Next time the old lady won’t be so lucky. Close down that faggot clinic.
They all stared at each other. Keith slid the note into the bag and handed it to Drew. “Take this and call 911. Tell them what happened and that I’m here at the scene, off-duty but with my weapon.” He then pulled out his service revolver and motioned everyone away from the window.
Drew made the call and returned to the living room. Keith had instructed them to stay away from the window, then went downstairs to meet the police officers. Red lights flashed against his windows from the street, and Drew could tell the police cruiser had arrived. After about twenty minutes Keith came back upstairs, stone-faced and in full police mode.
“Drew, have you had any threats at the clinic before?” Keith had his little black notebook with him, and his laser sharp eyes never wavered from Drew’s face.
“No. Never. Everyone in the neighborhood has been so supportive.” There had to be something else. He remembered when his grandmother was hospitalized and the two young men who pretended to help her with gardening but shoved her around. “What about the two kids who pushed her around the night she fell ill? You know Stevie’s foster brothers have hassled him about working at the clinic with me.”
Keith’s brows rose. “And we know their penchant for violence. It’s a good place to start. I’ll talk to them tomorrow and then take Esther to the station and have her look at some pictures. I wanted to wait until she was stronger, but I think we have to move fast on this.”
Drew’s lips tightened. “Don’t let her stay too long. She won’t admit it, but she still gets tired.”
Keith patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, D. She’s special to me too. To all of us.”
Drew smiled briefly, and then he searched the room until he found Nana sitting with Ash and Rachel. His heart squeezed.
His family. He’d do anything to protect them.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Esther, are you well? Would you like a drink of water?” Ash knelt at her side, worry gnawing away at his stomach. Nothing could happen to her. Nothing.
“I’m fine, Asher. Really. Why is everyone hovering around me?” Her lips thinned as her eyes narrowed with irritation. “I’m sure it was some neighborhood kids. They do these things all the time. What they need is strong family guidance and a place where they can play or read.”
Her naïveté was sweet, but Ash knew this was something more. For some reason, Drew was being targeted. If it was only the brick, maybe it wouldn’t have raised his warning flag, but the fact that there was a note scared him. They’d already had one close call with Esther.
“I’m sure you’re right.” He stood and kissed her cheek, and he and Rachel exchanged knowing looks. With a brief nod, he threaded his way around the groups of people standing about. The two police officers were taking statements from everyone and were in the process of interviewing Drew, so he joined Peter and his wife, Lisa, as they waited their turn.
“Hi, you two.” He kissed Lisa’s cheek. “Sorry for the extra entertainment this evening.”
“Oh, Ash, what’s happening? I heard that the note mentioned the clinic. Are you in any kind of danger?” Her green eyes clouded with worry, and she gripped his arm.
Even after all these years, he couldn’t stand being touched by people, even if he knew them as well as Lisa. He stiffened and gently shook her off, hoping he didn’t offend her. “I don’t really know, but yes, it’s meant as some sort of intimidation against the clinic.” The worry wasn’t for himself. He didn’t spend as much time at the clinic as Drew or Rachel did, or the kids who volunteered. They were easy targets for this kind of hate crime. The thought of something happening to Drew kicked his adrenaline into high gear. Spots danced before his eyes, his vision grayed, and a roaring sounded in his ears.
“Ash, Ash, are you all right? Here, sit down.” Peter took him by the shoulder. The touch wasn’t right. It wasn’t Drew. Oh God, if anything happened to Drew, he knew he couldn’t survive the loss. “No,” he rasped out. “I need to find Drew. I need to tell him something.”
But Drew was still being interviewed by an earnest-looking young policeman, so Ash could only watch him from afar as the thoughts tumbled around in his head. When had this man become so important to him, and why? For so long he’d been alone, and that had been his choice. The frenetic encounters with nameless men suited his uncaring, indifferent lifestyle. But Mr. Frank, as usual, had been right all along. Somewhere along the way, the need for human touch, to feel warmth had returned to his soul.
“Ash? What’s going on?” Stevie’s voice pierced through his internal musings.
“What are you guys doing here?” Ash saw not only Stevie, but Javier hovering by his side, a fierce, protective expression on his face. “Are you two dating?” His lips tugged up in a smile.
Javier scowled. “Don’t make fun, man. It’s all right. We’re having a good time together, right?” Javier took Stevie’s hand, and Stevie blushed a bright red.
Stevie had had a crush on the older boy for several months now, so it made Ash happy that they had finally gotten together. Stevie needed a strong male protector to teach him how to stand up for himself.
“But what’s going on? We were biking by and saw the cop cars.” Stevie surveyed the room. “Did anyone get hurt? Is Dr. Drew okay?”
Ash patted him on the back, happy to notice that Stevie didn’t seem as bony as he had a few months ago. “Everyone’s fine. It’s a brick thrown through the window with a threatening note attached. You remember Keith, right? He called the police to come down.”
Instead of looking scared, Stevie looked thoughtful. “Is Dr. Drew gonna have to close down the clinic?”
“Why would you ask that?” It was a strange question coming from Stevie, especially since the note had mentioned that very thing. “Have you heard something, maybe out on the streets?”
All at once, Stevie’s nerves seemed to get the better of him. “No, I don’t know nothing.”
Ash steered him over to the sofa and sat next to him. “Don’t be afraid of anything. If you’ve heard something, anything, let me know. You should talk to Keith again.”
