Page 150 of Dream Girl
My phone rang. “This is Evan.”
“This is Detective Esposito with the Westside Precinct,” a woman spoke. “You’re Rose Matthews’ advocate?”
“I am. Do you need me down at the station?” I asked, hoping it wouldn’t take too long.
“I do, thank you.”
With a sigh, I hung up. “Rose, I have to go. But please, text me if you need me. I’ll be out of town this weekend, so I might not get right back to you, but Iwillget back to you. If it’s urgent, call the Center, okay?”
I texted the pack group chat as I got in my car.
Me
Work emergency. Spence is with Grace and Ri. I’m leaving Finchley and heading to the Westside Precinct, I’ll make dinner on time. Promise.
Good thing I kept extra clothes in Brennan’s office. Given we lived in the ‘burbs now, it made sense.
I drove to the precinct, greeting the people I knew.
An alpha female detective I didn’t know came out. “Evan, I’m Detective Esposito. Come with me.”
She led me to a room, where on the other side of the window, sat a man in a cap and a flannel shirt. We weren’t alone, either.
“That’s Rose’s uncle?” I said softly.
“Yes. Rose told me about her… situation, and we accessed her mom’s record. It makes me think there’s more to this than simple trespassing. It also makes me wonder whose idea it really was to do such a thing to a teenager.” She eyed the scene through the window suspiciously. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the uncle has debts.”
Oh. I sucked in a breath. “No, it wouldn’t. Stepdad has been very supportive of Rose staying at school. While Rose’s mom was the one who brought her to the Center in the first place, she also has been adamant that Rose not go home. Not stay at school–not go home.”
As if they wanted to keep her safe. But from who? The uncle?
“I’ll call the precinct in her home area and see what I can find out. Something’s not right. You’re welcome to listen,” Detective Esposito said as another detective went into the room with the uncle.
I checked the time. “I can stay for a little while.”
“Hot date?” she joked.
“Taking my girl out for her birthday.”My girl.It sounded so good to call Grace that.
“Nice, where are you going?” she asked.
“Supressa,” I told her.
She whistled. “Nice. Always wanted to go there.”
We, and the others, watched the detective question him.
“I’m the head of the family, which means she’s undermycare. Not her mom’s, not her stepdad’s,mine,” the uncle argued. “I have a right to drag her uppity little ass home so she can help support us.”
“She’s legally a ward of the Omega Center. You have no authority over her,” the large male alpha detective told him.
“That’s a shit rule. She’s needed more at home than chasing some dumb dreams of being a doctor,” he sneered.
“Oh yeah? Are you the one who convinced your sister to shoot Rose up with illegal drugs? Your financial situation isn’t very good either,” the detective pushed.
“I don’t know nothing about that,” he shrugged. “But everyone pulls their weight, and I need her home. She can’t help the family from here.”
They went round and round, and eventually the others left, leaving Detective Esposito and I alone in the room. All I got from the uncle was that he wanted her home. Never once did he say anything about her being mated to a pack–and he brushed off those questions. You could almost believe he just needed Rose for childcare and household tasks; maybe to get an after-school job to help with the bills.
