As we pulled close, Autumn asked, “Can I handle this?”
I nodded. “Of course. Just stick close to the car, please. And if he acts like a little punk and takes off running, you get back in the car and let me chase him down on foot. Deal?”
“Deal.”
I watched from the car as Autumn and Storm spoke. It looked like she laid into him good, and the kid was smart enough to just take it and not argue back. After about ten minutes, he climbed into the backseat while Autumn got behind the wheel. I turned.
“I’m sure Autumn covered most of what needs to be said, so I’m just going to add two things.” I counted off with my finger. “One, you may not give a shit what happens to you, but Autumn here could be arrested for not reporting that you took off. I’m going to take a leap of faith and assume you didn’t know that. But now that you do, you need to think twice about how your actions affect others—especially a person who is good to you.” Storm was avoiding eye contact, so I spoke with a stern tone. “Look at me.”
His eyes flashed as they met mine.
“How many people in your life can you count on? I got a pretty good feeling that number is low. So I’m going to give you some life advice, man to man—not attorney to dumbass client. When you find a person who has your back, you make sure you have theirs. So from now on, before you do something stupid, you act like a man and think about the consequences. Got it?”
Surprisingly, he didn’t grumble too much. “Got it.”
Autumn was driving, so she couldn’t see our interaction, but I nodded in her direction, hoping he’d take a hint.
Storm frowned but after a moment, he spoke. “Sorry, Autumn. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.”
Satisfied, I went on with my lecture. “And number two, you might be a tough kid, but you don’t walk around these streets alone at night. You stick with a buddy, or better yet, two or three of them. If you grew up here, you know what you were just doing was dumb. You might have friends and know the blocks to keep off of, but it’s not safe out here alone, no matter how tough you are.”
He wasn’t as receptive to that comment, but at least he didn’t argue. Honestly, half the struggle for a kid in his situation was knowing which battles to fight and which to surrender to. Storm was smart and had figured that one out early.
“I don’t remember which way the police station was,” Autumn said as she drove. “Do I make a right or a left at the light?”
“The police station is to the right, but go left. Let’s drop him off at Park House before you take me back to my car.”
“It’s okay. I can handle it from here. I already have you out so late.”
“I’m fine. I’d rather make sure the resident manager didn’t jump the gun and call Probation, and also that no one gives you a hard time.”
“Oh, alright. Thanks.”
Park House was quiet, and luckily no one had called Probation. So once I knew there was no trouble brewing, I waited outside to give Autumn and Storm some time to talk. I sensed she’d wanted to have another heart to heart with him.
I was leaning against her car when she walked out a few minutes later.
“Everything go okay?”
She nodded. “Though I also thought everything was going to be okay the other day when I dropped him off. I just don’t get what it’s going to take to scare him.”
“Unfortunately, not much scares a kid like him.”
Autumn’s eyes quietly roamed my face. “It sounds like you’re saying that from personal experience.”
“I am.”
She made a face that reminded me why I didn’t often talk about how I grew up. I loathed pity. That shit should be saved for people who can’t help themselves.
I shoved my hand into my pockets. “Every screwed-up kid who manages to pull himself up out of the dirt has one person who made a difference in his life. You’re Storm’s person. You may need to use that to your advantage at times.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t value himself right now. But he does value you. Don’t hesitate to do what I did in the car—remind him his consequences could get you in trouble or hurt you in some way. He’ll do the right thing by you, even if he won’t yet do the right thing for himself.”
“That feels really manipulative to lay on him.”
I smiled. “Trust me, he’s manipulating you more.”
Autumn sighed. “Thank you. Not just for coming with me, but for giving me some insight into what’s going on in Storm’s mind. They don’t teach that kind of stuff in social work school.”
“Anytime.”
“I owe you one. I’m not sure I can put on a cape and come to your rescue like you did for me tonight. But keep my IOU in your pocket in case you need some help with social service on a case someday or whatever.”
I nodded.
“Come on,” she said. “I’ll drop you back at your car before it’s time for you to be at work already.”
“Actually, how about if we go out for a cup of coffee or a drink? I’m not tired.”
Autumn nibbled her bottom lip. “I should get going.”
It would’ve been smarter to use her IOU to have her put a good word in for me with her boyfriend, but instead I reached into my pocket and pretended to pull something out. Extending my empty hand to her, I said, “I’d like to cash in this IOU that’s been burning a hole in my pocket.” I smiled. “Have coffee with me.”
CHAPTER 7
* * *
Autumn
“Is that Latin?” My eyes followed Donavan’s arm as he lifted his drink.
“It is.”
“What does it mean? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Not at all. Vincit qui se vincit. It translates to He conquers who conquers himself. Someone I’m close to used to say it all the time when I was a kid getting in trouble. It basically means if I can control myself, I can conquer anything.”
“That simplifies a lot, doesn’t it?”
Donovan smiled, flashing one of his dimples, and it set off a flutter in the pit of my belly. His smile had a sort of devilish quality lurking beneath the surface. It was confident and somehow overtly sexual. Dangerous. That’s what it was. I trained my eyes away from his face, only to have them land on his forearms. That certainly didn’t help my situation much. They were so muscular and tanned, and all of the tattoos made the entire package insanely sexy.
“You know, you look very different in jeans and a T-shirt than you do in a suit and tie.”
His eyes moved over my face. “Oh yeah? Which do you like better?”
That was a tough question, like having to decide between Godiva milk chocolate truffles or dark. Both were delicious. Though there was something dangerous to my sanity about a man who looked as good as Donovan did in a custom suit and had all those tattoos hidden underneath. But I didn’t think it was smart to share those thoughts, so I shrugged and went back to enjoying my fries.
When I looked up, I found Donovan staring at me like I had two heads. “What?” I wiped my chin and looked down at my shirt. “Did I drip or something?”