Always for You: Jack (Sergeant Joe's Boys #1)

by Alexis Morgan

  “I am now.”

  Jack headed on down to join Ricky in the small living area. The kid flopped down on the oversized couch and stared in silence at the blank screen on the television. He didn’t look happy. Dinner wouldn’t be for another hour or so. If Jack was hungry, chances were Ricky would be as well. He got out a bag of chips and poured some salsa into a bowl. Then he grabbed himself a beer and a soft drink for the kid. That was as much effort as he was going to put into playing host.

  He dropped the bag of chips in Ricky’s lap and set the salsa on the coffee table where they both could reach it. Parking his own butt on the other end of the couch, Jack picked up the remote and turned on the flat-screen TV. He flipped through the channels until he found a ball game to watch. “So, what’s up, kid?”

  The teenager was twitchy as hell, so something was going on. It also wasn’t like him to waltz on into the annex without Jack inviting him in.

  Ricky shrugged. “Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I was back.”

  Evidently that was all he wanted to say on the subject, because he immediately grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them in his mouth as he kept his eyes trained on the ball game. Jack appreciated that the kid had made the effort to check in, but he would bet his bottom dollar something had happened while Ricky was gone that had left him spooked.

  He let a couple of minutes pass in silence before speaking again. “So, did you and your friends do anything fun while you were out?”

  Ricky’s answer was little more than a grunt and a head shake. Dancing around the subject wasn’t getting him anywhere, so Jack muted the television and faced Ricky directly.

  “Okay, tell me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing something happened while you were out, something that has you spooked. Tell me everything is okay, and I’ll back off.”

  “You’re not my babysitter.”

  Again, not a helpful answer and not a denial. “No, I’m not, but I am responsible for you right now.”

  He kept his tone neutral, hoping to keep the conversation from becoming confrontational. At the same time, he shifted his position to face the television but where he could still steal an occasional look in Ricky’s direction. There was a lot of tension in the kid, but Jack couldn’t force him to share what was bothering him. Either Ricky would trust him enough to talk or he wouldn’t. All Jack could do was be there when the kid finally decided to spill his secrets.

  Another inning passed by in the game before Ricky spoke again. “It’s no big deal. I ran into a guy I know while I was out. He shared some bad news. That’s all.”

  Jack couldn’t prove it, but he was willing to bet that bad news had more to do with Ricky than the kid who shared it. Maybe something to do with the guy who had put Ricky in the hospital. He realized Ricky was staring wide-eyed at Jack’s hands, which he’d unconsciously clenched into tight fists. After flexing them a couple of times to work off some tension, Jack reached for his beer and took a long drink.

  “I’m sorry your friend is having a tough time of it. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.” Especially if it was Ricky himself who really needed help.

  “Thanks, but there’s nothing anyone can do.” Ricky reached for the chips and salsa again. “Any idea what your mom is making for dinner?”

  “I’m betting meatloaf. It’s one of my favorites, so she usually fixes it whenever I’ve been away, even if it’s only been a few days.”

  “Cool. I love her meatloaf.”

  For now, Jack let him change the subject without protest. But the next time the kid went out, he might have to follow him and do a little recon. One way or another he had to figure out exactly who had put that glimmer of fear back into Ricky’s eyes. And if the bastard laid one hand on the kid, there was going to be one hell of a reckoning.

  Chapter 9

  Where had the time gone? Granted, Caitlyn had worked until after lunch on Saturday, but the rest of the weekend had passed by in a blur of laundry, grocery shopping, and other chores. All of it had needed to be done, but even she had to admit she’d buried herself in busywork to keep from thinking about Jack McShane with his smoking-hot green eyes.

  It hadn’t worked. Despite her best efforts she still found herself touching the corner of her mouth and smiling. Even from across the dining room table, she’d felt the impact of Jack’s gaze as he watched her savor that brownie. If the memory was still this strong nearly two days later, she had to wonder what she would have felt if he’d actually kissed her. And did she really want to find out? She very much feared the answer was yes.

  At least he’d admitted that they needed to focus on Ricky while she was working with him. But the look he’d given her after he’d marked the day school started on the calendar had made it all too clear that he was putting his campaign on hold, not canceling it altogether. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  Okay, that was a lie.

  But considering she’d just pulled up in front of Jack’s house, she needed to redirect her focus on her student. She could do this. But wouldn’t her mom be thrilled to learn that there was at least one man in this world who could break through the walls Caitlyn had carefully erected around her heart since the disaster of her marriage had gone into full meltdown?

  When she reached the front porch, it came as no surprise that someone was standing there to let her in. She was relieved to see that it was Marlene, and not her son. Really, she was.

  “Hi, Marlene! Did you have a nice weekend?”

  “Nice enough. Come on in. Ricky isn’t here right now. He went to a job site with Jack this morning to help out for a while. He just called to say he was on his way and should be here any minute.”

  Interesting. “Is he able to do much with his arm still in a cast?”

  The older woman shrugged. “Probably not, but he asked to go. I think he needed to get out of the house for a while, and Jack doesn’t mind the company.”

  “So the two of them are getting along all right again?”

  Marlene didn’t pretend not to understand. “Ricky took off for a while Saturday afternoon, but he hung out with Jack watching baseball in the annex when he got back. Jack thought something was bothering Ricky, but I doubt whatever it was had anything to do with you or even Jack, for that matter. Evidently one of Ricky’s friends shared some bad news that had upset him.”

  Caitlyn followed Marlene into the dining room to set up for Ricky’s lesson. “Did he say what kind of news?”

  “No, and Jack suspects that whatever it was had to do more with Ricky than it did his friend. We both wish he’d open up to us, but so far that hasn’t happened. On a positive note, he is choosing to spend more time with Jack. Yesterday, the two of them worked out together in the gym over there for quite a while and watched another ball game while Ricky finished his assignments.”

  “That sounds promising or at least like progress.”

  “It does. I know Jack was pleased when Ricky asked if he needed any help on the job today.” Marlene pulled out a chair and sat down. “Evidently the two of them made a deal where Ricky will work off the cost of his new clothes and shoes by helping out on the construction jobs.”

  That didn’t sound right. “Seriously? And Jack was all right with that?”

  Marlene stared out the window for a few seconds before answering. “Hearing that sure brought back memories of when our three boys first came to live with us. None of them were comfortable with being given even the simplest of things. Tino, especially, acted as if he had to earn everything he needed, even things the rest of us take for granted.”

  She finally turned to face Caitlyn again. “So while I don’t think Jack is actually okay with the arrangement, he probably understands the situation better than either of us would. Kids like Ricky have good reason to be mistrustful. With luck, eventually he will come to believe that Jack only has his best interest at heart, but it’s going to take time and a lot of patience.”

  The front door banged open, and Ricky buzzed throug
h the room. “Sorry I’m late, Caitlyn. I need to wash up and grab a bottle of water. Back in a sec.”

  The two women laughed. “His relationship with you helps, too, you know. I like that you encourage him with honest praise, but you also don’t go easy on him.”

  Marlene’s comment pleased Caitlyn. Helping a boy like Ricky, who excelled in one subject but struggled in others, was a little like walking a tightrope. If she made things too hard for him, he might get frustrated and give up. But if she let him stick just to what came easy to him, he’d never get caught up.

  Ricky was back. The front of his shirt was covered in wet splotches, probably from his rush to get washed up and ready to work. “Jack dropped me off for my lesson. I’m supposed to call him when we’re done here, so I can go back and finish helping him.”

  All of that came on one long breath. He’d obviously enjoyed his morning on the job. “Oops, I forgot my homework. I’ll be right back.”

  He was off and running again. Marlene shook her head and smiled. “I wish I had just one tenth of his energy.”

  Caitlyn laughed. “Me, too.”

  “Well, I’ll get out of your way. I have a couple of errands to run. If I don’t get back before you leave, I’ll see you next time.”

  As she left in one direction, Ricky came flying back in from the other. He set his homework down in front of Caitlyn. “There. I finished it yesterday watching baseball with Jack.”

  “That’s what Marlene told me.” Caitlyn glanced over the first page. “Looks like you did a good job. Why don’t you start on the math while I go through this? Then we’ll make any corrections and move on.”

  “Great.”

  It didn’t take her long to go through his homework. All in all, he’d done a good job with only a couple of minor mistakes. Just as she suspected, he was more than capable of holding his own with high school level curriculum.

  She waited until he finished the problem he was working on before showing him how he’d done. “This is terrific, Ricky! You got forty-eight out of fifty right. That’s an A in anybody’s book. You’re going to do so well in school this year. I’m really impressed with how you’re handling the assignments you’ve done for me. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that you’ll be back up to grade level in all of your subjects, and maybe even ahead in some, especially math. Staying in one place for an entire year will make a huge difference in how well you do.”

  She’d been about to point out his two errors when she realized that Ricky wasn’t nearly as happy about his work as she was. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you hear what I said? You did a bang-up job on your language arts assignment.”

  He stared at the paper as if it would bite him. “Yeah, I heard.”

  Then what had him so upset? “Did I say something wrong?”

  Rather than answer her, he shoved back from the table and stood up. “Look, I forgot I have somewhere I have to be this afternoon. Can you lock up when you leave?”

  She hurried after him and tried to plant herself between him and the door. “Ricky, what’s wrong?”

  He tried to do an end run around her. “Nothing. Like I said, I have somewhere to be.”

  “Are you going to catch up with Jack at the job site?”

  The bleak expression on his face answered that. “Please, Ricky, don’t take off. I’ll leave if you want me to, but please stay here. Or at least call Jack to come get you.”

  This time he succeeded in getting past her, and he was out the door heading down the street as fast as he could go. She could run after him, but she’d never be able to keep up. Instead, she did the next best thing and headed back into the house to find her cellphone. She dialed Jack’s number and went back outside to wait for him to answer.

  As soon as he picked up, she said, “Jack, Ricky has taken off, and I’m scared he won’t come back.”

  His first response was short, simple, and obscene, not that she blamed him for using those particular words under the circumstances. She could tell he was moving as he spoke. “I’ve got to pack up my tools before I can leave, but I’m only about three miles from the house. It won’t take long.”

  The sound of things being tossed in a toolbox or maybe the back of the truck came through loud and clear. “I’m going to hang up now in case Ricky tries to call. After I tell the client why I’m leaving, I’ll be right there.”

  Her knees were shaking to the point that she sat down on the front step. “Should I wait here or what?”

  There was no hesitation. “Wait.”

  “Okay.” That was good because she wasn’t sure she should be driving quite yet.

  “I’m hanging up now. Call me if he shows up before I get there.”

  “I will.”

  “And, Caitlyn, regardless of what happened, don’t blame yourself. I’ve been expecting something like this for a couple of days now.”

  The line went dead before she could respond. While she waited, she canceled her next appointment, which thankfully was the last one of the day. Even if Jack didn’t want her help looking for Ricky, she was too shaken to be of much use to anyone. Besides, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate until she knew the boy was back home and safe.

  For now, she needed to be ready to leave as soon as Jack came. That meant grabbing her purse in case he wanted her to drive her own car and double the area they searched. Also, she should leave Marlene a quick note about what was going on, and then make sure the house was locked up.

  She was about to lock the front door when Jack came roaring down the street. He pulled into the driveway and got out of the truck. “Can we take your car? The truck is low on gas. Besides, both it and my SUV are too distinctive. We’ll never get close to him in either of them. Your sedan is more likely to blend in.”

  “Sure thing.” She tossed him her keys and then crossed her arms around her waist. “You drive. I’m still a bit shaken.”

  Jack immediately looked concerned and ran his big hands up and down her arms, their heat soothing the chill of her fear for Ricky. “He didn’t try to hurt you or anything?”

  “Oh, no, it wasn’t like that at all.”

  She hated that she couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. Jack muttered a curse and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away. Then he wrapped her in his arms and gathered her in against his chest. His voice was a deep rumble against her cheek. “Like I said, whatever happened wasn’t your fault. He’s been like a firecracker with a smoldering fuse for a couple of days. It was only a matter of time before something set him off.”

  She sniffled a little, still fighting the tears. “I graded his homework and showed it to him. He did a great job, and I told him that if he kept this up, he’d be back on grade level in no time and maybe even ahead.”

  “And that upset him?”

  She frowned and replayed the scene in her head. “No, it was after that. I told him staying in one school for an entire year would make a huge difference. That’s when he shut down and left.”

  “Yeah, that might have done it.” She felt Jack sigh before he continued. “I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing he’s been bouncing around from school to school a lot. Sometimes a parent’s job situation makes that necessary. With strong family support, the kids do just fine. But in cases like Ricky’s where the family most likely is the problem, he’s going to be reluctant to make friends or strong connections with anyone because he knows he’s not there to stay. The whole idea of remaining in one place for an entire school year is foreign to him.”

  Her heart sank. He was right, of course. She should’ve remembered her own suspicions on that subject. “So what do we do now?”

  “First, I’m going to call him. I didn’t want to try until I knew exactly what had happened.”

  He gave her one last squeeze before reaching for his phone while still keeping one arm around her shoulders. It was hard not to hold her breath as he punched in Ricky’s number and waited to see if he answered. She counted off the rings. O
ne…two…three times before it went to voicemail. Disappointment tasted bitter, but she had to admire how calm Jack sounded when he spoke.

  “Okay, kid, I know there’s a problem, but I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me. If you’ll recall, the deal on getting you a phone was that you’d answer when I called. I’ll be waiting.”

  He disconnected the call. “Let’s go look for him.”

  —

  Jack kept his hands firmly on the steering wheel when all he wanted to do was haul Caitlyn back into his arms. He wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to comfort her or if he was the one who needed her touch to help keep him grounded while they searched for that damned kid. The reasons behind the urge to reach out to her didn’t matter. Right now he couldn’t afford to surrender to that particular temptation. What he might need or want wasn’t important. Ricky was the one at risk right now.

  “Did you notice which way he went when he took off?”

  “He ran to the end of the block and then turned right.”

  Jack stopped at the intersection to scan the road in both directions before making the turn. As he pulled forward, he made note of the fact that Caitlyn sounded far more calm than she had when he’d first gotten home. It was a good thing one of them was. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

  “I hope so, Jack.”

  A few seconds later, she turned to face him. “I knew I couldn’t catch him on foot. Maybe I should’ve jumped in my car and gone after him right away rather than wait for you.”

  Okay, so those scared eyes meant maybe she wasn’t all that calm. His hand was off the wheel and holding hers before he’d even made the conscious decision to reach out to comfort her. “Don’t second-guess yourself, Caitlyn. You did the right thing. Ricky is my responsibility. I knew he was struggling to deal with something and didn’t warn you when I should have.”

  She entwined her fingers with his. “Your mother did say that Ricky came home upset after seeing a friend on Saturday. Some kind of bad news. Any idea what it was about?”

  “No, but I have my suspicions. It’s just a gut feeling. Nothing I can prove for sure, and the stubborn idiot sure isn’t talking.”