by Susan Stoker
“What do you say?” Hope asked her son.
Billy looked up at Calder and nodded at him.
Smiling, Calder said, “You’re welcome.” Moving slowly, so he didn’t startle mother or son, he stood, making sure to keep his distance.
“Can we go?” Hope asked. “It’s late and I have to work early in the morning.”
Calder nodded immediately. “I’ll need your contact information in case we have any more questions.”
She bit her lip and looked behind herself nervously. “Oh, well…”
“I swear that while I often say things that are odd, I’m a good guy. I just don’t seem to have the gene that allows me not to mess up casual conversations. I don’t mean anything by it. The state of Texas trusts me…don’t you think you can too?”
Calder winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Jesus, he was an idiot. He reached into his pocket even as he was shaking his head. He pulled out a business card and a folded piece of paper he’d been carrying around for months, just in case.
“That’s my business card,” he said, holding it out for her. “It has my office number and my cell written on the back. Call me. Anytime—for anything. I mean it. The other is a note from Blythe. I’ve been carrying it around for when I found you.”
“How’d she know you would?” Hope asked quietly, as she took both the card and the note from him.
“She didn’t. But she was hoping,” Calder told her. “Look, I really do need to get your contact info for the report. I’ll get my butt chewed out if I don’t. But I swear, after my investigation is over, I won’t include it in my official report. I know, Hope, why you’re reluctant to share it—but he’s not going to hurt you or your son again. I swear it.”
Calder wanted to come right out and tell her that if her ex tried to get anywhere near her, he’d call on every resource he had—Cruz with the FBI, Dax with the Texas Rangers, Quint with the SAPD, Hayden in the sheriff’s department, former sniper and highway patrolman TJ, and even Conor in the game warden’s office—if it meant keeping her safe.
They may have just met tonight, but he felt as if he knew her…because of everything he’d learned about her from speaking with people on the streets who were acquainted with Hope. He’d do what he could to make sure her asshole ex, a cop from Washington state, didn’t get anywhere near her ever again.
“We’re staying at the Sun Motel on Presa Street.” Her words were soft and uncertain, but Calder heard them.
He wasn’t happy about hearing them though. The Sun Motel was notorious for drug and prostitution raids. Not only that, but he’d been called there on several occasions. It was cheap and rundown. But…it was close to the diner listed on the name tag she was wearing, and it was a roof over their heads. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, judge her for where she lived, even if it was what she expected him to do.
“I know the place,” was all he said. Then he took a deep breath. “Can I tell Blythe that I found you?”
Hope slowly nodded.
“Her number is in the note, so you can call her, but I want you to know that you can always call me as well.”
She nodded, but Calder knew she wouldn’t. Why would she? He was a stranger to her. One who reminded her too much of what she was running from. Who she was running from.
“Great. Then you’re free to go.”
Hope nodded and took off his jacket and held it out to him. “Thanks for this.”
Taking it back reluctantly, wanting to tell her to keep it, Calder shrugged into it, liking the slight scent of her shampoo he could smell on the material, even after she’d only been wearing it a short time. It was faint, almost covered by the smell of fried food, but it was there.
“I see you work at the Alamo Diner,” Calder said inanely.
She simply stared at him.
“Right…ah…okay then. I guess I’ll see you around.” Calder stumbled over the words.
She turned to leave, towing Billy behind her as she went.
Calder waited until they were about thirty feet ahead of him, then he quietly began following. There was no way he was going to let a woman with a kid walk on the streets at this time of night and not make sure they got to where they were going safely.
The Sun Motel wasn’t far, only about five blocks. Calder stopped at the far end of the building and watched as the duo entered room ten, right in the middle of the complex. He would’ve preferred that she was next to the office, but it was probably noisier there. At least she wasn’t on the end, where the light was crappy.
Calder stood there and watched the area for five minutes before forcing himself to turn and go back to the crime scene. He hated to leave them there. Hated it. But he had no claim on Hope Drayden or her son. He’d also left the scene he was supposed to be investigating for the first time in his career. Nothing ever got between him and a case…until now. Until Hope.
Chapter Two
Hope dropped the curtain in her motel room and took a deep breath. She was utterly exhausted. She’d worked breakfast to close today, which meant she’d been on her feet literally all day and night. She’d taken the dinner shift for another waitress who had called in at the last minute, when her boss didn’t have anyone else to do it. Tomorrow, she was working her usual breakfast-to-dinner shift, which meant another ten hours. But that was ten hours of wages and tips. She couldn’t afford to be tired.
But she wanted to make sure the medical examiner guy had left. She’d known he was following her. She’d gotten really good over the last year at spotting people who had gotten too close to her, or who’d followed her for more than a few blocks. Intellectually, she knew he’d probably followed her for her own safety, but after her experiences with her ex, not to mention the other creeps she’d come into contact with on the streets, she couldn’t be sure.
Calder. His name was as unusual as the man himself. Yes, he’d said some things that weren’t exactly appropriate, but he’d seemed adorably flustered and contrite after he’d said them, so she couldn’t be mad at him.
Hope mentally slapped her forehead. What was she thinking? She couldn’t seriously be attracted to him. He was good-looking, there was no doubt about that. He had short dark hair and a close-cut beard and mustache. She’d never dated a man with facial hair, but that didn’t mean she was turned off by Calder’s. His cheekbones were well defined and his eyes were an unusual copper-brown color. He was slender, had intriguingly large hands, and most importantly, he’d been amazing with Billy. He hadn’t talked down to him and didn’t even seem fazed when she’d told him that her son didn’t talk.
But Calder was also a glorified cop. He might not wear the uniform like her ex, but she had no doubt he was the same kind of man. Possessive, used to being in control, and exacting when it came to who his wife talked to, what she did in her spare time, and how she kept house.
Looking around the room, Hope sighed. She was a neat freak. She hadn’t always been that way, but her ex had hammered home, with his fists if he had to, that the house should be immaculate at all times. But more than that, being homeless had taught her to take care of her possessions. Even the motel room they were currently living in was neat as a pin. She’d cleaned it when they’d first moved in because it had smelled a little funky and she wanted to make sure Billy had as clean an environment to live in as possible.
The housekeepers at the rundown motel weren’t exactly the friendliest or the most thorough, so most weeks she just borrowed various spray bottles and disinfectants from them and cleaned her own room. They were happy to let her…it was one less room they had to worry about.
Billy yanked on Hope’s dress and she smiled as he posed with the medical examiner badge clipped to the waistband of his jeans. The pants were too short—her son was growing like a weed—but Hope couldn’t afford to buy him new clothes just yet. He looked as proud as could be of the badge, regardless of the clothes he was wearing.
“Looks good, kiddo. Did you get your schoolwork done tonight?”
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He nodded.
Hope knew he had. Joseph would’ve made sure of it.
Joseph Roberts was the owner of the diner. He was in his mid-sixties and as gruff as all get out. He’d scared the crap out of Hope when she’d first met him, but he’d turned out to be one of the nicest men she’d ever met. Without his help, she wouldn’t have been able to get back on her feet. Not that she was all the way back, but she was getting there.
She hadn’t had any waitressing experience, was a single mother, and was desperate to find some sort of job to get her and her son off the streets. Joseph had hired her on the spot, walked her down to the motel, paid for her first two weeks, and he even let Billy hang out in his office while she was working.
It wasn’t ideal. Billy should be in school, but Hope had no real address and didn’t want to bring him to the attention of child services. Besides, there was the matter of him not speaking. Hope knew it was because of the recent trauma of being kidnapped. Billy had been held captive by a crazy man, who’d wanted information about a woman he was stalking.
Blythe had been the one to bargain with the sadistic man, and Hope owed her more than she could ever repay. She’d been frantic when Billy had been abducted. A familiar volunteer at one of the shelters had been watching him while Hope was interviewing for a job, and one moment he was there, and the next he was gone. Blythe had done what was necessary in order to get the location of where the man had stashed Billy.
That had been the impetus Hope had needed to leave the area. She’d gone to the other side of the city where the gangs weren’t as prevalent. She was still in the city, but on the outskirts. The only issue was that there were fewer places to get food and shelter for someone homeless like her. Luckily, Joseph had turned out to be their guardian angel within two days of her being in the area. The older man loved sitting in the back office of the large diner and helping Billy with his schoolwork while Hope worked her shift. She knew she’d have to get her son in a proper school sooner rather than later, but for now, she was taking baby steps.
“Go on and get ready for bed, baby,” Hope told her son. “Put that badge somewhere safe so it doesn’t get lost.”
He nodded and headed to the small bathroom.
Hope sat on the edge of the lumpy mattress on one of the double beds and sighed. She was sad about Willie. He was a good man, one of the few she’d met on the streets, and she hated that he’d been killed. She was relieved she and Billy were relatively safe at night now, at least safer than sleeping in a park or a shelter, but she hated that the good men and women she’d met on the streets were still dealing with the uncertainty and dangers each day brought.
Taking a deep breath, Hope tried to stay positive. She had a roof over her head. She had a job, even if it didn’t pay a whole heck of a lot. She had her son with her and they were safe.
She’d been gone for a year and a half now, her ex had no idea where they were, and hopefully it would stay that way.
When she heard the water in the bathtub running, giving her some much needed “alone” time, Hope pulled both the letter and business card out of her pocket and stared at them. Blythe had been one of her true friends on the street. She missed her, and was happy she was apparently safe and doing well.
She slowly unfolded the note and read what her friend had to say.
* * *
Hope,
If you’re reading this, it means that Calder found you—thank God! I’ve been so worried about you and Billy. I hope you’re okay. First, you can totally trust Calder. I know he’s sort of a cop, but he’s nothing like your douchebag ex. Nothing. If you need anything, all you have to do is let him know and he’ll make sure you get it.
Second, I have a place for you and Billy to live.
Hear me out before you say no.
I don’t know if you remember me talking about Sophie, who works in the lab next to the hospital downtown? Anyway, she has a house out here in the suburbs that she doesn’t use. She let me live in it, rent-free. I’m not kidding. It’s a long story, and one I’ll explain when I see you in person. But I don’t need it anymore because I’m getting married and I’m pregnant (again, I’ll tell you all about it later), so the house is empty.
You and Billy can live there. Get back on your feet. Calder and his friends will even help you hide from your ex. They’re good men, Hope. I promise.
Anyway, please please please call me! I need to know you’re all right. That Billy’s all right. I’ve been worried sick about you both.
When I was living on the streets, I refused to accept help from Sawyer (my fiancé) because I thought he pitied me. But the truth is, I should’ve accepted his assistance before I had no choice. He changed my life. Let me help you, Hope. For Billy’s sake.
Love, Blythe
* * *
Hope took a deep breath and read the letter again. Blythe had left her phone number in a PS at the end of the letter, but Hope wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to her friend yet. She was happy for her, thrilled that she’d found a man who saw the good person Hope knew Blythe to be. She’d brought her son back when he’d been snatched; that was something she didn’t think she’d ever be able to repay.
The reason why no one could find her was because she wasn’t hanging out at the shelters anymore, she was either working at the diner or in the motel room. She kept a low profile and did nothing to bring attention to herself.
She’d started a new life for her and Billy…and irrationally, it scared her to death to think about talking to anyone from her old life as a homeless mother. As if talking to them would somehow jinx her. Though she missed having friends. Once upon a time, when Billy was little and before she’d begun dating Earle, she had a lot of friends. They’d get together for moms’ days out, for wine, or just to hang out and chill. But her ex hadn’t liked her doing anything outside his home. Said it was dangerous. Said he was protecting her. Said Billy needed her to stay home with him. He’d alienated her from her friends before she realized what was happening. By the time she’d figured out what he’d done, it was too late. She was too worried about doing whatever Earle wanted her to do so he wouldn’t hit her.
Looking up when she heard something off to her right, Hope saw Billy standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He had on his pajamas and his hair was wet.
Standing, Hope folded the letter and put it on the dresser, then hurried toward her son. She took the towel from his hands and put it over his head, tousling his hair with it to get as much water out as possible. “Have a good bath, honey?”
Billy nodded his head.
“You ready for more Tom Sawyer tonight?”
He nodded again.
Joseph had given the book to Billy one day and they’d made it their nighttime tradition to read it together. Hope wasn’t sure how far they’d get tonight, as Billy looked dead on his feet, just as she was.
She missed the days in Washington when she got to stay home with him. Missed being able to make him three nutritious meals a day. Missed simply being able to sit on the couch and watch him play.
But she didn’t miss the stress that came with making those meals, wondering if Earle would approve. Didn’t miss cleaning the house from top to bottom, only to have to do it again when Earle came home and decided she’d been sitting around on her ass all day doing nothing, and she needed to clean up the “shithole” they lived in.
“Go on and get in bed, Billy. Grab the book. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Billy smiled at her and ran toward the nightstand where she put the book each night before she went to sleep.
Hope stepped into the bathroom and looked in the cracked mirror at herself. She looked like hell. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was coming out of the ponytail she’d put it in that morning. And Hope thought the lines around her eyes were getting more prominent with every day that passed.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the negative thoughts away. She was alive. Her son was alive. She had a job and a place
to live. Both she and Billy were healthy. Things were fine. They could always be worse, so she needed to look on the bright side.
Hope stripped off the uniform she was wearing and hung it over the shower curtain. She’d come back in and wash it in the sink after Billy fell asleep. She took off her beige cotton bra and her undies as well. She reached under the sink and shook out the extra-large T-shirt Joseph had given her that she used to sleep in. After brushing her teeth, she filled the sink with hot water and quickly washed her underclothes. She hung them in the shower to dry. She knew from experience they’d be fine to wear in the morning. Hope didn’t bother looking at her reflection again before she headed out of the bathroom to her son.
An hour later, Hope lay in her double bed with her head on the crappy feather pillow and stared at the other bed and her son. She’d made mistakes in her life, that was true, but she’d always done what she thought was best for Billy. The moment she became a mother, he was the most important thing in her life. Everything she did now, she did for him. She would’ve given up way before now if he wasn’t around.
“Love you, Billy,” she whispered.
He didn’t respond because he was already fast asleep, but she hoped he heard her anyway.
Chapter Three
Hope sighed in irritation the next morning. She’d arrived at the diner at four-thirty, just like she did every morning. The restaurant officially opened at five, but there were a handful of regulars who Joseph let in early to pick up a coffee and muffin to go.
But five o’clock came and went and Tori, one of the other waitresses, hadn’t shown up yet. She wasn’t the best employee, but Joseph didn’t have much choice to keep her, as there weren’t a lot of waitresses willing to work the morning shift. So, Hope was serving more than her share of tables and was irritated as a result. She was tired because she hadn’t slept well last night, thinking about Calder, and because she was sad about Willie.