“What are your typical rules?” Aiden asked.
“Not our problem you don’t know, you could just go home to your own house and eat your own food.” Bridget was back on her tirade.
“When it is our turn, we have to use an accent, but it can’t be your natural accent. So, none of you can use Irish brogue.” I pointed to all of the McGuires. “And Kat can’t use a Greek accent. But other than that, we slaughter the rest of the languages.”
I took a bite of shepherd’s pie while Piper passed out ten cards to each of us. I began and asked my first question in my very best Cockney accent. “Wha’s a gul’s bes friend?” I giggled because my rendition of the accent was horrific, but I knew the cards that were going to be slid my way would be epic. I closed my eyes and waited for everyone to pass off a card. When given the all clear, I opened my eyes and then stacked the pile before picking up the top one. “What’s a girl’s best friend?” I asked again and then began reading the possible answers in the worst accent ever. “Shiny objects, the clitoris, the Wi-Fi password, Arnold Schwarzenegger, all the dudes I’ve fucked, Viagra, dick pics, and queefing.” As I read each answer, we all laughed harder, and I couldn’t help but look over at Colleen. Although, she was married to Patrick and had kids who all had the mouths of sailors, I was embarrassed.
“What’s queefing?” Colleen asked, and we all laughed even harder.
I stared at Bridget. “She’s your mom, you explain.” I pointed to her and then to Aiden and Callum, who were both red.
Bridget leaned over and whispered into Colleen’s ear. We could all tell the moment she comprehended because she wiggled in her seat, and I busted out laughing.
“All right.” I maintained my accent. “My answer is: Viagra is a girl’s best friend.”
“Amen to that.” Colleen crossed herself, and we all busted up again.
I passed the deck on to the next person, Harley grabbed a question and read it in her Indian accent, “What brought the orgy to a grinding halt?”
I read through my cards and debated whether or not I should play it, but hey it was us, so I pulled out Child Protective Services and slid it across.
Once Harley started reading the answers, mine got the most boos, but in the end, I got the black card for the point. She passed the deck on to Patrick. His surfer, stoner-dude interpretation was epic, but when he asked, “My mom freaked when she looked at my browser history and found blank dot blank.” We each sent over two cards, when Bridget won the round with dead parents and necrophilia, we knew the night had come to an end.
“Okay, we’re out.” Aiden and Callum stood.
“If it were that easy to get you to leave, I’d have started playing sooner,” Bridget said. “Maybe we can find some cards that land on bleach assholes and have Ma talk about it.”
“No.” Aiden threw his hands over his ears like he was a kid.
I couldn’t help but smile.
4
Sadie
“Orange County, stand by for BOLO, prepare to copy.” The dispatch warning rang out, and I was full throttle on Bumby Avenue heading to my afternoon patrol, Audubon Park Elementary School. “Orange County, signal eight, missing child, female, age six, brown hair, blue eyes, approximately forty-three inches, and forty-five pounds. Last seen wearing a pink dress and white shoes, name Caroline Montgomery, answers to Callie. Last known location was the Audubon Park Elementary area. If found, please contact the school or Officer Campbell, the school’s liaison officer immediately.”
Shit. I listened again as dispatch repeated the information. As soon as it was done, I pressed my radio bottom.
“Thirteen twenty-two.”
“Thirteen twenty-two, go ahead,” the dispatch officer replied.
“I’m ninety-seven in the area, reference the BOLO, put me ten seventeen Bumby and Virginia for the missing child,” I said, telling dispatch to mark me as investigating the missing child case as well as my location.
“Orange County copies, fourteen forty-seven.”
Flipping my lights and sirens on, I blew through the last few stop signs and headed up to the school. Several patrol cars were already on site, so I passed them and headed on up to Corinne Avenue, the busy cross street. Even with my lights and sirens on, cars didn’t slow. It was four lanes and the thought of a little kid trying to maneuver through this traffic sent a shiver down my spine.
Easing my bike into the intersection, the sounds of horns honking in the distance filled the air. So many drivers had this entitlement factor about them, just because it was their right-of-way, they believed they had the actual right-of-way. Fuck me and any emergency that I was going to, unless of course it was their emergency or their loved one.
Finally making it over the four lanes, I pulled into the first strip of stores. There were some consignment shops, bakeries, and an ice cream store there, and if I were six, this would be where I would head. I turned my bike into the first parking lot, and slowly rolled by each shop, scanning inside the stores and around cars as I went. I even took time to make eye contact with the workers, hopefully someone would wave to me. None did, so I pulled into a spot in front of Blue Bird Bakery and ran inside to talk to the girl behind the counter.
“Have you all seen a little girl, about six years old? She’d probably be by herself.”
“No, I haven’t. I’m sorry.”
“If you do, call me or call 9-1-1.” I threw my business card down on their counter and headed back out.
My next stop was the 7-11 on Winter Park Road. There were three people waiting in line and the clerk looked barely old enough to hold the job, so my hopes of him seeing Callie were slim. Sighing, I grabbed a business card, hoping I was wrong about my assumption, and then froze. Standing in the candy aisle was a little girl with brown hair, but she wasn’t in a pink dress, she was in shorts and a T-shirt.
“Hi, are you Callie?”
The little girl’s head swung toward me and her eyes got big. “Yes.”
“I’m Sadie, what are you doing here?”
“Avoiding my nana until my daddy gets home?”
“Well, your dad is looking for you.”
“He is?”
“Yep. I need to call him and let him know where you are, okay?”
She nodded. “Then we can sit and talk.” She nodded again. “Thirteen twenty-two, cancel the BOLO, I’ve found the signal eight, my twenty is 7-11 at Winter Park Road. Parents can fifty-six me at this location.”
“Orange County copies, BOLO canceled, fifteen thirty-nine.”
“Do you want those?” I pointed to a bag of Skittles the little girl held in her hand. Then I thought better of it because I probably shouldn’t offer kids candy, since I had no clue what she was allergic to.
“Yes, please.”
Damn it, she was so polite. “Have you had them before?”
“Yes, they are my favorite. I don’t like the sour ones, but they are my daddy’s favorite.”
I laughed. “I like the sour ones, too.” I headed up to the counter and paid for the Skittles. “Can you tell me why you don’t want to see your nana?”
“She’s going to be hurt.”
“What happened?”
Callie pointed to her clothes. “I like wearing this.”
“I think you are cute.”
“I know, right? But Nana thinks little girls should not wear pants or shorts to school, only skirts and dresses are proper.”
“Oh.” I fought the urge to groan. I would totally hate that, since I wasn’t a skirt or dress type of woman.
“I don’t like girly stuff,” Callie explained. “I want to wear boots, but not like yours.”
“Yeah, my boots are ugly, huh?” Callie nodded in answer. “Mine are designed to protect my legs since I ride this motorcycle.” I pointed to my bike. “But if you don’t like girly stuff, how come you have bows in your hair?” Instantly, I knew that I had said the wrong thing, because Callie turned to face me, her cheeks puffed out. “Sorry, I guess that’s
your nana’s doing, too?”
“Yep.”
“But you’re in shorts and a T-shirt today.”
“I sneak them in my backpack and then change at school. Nana picks me up, so after school, I run into the bathroom and change.”
“But you didn’t today?”
“Couldn’t. My backpack was missing.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. She’s going to be upset. I don’t want to hurt her. I just don’t want to dress like a baby doll. I want to be G.I. Jane.”
“As in Demi Moore?”
“Yeah, you’ve seen it?”
“Yes, I’m just shocked you have.”
“My daddy lets me watch it, but Nana won’t. I’m allowed to watch Disney when I’m with her, so I stick to Mulan and Merida cause they aren’t afraid of boys.”
“They’re pretty badass—I mean, cool.” Callie let out a giggle. “Sorry.”
“I like how you’re dressed, you look cool.” Callie met my eyes and smiled as she emphasized the word cool. Okay, this kid was way too smart.
“Thanks. I like my outfit, too, even if it’s a bit hot, and I like being a deputy. I get to help people like your dad, who is worried about you.”
“You aren’t afraid, are you?”
“Nope.” Okay, that was a total lie, but I didn’t want to discuss my fear of facing down the barrel of a gun with a child.
“Do you always carry a gun?” She pointed to my sidearm.
“Yes, it protects me, and it protects other people. I don’t pull it out very often.”
“What’s that?” Callie pointed to my TASER.
“It’s a TASER.”
“Oh, that’s the shock thing, right?”
“Yep. Callie, why does your nana dress you? How about your mommy?”
“I only have an angel mommy. Do you know what an angel mommy is?”
“I do. I have an angel mommy, too. My mommy went to heaven when I was four.”
“I was a baby, I don’t remember her. Do you remember your mommy?”
“I remember some things. But I have a Margaret.”
“What’s a Margaret?”
“She’s my stepmom. My dad married her when I was eight years old.”
“Was she a nice stepmom or was she like Cinderella’s stepmom?”
“She’s very nice. I love her, and she’s one of my best friends.”
“Did she teach you how to braid your hair? Nana doesn’t know how to braid.”
“Yep, she sure did.” I grabbed hold of my plait and waved the end. “You know what?”
“What?”
“Have you ever heard of Kidz Klub?”
“No.”
“It is a special club for very special kids just like you. They all have an angel. Some have an angel mommy, some have an angel daddy, and some have both. But I like it because you can borrow a mommy.”
“Borrow? Like from a library?”
“Yeah, just like that. I go there once a week, and if someone needs a mommy for a moment, they can ask me. If I can help them, I will. I can teach someone how to braid their hair or go to a ball game or just help with homework.”
The rest of our conversation was cut off by a car pulling into the parking lot and stopping behind my bike where Callie and I stood talking. “I think your dad is here.”
The driver’s door of the Porsche Cayenne swung open and a man got out. It wasn’t until he looked up that I realized it was the doctor from the other day. The hot doctor with blue eyes.
But there was no denying that he was Callie’s father, same dark hair and the same stunning blue eyes, which I hadn’t put together until I saw him. “Callie.” The single word seemed to be ripped from his chest, and my heart clutched for this man and the worry he’d been through.
I glanced at the woman in the perfect sweater set and pearls who’d slid from the passenger side of the car. Either this was her nana or Dr. Montgomery liked them older. “That your dad?” Callie nodded. “Go to him.”
Callie looked up to me, her eyes big, but she didn’t immediately let go of my hand. “Will I get to see you again?”
“Hopefully not. You aren’t going to be running away anymore, are you?”
Callie shook her head. “But I like you. You get me.”
“Callie.” Her father interrupted us and pulled her from me and wrapped her tight in his arms. “What were you thinking? I was so worried. I would be lost if anything happened to you, you’re my world, you know that, right?”
“Yes. Daddy, this is Sadie.” Callie’s father was trying to bury his face into the crook of his daughter’s neck, but she was having none of it.
“What?” He asked Callie to repeat what she had said.
“This is Sadie, she found me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He moved Callie to one hip and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m—” He stared at me.
“Are you okay, Daddy?”
“Yes. Sorry. Deputy Lazar, we meet again, I’m Dr. Ryan Montgomery. I’m Callie’s father.”
“Hello, Dr. Montgomery. I found her inside in the candy aisle.” Callie held up her bag of Skittles to prove my point.
“Sadie bought them for me.”
“Deputy, I’m so sorry. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing.” I waved away his offer, and he hesitated, as if he didn’t know what to do next.
“I will have a talk with her. I have no clue what has gotten into her, she’s never done this before.”
“Callie can explain.” I locked eyes with the little girl. “Talk with your dad, tell him what you told me.” She looked away, not answering me.
“Thank you. I know that isn’t even enough, what else can I do?”
“No thanks needed. This is my job, I love helping. Take her home.”
“Daddy, can I go to the angel club?”
“The what?”
“Kidz Klub,” I corrected Callie. “I volunteer at a place called Kidz Klub, it’s off Orange Avenue. It’s sort of a community center for children who have lost a parent. They find kids their age in the same situation. But what is nice is that there are lots of women there who can help Callie, she wants to learn to braid her hair, do other things that mommies do with their daughters, and at Kidz Klub, she can sort of borrow a mommy.”
“We all have an angel. Sadie has an angel-mommy, too.” I could see the lights of understanding finally coming on in Dr. Montgomery’s brain.
I pulled out a card for the Kidz Klub and extended it to him. “Here’s their information. I’m there once a week. I alternate, depending on my day off, but next week, I’ll be there Tuesday.”
“Thanks,” Dr. Montgomery said softly as he held Callie close.
“By the way, thanks again for the water and fruit salad.”
“Don’t mention it.” I watched as he carried Callie toward his SUV, but he kept turning and glancing my way. The older woman hadn’t said a word, but she was obviously distraught. Her face was all blotchy and mascara had run down her cheeks.
“Bye, Sadie. I hope to see you again. Bye, Sadie. Bye.” Callie waved frantically as her father buckled her into the back seat. “I think that I want to be a deputy like you.” He paused, locked eyes with me over the rooftop of his SUV, and for the life of me, I couldn’t have looked away if an explosion was going off behind me.
Bye, he mouthed.
Raising my arm half-heartedly, I gave a slack-wrist wave. What was up with me? God, I didn’t act like this.
5
Ryan
I was a man of science, and as such, I worked in hard facts, not in serendipity, twists of fate, or stars colliding. But what were the odds that the deputy from the other day, the one who had caught my attention, the first woman in four years to do so, had been the one to find Callie? And all I had was her name—Sadie, Deputy Sadie Lazar. Not that I had any clue what I was going to do with it, I just had it.
“What is wrong?” I asked my mom, who was far too quiet in the passenger seat.
“Beside
the fact that I’ve been scared out of my mind for my only grandchild?”
“Yeah, you look confused.”
My mom turned to face Callie. “Sweetheart, where is the pretty dress you wore to school today? You are wearing your play clothes.”
I glanced back at Callie via my rearview mirror. It hadn’t even dawned on me that she was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Yeah, I knew that she wore a lot of dresses, but she also wore a lot of jeans and T-shirts, which in my opinion fit her personality much more. Tears welled in my daughter’s eyes, and her face turned sullen.
“Mom, why don’t we discuss this later?” I said as I pulled into the school parking lot. This was where I had met my mom earlier, since I’d come straight from work. “I’ll meet you at home.”
“Bye, Nana,” Callie whispered.
“Bye, sweet pea.”
I waited until my mom was in her car and had pulled out of the parking lot before broaching the subject. “Callie, what happened today? Why did you leave school?” I kept glancing back at Callie, but she didn’t answer me. “Callie, you need to answer me now.”
“Nana, I hurt Nana.”
“How did you hurt Nana?”
“Dadddd, don’t.”
“Caroline Alissa, you tell me right now.”
“I lost my dress.”
“How did you lose your dress?” I turned into the Science Center’s parking lot so I could give her my attention. “Unbuckle and come up here.” I slid my seat back as far as it would go, and as she climbed over the center console, I brought her into my lap. “Start at the beginning.”
“Nana makes me wear dresses.”
“Every day?”
“Yes. She says that young ladies do not wear jeans or shorts. Everyone at school makes fun of me. I can’t play.”
“But you’re wearing shorts today.”
“I sneak them in my backpack and change at school. Then I change back before Nana picks me up.”
While I didn’t approve of that at all, this was not the time to rebuke her for it, so I asked, “Oh, and what happened today that was different?”
“Madelyn has the same backpack as me, and I think she took mine when she went home sick at lunch.”
Book'em Sadie (Iron Badges #1) Page 4