Wrath

by LJ Baker

  What she wouldn’t give for sixty seconds in the cage with that bitch.

  Miss Rafferty, as she learned her name was, opened the door to the visitation room, and ushered Ronnie in. Right away, Jen looked up and smiled. Freddy was up and running before she could pop out of her seat. Within seconds, both the younger kids were wrapped around her, crushing her in a three-way hug.

  Mae turned her head just enough to peer out of the corner of her eye, through her hair, then turned back to look out the window. Rafferty took a seat in the corner and watched them. She pretended to read a file, but she wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “How are you guys? Where did they put you?”

  “You aren’t allowed to ask them that,” Rafferty said, with her glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose.

  Ronnie glared for just a moment, then turned back to Freddy and Jen. “Sorry about all of this. Is everything okay where you’re at?” She glanced back at Rafferty to make sure that was an acceptable question.

  “I had to switch schools,” Freddy said and looked down at his feet. “I guess I’m in a different district. The kids there hate me. Yesterday I got shoved into a locker for an entire period.”

  Jen took Freddy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. They weren’t usually close, but they clearly loved each other.

  “Jen?” Ronnie asked, trying to keep her mind off Freddy’s situation for the moment. She was doing her best not to get angry, but there was only so long she could dig her nails into her palm before she drew blood.

  “Yeah, it’s okay. I’m with an older couple. No other kids. The house smells like cats. They have me in a bedroom that belonged to a little girl, all pink frills and stuff, but they said they don’t have any kids. It’s weird.”

  “But they are treating you okay?”

  Jen nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Ronnie went over to sit on the window seat next to Mae. “What about you?” She reached out to touch Mae’s ankle, which tensed on contact.

  “It’s fine. I’m at the group home.”

  Group homes weren’t fine. They were hell. Ronnie once had a friend who lived in a group home. Things were so bad there she was constantly running away, that was when she wasn’t showing up with bruises.

  “Mae, talk to me. I know you’re angry with me and that’s fine, but—”

  Mae snapped her head around and stared at Ronnie. Tears welled in her eyes and her brow furrowed. “Angry with you? What are you talking about?”

  “Yeah, because of what happened, because you were all taken away and split up.” The more Ronnie talked, the more confused she became, and the more confused Mae looked. “I know I really messed up, and you probably hate me now, but I really am sorry.”

  Mae shook her head, whipping her hair away from her face. “No.”

  “No?”

  “That was all my fault!” Mae dropped her face into her hands and leaned them on her knees.

  Ronnie pulled Mae up to look at her before she could stain her jeans with her mascara-tinged tears. “Hey, no. None of this was your fault. Why on Earth would you think that?”

  “Because I cut school and got suspended. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, that you could get in trouble if I got caught. Now everyone is separated because of me. Landon said I shouldn’t do it because if I got caught, they’d take me away and think you weren’t a good mother. But you are a good mother.” She glared at Miss Rafferty for that last part, but Ronnie was the one who felt the icy stab.

  “Oh my God, no sweetheart, that wasn’t because you cut school. I got in trouble for something else, something that had nothing to do with you. This was all my fault.”

  Mae shot her a skeptical look, as tears ran down her cheeks. “You didn’t get arrested because of me?”

  “No. You were just being a teenager. You didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, you did, and we are going to talk about that, but not anything that would get me in trouble, or get you guys taken away. I promise.”

  Mae threw her arms around Ronnie and squeezed with all her strength. “I’m sorry. I thought it was my fault,” she choked out through her tears and a mouthful of hair.

  Freddy was on them, with his arms wrapped around both girls first, then Jen followed. They were a huddled mass of crushing hugs, struggling to breathe through it all.

  When they finally pulled apart, Ronnie slid Freddy onto her lap and took one hand from each of the girls. “We are going to fix this. I don’t know how, but one way or another, we will be back together.”

  “Promise?” Jen looked up at her with wide, blue eyes. Ronnie needed to be able to reassure the girl and it couldn’t be with a lie. She had to believe it, had to trust that Luc was right.

  “I promise.”

  And for one short moment, it felt like the truth.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Over the next week, Ronnie tried to stay positive. She got the house back under control and showed up for work every day. Luc came through and got her a new court date for the next Wednesday, which she hoped would result in her little family being put back together.

  Hope wasn’t something that came easy. After everything she’d been through, staying positive was difficult, but it was all she had left. If she didn’t believe things would turn out okay, then they never would.

  She would be under closer scrutiny this time. When she’d originally gotten custody, they did a quick check in on her. They inspected the house, talked to the neighbors, and checked in on her job at the time. She’d been working in a cafe, which wasn’t her favorite job, but it was acceptable to the case worker, so they approved her as guardian. Little did they know, most of her income was coming from fights and her parents life insurance money. The cafe job just looked good on paper.

  This time would be different.

  She had been arrested for assault and attempted homicide. The cafe job was long gone, as was the life insurance, and she was working in a bar. The kids were left alone until the middle of the night when she was at work, and since Mae had been sneaking out, she clearly didn’t have a handle on things.

  Ronnie met with the caseworker after the last visit and she’d told her that her job choice didn’t factor in favorably. It could be the reason the judge will decide to refuse her guardianship. If that happened, she didn’t know what she would do. It would destroy her.

  “Hey,” Luc said, waving a hand in front of Ronnie’s face. “You with us, here?”

  “Sorry. Just thinking about Wednesday.” Ronnie smoothed her shirt down, wishing the uniform didn’t have her boobs popping out like they were on display. She felt self-conscious, a rare feeling for her.

  “It’s going to be fine. Stop worrying.” Luc slipped a hand up her shoulder and she relaxed into him. “And there is something I should tell you about tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Why? What’s going to happen tomorrow?” Her nerves came back full force and her eyes widened. “You can’t fuck with me like this, Luc. I swear to—”

  “Calm down, love. It’s nothing bad. I got you an interview… the place you were coming from the day we met.”

  “Wait, you talked to Jackoff?”

  Luc laughed. “I don’t think that’s how you pronounce that, though from what I can tell, it is fitting.”

  “He hated me the first time, and after the way I left, I don’t think he will be reconsidering.” Ronnie snorted at the memory of the asshole and the look on his face when she’d kicked over the chair.

  “Actually, he already has. The interview is merely a formality. He and I came to an understanding.” Luc shot her his crooked smile once again. She wasn’t sure what he did, but he definitely deserved at least a hug for it. Ronnie threw her arms around Luc’s neck and squeezed him until he wrapped his arms around her and returned the sentiment.

  “Okay, okay. That’s enough. I’m not a hugger.”

  “Don’t let him lie to you,” Azrael said, meandering over like an alley cat. “He is all about the touchy-feely these days. Oh and if you need a ride
to the interview,” his eyes grazed over her, leaving a scorched wake behind them. “I could so ride you.”

  Az was hot. There was no doubt about it, but he wasn’t at all Ronnie’s type. Where Luc was dark and mysterious, Az was all blond and openly sexy. You knew exactly what you were getting with Az, but she didn’t want any of it.

  “I can take the bus, but thank you.” Ronnie crossed her arms over her chest to stop Azrael’s eye-rape of her tits and grabbed her bag. “Can you text me the details for the interview?”

  Luc nodded and stepped between Ronnie and Az. “Just get some sleep. Everything is going to be fine.”

  Nothing ever turned out fine. Maybe in the short term, but overall, things never worked out for Ronnie. It was just one crap shoot after another. She had to hope for the best this time. Even if things turned to shit, she needed to do everything she could to get the kids back and make sure their lives didn’t turn out the same way.

  She would sell her soul for that.

  ***

  “Are you sure you have this under control?” Luc eyed Az sitting on the arm of his expensive Italian leather couch in shorts and flip flops. His shirt was tossed on the floor and there were empty pizza boxes and snack packages filling up the coffee table. Luc curled his lip as he looked over the mess.

  “Positive. Don’t you trust me, brother?” Az hopped up and grabbed his shirt off the floor. After a quick sniff, followed by a look of disgust, he tossed the shirt back to the floor and slipped into one of Luc’s dress shirts. The fit was awful and Luc was certain that the seams would burst any moment.

  “Normally, I’d say yes, but right this moment I seem to be falling a bit short.” Luc made a mental note to change the alarm code. Maybe next time Az decided to break in and slop up his apartment, he could be rudely disturbed by the screeching of the alarm. Not that it would stop him. He was an angel after all, with supernatural abilities. But it would be nice to irritate him the way Az did to Luc.

  With a little angel magic and the snap of his fingers, Azrael was transformed into the poster boy of professionalism. He was in a suit that rivaled Lucifer’s own style and fit Az’s muscular body perfectly. His unruly blond curls were slicked back into perfection and framed his face drawing out his crystal blue eyes.

  He looked like an angel.

  Which he was.

  “Better?” Az flashed his dazzling white teeth and straightened his tie.

  “Much. You are taking this seriously, right?”

  “I can’t believe you’re actually asking me that.” Az slipped his thumbs into his pockets and stared at Luc with a blank expression.

  “It’s just that I know how you feel about Ronnie and this whole situation. But this is important. It’s not just about her, but those kids too.”

  “I got this, Luc. I’m aware of the stakes here, and by the way, your girl has been growing on me.” Az winked and Luc ignored the subtext.

  “Okay then, I guess I trust you.”

  “I can feel the confidence from here.”

  “Well then, prove I should never have doubted you from the start. Seriously, Az. This means a lot to me.”

  “Yeah, I can see that. I just wonder why. I mean, I get that these kids have been through so much and they deserve a stable home, but why do you care so much? I’ve never seen you give a crap about children… or those tiny human monsters as you’ve been known to refer to them as.”

  “These ones aren’t so tiny. They’re practically grown.”

  Az stared at Luc with his lips pressed into a straight line.

  “Okay, fine. I’m deflecting. I know. I don’t have an answer. I just care. So make this work. I’m counting on you.”

  Az smiled. “I got you, brother. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Luc worried anyway. With his abilities, he could force the judge to make the decision he wanted, but that wasn’t something that came without consequences. Luc didn’t want Ronnie to pay for such favor. He wanted it to happen properly on its own.

  There was a fine line between interfering and abusing his power. Luc learned long ago that it was better to allow humans to work things out on their own. And if occasionally, he tweaked a small thing or two, well then it wasn’t a big deal. Besides, if he went around taking away human free will, his father would step in. He didn’t appreciate anyone messing with his pets.

  ***

  Ronnie looked around the courtroom and tried to keep her heart rate in check. She wiped her hands down the front of her pants and mentally called for Luc to show up, as if somehow, he could hear her thoughts from wherever he was. She’d looked at the time on her phone three times in the last two minutes. He should have been there already.

  What the hell was she going to do if he didn’t show?

  The case worker sat on the other side avoiding eye contact, while various people filed into the room, and rifled through a stack of papers. Ronnie had hoped the kids would be there, but she didn’t see them.

  That had to be a bad sign.

  Just when she’d come close to giving up hope, Azrael walked in the door, dressed in a suit, with his blond hair pulled back into a small bun. She almost didn’t recognize him all cleaned up. After an initial wave of relief, panic washed over her. It wasn’t Az she needed, it was Luc. He was her lawyer. What the hell was his brother going to do for her?

  “Hey there, beautiful.” Azrael took the seat next to her and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

  “Where’s Luc? Why are you here?” She dropped her head into her hands. “I’m screwed. Aren’t I? I’m just screwed.”

  “I mean, if you want to be, we can work something out after court, but I think you should control yourself because the judge is coming in any minute. He doesn’t really appreciate that going on in his courtroom.” Az chuckled, amused with himself.

  Ronnie jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

  “Ow. Didn’t you learn your lesson about assault?”

  “This isn’t funny,” she whispered, as they stood for the judge, then sat again. “This is my life. My brother and sisters lives. None of this is a joke.”

  “Relax. Luc had some things to attend to. He asked me to handle things in his absence. I can handle it.” He smiled, the first sincere emotion he’d shown her since they’d met. “Seriously, I got this.”

  Azrael put his hand over Ronnie’s and looked into her eyes. She wanted to immediately pull away, tell him to get lost, but something about the way he looked at her calmed her just a bit. She wasn’t happy it was him there instead of Luc, but what could she do about it?

  Ronnie looked over Az as the case got started. She doubted he could handle much more than bedroom games and drinking his weight in alcohol.

  But she was wrong.

  Every question the judge or social worker had, Azrael answered eloquently. He cited statutes, cases, and showed evidence why Ronnie had made an excellent parent for the last seven months. Listening to Az, Ronnie didn’t recognize herself, or her life, but the judge seemed to be buying every word he said.

  If only she was as good as he’d made her sound.

  The judge was impressed by her new employment at the law firm and even addressed her personally to tell her he was impressed with the sacrifice she’d made after their parents death, how most young people would not have been able to do as well as she had.

  It all felt like one big lie to Ronnie. She knew she’d done a shitty job with the kids. But she also knew this was her second chance and she would be damned to hell if she fucked it up again.

  Luc came in halfway through the case and took a seat next to his brother. Az had things under control, and by the time everything was over, she was granted full custody of her siblings and the courtroom was emptying, leaving her standing there in shock for several long moments.

  “Congratulations.” Luc beamed, as if he’d been the one to win the case and deserved some credit.

  “Where the hell were you?” Ronnie glared at Luc, though she had no reason
to. He’d sent Azrael in his place, and he’d done a great job. The kids were coming home. Everything was going to be okay. But she was still angry with him for making her worry like that.

  “Sorry, I had something to take care of. Everything worked out though.” He smiled, despite her death glares. “How did everything go with the interview? Jackoff give you any trouble?”

  “No. He was so nice that it was suspicious. What exactly did you say to him?” Ronnie gathered her stuff and walked out of the courtroom between Az and Luc.

  “I only helped him see what a mistake he’d made not giving you a chance and how lucky he’d be to have you as an employee.” Luc shrugged. “Just a normal conversation.”

  Ronnie imagined Luc holding Jackoff upside down, by his feet, over the roof of the building, until he promised to hire her, and laughed to herself. That probably wasn’t how it went, but she knew Luc had an intimidating side, a side that he never showed to her, but she could tell was strong in him.

  “Well, thank you, whatever you did. I won’t make as much as I did at the bar, or fighting, but it’s steady, and the benefits are great. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

  “Well then, make it up to me by celebrating with me tonight.”

  She knew he didn’t mean dinner and drinks by the look in his eye, and she had no problem with that at all.

  “I’d love to.”

  ***

  “Everyone home safe and sound?” Luc answered the door barefooted, wearing only his pants.

  “Yes. Lizzie is with them and they’re all asleep.” Ronnie walked past Luc into the apartment. “She actually decided to move in to help me. So I never have to worry about leaving them alone again. Not that I’ll be working nights anymore, but still.”

  Luc’s apartment was basically one large room, with a king sized bed the main focus and an elaborate bar setup off to the side, with a sofa and giant television. It was all he really needed, other than the master bedroom sized bathroom, that had a shower big enough for five, and an over-sized whirlpool tub. Luc only had a few interests. Sex and drinking were high on the list, so his apartment was perfect for him.