Killing Roses

6__Watching from the dark

06:15 pm

“I’m telling you! I turned eighteen last week!”

Valerie gave the kid a bored look over the table. She’d marched him to the fast food place a block from her apartment, watched him eat almost a thousand burgers and fries then began her interrogation. Sadly, he’d been trying to feed her the same bullshit for the past thirty minutes.

“Try again, kid,” she murmured.

His shoulders hunched and he dragged a hand over his face. Valerie observed him, feeling like she’d seen him even before she caught him in the parking lot the other day.

He looked up at her and Valerie read his expressive grey eyes as easily as she would a children’s book. He was scared.

She leaned forward. “What are you afraid of? Me?”

He immediately scoffed, puffing his chest out. “No! I’m not scared of no broad!”

She raised a brow. “Then why won’t you tell me your real age? Where are you from?”

He eyed her before lowering his gaze. She saw his mouth part and he said something barely above a mumble.

Valerie cupped a hand over her ear. “Come again?”

“I said, you’re a social worker!”

She jerked back at his outburst and blinked at him.

“My profession offends you?”

He shrugged. “Thing is… the moment you find out all about me, you’ll think you know me. You’ll want to help me, try to get me back into the system and once you do that, the nightmare begins all over again.”

She stared at him, willing to admit to herself that that was exactly what she had been planning to do. He’d clearly had some bad experiences.

With a sigh, she sat back.

“Okay. Let’s make a deal. You tell me all about you, how you ended up in my car and what you lost there, I help you in my own way… without involving any authorities.”

Valerie knew it was risky, but this boy created an urge to protect in her from the first moment she’d set eyes on him. His eyes were too full of distrust, Valerie just wanted to give him somebody to trust.

He considered her offer and when he shrugged, she figured he had nothing to lose.

He nodded. “Deal.”

She grinned and stuck her hand out, watching as he blushed and hesitantly shook it.

“You’ll see, I’m like a mini Wonder Woman,” she said with graceful wave of her hand.

Before she could start questioning him again, her phone started ringing.

Both their eyes went to it, but only Valerie’s went wide.

He’d saved his name as Roman Parker? Huh! Did he think they were on a first name basis or what?

“Who is it?” Michael hesitantly asked.

Valerie glanced at him as she picked up her phone. “My cop boyfriend. “

“What?! You said—”

“Relax, geez! He doesn’t even know about you and I won’t say a thing, I promise.”

When the kid calmed down, she put the phone to her ear. “Detective?”

“Miss Quinn. Where are you?”

The urgent tone in his voice made Val sit up straighter.

“What’s going on?”

Roman was in his car, about two minutes from her apartment, he just needed to make sure she was home, since she didn’t pick up the first time he’d called her.

“I’ll explain when I see you. Where are you?”

Valerie looked around for the name of the diner, but saw no clues. “Uhhm… at a diner about a block from my apartment. I live at—”

“I know where you live. Stay put, I’m almost there.”

The line went dead and she looked at her phone with a raised brow, before looking at Michael.

“He has absolutely no manners.” She shook her head. “None whatsoever, hangs up on people and finds out where they live without their permission, seriously no manners.”

“That’s the guy who made you say ‘dung it’?” asked the kid with a grin.

Valerie gave him a look. “When you’re on my team, you stay on my team, don’t ever show signs of supporting the other team!”

He frowned in confusion. “What?”

She sighed and waved it away. “Never mind! He’s on his way—”

“What?!” he shot out of his chair in a panic. “He’s coming here?”

Val looked up at him. “No need to get so excited. I won’t tell him you’re a tyre slasher kid—”

“I’m not a tyre slasher kid or whatever!”

Valerie tilted her head. “Exactly how old are you?”

“Sixteen.” he said, fisting his hands and puffing out his chest like he was all of thirty-five years old. “No mom, no dad, no family. I was with a foster family, but they were assholes so I ran away. There. My story.”

She said nothing, only stared sadly at him, noting easily in the light of the diner, how his eyes had gotten wetter.

Valerie nodded. “I see.” Something caught her eye as she stared at Michael, she glanced out the window and saw Detective Parker get out of his SUV. “Oh, he’s here.”

With speed Valerie didn’t foresee, the kid darted under the table, throwing the table cloth over his feet.

She made a face and lifted the cloth on her side to peer down at him. “Uh, isn’t this a bit much? It’s not like he’ll arrest you—”

“Shh!” He whispered, shuffling fearfully away from where he’d sat before, huddling closer to her feet. “He’s a cop! I don’t even know if he’s busted my ass before! I ain’t taking chances!”

“What are you doing?” asked a deep voice.

Valerie sat up so fast, her hair blew over. “Detective! There you are. Please, sit.”

Raising a hand, she put her curls back in place.

Roman eyed the plates of left over bits of food on the table and ignored the scruffy sneakers sticking out from under the table. “You got company?”

“Huh?”

He nodded at the plates. Valerie gasped. “Aah! Ha-ha, no! All I’ve got is a really big appetite. Yup, I ate all this! Boy, am I full!”

He gave her a look that let Valerie know she’d officially been crowned Dumbest Girl in New York in his books.

“Can we move to another table, if you’re done?”

“Uh…” She looked uncertainly down at the moving cloth and shrugged. “Okay.”

When they were seated, he quickly pulled out his phone and started typing for a short while.

Valerie took the golden opportunity to stare at him. She’d seen hot cops before, but this! She shook her head silently.

“Any reason why…” started Roman, still looking at his phone. Val cringed and looked away, he must have seen her staring.

“Any reason why what?” she demanded, ready to deny all accusations.

He looked up at her and set his phone down. In a lowered voice, he asked “Any reason why that kid is hiding under your table?”

Her eyes widened and Roman watched her smack a hand over her mouth. He gave her a bored look. From outside, he’d seen the kid speaking to her before diving under the table and had briefly wondered what the f**k they were doing.

She leaned forward. “Shh. He has a fear of cops.”

He raised a brow. Valerie sighed. “He’s just a kid,” she whispered. “He’s had a tough time in foster and he’s on the streets so I’m going to help him out.”

Roman’s mouth quirked up on one side and Valerie moved back at the cold look he suddenly gave her.

He lifted a brow at her. “What? You’ll put him back in the machine to get recycled?”

Valerie winced. “Ouch. No, what the hell?”

“Then what are you gonna do?” Roman was frowning now and she wondered why he was taking it so personal. “You’re gonna adopt him?”

His mocking smirk had Valerie narrowing her eyes at him. “So what if I said I’ll adopt him? What’s so unbelievable about that?!”

He scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning back into his chair.

The glare she was giving him burned ten times hotter and Valerie turned away, huffing at his arrogance. “Whatever! What did you want to talk about?”

Leaning forward again, he put his forearms on the table. Her eyes followed, taking in the powerful muscle and the slight appearance of veins that trailed up his arms. When her mouth watered, Val forced her eyes up.

She found his gaze dark and intense as he stared at her. “I got your attention?” he asked.

She straightened and crossed her arms tighter. As much to warm her tightened n*****s as to look stubborn. “Yah.”

“Good. I wanted to talk to you about what you saw in the parking lot on Tuesday night.”

She tensed, but shrugged it off. “What about it?”

“It’s possible that the person you saw is the one who killed Jennifer Crawford.”

Valerie gulped and slowly nodded. “Okay. Uhm, you want me to work with a sketch artist? I didn’t see his face. I—”

“It’s not that.” He softened his tone when her brown eyes grew even bigger and she stared at him like a lost kitten. Roman sighed. “That person could have possibly been after you and was unable to carry out his plans when I appeared on the scene. You left before me, giving him no chance to harm you. Miss Crawford however…”

He trailed off and shook his head.

Val didn’t get him. “What are you saying?” She frowned at him. “I was the target?!”

Roman saw her eyes grow huge and he held out his palms to calm her. “Possibly! Possibly. It’s not certain, but we don’t want to take a chance. You need to be very careful for the next few days. No working late, no parking down there. Get protection. Actually, I’ll grab an extra taser from work for you—”

She held out her palms, closing her eyes for a minute. “Hold on, my head’s spinning right now! Taser…? Isn’t this a bit exaggerated? Like, seriously.”

When his eyes darkened in anger, Valerie wished she hadn’t said anything. He leaned over the table which his large body suddenly made look like a kiddies table. “If you saw,” he said in a dark tone. “…what that bastard did to your co-worker’s body, you wouldn’t say that. She wasn’t killed by just anyone, she was killed by a f*****g psychopath, so unless you want to be the next one on his list, you will do as you’re f*****g told. Go straight home from here and lock your door and windows.” He stood up. “You have my number.”

With a final nod, he stalked off in flurry of heat, anger and masculinity.

Valerie slowly rubbed the tingles off her arms, blinking back the tears that filled her eyes. Oh, God. What on earth did the bastard do to Jenny?

With a huge exhale, Val deflated into her seat and watched as he got into his car.

“What the hell?” she whispered, holding a hand to her racing heart. What on earth was going on? Was there really a killer aiming for her head?

Also, how dare that cop speak to her in that scary tone?

“Is he gone?”

Valerie turned to see Michael poking his head out from under the table, his thick curved brows drawn together in a frown above his anxious grey eyes.

She sighed at him. “Will you come out from under that table and stop acting like a fugitive?!”

Quickly, he shuffled out and stood to his full height beside her. Valerie glared up at him.

“Tall kids are always the weirdest, aren’t they?”

He gave her a look. “Cause I’m nearly six foot tall, you’re short, but for someone else only five-foot-three tall, your five-eight ass is a giant. So don’t pick on tall kids.”

Valerie’s eyes were nearly falling out of her skull. “You little…! I am not five-eight first of all, secondly, don’t you dare refer to my person as ‘your ass’!”

He nonchalantly scratched his chin and rocked back on his heels. “Yes, ma’am.”

His statement suddenly replayed in her head and Valerie had to stifle her laughter. Where did kids get their mouths from these days?

She shook her head and got up. “You know what? Just…” A sigh. “Come on. Let’s go.”

After paying for their food, Val led the way out to her car. She stopped walking when she realized that the kid was no longer following her.

When she glanced at him over her shoulder, he scratched the back of his neck. “Uhm… I’m really grateful for the meal, but… where are you gonna take me?” he asked quietly.

Valerie turned to answer him when she felt a sudden chill go down her back.  Detective Parker’s scary words came to mind and her body went slightly cold.

Quickly, she threw a glance behind her at the lamp lit streets beyond the pavements. Her eyes swept past parked cars and dark building corners, shop windows and creepy alleyways. Nothing. The eerie chill persisted so she quickly took Michael’s hand. “Somewhere safe, I promise, just get in the car.”

He got in and sat stiffly in the front seat. Val quickly got in the car only letting out a breath when she’d closed the car door.

She could feel Michael’s eyes on her.

“You scared of something?” he asked.

She slowly turned to look at him. “What?”

“You look like you’re scared of something.”

“Oh.” Valerie shook her head. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

She made him put his belt on and was soon driving through the streets, glad other people were still out and about.

Soon she brought the car to a stop in front of a four story building and got out. Michael followed, looking up at the building with sceptical eyes. It didn’t seem to be a police station. Was it a foster home?

Val looked at him, smiled and reached out to press the intercom, but he caught her hand midway before releasing it.

“What is this place?” he asked and Val already didn’t like the tone of his voice. His body looked as tense as a cross country athlete just before the gunshot. He was about to bolt.

She turned to him. “It’s where my friend lives with her kids. She’ll totally welcome you, don’t worry.”

She reached for his shoulder, but Michael jerked out of her reach. “You said you weren’t going to involve any authorities. You said you wouldn’t put me back in the system.”

His eyes were filled with panic and Val held out a hand to calm him.

“Yes, and I’m sticking with my promise. Michael, I’ll come get you tomorrow morning so we can sort things out, I just might not be able to take you home for now.”

He looked up at the building like she hadn’t spoken. “This is a foster home, isn’t it?”

Val shook her head. “No. My friend and her husband bought this building and live here with their kids, who were also once in the system just like you. You’re safe—”

“Do you know what happens in places like this?” he asked softly, his eyes dazed.

She stared at him in the night lights of Manhattan and for a moment imagined some kind of horror that this child must have gone through.

“Michael—”

“Kids lose their souls in places like this,” he said. His voice was so quiet, Valerie found herself unable to speak, so she listened. “They die inside and become a rotting shell of what they could’ve been… if they’d been saved. You don’t have to save me… but don’t try to ever send me back to a place like this.”

With that, he turned on his heal and started walking quickly away from her.

Val watched his back for a few seconds before getting zapped back to her senses. She gasped and darted after him on the dark pavement not stopping until she grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

“Michael! Hey, wait!”

He turned in a panic, trying to free himself from her. “Please let me go!”

Valerie was horrified to hear fear in his voice. Was he afraid of her?

“Michael.” He struggled against her grip. “Stop! Hey, you still haven’t gotten it back! Whatever you lost in my car! Remember?” His struggle weakened, sputtered and died.

His arms fell to his sides.

Valerie’s heart was beating too fast to breathe. She felt like if she let him go that night, he’d end up in danger or hurt on the dangerous New York streets and she did not want that to happen. She wouldn’t allow it. The kid was now under her protection and there he’d remain.

“Just calm down, okay?” she said gently. “I promise you that that place is the safest for any child… but I don’t know everything you’ve been through, so if you’re not comfortable going in there… I won’t force you.”

He looked at her and she saw the tears in his eyes. Her heart broke.

“You’re gonna let me leave…?”

Valerie didn’t know if it was just her or she heard the hope in his voice that she wouldn’t.

So she shook her head. “No. I’ll just have to take you with me. But if you try to kill me in the middle of the night, I’ll chop you into pieces and make a stew to feed my dogs.”

When he flinched, she smiled. Good, he’d gotten her point.

“Come on.”

She turned and slowly, they walked back to her car where Val finally headed in the direction of her condo.

A black, unmarked van slowly crept away from the curb where it had parked and headed in the same direction.

Its driver scowled. He’d been so ready to play tonight, but that boy… again that boy had disturbed his playtime.

He’d have to teach him a lesson.