment for anyone.”
“I don’t understand,” Marco said, shaking his head as he shot Andrei an accusing look. “You sound almost like you’re defending them.”
“No, I’m not. I get why they did it. I disagree with what they did. But that’s not really the point.” Andrei caught and held Marco’s gaze. “I’ve met with your parents several times, and you and I both know that no matter what happened to you they still love you.”
Marco’s cheeks flushed scarlet, and his eyes glittered with tears. “But every time they look at me they’re gonna think about it, about—”
Andrei shook his head and refrained from a casual touch on his shoulder that he would’ve given a kid not in Marco’s situation. “Not every time. And I guarantee you that the first time they see you all they’re going to be thinking about is thank fucking God their son is alive and is coming home.”
“You really think so?” Marco asked in a small voice, and the flicker of a new light appeared in his eyes.
“I know so.”
“You’ll go with me, right? You won’t make me walk in there alone?”
“I’ll be with you every step.” Andrei handed Marco a card. “And if there’s any time you need to talk, you call me, okay?”
Marco took it and fingered the edge. “You mean that?”
“I do.” Andrei rose and nodded toward the door. “You ready?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Marco stuck the card in his pocket and rubbed his palms on his jeans. At first his steps lagged until eagerness overcame shame, and when his mom saw him coming and emerged from the holding room, the young man broke into a run and flung himself at her.
Andrei looked away from the reunion, his throat tightening up.
“You did a good thing today,” Justin said, coming up beside him.
Andrei shrugged, grimacing under the flash of discomfort at his words. “I just did what I had to do,” he said gruffly. Now Marco hugged his dad, and all three of them were crying. The sight eased the tight ache inside of him. It would take time, but they would be okay.
“You know, you should really take Joshua Norton up on his offer. You’re wasted investigating petty shit. It still irks me that you didn’t finish the academy.”
“Let it rest, Justin. You and I both know that it wouldn’t have worked even if I’d finished.”
“What about Norton?” Justin persisted. “Just call the man back and hear what he has to say. You still have his card?”
Andrei took another look at Marco’s face. He didn’t know if he could handle working kids and the pervert trade on a day-to-day basis. Even when he won there was heartbreak. Then again, on days like today, he couldn’t see how he could say no either. He’d talk it over with Dean and Dean’s dad. Get their take on it.
“I’ll think about it, I promise. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Andrei wanted to have a chance to talk to Marco and his parents one more time before he let his friend lecture him some more about interfering with a police investigation. There wouldn’t have been an investigation if it hadn’t been for him. And he had no doubt that the Feds would want to talk with him now that they were taking over the investigation.
Andrei joined the family, shook hands with Marco’s dad, and let his mom hug him several times. Marco’s anxieties about his parents seemed to have disappeared as he hovered by his mom’s side instead of Andrei’s. It eased his heart to see that.
He told Marco’s parents of their son’s heroism and how he had not let his fear get the best of him. And when he finally left them, he left with confidence that Marco would have the support and environment he needed to heal.
By the time he finished talking with the Feds, Justin was nowhere to be seen, and Andrei took advantage of that fact to slip away. He wanted another shower and a hot meal, not to rehash the same pointless argument over again. Andrei turned on his cell phone, and the little icon appeared telling him he had a message.
He grinned as Dean’s warm baritone filled his ear.
“Babe, it’s time to celebrate. Break out the good shit and get in your boxers. I’m on my way home.”
Andrei grinned and tried to call Dean back, but his cell just rang until it went to voice mail. He must still be on the road then. Perfect. Andrei had enough time to pick out a nice bottle of champagne and get home to shower before he arrived. He could be waiting for Dean on the couch when he walked through that door.