Page 6 of Woven Hearts
“Fourteen,” he mumbles, looking at his lap for a second before his sad, scared eyes find mine. “You can help me, right? Liam said you would help me. He said you were really nice and that you wouldn’t hurt me.” There’s a hint of pleading in his voice, and it breaks my heart.
“Of course. That’s what we do.”
He sighs, relaxing a little. “I don’t… I don’t want to say more right now.”
“That’s fine. I need to ask a question, though. Okay?”
“Okay,” he whispers.
“Did you run away from home?”
He shakes his head. “No. He, uh… he told me to get out.”
Fuck. I am so tired of shitty parents. “Okay. I have a friend who runs a group home across town. I’m going to text her and see if they have room for you, okay?”
He looks a little betrayed, and I’m not sure why, but it makes me feel sad. But this is the job. I’m the home base—the landing zone. I coordinate things like this. “They’re a great group of people, and you’ll be safe there. We’ll work on getting you a social worker, and medical care. And then a placement in a foster home.”
He watches me for a second, then nods. “Okay.”
Something about the way he says it doesn’t quite sit right with me. But I pull my phone out and text Sasha, mycontact at Safe Haven, the group home.
She responds within minutes, telling me they have a spot for him. “Alright. I’ve got you a spot for the night. Would you like to come with me, and I’ll drive you over?”
He hesitates, then nods. “They won’t… They won’t hurt me either?” he asks, voice small and shaky.
“No. They won’t hurt you, either.”
God, this kid is destroying my heart. Genuinely. It feels like it’s about to crack right down the middle.
Thirty minutes later, Eli and I are stepping out of the car at Safe Haven. He looks a bit like I’m leading him to his death as we walk up the snowy path. Sasha opens the door before we approach, wearing the same warm smile she always does. “Hi, guys. Always nice to see you, Roman.”
I offer her a small smile, even though something about dropping Eli off here feels wrong. “You too, Sash.”
There’s no reason for it, but I can’t quite shake the feeling that I’m doing the wrong thing. Normally, I drop the kids off with Sasha and then follow up the next day, but this time I don’t. I follow them inside and trail behind Eli as she shows him around the facility and takes him to his temporary room.
“And in here,” she says, reaching up to the cabinet over the bed. “You have toiletries.”
Eli nods, wringing his hands together in front of him. “Eli,” I say, and he turns to me. “What size clothes do you wear? I’ll bring some to you tomorrow.”
“You’re going to come visit me tomorrow?” he asks, sounding hopeful.
I nod immediately. “Yes, of course.”
I stand around for another few minutes after Sasha leaves the room, staring at Eli as he walks around, taking everything in.
I startle when he speaks. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He sighs heavily, the sound seeming to come from his very soul. “Can I…” His voice trails off. “Doyou think…” he tries again, giving himself a little shake. He growls, clearly frustrated. “I need a hug,” he finally whispers, his voice breaking. My heart finally breaks along with it, and without even thinking, I stride across the room and tuck him against my chest.
His entire body shudders hard, and he whimpers, burying his nose in my shirt. I rub his back slowly as he cries in my arms.
Fuck, I don’t want to leave him.
Chapter 2
Beck
