Always for You:Jack(6)

Jack quit talking, hoping the kid would offer up some explanation about  what had happened to him. Some of Ricky's tension drained away, but his  mouth remained firmly shut. No doubt he wouldn't be any more forthcoming  with the police when they did show up.

"Is there anyone you want me to call?"

Just that quickly, Ricky was wound up tight again. "No, nobody."

"Ricky Patton, if that is even your real name, I know you don't really  know me. I'm just a guy who gave you a few bucks and a couple of meals."

"So? I was doing okay on my own before that, and I'll be okay once I get out of here."

"That's bullshit, and we both know it." Jack leaned in close enough to  force Ricky to look at him. Lacing his words with pure steel, he laid it  all out for the kid. "You've got to trust someone sometime. I'm not  saying it has to be me. Hell, the two cops who came to see me seemed  like decent sorts. Pick one of them instead. But regardless of who you  choose, the bottom line is that you could have been killed today.  Someone left you lying there in the gutter all broken and bleeding.  Whoever the bastard is that did that belongs behind bars, not roaming  the streets free to do it again. And if it's you he's specifically  targeting, the next time the two of you cross paths will more than  likely be the last, because you'll be dead. At the very least, tell the  cops what you know so they can go after the guy."

Ricky turned even more pale. "Get out of my face! I'm not telling the  cops a damn thing. Like I said, I can take care of myself."

Despite the brave words, the scared kid behind the bravado showed in his  wide eyes and in the way his voice cracked. Jack backed away just a  hair. He'd bet anything the kid was trying to protect someone, just not  himself.

"Okay, so here's the deal. The cops are assuming you're under eighteen.  I'm guessing they're right, and for sure they've already called CPS. My  mom has the right credentials to provide foster care and probably knows  the caseworker assigned to your case. You're going to need a safe place  to stay, especially with your arm screwed up like that. Give yourself a  break and come live with us at least until your arm heals. You'll have  your own room, which has a lock on the inside. No one will come in or  out unless you let them."

Ricky shifted and turned away from Jack, but the kid didn't tell Jack to fuck off. Maybe he was getting through to him.

"We're willing to have you come stay with the two of us, meaning my mom  and me, but I won't lie to you. People in our house are expected to pull  their own weight, so there will be some rules and regulations involved.  Stuff like working toward getting back into school. As your arm allows,  you'll be doing chores and have other responsibilities for as long as  you're with us. And for the record, there's no time limit on how long  you can stay as long as you make a solid effort to toe the line. We can  talk about the details when you're feeling more alert."

Silence, but again no rejection. At least the kid was thinking about it.  Jack was about to walk away to give the kid some space, when Ricky  flopped back over onto his back, cursing when it jarred his arm. "Why  would you do this? What do you get out of it?"

God, the kid sounded just like Jack had back in the day. He grinned at Ricky. "My best guess is a lot of lip from you."

A small smirk came and went before Ricky could hide it. Still  mistrustful, he frowned big-time. "Seriously, why would you do this?  Nobody does shit for anybody without getting something out of it."                       
       
           



       

Now wasn't the time for Jack's life story. He settled for what Ricky  really needed to hear. "For now, all you need to know is my mom took me  in off the streets when I was about your age, and I turned out okay.  Maybe I think you deserve the same chance I got."

He could hear his mom talking with someone, which meant she and the  nurse were nearly to the door. "You don't have to decide right away,  Ricky. I just thought you'd rest better knowing what was going on and  what your options would be when they boot your skinny ass out of here."

The corner of Ricky's mouth twitched upward just a bit. "Two things,  Jack. First, my ass ain't skinny. Second, does your mom bake cookies  very often?"

Jack stared down at him, straight-faced and serious as hell. "Two answers, kid. Yes, it is, and yes, she does."

Ricky slowly lifted his good hand and held it out. "Then it's a deal."

"I knew you were smarter than you looked, kid."

Jack shook Ricky's hand but ignored the sudden sheen in the teenager's  eyes and the way he was blinking like crazy to clear the tears  threatening to spill down his cheeks. Jack knew from experience how much  pride meant to a kid like Ricky. When you had nothing but the clothes  on your back, sometimes pride was all you had going for you. As he  turned to greet both the nurse and his mother, Jack realized that the  ten-ton boulder of worry that had been parked on his shoulders all night  suddenly felt a helluva lot smaller.

-

Caitlyn Curtis pulled to the curb and parked. Before getting out of her  car, she studied the house where her newest client was staying. It was  probably two decades older than the one she'd grown up in, but there  were definite similarities. If she had to guess, the main living space  was probably on the first floor while the bedrooms were all on the  second. The master bedroom was most likely located toward the front with  the smaller ones overlooking the backyard. At least that had been true  of the two cozy rooms she and her older brother had laid claim to in  their childhood home. The memory of that room had her smiling. How many  hours had she spent curled up in the window seat daydreaming as she  stared out at the world outside?

She shook her head, clearing away the memories to concentrate on her  first impressions of her newest clients. She liked that the yard was  freshly mowed, and the flowerbeds were kept neat and tidy. The house  itself was also well maintained, so that even a casual observer would  know the owners took pride in their home. Hopefully that meant they  would extend the same degree of care to the boy who had been sent to  live with them.

Only one way to find out. She picked up her briefcase and purse before  getting out of the car. She walked up the driveway, taking note of the  pair of vehicles parked there. One was definitely a workingman's truck  with all the dents and dings to prove it. There was a sign on the  driver's door that read JOE'S CONSTRUCTION. The second one, a late-model  SUV, was obviously someone's pampered baby. It would be interesting to  meet the owners and see if she could guess which one belonged with each  vehicle.

The front door swung open before she had a chance to knock. Caitlyn knew  she should introduce herself, but at that moment she wasn't sure she  could string the words together in any coherent order. She'd been told  that Marlene Lukash, the foster parent, was a woman in her late fifties.

Instead, the person on the other side of the screen door was a man of  about her own age, and what a man! He was around five inches taller than  she was, making him a shade under six feet tall, but his shoulders came  close to spanning the full width of the door. His reddish-brown hair  was cut military short, and his green eyes bore into hers with an  incredible intensity. God, she hoped she wasn't drooling.

He quirked an eyebrow, clearly wondering why she was just standing there and not saying a word. "Ms. Curtis?"

She managed to answer. "Yes, sorry. I wasn't expecting … they told me  you'd be older." And deciding she might as well go for broke, she added,  "and a woman."

His mouth quirked up in a small grin, clearly enjoying her  embarrassment. "So, tell me, Ms. Curtis. Are you disappointed that  neither of those things are true?"

No way she was going to answer that one. Even so, she couldn't remember  the last time she'd been so aware of a man. While his features were too  bold to be considered classically handsome, his looks were still  compelling. Then there was the fact that she'd always been a sucker for a  guy with a wicked sense of humor. Those amazing shoulders and smiling  eyes were just the icing on the cake, rich and all too tempting. She  took a mental deep breath and got back on task. "Is Mrs. Lukash  available? I'm the tutor she's hired to work with her foster son."                       
       
           



       

"Actually, I'm the one who will be footing your bill." He opened the  door to let her in. "I'm Jack McShane. Marlene Lukash is my mother. She  and Ricky are at the store, but they'll be back in just a few minutes. I  wanted a chance to talk to you before you meet your new student."