Page 13 of Beau and the Beast

Geoffrey unzipped the bag to show him that it was, in fact, full of bills. The kid nodded and finally produced a big envelope.

Silently, Alfie crept up.

"What the hell is Alfie doing?" Song asked.

Geoffrey caught sight of Alfie as he approached the kid from behind. He held out a hand to caution Alfie but it was too late. Violet and Song watched in horror as Alfie snaked his arm around, putting a washcloth over the kid's mouth. Geoffrey rushed forward but Alfie didn't relent, even as the stranger thrashed in his arms, dropping his umbrella, dropping the envelope, desperately tearing back, trying to get at Alfie.

Geoffrey gave up before the stranger did, standing back with a hand on his hip and a frown on his face as Alfie eased the man to the floor.

Finally, the young stranger went still and Alfie gently disengaged.

"Jesus, Alfie," Song breathed out, shaking his head.

Violet was already halfway out of the room, hurrying to join the rest of the staff in the foyer. Song trotted behind her. By the time they arrived, James had come out of his hiding place, too, and everyone stood around as Alfie patted down the unconscious stranger.

"You know, Alf, the plan was to intimidate him first," Geoffrey said, "not straight up knock him out cold."

"I know what the plan was," Alfie said, sounding annoyed, "but he was already scared out of his mind. Didn't you see the way his hands were shaking? I just wanted to get this show on the road."

Violet bent to retrieve the envelope. Inside were several bent photographs and a thumb drive.

"Now what?" she asked.

Alfie had started emptying the kid's pockets and James squatted down to pick up the items. There was a small spiral-bound notebook, a few pencils, an older-model iPhone with a badly shattered screen, and a thin wallet that looked like it had seen better days. Violet crossed to James as he went through the wallet.

She'd expected to find debit cards and credit cards inside—the kind of stuff that everyone had on them. Instead, inside the wallet there was an ID, twenty-three dollars in cash, and a little photograph.

What the hell adult doesn't have even one debit card?she wondered. James pulled out the photo and examined it before passing it over to her. The photo was sun-bleached and worn on the edges. It was a family—the kid's family, of course—with a man, a woman, and two little boys. They couldn't have been older than seven or eight in the picture.

"He's 27," James said, sounding surprised. Violet was surprised, too. He'd looked younger. She reached for his ID.

Beau Blake

She peered at it. Why did that name feel so oddly familiar? Beau Blake.

Beau.

But mercy for the man with none

He still can be released:

Light can lift his shadowed soul,

Whenbeautyfrees the beast.

It was a long shot, but just looking at the name made it feel like there was something unlocking in her chest. Her pulse shot up. There was something special about him. There had to be.

"Guys," she said, stepping forward. "His name is Beau."

"I never caught what the hacker's name was," Geoffrey said, looking at her strange.

"His name isBeau," she repeated. “Beau is French for handsome, beautiful. His name is literallyBeauty,guys.”

James's mouth dropped open and he looked at her.

"Do you think...?" he asked.

She shrugged. "We've tried stranger things."

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