Page 103 of Risking it All

I entered her office and froze at the sight of so many damn people—all of them adults. The door closed behind me and I spun to see Ms. FBI consultant herself leaning against it. Fight or flight mode kicked in, and I raised a challenging eyebrow at her.

“I bet you’re feeling ambushed,” Abby said.

I was.

“This is not an ambush. You can leave once you finish hearing what we have to say.”

“That sounds like an ambush,” I countered.

She shrugged like my opinion didn’t matter. “Then it’s an ambush. Sit your ass down.”

From behind me, I heard a heavy sigh that I pegged as Zuri’s, and she came up beside me. “It’s not an ambush, but we all have something we want to discuss with you. Please, Relic. Sit. Listen. I promise it’ll be worth your time.”

I met Zuri’s eyes, held her gaze, and as much as I wanted to bolt out of the room, Zuri had earned enough respect that I could give her a few more minutes. Besides, why would I be in a hurry to go see Eric? I gave a nod, took in each person as I slowly crossed the room, and dropped into my regular seat.

In the room were Macie’s parents, Ariel’s parents, Ms. FBI consultant, and Demarius’ mom and dad, who had insisted I call them by their first names, Vanessa and Khamari. While all of this confused the fuck out of me, it was their presence that jacked me up the most. They had been generous and gracious with my sister and deserved a lot more than my attitude. “Hey.”

They smiled kindly at me, and Vanessa said, “How’s Camila?”

“Good. At daycare. She asked about Joppa last night.”

“Joppa asks about Camila all the time,” Khamari said with a chuckle. I gave him a half smile, but it was hard as hell as all my survival instincts screamed at me to bolt.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Every eye fell to Macie’s dad, Noah. He’d been sitting in Macie’s designated chair, arms crossed, looking at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t decide if he wanted to solve or throw out. He leaned forward, rested his elbows s on his knees, and rubbed his hands together. “Macie asked me to help you.”

Realization dawned on me. “Look, if this is about the reward money, you can keep it. It was a pipedream to think that money could help me out.”

“It’s not about the reward money, though, technically, it is yours. You did help us figure out who was responsible for what happened to Macie, and every person in this room thanks you for that.”

Everyone had this bright-eyed look like I was some hero, but not a single shred of me felt that way—heroic. My best friend had a hand in what happened. I trusted him and doing so almost cost Macie her life. When it was clear I had nothing to say, Noah continued, “Isaiah and I know what it’s like to be in your shoes.”

“I doubt that,” I countered. “With all due respect, you might have grown up in my neighborhood, got into some nasty scrapes, and possibly had some beef with Eric, but the Eric you knew isn’t the Eric I know now. My life is a lot more dangerous than yours.”

“I’m not going to argue with that, but we faced our own problems. More importantly, we understand what it feels like to think you’re on your own and that you have nothing or no one to fall back on. When I was your age, I had two brothers in foster care who I was damned determined to get out and raise as my own. The moment I saw you with your sister, you had my respect.”

Honesty was etched upon his face, and I also saw how he understood this underlying primal need to care for my sibling in a world that would snap her in a heartbeat. It was weird to admit, but for the first time since walking in, I was listening. I shifted in my seat then mirrored Noah’s posture. “Go on.”

Noah glanced over at Demarius’ parents. They shared a long look, then both glanced at me. “We’d like you and Camila to move in with us,” Vanessa said.

I flat out shook my head. “I can’t invite that danger into your house. In fact, you don’t even understand the danger you’d be taking on.”

“We do,” Khamari said. “Don’t be mad at him, but Demarius has been telling us about you from the start. He cares for you, Relic. Like you’re his brother. Last night, when he told us what happened with Macie, how you put your life on the line for her and how the gang is threatening you, we connected with all the people you see here. We spent hours trying to come up with thesolution that would work for you and your sister, and we know without a shadow of a doubtthisis the right answer.”

I scanned the room. “How did you get from Macie asking for your help to Demarius’ parents asking me to move in?”

“Because we had offered to foster you and your sister,” Rachel said. “We’re already fostering Lev, so when Macie asked Noah to help you, he turned to us. We immediately agreed.”

“But then,” Vanessa chimed in, “after Demarius told us what happened with Brayden, we contacted Macie’s parents to see how we could help. They told us their plan, and then we offered to open our home to you and Camila. While we’re sure Isaiah and Rachel could offer you a fantastic home, it would be complicated for you to live with someone who is so close to your girlfriend. You’re still so young, and so many things can happen in life. Maybe you and Macie will make it to forever, maybe you won’t. But if you live with us, you don’t need to worry about how your living arrangement will be affected by your relationship with her.”

“We’ll have to emergency foster you,” Rachel added. “While Zuri and Mrs. Collins will fast track their foster parent application, it could still be a bit before they’re approved. In the meantime, you and Camila will stay with us.”

“What about Lev?” I asked. “And Ariel?”

“He’ll be staying with us, too,” Rachel answered. “We have a big home and have fostered many children at one time. As for Ariel, she likes it when our house is full. I think she feels lonely when it’s just the three of us.”

My mind swam and it was hard to focus as my gaze jumped from person to person. “Why are any of you doing this?” I glared at Noah. “Because Macie asked you to?”

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