Page 21 of What I've Tasted of Desire

Do it, you fucking coward!

“Um…” I began, trying desperately to get my thoughts in line, “You know, I was thinking. Maybe I should give you my cell number? That way if you need…”

“Y-y… Yes,” Alex agreed excitedly before rattling off the digits of his phone number. “S-six six f-f-four, f-f-five f-five f-five, t-t-two nine t-two nine.”

I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and repeated the number back to him as if I were entering it into my phone. Like I hadn’t already memorized his number years ago.

“That was six-six-four, five-five-five, two nine two…”

“Nine,” Alex finished for me.

He was so adorable when he was being bashful, and that blush across his cheeks was enough to stop a Mack truck.

“Got it.” I took one last long look at his beautiful face. “Have a great day, Alex.” It was so difficult to turn and walk away from him. I wanted to stay right here and bask in his presence until the end of time.

Soon…I promised myself silently.

I walked down the hallway and out of Westing House, absolutely elated that I’d gotten to speak with him, and that he was comfortable enough to give me his phone number. I don’t know what I had ever done to become so lucky. Now I just had to do everything in my power to properly woo Alex, and make sure I gave him enough reasons to want to keep me forever. I had my foot in the door. I’d always thoughtthe first day of the rest of your lifewas a trite, stupid turn of phrase, but I finally understood it. Gabe & Alex. Alex & Gabe. The sound of our names entwined filled my head in a singsong cadence as I made my way into the SUV and carefully backed out of the driveway.

Chapter Eleven

8426 Jessie Lane had been Barbara Cantrell’s home for the last 36 years. She’d inherited it after her mother, Elizabeth Cantrell, passed away of cardiac dysrhythmia at the age of 82. The house itself was quaint and unassuming, but you could tell by looking at the front yard that Barbara cared little for landscaping.

I sat in my car at the end of the street and checked the time again. I had a near-perfect view of her front door. That’s why I had wanted to be here early—I wouldn’t miss this show for the world.

I had been working on a plan to get Alex away from Barbara, but I hadn’t been quick enough. The police had caught Tom abusing Alex on the beach and brought them both to the station. Once the police had found out who they were and where they lived, they’d called Barbara in to pick them up. Well, the old bigot shit a kitten when she found out Tom and Alex had a sexual relationship and refused to let either of them return to her home. Tom was weeks away from 18, so he pretty much just fucked off, but Alex was still a ward of the state.

He’d bounced around here and there for a couple of weeks, but had ultimately landed with the Millers to finish out his last year or so in the system. They seemed like a very kind older couple, and I desperately hoped they would be good to my Alex. He’d been through so much already, and deserved a little peace.

That meant Alex no longer relied on Barbara for anything, and it was officially time to play. Good ol’ Barbara had been skimming off her foster sons’ prescribed medications for years. She had developed a great little side hustle, selling Adderall to the junkies ‘round the neighborhood. Plenty of kiddos with ADHD in the system. If they weren’t actually hyperactive, well, Babs knew what to say to get a diagnosis.

But prescription drug dealing wasn’t her only lucrative extracurricular. She was also fond of submitting fraudulent receipts for reimbursement. She’d tell the state she’d taken this boy shopping, or that that boy had a field trip with school that she’d paid out of pocket for. Anything she could think of, really. I’d even seen her sell the food stamps she received for taking care of them. They’d eat ramen noodles and hot dogs all month long, so Babs could profit off the second half of their stamps.

I had collected an entire file of information, as well as photographs of her selling the pills in the convenience store parking lot. There was also one of all four of the boys she looked after sleeping on the back porch with snow on the ground. That’s how she liked to punish them. If one kid did something she didn’t like, she’d make all of them sleep outside.

“You want to act like dogs in my house, you’ll sleep like dogs,”she would scream.

I also had her bank statements, and text messages between her and the people she sold the pills to. I’d taken all the information and anonymously mailed it to the head of DCFS, the welfare office, and the chief of police. Any minute now, I was expecting them to swarm in. I really thought they would have done it yesterday, but I guess it takes time to get warrants. It was the beginning of the month, and Barbara had already sold a good chunk of meds. All they had to do was walk in and ask to see the pill bottles. A quick count would tell them over half of the medication was already gone.

I glanced into the rearview mirror to see two black SUVs and a police car pull onto the street.

“Showtime.”

The SUV’s pulled to the side of the road and stopped a house down from Barbara’s, when two men in polo shirts got out of the first SUV to walk back and speak to the police officer as he was getting out of his cruiser. The three of them chatted in the street for a bit before approaching the house.

She opened the door in her signature stained muumuu, the irritated look on her face immediately melting into panic as she saw the DCFS workers and the police officer.

“That’s right, bitch,” I murmured. “The jig is up.”

I watched with glee as another police car pulled up into her driveway, and two more officers got out. They made Barbara come outside and sit on the front porch with two of the officers as the rest of them walked into the home after presenting Barbara with the search warrant.

After about 40 minutes, one of the social workers led the other two boys in Barbara’s care out of the house. Each one carrying a backpack full of their stuff, hopefully to never return. It took nearly four hours for them to completely clear the house and put Barbara in cuffs. Once she had been stuffed into the back of the cruiser in the driveway and everyone had left, I started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

My work there was finished… for the moment. Besides, it was almost time for Alex to get out of school. Being at the Millers’ now, he had to take the bus. I hated not being able to walk him home, but this was going to be a much better situation for Alex. I hoped so, anyway.

I got to the school just in time to see Alex walk down to the city bus stop on the corner.

Despite the warm weather, he still wore a hoodie. It just made him more comfortable, I guess. He kept his eyes low, as usual, and kicked at the grass with the toe of his sneaker.

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