Way to stereotype, Marisol.
“Marisol? You okay?”
“I don’t like cops.”
“Right. Got that. You’ve had a bad experience in the past?”
“Yeah. I was ten. They came to our house with a warrant for my aunt’s arrest. Rosalind always told me these stories about the cops back in Venezuela. How corrupt and terrifying they were. She said an officer killed her uncle for no good reason. So I was already scared of them. And then, this one cop, he . . .”
“Did he hurt you?” Ed asked in a voice that was darker than she’d ever heard from him.
“He didn’t touch me.” She let out a shuddering breath. “He didn’t have to. Not when his words terrified me so much. He kept telling me how I was headed to jail unless I told him everything I knew. That nobody would be around to protect me. That I’d likely be beaten and abused. As he was yelling, his arms were moving around and spittle flew from his mouth. Even though I knew I wouldn’t go to jail, his words scared me enough into believing him. Plus, I have a pretty good imagination.”
“Yes, I remember how you thought you were going to end up in jail and shanked by a piece of soap.”
“Oh yeah, sorry for overreacting.”
“Seems like you had a good reason for reacting the way you did,” he murmured calmly. “What happened?”
“He seemed like this terrifying monster to me. I curled myself into a ball in the corner of our living room. Even if I had known anything, which I didn’t, there was no way I could have told him.”
“Where the fuck were the other cops?”
“I think he was in charge. I don’t know. I only remember him. Until she came in.”
“Who?”
“The child services lady. She . . . she was amazing. She raced in the door, heard him screaming at me and she just ripped into him. She tore him to pieces. Told him all the things she was going to do to him. I can’t really remember now what she said, but I knew that even in my terrified state, she was on my side. Then he stepped towards her. I thought for sure he was going to hit her. I remember this next part. She said, ‘Do it, I’m not a helpless child. Hit me and I’ll have the proof I need to take you down and make you suffer’.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
“I don’t know if she was happy or sad that he didn’t hurt her. But he turned and left and she rushed over to me. She didn’t touch me. Just crouched down in front of me and started talking to me. She was my hero.”
“It sounds like she was. What happened after that? Did you go into child protective services?”
“The social worker, her name was Violet, she asked me if I had any family. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I gave her the name of our last housekeeper. Rosalind had fired her a month before. Nobody lasted long working for Rosalind. She usually found some fault with them and fired them or they quit. Violet must have known Ana wasn’t family, but somehow I was allowed to live with Ana and her family for a week.”
She rubbed at her forehead. “It was one of the best weeks of my life. Ana had four sons but no daughter. They treated me like I was family. Ana had only been with us for a year. My aunt treated her like trash, yet she took me in and took care of me. I was devastated when I had to leave. I cried the whole way home in the car.”
“What happened with your aunt?”
“I’m not sure. But whatever they’d arrested her for, they obviously couldn’t make it stick. We moved soon after to a new city. My aunt found another rich old man to marry. I never saw Ana again.”
“I’m so sorry, Marisol. Do you happen to remember the name of the cop that scared you?”
“No,” she said quietly.
“Where did this happen?”
“Why?” she asked suspiciously.
“Because I want to make sure this bastard isn’t still out there terrorizing kids,” he said in a cold, grim voice. Ed pulled up around the back of the police department and parked. There were a couple of other police cars back here.
She sucked in a breath. “I never thought of that. Oh no, all this time he could have been hurting other children that had no one to protect them.”
“Hey, listen to me,” he told her insistently. “Look at me.”
She turned her gaze to him. The security lights out here made it possible to see the serious look on his handsome face. She wondered how old he was? He had to be in his early forties. A lot older than her. Not that she was interested in him like that.
An image of Linc’s handsome face danced through her mind. She wished he was here right now.
“That isn’t your worry. Whatever he has done, it’s on him. Not you.”
“If I’d just told . . .”
“No. Still not on you. You were a child. I don’t want you worrying about this anymore. Understand? I’m sure his colleagues knew what he was like. And they were adults. You were a terrified kid. You’re not taking this guilt on, Marisol.”
She wondered if Ed was a Dom or if he was just simply an alpha guy. Either way, she felt his words move through her. She made an effort to let go of the guilt. It wouldn’t be that simple, of course. But he was right. She was just a kid.
“Where were you when this happened, Marisol?”
“In Tucson,” she murmured. “It was nearly thirteen years ago.”
“Good girl,” he praised. “Come on, let’s get you inside. It’s too cold to be sitting out here. I’ll make you that hot chocolate.”
She grabbed her backpack, her hands shaking as she reached for her seatbelt. He was at her door before she’d even noticed him leaving the car. He let her get out herself and she appreciated it. Even though she felt more comfortable with him, she wasn’t prepared for touching him any more than was necessary.
Ed led the way to the back door, inputting a code into the pad and then opened it for her, stepping back.
She waited then followed him down a corridor, past a few doors until they ended up in the open front area. It was quiet. There were some lights on, and a woman was puttering around, watering indoor plants. She had a sucker in her mouth.
“Kiesha,” Ed said with surprise. “What are you still doing here? Where’s Steven?”
She pulled out the sucker. “He popped down to the diner to get some dinner. I said I would stay until he got back.” Kiesha gave her an interested gaze. She was a stunning woman with black, straight hair that she had tied back in a ponytail and brown skin. Curves in all the right places.
Ed sighed. “You were supposed to be gone over an hour ago. If Steven wanted to leave, he should have waited for me. Get going home.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She snapped a salute at him.
Marisol’s eyes widened and she looked up at Ed to see how he was taking the other woman’s sarcasm. He just shook his head, the look on his face stern. Just that look alone would have had Marisol scrambling to obey him.
But then, she wasn’t very brave. Not like this woman. Maybe if she were braver, she would have left her aunt a long time ago.
“Kiesha, can you stay with Marisol a moment while I check on Jace and Ranger?”
“Sure thing, boss man. I live to serve.”
Ed gave the other woman an exasperated look then walked off, disappearing into a room that she figured was his office.