Easy For Keeps: A Boudreaux Novella (The Boudreaux Series) (3 page)

Is it wrong that said junk is now rock hard from her steady stream of badass?

But I don’t laugh, or even crack a smile, because I believe every word of it.

“Perfectly understood,” I reply with a nod. “I promise to get you where you’re going and back home safely.”

She narrows those amazing eyes on me and with her arms crossed, she looks me up and down, then nods once. “Okay. Hailey? Come on, baby girl, Adam’s going to give us a ride.”

“Our car’s broken?” Hailey asks as she climbs out of the back seat.

“Just a little broken, honey,” I reply and lead them to my car. When we’re all inside and buckled up, I turn to Sarah. “Where to?”

She rattles off an address, and I frown down at her. “That’s in the Basin Street Projects.”

“Okay,” she replies, as if it’s no big deal.

“You were about to take your daughter to that neighborhood by yourself.”

It’s not a question, and for reasons that I can’t even fathom right now, I’m worried and half-pissed. That’s one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. It’s certainly no place for this fancy woman and her daughter.

“I know exactly what I was about to do,” she replies and smooths lip-gloss on her lips. “This is what I do for a living.”

“You hang out in the projects for a living?”

She sends me an annoyed glance. “Sometimes, yes.”

“So you’re aware that going anywhere near that address puts both you and your daughter at risk?”

“You know, you’re awfully nosy for someone I just met.”

“Yeah, lady, well you can
it’s none of your business
me all day long, but when you’re being foolish with your safety, I’m going to call you out on it.”

“Look,” she says and turns in the seat so she can look at me when she talks. This is quickly becoming one of the things I like about her. She’s not a game player. She says it like it is. “My daughter is
my
business.”

“Right.” I nod. “Except when you
lose her
and I find her in the store all by herself at just this side of the ass-crack of dawn.”

“Adam said a curse!” Hailey announces.

“Bloody. Pulp.” The words are spat out from between her teeth and when I glance over she’s throwing daggers out of those gorgeous eyes at me.

It’s both impressive and terrifying.

Chapter Two

~Sarah~

“Do you need me to repeat the address?” I ask, my voice bitchy to my own ears. I should probably be kinder to the stranger doing a favor for me, but it’s already been the morning from hell and I just
can’t.

“No ma’am,” he replies, the sound of New Orleans dripping thickly from his deep voice. Honestly, now that the absolute terror of not being able to find Hailey has cleared, I can see that Adam is
hot.
Like, ridiculously, dangerously hot. Not handsome. Not nice-looking.

H-O-T.

But of all of the people in the world, no one knows better than I do that
hot
doesn’t make a man good. Hot men hurt, just the same way that ugly men do. So while I will sit here and admire the way his forearms flex as he grips the steering wheel, I will not forget that he’s a stranger.

I should have asked for the references he offered.

Except, I don’t have time for that. I have work to do, and I need to get Hailey to school on time. I haven’t managed to do it yet, and I’m quite sure the teacher isn’t terribly impressed with me.

I can’t blame her.

This single mom stuff isn’t for pansies.

“So what do you do?” Adam asks.

“Mommy saves kids,” Hailey says from the back seat. Adam looks over at me in surprise, then returns his gaze to the road.

“Is that right?”

“No, I—”

But Hailey is on a roll. “Yep! She saves little kids and mommies from daddies who are mean.”

“Hailey,” I say with my stern mom voice.

“What? He asked.” Hailey says reasonably.

“I did ask,” Adam agrees with a grin.
Oh Jesus, that grin.

“I’m a social worker,” I admit and look out the passenger window, hoping that he’ll drop the subject. But the man is nosier than Mrs. Kravitz on
Bewitched
.

“How did you get into that?” he asks and turns down the street to the address I gave him. He was right. This neighborhood has seen better days. The buildings are run-down. Many of them were never repaired after Katrina. Cars are on blocks. Kids in dirty clothes are walking to school.

“It’s a long story,” I reply absently as he pulls up to the curb and I stare in silent shock at the house that my client is living in with her three children. “Come on, Hailey. We have to go inside.”

“No,” Adam says, surprising me. “You don’t want to take her in there, Sarah.”

I definitely don’t want to take her in there.
But there is no choice.

“I’m not leaving her in the car with a stranger,” I reply simply. “Not today or any day. Ever.”

He shakes his head, looks at the house that looks like something out of a horror movie, then back to me. “I’m coming with you.”

“This is a confidential meeting, and trust me when I say the woman in there wants absolutely nothing to do with any man right now.”

His eyes soften in sympathy.

“I’ll stay on the porch if need be, but you are
not
getting out of this car in this neighborhood alone. Take it or leave it. And if you leave it, I’m driving away right now.”

Part of me bristles and wants to tell him exactly where he can shove his ultimatum, but the other part can’t help but admit that he makes sense. I can handle myself in any neighborhood, but I have Hailey, and I won’t be able to watch her as carefully as I should while I interview the client.

Finally, I cave. “Okay. You can come. But you
will
stay on the porch if there is any sign from this woman that she’s afraid of you.”

“Of course.” He blows out a breath. “Any man who makes a woman afraid should be hung up by his balls.”

“Agreed,” I mutter and open my door, help Hailey out of the car, and lead us up the steps to the porch. Whether the rotten wood is stable enough to hold all of us is questionable. The boards creek under our weight as I ring the doorbell.

I can hear footsteps running in the house, and a little voice yells, “Mama! Someone’s here!”

“Don’t you dare open that door!”
Good girl,
I think to myself when the client shouts at her kid. Restraining orders are just a piece of paper. It doesn’t mean that the ex-husband won’t show up at the door.

I glance up at Adam, who’s holding Hailey’s hand as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. His eyes—green—are on mine when we hear the client approach the door.

“Who are you?” she calls through the door.

“This is Sarah Cox, Ms. LaCroix. I’m just stopping by to check on you.”

“Don’t need no checkin’,” she mumbles as she unlocks several deadbolts and opens the door. Her eyes squint against the sunlight as she looks me up and down. I’ve only spoken to her on the phone. This is our first meeting.

When she glances at Adam, she pulls the door tight against her, in case she has to shut us out quickly. “Who that?”

“This is Adam. He’s going to stay on the porch if it makes you more comfortable. And this is my daughter Hailey.”

“Girl, you be stupid to bring your baby in this neighborhood. I wouldn’t have mine here if’n I could afford to move away.”

“I think that’s something we can talk about today,” I reply with a smile. I glance up at Adam and am surprised to see that his jaw is clenched shut, his muscles working hard as he gnashes his teeth.

I don’t know him at all, but it’s easy to see that he’s
pissed.
And for good reason. One of Ms. LaCroix’s eyes is swollen shut, three days after her ex-husband attacked her. Her jaw is bruised. Her left arm is in a cast.

What he can’t see are the bruises and broken ribs under her clothes.

“You one of those men who likes to prove a point with his fist?” she asks Adam.

“Not unless I’m throwing some idiot out of my bar, ma’am,” Adam replies with a half-smile. “But I’m perfectly fine out here on the porch.”

“It’s hot outside,” she says finally and steps back to allow us all inside. “And that baby ain’t gonna sit on the porch. Come on in. My oldest is getting the youngest ready for school. They’ll be leavin’ in a few.”

The children all come clamoring down the stairs, their footfalls loud on the hollow wooden steps, and rush in the room to kiss their mother. All three, two boys and one little girl, are clean and seem happy. Their clothes, although not expensive, are clean.

“This here’s Miss Sarah. I ain’t raisin’ ya to be rude, so you’ll say hello.”

All three turn to me. “Hello, Miss Sarah.”

“Hello,” I reply with a smile. Hailey, who’s been remarkably quiet up until now, leaves Adam’s side and walks over to the other little girl.

“I love your pretty hair things,” Hailey says, admiring the braids and barrettes in the little girl’s black hair. “I’m Hailey.”

“I’m Jasmine,” she replies.

“Like Princess Jasmine!” Hailey exclaims. “I like Belle.” And with that, the two little girls sit on the steps and begin chatting about Disney movies.

“She’s a sweet little thing,” Ms. LaCroix says. “Come on in. I suppose you want to make sure I’m taking care of my children proper like.”

“I can see that already,” I reply with a soft voice. “Your children are beautiful and well-mannered.”

“Of course they are,” she says with a sniff. “I ain’t raisin’ no trash.”

“No, ma’am,” I reply, shaking my head. “I want to make sure you’ve been back to the doctor, and that no one has been harassing you.”

“He can’t harass me,” she replies, her voice hushed so the kids can’t hear. “He’s in jail. But when he gets out, I ’xpect he’ll come back to whoop my ass some more.”

“There’s a restraining order—”

But she starts to laugh. “Do you really think that piece of paper is gonna keep him away?”

She’s right. It won’t. I sigh and shake my head. “You’re not a stupid woman. And I’m not going to stand here and lie to you. But I can help you get out of here before he gets out.”

This intrigues her. “How’s that?”

“We have programs to help you, ma’am.”

“I don’t need your damn charity.”

“This is
not
charity. You’ll have to work for it, but in return, you’ll have a safe place for your children.”

Just then, all of the kids rush in to kiss their mom’s cheek and wave good-bye as they set out for school and Hailey returns to my side. After they leave, Ms. LaCroix stares at the closed door they just left through. She’s a tough woman, all of thirty-five, but has seen more than anyone ever should. Finally, she looks up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“You just tell me what I hasta do. I don’t want my babies to live scared no more.”

“I don’t want any of you to be afraid anymore,” I reply and pat her shoulder softly. “Let’s get you all out of here.”

* * * *

An hour later, we’re all back in Adam’s car, headed to Hailey’s school. Adam was quiet the entire time we were at the meeting. He simply listened or whispered to Hailey about who knows what.

I can’t help but wonder why it’s been so easy to trust him this morning, other than to say that my gut says that I can, and my gut is rarely wrong. I’ve been depending on my gut most of my life, and it’s never disappointed me.

Hailey is talking to her bear about school. When Adam pulls up to the curb, I get out and help my baby girl out of the car, then kneel and hug her tight, the way I always do after I’ve been to a particularly troubling client’s home. I’m so thankful that Hailey will never have to live that way.

Ever.

“I love you, June Bug,” I say, making her giggle. I’ve called her that since she was born, playing on her middle name. “Have the best day ever.”

“
You
have the best day ever,” she says and kisses my cheek. “And take care of Brother Bear.”

“Deal. I’ll pick you up after school.”

She nods and runs over to her teacher who has come out to welcome all of the kids. I wave one last time and get back in Adam’s car.

“Thanks for doing this. She would have been late otherwise.”

“Not a problem.” He pulls away from the school, still quiet, and I don’t know if I should start a conversation or just leave it. Which is dumb. I don’t know him, and I’ll probably never see him again. I should just leave it.

But I don’t.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer for a moment. He just rubs his hand over his mouth in agitation, then finally sighs long and slow. “No.”

“You’re not okay?”

“No, Sarah, I’m not okay.”

I frown, staring at him. “What’s wrong?”

But rather than answer, he just shakes his head and drives me to an auto shop, parks, turns off the car, and turns to face me. “How do you do that?”

I blink at him, convinced that I’m missing something.

“Drop my kid off at school?”

“No, damn it, how do you work with cases like that every day and not go crazy?”

“Look, taking you in there was not the right thing to do, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice.”

“I’m not fucking worried about me!” His head whips around so he can glare at me, his green eyes on fire, and it should concern me how sexy I find him right now. I’m not afraid of him. At all. But oh, Lordy, I’m turned on. “You shouldn’t be putting yourself in danger!”

“And just like that, he ruins it,” I mutter, slapping my palm to my forehead.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Look, this is my
job.
What you saw today pales compared to some of the cases I’ve seen. I’m trained very well to handle myself and anything that might come up. I’m registered to carry a weapon, and I know how to use it. You have no idea what I’ve seen in my life, and what I’m capable of.”

I’m panting now, with anger and frustration.

“I’m not a
little
woman—”

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asks, confused. “You’re a woman, period. And I’m not implying that you’re not capable of kicking ass because frankly, I’m not convinced that you won’t be kicking mine before the day is out, but I don’t love that you put yourself and your kid in situations like the one this morning. It could have been very dangerous.”