Ocean (Damage Control 5)

She tugs on my hand again, a painful jerk, and I stagger after her, assuming she does indeed know what I’m talking about. It’s really hard to make out her features in the dark, but from her height, she can’t be more than six or seven years old.

“Are you his girlfriend?” she asks as she pulls me along like a very determined tiny missile. “You’re pretty.”

“Thank you. Um. Ocean… I mean Blue and I, we’re just friends.”

“He needs a girlfriend,” Avery informs me. “Soon.”

“And why’s that?”

“Blue is nice.” She pants a little as she drags me on what I hope is that right path to the exit of the park. “He takes care of everyone. He helps my mommy. He cleans and cooks for his parents. He took care of his brother, my mommy says, and of everyone else here.” She stops and turns to look up at me. Her eyes glimmer in the faint light from the nearest trailer. “But he has nobody to take care of him.”

***

Just a few minutes later, when he appears walking toward the car, his familiar tall silhouette darker than the night sky and the faint lights of the trailer park, I’m inside my car, pretending I’ve never set foot outside.

I feel a little bad about it, but hey, I just followed him for, like, ten minutes and heard a few people interact with him, that’s all.

And I was told by a kid how nice and sweet he is with everyone.

That’s the guy who caused a child to die? This really doesn’t fit in. Not that people don’t surprise you sometimes—it’s not the first time a nice old lady was found out to be a serial killer.

But that’s unusual, okay?

When I ask how his mom is, he grunts an “okay” in reply and a “thanks for waiting.” He’s quiet as I pull out of the field and back onto the interstate, heading to Milwaukee.

Which is fine with me for once, since it’s a short ride to my sister’s neighborhood, and my own head is spinning with everything that’s been going on.

As we approach my sister’s address, though, my thoughts shift to her. I park down the street from her building and zip up my jacket.

I glance at Ocean. Crap, I hadn’t thought that far. “Will you stay here? I don’t know how long this will take.”

He nods, and God, he looks exhausted. Like the visit to his family zapped out the last of his energy. “If you don’t mind. I’ll catch a few Zs until you come back.”

“Sure. Lower the back of the seat, make yourself comfortable.” Before I know it, I’ve reached up and stroked a strand of hair back from his face. “Be back soon.”

“Your sister.” He captures my hand, presses it to his face, and I shiver. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Some boyfriend trouble, from the sounds of it, but she’s okay.” I give him a quick smile, my heart thumping hard enough to break a rib, and pull my hand away. “You rest.”

It’s that feeling again, of needing to take care of him, protect him, pull him to me and shelter him from the problems and the cruelty of the world.

Instead I step outside and close the door of the car, glance up at the building and square my shoulders.

I know what that feeling means, and I really need to talk to this boy—Ocean, Blue, my boy—and figure things out with him, despite my fears. See if he feels the same way.

Like I can’t breathe without him, can’t think about anyone but him—and I don’t even know yet the truth about his past.

This is insane…

***

I ring the bell three times before the door unlocks and opens, revealing Allie in a bathrobe, her eyes red.

“Kay?” she whispers, blinking owlishly. “What are you doing here?”

“Told you I was coming to visit you today. You forgot?”

She blinks again, then throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around me. “God, Kay. Can’t believe you’re here.”