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He glared. “You let him push you around.”
“Your father? Well, technically he’s my boss, so I have to listen to him.” She sat on the edge of his bed, huffing out an oof when Czar settled on her lap. “He’s terrified, Elijah. What if Jace was sent by the men who wanted to kidnap you? Your dad wants you safe.”
“He treats me like a little kid.” Elijah folded his arms over his chest. “I’m only the one who nearly got kidnapped. It’s not like I have any say in all this. Which I should!”
“Yeah, well, I happen to agree with you. Which is why, when your dad asked what I thought, I said you should be able to listen.”
His dark eyes widened, made larger by the thick lenses of his glasses. “You did?”
“I did. Look, I feel sorry for Jace, too, but maybe we’re supposed to. This could be a trap. This is the deal. You sit ten feet away and I will stay next to you the whole time. If anything happens, you obey me—to the letter. Got it?”
“Got it. Thanks, Val.”
“Yeah, well. I hope I’m not making a mistake.”
“I knew a kid like Jace, back in New York last year. He was in my class, but he couldn’t read. The other kids made fun of him. And his dad hit him, too.”
“What did you do?”
“Told my dad. He helped my friend and his mom get away. They got an apartment of their own and the dad got sent to jail.” He shrugged. “And I helped him with his reading.”
Her heart melted. “Did you do his work for him?”
“No! I promise that I didn’t. I’d just help him sound out the words once his teacher helped him get tested. He’s dyslexic and he gets extra help in school now. Maybe Jace needs extra help.”
She’d thought the same thing when Jace had mentioned his inability to read. She’d had several students with learning disabilities. “Maybe. But for tonight, none of that matters. Tonight, he’s going to be answering questions about a crime he participated in, whether willingly or not. So you listen to me, okay? If I tell you to move, you don’t question me. You are my responsibility, not Jace.”
He looked up at her anxiously. “But who’s gonna take care of him? Fifteen isn’t that old. He can’t have a job. He can’t take care of himself. Sending him to jail isn’t fair.”
“Maybe, maybe not. We only know what he’s told us so far, and that isn’t a lot. Let him calm down and get his story straight with Captain Holmes, okay? Then we’ll know more.”
Elijah was clearly skeptical. “Captain Holmes is a good cop, right? I know my dad is nervous about who he can trust in the NOPD.”
That Elijah should know about his father’s fear was disheartening. “I trust André Holmes. He’s a good man and a good cop.” She tugged on his hand. “Let’s go downstairs.”
11
Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1:55 A.M.
VAL AND ELIJAH found Burke, André, Kaj, and Jace sitting at the dining room table. Jace was leaning slightly forward as his hands were still cuffed behind him.
“Thanks, Dad,” Elijah said quietly.
Kaj looked tormented. “Just stay far away and do whatever Val says.”
Val snapped her fingers. “Czar, come.” The dog sidled up to Elijah. “Good boy.”
Jace quailed at the sight of Czar but said nothing.
Val dragged two chairs ten feet from where Jace was seated. Elijah looked disgruntled, but he sat down and began petting Czar’s head.
André Holmes turned to Jace. “I understand you’ve got a story to tell me.”
Jace dropped his gaze to the table. “Yessir. But it ain’t no story. It’s true.”
“Can you look at me, please?” André asked gently, waiting until Jace lifted his eyes. “Once you escaped the scene of the attempted abduction, where did you go?”
