Page 62 of 2nd Strike
Ugh. The statement is like a white, hot knife to my heart. “They’re still yours, Ethan.” I shake my head. “They raised you and love you. No matter what, they always will.”
When he doesn’t answer, I open my mouth. What can I possibly say that might make a damned difference?
I have no idea what I’m doing. Anything I say could be wrong, so I close my mouth again.
Charlie reaches across the console and squeezes my arm. “Here’s what I think. This won’t stay contained long. Let’s grab food and head home. We’ll call Carl and Lily on the way and have them meet us there. Then we’ll all talk.” She angles back to Jon. “And you’ll meet your biological parents.”
27
Charlie
Ihate fast food, so I pick at a salad while Jon and Ethan inhale burgers, fries, dessert pies, and refill their cups twice at the restaurant. Ethan tells Jon about his new name, and they discuss sports, which leads to computer games.
They're acting like normal teenagers. Under the circumstances, I have to give them credit for lightening the situation. They've even gotten Meg to smile and laugh several times.
The last thing I want to do is talk to Lily, so I plan to call Carl and see how he wants to handle the meet and greet.
Meg is cleaning up when Taylor calls. "What can I do for you, agent?" I ask.
“Where are the boys? Child services is stepping in."
Like hell. “Good for them. Meg and I have DNA proof Jon is Carl's son. I plan to call him so they can meet this afternoon."
There is a frustrated sigh on the other end. "That's for the FBI to handle, Charlie. You have no legal guardianship of Jon, or Ethan, since he’s not Carl and Lily's biological son. JJ's office will be sorting out the legalities. You have to turn both over to us. Once there is anofficialDNA analysis and match, I’ll be the one to handle the meeting between the Havers and their son."
The boys have fallen silent. Meg has stopped and is staring at me with fierce protection in her eyes.
I'm probably going to pay for this, but my transgression list is so long already, I find it doesn't faze me.
"These boys have been through enough," I tell Taylor. "There's no reason to make the transition harder than it has to be. If either of them want child services to come get them, I’ll contact you." They exchange a wild look, both shaking their heads at me. "Until then, they're staying with my sister. I will contact Carl and let him know what's going on and where he can meet his son, if he so chooses, before this goes any farther. Have you gotten anything else out of Susie?"
There is a long, pregnant pause. She's debating whether to argue with me, threaten to throw me in jail, or possibly worse. In the strained silence, I sense her considering the option of shooting me.
I would too, in her shoes.
Finally, she says, “She lawyered up, and claims this was all Amelia's fault. They both wanted babies and Amelia had a pretty good game going, at least with Ethan. Apparently, the mother in Santa Monica paid her a chunk of money to take him and leave. I don’t know why she didn't simply give him up for adoption, but at this point, I can't take anything Susie says as truth. She could just be talking in circles."
“Thank you for sharing that." I know it's taking all her patience not to yell at me. "Since Lily is suing me, we're taking the boys to Meg’s. They'll be safe and I'll stay out of the picture if Carl wants to bring Lily to meet their real son. I'm sure they'll want to talk to Ethan as well."
Another long pause, as if Taylor is debating telling me something. "Jackie feels horrible she had to drop you. We had to make sure we avoid any impropriety since this is already loaded with potential landmines. The FBI is dotting Is and crossing Ts on this. We can't afford any other screw ups. I hope you understand."
I do. "Jackie is a professional, as I know you are, and I appreciate what both of you have done for me. I know your hands are tied, but just so you know, it still sucks."
I hang up before she can say anything else. "Let's go."
As much as I like Taylor, she’s a federal agent and I’m not convinced child services isn’t on their way to find these boys. I want to get moving before that happens.
Everybody jumps up and we make sure to finish cleaning our table before leaving. As we’re piling into the BMW, I notice a mother with two young kids staring at us, probably having seen us on the news. I ignore her and we take off. I wonder if I'll ever be able to go anywhere again without public scrutiny.
“Maybe now Lily will get off your back and not sue you," Meg says.
“Doubtful. She threw down the gauntlet on national television. She can't give up now."
“We’ll talk to her," Jon volunteers from the back. A glance in my rearview shows Ethan nodding in agreement. "She'll be so happy to have me again, she'll forget all about suing you."
I appreciate their somewhat innocent take on the situation. "I'm really sorry this happened to you guys, and I have to give you full credit for being so mature about this."
They smile awkwardly. Ethan shares an earbud with Jon and they start listening to some of his favorite music. I look at Meg and she smiles at me. I return it.
