Ricky pulled the blanket tight around himself, his expression so bleak. "My mom and I weren't doing great before Lawrence started sniffing around, but he made it so much worse. I hate that guy, Jack."
"I don't blame you. He's a major asshole. Only a bully of epic proportions would use his fists on a kid." He dropped his voice before continuing. "Looking at Lawrence was like a flashback to when I was a kid. My old man, his brother, and my grandfather were just like him."
Ricky's eyes widened. "And your mom?"
There was no use holding back now. "She left when I was a kid. The only way my dad would let her go was if she left me behind. I never blamed her for getting out while she could."
Then he shook his head. "No, that's not true at all. I blamed her then, and I blame her now. She knew what my life would be like living with him, and she left me there anyway."
The lost-child look on Ricky's face faded into one of grim acceptance. "Sometimes I actually hate my mother. But after this morning, I don't feel anything for her one way or another. It's like she no longer exists in my life."
"It's her loss, Ricky." Jack hugged the kid again, keeping his hold on him gentle but firm. "And don't forget, you've got other people who love you now-my mom, my brother, Caitlyn, and me. It might not be the same, but it's real."
He spotted the two detectives headed their way about the same time Tino pulled up in Jack's SUV. "Let's see what these guys have to say, and then I'll get you to the hospital."
Ricky gave the cops a worried look, but he stood his ground. "And then can I go home with you?"
"Where else would you go? It's your home, too."
Evidently that was the right thing to say, because for the first time Ricky actually looked hopeful. "Do you think we could order in pizza?"
"Maybe tomorrow night. I'm guessing Mom will be cooking like crazy. She always does when she's worried about one of her boys."
Ricky's eyes filled with tears again. "And I'm really one of her boys?"
As if Jack and Marlene hadn't done everything they could for the past few weeks to make that clear to the kid. Obviously Ricky still needed to be reassured he wasn't just some stray they'd brought home, that he was a real member of the family now. Jack shoulder bumped the kid a little harder than usual for emphasis.
"Yeah, you lucked out. Now you belong to the Lukash gang just like me, Tino, and Mikhail."
Then together, they turned and waited for the police.
Chapter 20
Caitlyn made her way toward the front door of Marlene's house. As far as she knew, she and Jack hadn't made any plans for tonight, but she wanted to make sure everything was all right. She'd tried to return Jack's call during a couple of breaks at work, but he hadn't answered. Normally she wouldn't have been concerned, but there'd been such an odd note in his voice when he'd left her a message earlier.
She lifted her hand to ring the doorbell when a loud crash startled her. It sounded as if it had come from the annex. When it was followed closely by another even louder one, she decided to investigate. Moving cautiously, she made her way around back to the old garage apartment that Jack and his brothers shared. No sign of anyone outside.
Then she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Just as she turned her head to face the side window of the garage, something flew past it on the inside ending with another loud crash. What was going on? Had someone broken in to the place? It didn't seem likely when both Jack's SUV and his dad's old truck were parked out front.
She inched closer to the window to peek inside and instantly wished she hadn't. It was Jack in there tearing the place apart. As she watched, he heaved a brightly colored dumbbell across the room. Even through the wall of the garage, she could hear him screaming curses as he immediately threw the next one off the rack. Then he started on the discs for his weight set, flinging them one right after another.
As she watched, her skin turned cold despite the warmth of the late-afternoon sun. If it weren't for his familiar hair color and the fact that this was his home, she wasn't sure she would have recognized Jack at all. His face was contorted in absolute fury as he continued to trash the place. She backed away from the window, hoping to escape before he saw her.
How had Jack hidden this side of his personality from her? The familiar taste of disappointment and fear made her sick. God, did she never learn? Josh had been the same way, all charm and good looks until something triggered his temper. How many times had he exploded in a rampage when some little thing hadn't gone his way? Most of the time it hadn't been anything she'd done; she'd just been the closest target for his anger.
What had set Jack off like this? And where was everyone else? Surely if Tino or Marlene knew Jack was raging out of control like this, they'd be trying to stop him. Well, maybe not Marlene. She wasn't big enough to stand up to a man Jack's size, but surely Tino could do something. And where was Ricky?
Fear for the teenager had her running back across the driveway to see if anyone was in the house.
Caitlyn yanked the back door open and hollered, "Marlene! Ricky! Is anyone home?"
No answer. She went inside, pausing to lock the door behind her. It wouldn't keep Jack out if he left the annex, but it might slow him down long enough for her to escape out the front. After quickly checking the first floor, she headed up the stairs to where the bedrooms were located.
It was a relief to find them all empty. Rather than hang around, she quickly ran back downstairs and let herself out the front door. Once she reached her car, she got in and locked the doors. What should she do next? Should she call Ricky's caseworker and tell her what was going on? That was her duty if she honestly thought the teenager was in any possible danger from Jack.
She stared at her phone but couldn't bring herself to dial the number. What could she say? That she'd seen him toss a few things around, that he was taking his anger out on objects, not people? It wasn't as if anyone else had even been around to witness the display of temper except her. No, without knowing the facts, she could easily do more harm than good, not just to Jack but to Ricky as well. If the caseworker jerked him out of this home, who knew where he'd end up next.
Then there was the fact that she cared about Jack. No, that was too weak of a word for what she felt for the man. She loved him, and he loved her, too. Her heart knew that, even if they hadn't yet admitted it. What's more, she trusted him. Had from the very beginning.
Yeah, he occasionally admitted that he was in over his head sometimes when it came to Ricky and his problems. From her own experience as a teacher, she knew that most parents felt that way at times. That didn't mean they weren't doing a good job of raising their kids. The same was true of Jack even if he wasn't the boy's natural parent. It was also clear that the teenager both liked Jack and looked up to him. A streetwise kid like Ricky didn't trust easily, and Jack had won the boy's respect.
From what she had seen, the man was incredibly patient with Ricky, but that didn't mean he went easy on the kid, either. If Ricky crossed the line, like the day when he'd taken off without calling, Jack had let the boy see he wasn't happy with his behavior or the choices he had made. He'd also made sure to let Ricky know that everyone made mistakes and that there would be consequences. She could still remember how shocked Ricky was that Jack hadn't tossed him back out on the streets.
"So what should I do?"
Even though she asked the question out loud, she was the only one who could answer it. All things considered, she had two choices. She could let the scars from her past rule her emotions, which meant calling the caseworker without really knowing what was going on. Her second option was to trust her instincts that said Jack was the good man she'd believed him to be, which meant she should give him the chance to explain.
If she didn't like what he had to say, well, she could still make that call.
Praying she was doing the right thing, Caitlyn unlocked the car door and marched right back up the driveway to the annex before she could chicken out. She drew a deep breath as she knocked on the door and waited to see what would happen next.
When Jack didn't respond, she pressed her ear against the door and listened. No more crashes or curses. After knocking again, she opened the door just far enough to see into the room on the other side.