“That's great!” Mia told him. “I can't believe he's evaded the police this long. I thought you said the threats died down after the fundraiser?”
“They did,” he replied, tucking the phone back in his pocket. “But, he thinks he has a new lead. I'm going to go see what he's got.”
“Okay.” Mia smiled and looked at her cup of hot chocolate. All she wanted was a nap.
“You still up for dinner tonight?” he asked, heading back to the door.
She smiled and nodded. “Dinner sounds great.”
He smiled at her and headed out with a blast of cold air, waving at her as he passed the window. She chuckled, feeling lucky for a moment, but once he was gone from her sight, the gray melancholy of the day came back over her.
“Why am I feeling so down?” she asked herself. She tried to go through reasons in her head. No one else in the office was sick. It could be the weather. She'd been eating better recently, so it wasn't that. Maybe it was her time of the month? She pulled out her phone and checked her calendar. She was technically a week late at this point, but she'd never been “regular” in her life, so it wasn't that strange.
She frowned and then shrugged. She probably was just going to start her period soon. That would explain the tiredness. That or she was simply catching the flu. She really hoped it was just her period.
One of the security guards walked past the window. She knew this one's name since he usually greeted the kids on their way in. His name was Ben. He seemed nice enough, but there was something sad to him that Mia couldn't put her finger on. He seemed always to be working. She did know that he genuinely seemed protective of the kids, which she appreciated.
He nodded to her as he passed the window and she raised her hand in greeting. It felt like it would take too much energy to do a full wave. He kept going, his face serious as he patrolled the ranch. She watched him for a moment, glad that there were people keeping Carter safe. She hoped Brian's lead was solid. She wanted Carter to be free of these threats.
Chapter 27
Mia
Mia drove while the kids rested from their long day in court. Grayson was snoring softly in his booster seat while Lily and Alexander stared out their window at the passing cars. Everyone was quiet and pensive.
After the hearing, Mia took the kids so that Margie could stay in the city and do some shopping. It was an easy thing to do since she was supposed to take the kids to the ranch that afternoon anyway. They just had to head to their foster house and change before heading out. Mia was looking forward to seeing Carter. Seeing him would brighten her day, and she needed it.
The afternoon spent in court was a standard six-month hearing, but it still took a lot of energy. The hearing had been uneventful. Nothing was changing, although the judge wasn't happy with the fact that Margie the foster mom had been “retired” out of the system for so long. While there wasn't a problem currently, it made Mia uneasy about the kids' future with her. If anything happened, it would be the kids that would suffer.
Mia sighed as she turned off the highway. There was nothing she could do to make this situation better. Margie was their best option right now, especially given the kids' turbulent history. She was so glad that working at the ranch was making their behavior better, but it was still a tenuous existence. If anything happened, the three siblings would be split up and sent to different foster homes.
Mia glanced around at the kids. They needed one another. They were a family and splitting them up, no matter how much sense it made on paper, would be the wrong thing for all of them. There was so much potential in them that she wished there was something more she could do, but she'd already gone above and beyond.
She wished that she could just adopt all three of them. She would if she could, but she knew she couldn't afford three kids on her social worker salary. Not that they'd even give them to her. She shook her head and tried not to think about it. She was getting too attached to this little family, and she knew it, but she didn't care. These kids were special to her.
Mia pulled into the subdivision where the kids lived and up to Margie's house. A cloud passed over the quiet neighborhood, and the hairs on Mia's arms stood on end. Something was wrong. She knew it the moment she pulled onto the street.
“Stay in the car,” she told the kids, putting the car in park along the sidewalk and opening her door. She stayed in the doorway of the car where she knew it was safe, staring at the house.
The front window into the living room was smashed open. The curtains billowed out of the house in the fall wind. The white curtains were almost pretty against the dark brick, if not for the broken glass and graffiti. Spray-painted across the white garage door in blood red paint were the words, “DON'T LET HIM KILL THEM TOO.”
Mia's hands shook as she grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed 911.
“There's been a break-in,” she told the operator. She was surprised that her voice wasn't shaking. She wasn't used to calling 911, and it felt strange. “I'm going to need an officer.”
“Are you in immediate danger?” asked the operator.
Mia shook her head as she replied even though she was on the phone. “No, I don't think so.”
“Stay in your car, and we'll send an officer as soon as possible,” the operator assured her. The calm voice on the other end then asked her some questions and took her information. With nothing left to talk about until the police officer showed up, Mia hung up the phone and sat in the driver's seat.
Mia took a deep breath and re-read the words on the door. The “he” had to mean Carter. She knew it in her bones. Everyone liked Margie, and there was no way Alexander or Grayson had killed anyone. But, if someone wanted to get to Carter, this was as good a way as any. Whoever was after him had upgraded their harassment to include her and the kids simply because they spent time with him.
“Mia?” Lily's voice was low and afraid. “What does that mean?”
Mia let out a shaky breath and tried to put on her most confident smile. She patted Lily's hand. “Don't let it scare you. It's not meant for you.”
“Okay,” Lily replied, but it was obvious she didn't really believe Mia. In the backseat, Alexander was hunkered down in his seat and frowning. At least Grayson was still asleep and oblivious to what was going on.