Tony stood rigid, waiting for the chimes over the entrance to signal Kurt’s departure.
Jarrod walked through the entrance as Kurt stormed out the door. “What was that about?”
“Just an old friend welcoming me home.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Tony beckoned Jarrod over to him. He looked around to make sure Kyle wasn’t in the main part of the store. “He accused of me spying on the kids and warned me to stay away from Little Mountain. Now, why do you think he’d do that?”
Jarrod raised his red eyebrows. “Huh. Maybe we’ve been focusing too much energy on Travis. I’m going to see what kind of dirt I can dig up on Kurt and his wife.”
“His brother Allen is the regional manager. He has the power to sweep any problem under the rug before it attracts attention. You think he’s behind it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve met with Allen a few times. He seems to be on the up and up. Kurt, on the other hand...”
“Mijo,” Papa called from behind the counter. “Kyle is going to lunch with me. You coming?”
“Jarrod and I have some things to discuss and I’m helping out at Little Mountain this afternoon. Do you want me to lock up or wait until you get back?”
His dad flipped the lights off. “I’ll lock up. Most people know I close at lunch, so I doubt anyone will come in.”
Kyle and Papa went out through the back and Tony pulled the rolling warehouse door closed after they exited.
“He’s a good kid.” Jarrod picked up a wrench off the counter and tapped it against his hand. “You don’t think he’s involved in drug smuggling, do you?”
“No way. Not Kyle.” Tony remembered the way Kyle spoke about drugs that night in the alley. “His mom walked out on him because of drugs. I can’t see him selling them.”
Then Tony remembered something else Kyle had said. “But I do think he knows more than he’s saying.”
“No wonder the kid won’t come forward. Not after what happened to his dad.”
“What?” In all the time they’d spent together, Kyle refused to talk about his father. Tony sensed they’d been close.
“His dad helped the police out a few times. One day he ratted out the wrong guy. There wasn’t much left of him, from what I understand.” Jarrod’s face was somber.
Tony shuddered. The extent dealers went to to protect their supply never failed to amaze him. The amount of pain one human being could inflict on another in the name of drugs. “He once said he knew what happened to narcs. Poor kid.”
Jarrod shook his head. “His dad was a good guy. It’s a shame that Kyle ended up in a children’s home.”
Was there something he could do about that? The kid deserved to spend his last year of high school in a real home, with people who cared about him. Tony couldn’t help him with that from San Antonio.
He scratched his chin. “What are the chances I could transfer to the sheriff’s department here?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
THURSDAY. THE DAY both Sabrina and Levi had been dreading. Sabrina locked the door to the medical office and looped her purse over her shoulder. She stopped at the open door to Karen’s office. “I’m taking my lunch break.”
Karen looked up from her computer. “Going to pick up Levi?”
“Yes. Dr. Moore has agreed to a one-on-one with him after his group counseling session.” Hopefully he’d be willing to fill out the paperwork she needed to enroll Levi in Salt Creek Elementary in the fall.
“There’s no shame in sending Levi to a therapist. Everyone needs help sometimes.” Karen gave Sabrina a pointed look.
“I know that.” The words came out sharper than she’d intended. Sabrina took a deep breath. “Can I get you anything in town? A Coke?”
Karen took her glasses off and rubbed her temples. “A Dr Pepper would be great. Thanks.”
Sabrina opened the front door to leave and plowed into Tony. She jumped back. What was he doing here? He always volunteered in the mornings and helped his grandfather at the hardware store in the afternoons. And this was Thursday. He didn’t come in on Thursday.
“Where are you rushing off to?” The dimple on his left cheek deepened when he smiled at her.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that it was none of his business. She had to stop being so defensive when he was around. “I’m running out to the farm for lunch.”
Tony smiled gently. “This is the first time you haven’t gotten a panicked look on your face when you saw me. I’d call that progress.”
“What are you doing here? Are you volunteering this afternoon?” Please say no. She needed to keep Tony and Levi apart for as long as she could. At least until she could figure out what to do.
“I’m doing a presentation for Dr. Moore’s teen session on gangs.”
Her shoulders relaxed. The younger kids met while the teenagers did a group activity. With any luck, he’d be busy with them and she and Levi wouldn’t even see him. “I have to go. Have fun.”
She strode away from him as fast as she could. For ten years, she’d hated the man. Or, at least, she’d thought she had. How was she supposed to feel now? Every time she saw him, conflict raged. With the children at the home he was patient, kind. All the things she’d wanted him to be for their own child.
And he would’ve been. For a while. His sense of responsibility wouldn’t have allowed him to walk away if she’d told him she was pregnant. But how long would it have lasted? Until Levi was a few months old? A toddler? Her biggest fear was that she’d wake up one morning and he’d be gone. And that would be worse than never knowing his father at all.
What kind of person was she? Still trying to justify keeping her secret. Her cheeks burned with shame. Had he changed? If only she knew. Marissa’s words echoed in mind. Either tell them both the truth soon, or don’t tell them at all. She wasn’t ready to make a decision yet. Not until she knew he wouldn’t break her son’s heart.
A movement by the barn caught her eye and she saw Levi disappear through the breezeway as she parked in front of the house. Her dad leaned against the gate, his face somber.
“Where’s Levi going?”
“I’m not sure. As soon as he heard your car he hightailed it to the barn.”
She groaned. Not today. Squaring her shoulders, she headed down the path. The sweet aroma of cut hay was mixed with manure and mud. Her gaze darted around the breezeway. “Levi Michael Davis, get out of that loft right now.”
His head appeared over the rail. “How did you know I was up here?”
The wooden ladder nailed to the barn wall creaked under her feet as she climbed up into the loft. She scooted on her bottom across the wood floor until she was next to him. “Are you kidding? This was my hideout long before it was yours.”
His anxiety was palpable. Sabrina couldn’t blame him. The last, and only, time he’d seen a therapist, the good doctor declared him to be suffering from oppositional defiant disorder. The school wanted to place him on a modified behavior plan and pull him out of regular classes. Sabrina, desperate to get her son help, signed the permission forms and saw her bright, happy son turn into the angry eight-year-old the school claimed him to be.
“Why do I have to go? I’m tired of everyone thinking I’m some kind of freak.” Levi sat on the edge of the door that swung open to overlook the pasture.
“You’re not a freak. But you have to go the counseling session to get that five-oh-four removed from your file before you start school.”
He looked at her, his hazel eyes wide. “Does that mean I don’t have to be in special classes anymore?”
She shuddered at the memory. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because of his new label, the school had expected bad behavior from him. Other students had teased him for being in a special education class and the fights only increased. A
fight that broke out the last week of school was the final straw. He’d been expelled and wouldn’t be able to return after the summer.
Levi confided in her, weeks later, that a group of boys had been bullying Evan, a boy who lived in the same apartment complex. The boy’s thick glasses and cleft lip made him an easy target.
The initial fights happened because Levi was defending Evan on the bus. The older boys retaliated by turning their attention to her son. Unlike Evan, Levi defended himself and wouldn’t back down. Unfortunately, the other students were much better at convincing the teachers that Levi was the instigator.
In her mind, the therapist had made the situation worse. And now her son would forever be labeled as a problem student. She’d hoped teachers at Salt Creek Elementary would allow him to start off with a clean slate. But first, she had to prove to the principal that her son wouldn’t be a trouble maker. And Levi needed to learn to control his anger better if that was going to happen.
“They don’t have special classes at the elementary school. They have a separate school for kids who need help. Which one do you want to go to?”
Levi lifted his chin, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he gritted his teeth. A habit he inherited from Tony. “I want to go to the same school as Bradley.”
“I want that, too.” She pulled him closer and hugged him. If the doctor decided Levi’s anger was too much for public school, at least he’d be at the school where she worked. She only hoped it didn’t come to that. “I’m starving. Let’s grab a bite before we leave.”
After eating sandwiches, Sabrina and Levi got in the car to go into town. The ride was quiet. She reached over to stroke his head. “Don’t worry about this. Just be yourself.”
Levi shrugged. “This is stupid. I don’t know why I have to do this again.”
“Because the last time you saw a counselor, you threw a book at him and ran away.”
Sabrina kept her hand on his shoulder as she walked with him to the recreational room where the residents of Little Mountain were waiting for the counselor to join them.
The buzz in the room quieted. Levi stopped, his shoulders tense. There were six other children sitting in the chairs that had been placed in a circle in the middle of the room. With her hand, she urged him to take another step, but he refused to budge.
Behind her, a door closed. “Hi, guys. Dr. Moore is going to be a little late, so I get to entertain you for a while.”
The sound of Tony’s voice shot her heart into overdrive. She gripped Levi’s shoulder tighter.
“Hi. You must be Levi.” Tony appeared in front of them. “I’m Tony. It’s nice to meet you.”
* * *
TONY HELD HIS hand out to the boy Sabrina was clinging to. He had to admit, he was surprised when he found out that the new addition to the group counseling session was Sabrina’s son. Dr. Moore had asked him to keep the group occupied until he got there. He couldn’t divulge any information to Tony about why the kids were in his therapy session, but he did tell Tony that Levi had been in some trouble at his old school.
Levi threw his shoulders back and shook Tony’s hand.
“Firm grip,” Tony said. “I like that. It says a lot about a man.”
The small chest puffed out more. “Yes, sir. That’s what my mom says, too.”
“Your mom’s a pretty smart woman.” His gaze drifted to Sabrina.
Her face had gone pale and she moved behind Levi to place both hands on his shoulders. “Maybe we should come back another time.”
“Dr. Moore will be here in a few minutes. I’m just here to get the games started.” He motioned for Levi to join the others at the center of the room.
His step forward was stopped by Sabrina, who pulled him back. “Mom,” he whispered, “let go. You’re embarrassing me.”
Her face flushed and she shot a panicked look at Tony. “Let’s just go, okay? We can do this later.”
Tony’s eyes narrowed. Why’d she bring her son if she had a problem with him being included in this group? Talk about overprotective. If she’d smothered him like this his whole life, it was a wonder he was able to get into any trouble. “I’ve known Dr. Moore for five years. Levi’ll be fine.”
Levi jerked his arm from Sabrina’s grasp. “Bye, Mom.” He slid into the first empty chair. He crossed his arms and turned his back on her.
Her chest heaved and Tony was afraid she was about to cry. He ran one hand up her arm. “We’ll take good care of him. I promise.”
“I’ll be in my office.” Whirling around, she fled from the room.
Tony watched her leave. What was she so worried about? A clatter behind him caused him to jump. He turned just in time to see Levi standing toe to toe with one of the boys from the home. The other boy towered over him, but Levi wasn’t shrinking back. When Tony saw Levi’s hand curl into a fist, he stepped between them.
“Settle down. What’s going on?” Dr. Moore had left him in charge for ten minutes and a fight was already on the verge of breaking out.
The larger boy, Andrew, gave Tony a smug smile. “Nothing.”
Tony looked at Levi. “You got something to say?”
“No.” His eyes never left Andrew, but his body seemed relaxed.
Tony recognized the stance. The kid had street smarts. He stood his ground and appeared calm. Only his clenched fists gave away the anger below the surface. Never show emotion. It was the unspoken rule. The question was, where had Levi learned it?
Lonnie stepped forward. “Andrew called him a mama’s boy. Told him to go crawling back for a bottle.”
Tony took both boys by the shoulder and led them back to their chairs. “Andrew, go get the cards from the game shelf.”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Why should I?”
“Humor me.” Tony met Andrew’s glare without batting an eye.
After a long, exaggerated sigh, Andrew went across the room and got the cards.
All the children settled into their chairs, comfortable now that their routine had resumed. He didn’t need access to their records to know that Andrew’s dad was in prison. Deja’s mom had died from a drug overdose. Over the last two weeks, he’d learned their stories. Most of them were there because drugs had ruined their families. Tony’s chest was heavy. This was why he did what he did. Children shouldn’t have to bear the burden of their parents’ choices. Parents were supposed to take care of their children. Love them. Not abandon them to the streets.
Lonnie poked him. “It’s your turn, Mr. Tony.”
Before he could play his card, Dr. Moore, a tall balding man, came through the door.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” his voice seemed to echo in the large room. “I see Mr. Tony has kept you busy.”
Tony gathered the cards up from the kids. “We had fun. I’ll let y’all get started.”
“Before you go,” Dr. Moore said, “I wondered if you would be willing to tell your story.”
Seven pairs of curious eyes stared at him. He swallowed. Dr. Moore hadn’t said anything about him having to speak. Would his story help these kids? He rubbed the back of his neck.
“My name is Tony. My mom died from a drug overdose when I was eleven. For the next few months, I lived by myself on the streets. I got caught robbing a store, and social services put me in a foster home. For the next three years, I was in and out of over ten foster homes. When I was fifteen, social services located my grandparents and they took me in. It was the first time I’d ever had a real home.”
“And tell the kids what you do for a living now.” Dr. Moore took his place in the circle.
“I’m a police officer in San Antonio. I try to keep kids out of gangs and away from drugs like the ones that killed my mother.”
A slew of questions erupted around him. It seemed everyone wanted to know more. Dr. Moore raised his
hands. “Tony will have plenty of time to talk with you later. Right now, I’d like to welcome Levi to the group. Levi, you don’t have to tell us about yourself today. Unless you’d like to.”
Levi shook his head, his hazel eyes wide as he stared at the kids around him. There was something about him that struck a chord with Tony. He waited for Dr. Moore to involve the kids in another activity before he got up and slipped out of the room.
A flash of blond hair disappeared around the corner. Had Sabrina been eavesdropping? He hurried to the medical office and rapped lightly on the open door.
Sabrina glanced up from a chart she was holding. Oh, yeah. She’d been standing outside the doors. “Are they finished already?”
“No. They’re just getting started.” He stepped in and sat down across from the desk. “Why did you bring your son to counseling sessions?” He seemed like a good kid, even if he did have a chip on his shoulder. “Are you trying to scare him?”
“No.” She pressed her lips together and stared at him. “Will it?”
“It might. The kids in that room have had a lot rougher life than your son ever thought about.”
“What do you know about my son’s life?” Her eyes sparkled with anger.
Tony suppressed a grin. She was cute when she was mad. How many times had he purposely angered her? Making up had been so much fun. His gaze dropped to her lips. Could he still defuse her with just a kiss? God, how he wished he could find out. But he didn’t dare.
“Nothing. Maybe you’re just being overprotective to make up for his dad not being around. What’s the worst thing he’s ever done? Stolen a candy bar from the grocery store?”
“Get out.” She stood and pointed at the door.
* * *
SABRINA POINTED AGAIN. “I’m not kidding. Get out.” Did he really think she’d send her son to counseling because she was overprotective?
He stood and stepped in front of her. “Calm down. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just meant—”
“I know what you meant,” she snapped. “Try telling his last school district he doesn’t fit the profile of a juvenile delinquent.”
Her Texas Rebel Page 9