She looks at the house and then back at the boy. “This is not the same.” She leans down, getting eye level. “The only people inside this place are—” Her eyes flick to mine, but then drop back to his. “They’ve been hurt, too. They’ll make sure that never happens again. Ok?”
He blinks a few times and grips the towel tightly as she helps him down.
She holds the door open, her attention moving to me. “I’m sorry. You have to come in. It’ll be a while.”
Sorry? She’s sorry?!
I’m not sure I can comprehend what this all means, but my stressful issues have shrunk to fucking nothing in the last fifteen minutes.
I follow her into the double-story house, which resembles a large family home.
We step into a living room filled with a couch and two plush chairs. There’s a stairway to the second floor, and above a doorway leading to a long hallway is a beautifully painted quote.
She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom.—N. Hawthorne
I swallow, and it’s painful. I’m not sure of anything except that I’m certain I’m witnessing a side of the world I never understood existed. I’m gathering a shitload of assumptions, but one thing is for damn sure. I won’t be the same when I walk out of here tonight.
Jos appears in the hallway, and a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length blonde hair is right behind her. Both wear gentle smiles as if we stopped by for a visit, and this is a normal, everyday greeting.
Their eyes stall on me, and I’m not sure if they were expecting me, but if not, you’d never know.
“Hi,” Jos says, her tone soft.
The little boy has a tight hold on Ryder’s hand, his other gripping the towel around his shoulders.
Jos drops to her knees. “I’m Jos. What do you think if I get you some clothes, extra soft ones?”
He tucks into Ryder’s leg, and she rests her hand on his head.
“I’ll be right back, ok?” Jos stands, glances at me again, and then disappears down the hallway.
The other woman steps closer, inspecting Ryder. “You ok?”
Ryder nods but peeks at me out of the corner of her eye. “I have to touch base with TJ, and then Rodrigez has some. . .clean up to do.”
The woman nods. “I’ve contacted the department, and Dr. Martinez is on her way.”
Ryder’s gaze falls to the boy.
“You need anything for that?” She points to Ryder’s side, where her ripped grey Stingrays T-shirt is being held closed by her blood.
“Nah.”
The woman gestures to the boy. “Name?”
Ryder shakes her head.
My usual calm mind is blown to absolute shit, and I can’t follow the code-like conversation.
I peer down to see two grey eyes staring back. I shift a little, my stomach dropping to the floor at the sight of his massive pupils, which equate to absolute terror. Those eyes bore all the way through me, burning holes in my soul.
Not even thinking about it, I drop down to the floor like I saw Jos do.
“Hey,” I say, keeping my tone light, even though I feel like I might actually be able to kill someone.
I’ve never thought I could, but tonight, even without fully understanding what this kid has been through, there’s no doubt in my mind I could.
“Ryder told you I play football. Do you want to see what it looks like inside the locker room before games?”
