“Figures. And she’s your friend too.”
Joni fiddled with her purse straps. “Uh, no. She doesn’t like me.” She sent Marla a pleading look and they exchanged seats, putting Joni by the window.
Marla nudged her and teased. “Girl, why didn’t you tell me he was in love with you?”
“Hush. Someone will hear. And I told you, James is my friend.” Joni’s phone chimed. She unzipped her purse. It chimed again. Her pulse accelerated. James had texted her.
Hey beautiful. Marks not happy with me. Sorry I embarrassed you. Hes right. You shouldnt be seen with a bum like me.
James worked hard. He most definitely wasn’t a bum.
Dont say that. Im not embarrassed. I missed talking to you.
Missed you too. Have fun tonight.
Joni blinked back tears as she reached for her purse.
“Was that James?” Rachel peered around Marla.
Joni put the phone away. “It’s private.”
The twins popped up in the seat in front of them. “James texted you?”
God forgive her lie. “No, it was someone else.”
~~~
James sighed as he drove out of the parking lot. Was Mark right? Did knowing him give Joni a bad reputation? His family name had its black marks and Kathy did live in the rental house. For now. He should let Joni go. No more texting. Or chatting. And no more dreams of silky strands of gold.
Ray’s truck was parked in the driveway but his latest girlfriend, Chloe, stood in the open door of the house, crying.
“What’s wrong?”
“Kathy’s stoned and Isaac’s not here.”
A black hand gripped his heart. Ray stood over Kathy, who was curled in a ball on the floor. James stormed in the house and snatched Kathy up by her arm. Her eyes were glazed over. “Where is Isaac?” He shook her. “Where is he?” She blinked incoherently.
He swore and fought the urge to slap her. Instead, he dragged her down the hall and shoved her into the shower. He twisted on the cold water.
“Thank you.” Kathy fell to her knees but lifted her face into the icy spray.
“Ugh!” The shower door bounced open after James slammed it. The plexi-glass vibrated water onto the floor.
Ray and Chloe stopped in the doorway. “She tell you anything?”
James rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “She doesn’t know she’s in this world.”
“Let me try,” said Chloe.
“Have at it.” In the hall, James slouched against the wall and kicked the sheetrock. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have believed her? “Isaac, where are you?”
“Duh, he’s at the sitters.” A skinny, brown-haired guy shut the front door. “Kat! Baby, I’m home.”
Ray’s jaw dropped.
James shook his head. “Wait.” They followed the pimp into the kitchen. “Isaac is at Anna’s?”
“Yeah.” He turned one of the knobs on the electric stove. “Where’s Kat?”
James held his hand out backward. Ray took the hint and propped in the doorway. “She’s in the shower.” The deadbolt was engaged in the gap between the backdoor and the frame. “Why is Isaac at Anna’s at seven thirty on a Friday night?”
The intruder’s eyes darted from James to Ray and then back to James. His hand trembled as he bent down and lit a cigarette on the red hot stove. “Look.” Smoke circled his head. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing in Kat’s house, but Isaac’s daddy paid the sitter before he left town. Isaac’s been there ever since.”
James sucked in a breath as a picture of Granny demanding food-stamp money flashed through his mind. But the Todds were good people. Isaac was safe. Unless child services picked him up for abandonment. James groaned.
“What’s Isaac to you?”
“I’m his father.”
“Oh dude, why didn’t you say so?” He switched the cigarette into his left hand and stuck out his right. “Name’s Brian.”
The crack of nose cartilage didn’t stop James from pounding his fists into the idiot that dared to hurt his son. Brian crashed into the table and curved into a ball on the floor. His arms covered his head as steel-toed boots slammed into his ribs.
“Don’t kill him.” Ray’s calm voice intruded on the insanity raging through James.
He dropped his knee into the center of Brian’s back and struggled for control. Using his full weight, he kept the child abuser pinned to the floor. The stove eye burned red hot. He yanked Brian up by his shirtfront and slammed his back across the lit stove.
“Aaaaah!” Brian flailed wildly but James held him as long as he could. Brian collapsed on the floor. Flames licked the back of his tattered shirt. The stove’s imprint imitated a six-inch cigarette burn.
Ray gagged and stumbled backward. The smell of singed flesh mingled with burnt cotton. Chloe rushed in. Her eyes widened. She covered quivering lips with a trembling hand. “I can’t stay here. Please Ray. Don’t make me stay here.”
James used a booted foot to roll Brian over. The flames suffocated. Unmistakable agony covered his face. “Remember this the next time you think about touching Isaac.”
“You’re a monster.” The look in Chloe’s eyes would forever haunt James. “How could you do that to another human?”
He looked to Ray for help. His friend lifted his eyebrows. “It’s okay, babe. The guy was a meth user. Probably didn’t feel a thing.”
A pitiful moan floated up from the floor.
Chloe gawked at Ray. “How can you defend him?”
Ray shrugged. “Dude had it coming.” Chloe ran down the hall. With a shake of his head, Ray rolled his eyes and followed.
A sleazy girl and Heather, slid to a stop inside the doorway. She swore at James. “What have you done?” She helped Brian to his feet and pulled his arm over her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get out of this crazy house. Lauren, find Kathy. She’s not safe here.”
James laughed at the irony. “No, she’s not. Take her stuff with you. And when she comes down, make sure she knows she doesn’t live here anymore.” Brian and Heather hobbled across the living room and out the front door.
Lauren’s screech echoed from the bathroom. “Poor baby, you’ll probably have pneumonia.” She led a soaked, zombified Kathy up the hall.
Kathy tilted her head. “Bye-bye, James.”
Pathetic. But he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. He held open the door and allowed them to pass. On the porch, he waited until their taillights disappeared around the curve.
While dialing Anna’s number, James walked back to the kitchen. He stomped the small flames eating a hole in the linoleum as her sleepy voice answered.
“Is Isaac there?”
“James, he’s asleep. Call back in the morning. You can talk to him then.”
He leaned against the counter and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “But he is there? With you?”
Her sigh was short and loud. “Yes. Now, goodnight.”
The phone reverted back to his home screen. What kind of babysitter hung up on a parent? A lot of things didn’t add up, but one thing was for certain. Isaac wouldn’t stay with Anna again.
The stove was on. He turned it off and stepped over the charred mark on the floor. Brian’s cries for mercy resounded in the back of his mind. Needing to escape the reality of his actions, James walked out of the house toward his truck. One smile from Joni would shed some light on his dark world.
~~~
At the roadside park, James reclined against his truck hood. Under the tent, a hundred yards away, The Street Preacher gave a call for repentance. James scanned the near empty seats and found Joni close to the front. Never taking his eyes off her, he slipped his phone from his pocket.
Hey beautiful. I need a hug. He sent the text and watched for her reaction.
She dug through her purse. From this distance, he couldn’t see her facial expression, but she jerked her head around and stared toward him. The tension in his shoulders r
elaxed as he read her reply. Where are you?
Parking lot.
Joni slipped out of her seat and walked out of the tent while the brunette beside her fought the crowd to the altar.
His phone vibrated in his hand. Where?
Beside the church bus. He shoved his cell in his pocket and watched her walk into the shadows. Her phone illuminated her angelic face. He slid off the truck. His heart rate accelerated with her every step. “Joni.”
Her smile and open arms welcomed him. The guilt vanished. He crushed her against his chest and swirled her around in circles. Her giggles were music to his soul. The flowery scent of her hair intoxicated him. Eyes closed, he breathed her in. “Joni.” His eyes opened. Her arms were wound around his neck and her body was pressed close. She was too good for him. Reluctantly, he set her on her feet.
“Ouch.” She stepped up on his steel-toed boots. “My feet.”
In the dark, he couldn’t see what caused her pain. “What’s wrong?”
She teetered. Her hands gripped the lapels of his shirt.
His arms balanced her against him. “Are you hurt?”
The tension in his muscles eased at her giggle. “I lost my shoes mid-twirl.” She giggled again. “And that gravel is sharp.”
“Those flippity-flappity heels?” He bit his lip to keep from kissing her. She should be under the tent praying, but surely no one would miss her during the chaotic altar service.
“Yes.” She shifted her weight against him.
They couldn’t stay in their current position. After what he did tonight, he didn’t deserve the angel in his arms. “Hold on to me.”
“I won’t let go.” Her hands clenched his biceps.
“I’m gonna walk backwards. You can sit on the tailgate while I find your shoes.”
“Don’t drop me.”
A moonbeam peeked from behind the clouds. Trust filled her green eyes. “I won’t,” he vowed. Without breaking eye contact, he stepped back with his right leg. “One…” The length of her dress shortened his stride. He smiled down at her. “Two…” Left foot. “Three…don’t look at me like that.”
“It’s like dancing.” She snuggled against him.
Wavering at her touch, he lost count.
“Only better.” Soft arms wound around his waist.
He couldn’t breathe. Reaching around her, he dropped the tailgate. She scooted onto the seat. Her hand trailed down his arm as he backed away. His arms ached at the loss of her. She released a ragged breath.
He slipped out his phone and touched the screen. Using it as a flashlight, he found one shoe halfway under the truck and the other four feet from it. “You’re gonna break your neck in these things.” But oh, he loved the way they looked on her.
“You sound like Isaac. Did you find them?”
“Yeah, hold this.” He handed her the phone, brushed the gravel dust off one of the shoes, and knelt before her. “Left.” Caressing her soft ankle, he slid the shoe over her bare foot. It fell to the ground. “What?” He picked it up and tried again but gravity reclaimed the sandal.
Joni’s sweet laugh soothed his irritation. “Some prince charming you are.”
He frowned up at her. “This is not a glass slipper. It’s not even a whole shoe. There’s no heel.” A few swipes of his hand leveled the gravel where he placed both shoes.
Her laughter blossomed.
“They’re half-shoes.” He laid the phone on the ground so she could see to step into them. “With spikes.”
With one hand on his shoulder, she wobbled once and regained her balance. “Thank you, Sir Knight.” Her sweet kiss landed on his cheek.
Tonight, in his anger, he’d set a man on fire. He wasn’t an honorable knight or a charming prince, but Joni didn’t need to know that. “You better go. People are probably looking for you.”
Her smile faded in the moonlight. “Are you coming?”
“No, and you shouldn’t be seen coming from the parking lot.”
“I don’t care what they think.” Joni wrapped her arms around his waist and tilted her face upward. “I told everyone on the bus we were friends and dared anyone to say anything about it.”
Only Joni would stand up for his black soul. “Thank you.” A gentle breeze caressed the gauzy fabric of her skirt. “Jesus looks good on you.”
“You think so?” She held the sides of her dress and twirled.
He couldn’t stop his smile. “Yeah, but those flippity-flappity shoes have got to go.” A group of people walked toward the parking lot. “Get out of here before I throw you in my truck and steal you away.”
She kissed the underside of his jaw before shuffling through the gravel. Once she hit the sidewalk, the sway of her hips mesmerized him and he realized why he let her go when everything in him screamed to hold her near. He loved her, and if anyone deserved to go to heaven, it was Joni. “I’m in deep trouble.”
“Yes, you are.”
He jerked his head around. His brother-in-law stood between the church bus and his truck. James swallowed. How long had he been listening? “Mark.”
“You asked Joni to meet you out here?” The frown on his face wasn’t brotherly.
James leaned against the tailgate.
“There’s a name for girls who follow guys into the shadows.”
His fists clenched at his sides. “Don’t. Joni’s not like that.” He couldn’t let Mark think the worst. “She’s not like me.”
Mark’s hard gaze never wavered. “What would happen if Cole or Phillip knew she was out here with you? Would they believe she was good and innocent?”
James shoved away from the truck and widened his stance.
“Or do you suppose they’d think…they could be next?”
Chapter Nine
At one thirty, James coasted his truck into Sam and Anna’s driveway. The lights were out and the house slept. A blue, child-sized bicycle lay haphazardly on the lawn. Maybe, he should have waited until morning. A dog barked in the backyard while James contemplated his choices. A light flicked on and a robe-clad Sam appeared on the porch. The decision made for him, James stepped into the night. “I know Anna wanted me to wait, but I just learned that Isaac’s been here for the whole time.”
The balding man led him indoors. “How could you not know? You called every day.”
James knocked the dirt off his boots before stepping into the ceramic-tiled foyer. “Yes, but I thought Kathy picked him up in the evening and brought him back the next morning.”
“We haven’t seen her since she dropped him off.”
“Where is he?”
Anna descended the stairs. Both she and her husband mirrored the pictures sent to James’s phone. She crossed her arms and blocked his access to Isaac. “I told you. He’s asleep.”
“Wake him up.” An uneasy feeling settled in his gut. Something wasn’t right here.
“Follow me.” Sam pulled Anna aside. “Make some coffee, honey. We’re gonna need it.” He led James up the carpeted stairs to a little boy’s dream room.
Inhaling the fresh scent of paint, James feasted his eyes on his son. Isaac was curled up next to Bunkie on a pirate ship bed. James kissed his cheek and whispered. “Daddy loves you.”
Sam shifted his feet in the doorway. “Let him sleep and come downstairs for a minute. I want to talk to you about something before you take him.”
Why did they agree to keep Isaac? Judging from the expensive furnishings in the house, they didn’t need the money. Sam hadn’t looked James in the eye since he opened the door. What had Kathy done? “All right. We’ll talk.”
Downstairs, Sam flipped on the dining room light. “Have a seat.”
James remained standing. “Tell me what I owe you and we’ll be on our way.”
“Did you know I’m an attorney?”
James’s heart stopped. So they didn’t do it for money. “No, sir.”
“I want to offer you my legal services.”
James breathed out slowly. “Why?”<
br />
Sam clasped his hands on the table. Glasses magnified the emotion swimming in his eyes. “Until a moment ago, I didn’t realize you loved him. Haven’t you wondered about us?”
James’s gut churned. He didn’t like where this conversation was going. “Kathy said Anna was her sister. I didn’t believe it.”
Sam shrugged and shook his head. “I can’t blame you.”
“How do you know Kathy? And why would you think I didn’t want my son?” James clenched his jaw and prepared himself for the worst.
Anna balanced three coffee mugs as she walked into the room. She set them on the table and spoke directly to James. “Kathy is my half-sister.”
The blow stole James’s breath. “How’s is that possible? She’s twenty and you’re…?”
“Fifty-three.” She sipped from her cup and continued. “My dad had an affair during a midlife crisis. Kathy’s birth broke my mother’s heart. We knew she existed. Sent money every month. Dad would visit her once a year, but we didn’t talk about it. He died of a heart attack twelve years ago. Mom couldn’t deal with things, so she offered Kathy’s mother a settlement.”
James tilted his head. “Then how did she find you?”
“I don’t know. She showed up about five years ago. Claimed she wanted to get to know her big sister, but she robbed us blind. She didn’t have Isaac then.” Her eyes shifted to the floor.
“There’s more. Tell me all of it.”
Anna inhaled sharply and looked him in the eye. “I can’t have children. When Isaac was six months old, Kathy knocked on our door again. She agreed to let us keep him.”
The earth shifted, and James longed to shut out her next words.
“She signed consent for us to adopt, but the judge required the biological father’s permission as well. Kathy named you as the father, but claimed she didn’t know where to find you. About a year ago, she was supposed to get your signature, but she disappeared with Isaac. We didn’t see her again until six weeks ago.”
“How much did you pay her?”
Sam shifted his glasses. “Child trafficking is illegal…”
James’s fist landed on the table between them. “How much?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
He swore. “You wasted your money. My son is not for sale.” He retraced his previous path to the room Isaac slept in. The fresh paint had new meaning given Anna’s revelation.
“Isaac.” He cradled him close and turned for the stairs.
“Daddy! You’re home!”