Page 20 of Madden

"What's wrong?" He asks as he falls into step beside me. "I saw the way you were looking at us when I was explaining the poison ivy to him." He reaches out, grabbing my fingers with his.

My stomach is going topsy-turvy as his rough finger rubs over mine. "It hit me that his dad should be here explaining these things to him. It breaks my heart that he's missing out on all this time. Not that our parents were the best role models. There were many times when they didn't put us first, even though they should have."

"I've tried to not ask you questions you might not be ready to, and you can tell me to mind my own right now, but I've wondered what happened with your brother. I know he's in jail, know that he did things he shouldn't have..." he trails off.

We're far enough behind Mick that I feel comfortable speaking low. "He and I weren't speaking at the time it happened. I don't know what led him to the decisions he was making, and I'm not sure that I even know all of it. He hasn't been super forthcoming, and although I was in court, they didn't talk about everything he'd done."

"Sometimes they don't." He rubs my hand with his. "There are certain things they like to keep quiet because they'll use it in other cases. More than likely he may have decided to turn state's evidence on whoever he was working with."

"I think so." I press my hair behind my ears. "There was a lot of what was said that felt like I was missing out on a piece of the puzzle. Like they knew everything that made up the entire scenario and I only had a few of the details."

"Yeah, it sounds as if there were some things happening in the background." He agrees.

"Well, it makes me feel better that it's a possibility. Anyway, when I went to the court date, they read his charges, most of which I didn't understand. What I did was that he was trafficking in a controlled substance, and it was a lot."

"Do you know how they picked him up?"

I close my eyes. I hate this part. "Yeah. He was traveling from here to Birmingham with Mick. They'd had lunch with me, and they were going home." I still feel guilty about this. Like If I hadn't asked him to come see me, he wouldn't have gotten arrested. "Apparently, he didn't signal to make a lane change, and a state trooper was behind him. He tried to tell him there was nothing in the car, and kept referring to Mick, I guess to make him think no one would be trafficking drugs with their child there."

"He shouldn't have, but you'd be surprised what parents do with their kids around."

I groan in my throat. "I learned more than I ever wanted to in that courtroom. They showed the body cam of the traffic stop. Mick was terrified. When the cop pulled him out of the car, you can hear Mick banging on the window and screaming. He's begging the cop not to take his dad away. It's as if he knew what was going to happen."

"He'd probably dealt with it before." Madden says, voice low.

"More than likely. They threatened to call the dog and run it, but I guess he didn't want to subject Mick to that. He told the cop where the drugs were and he was arrested on the spot. They called child protective services to come get him, and then that's when I got the phone call." That phone call was the worst. I've never been so worried as I was when I saw the caller ID saying it was the state trooper headquarters.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that, and I'm even more sorry that Mick had to."

"Yeah, I'm doing the best I can, but I'm not his mom..."

He reaches over, hooking his arm around my neck. "You're doing amazing. He's a lucky kid to have you."

I watch as Mick walks up ahead of us with Donut. He's got a smile on his face like I haven't seen in a long time. "He's lucky to have you, too."

CHAPTER 14

MADDEN

It's beena while since I recorded, and I've missed it. Not because the comments on social media mean that much to me, but working out helps me to get my head right. I make a promise to myself that I'm going to do that tonight. Over the past few weeks, I've spent more time than I imagined I would with Bec and Mick. I'm settling into my job, and into the budding relationship I'm developing with Bec.

"Officer, we have something we need you to take a look at."

It's Principal Faulkner. I don't think she's ever going to call me anything other than Officer. When I glance up at her, I do a double-take. I've never seen her look so worried before. "Is it bad? I don't like that look on your face."

"I'm not exactly sure what it is." She blows out a breath, running a hand through her hair.

"Okay, now I'm interested." I chuckle. "Do I need to get Donut?" He's in the SRO office taking his afternoon nap.

"I don't think so. Follow me."

I'm hot on her heels as I follow her through the school. There are still rooms, and spots that I haven't been to and don't know about. As she heads through the gym and down a corridor, there are steps. "Where the hell are we going?"

She turns back, giving me the evil eye. "Watch your mouth. We don't want the students to hear you cursing."

"Of course, I'm so sorry." I feel as if I've just been reprimanded by my grandmother.

"These are what we used to call the old remedial class rooms. Later they were used for storage, and lately we've been cleaning them out. What we didn't expect to find is what we found today."

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