Loves Redemption (25 page)

were still here, I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“No you didn’t scare me. I wasn’t expecting anyone in Dalia’s office, especially at this

time of night. How has your first week gone so far? We’re scheduled for our one-on-one,

tomorrow?” she asked in reference to the once a week mentor session she held with each of her interns.

“Yes, ma’am we do meet tomorrow. Everything has been fine. Dalia has introduced me

to everyone, and I’m looking forward to working with the residents.”

“That’s good. We can speak more in-depth tomorrow during our session, unless you have

anything pressing you would like to speak about now?”

“No I can wait until tomorrow,” he assured her.

“Okay great. I’ll go ahead and take your documents now, and have those ready for you

tomorrow okay?” She reached out a hand, ready to accept the papers from him.

The intern looked at the papers in his hand. “You know what Dr. Richardson? I’m afraid

I picked up the wrong documents on my way in today. I’ll bring in the correct ones tomorrow during our session if that’s okay. I can’t believe I did that,” he told her; his embarrassment turned his normally pale skin a deep shade of red.

“Don’t worry about it; it happens to all of us. You can bring them to me tomorrow. I’m

going to wait for Detective Halstan and then I’ll be leaving.”

“Detective Halstan is coming? Is everything okay Dr. Richardson?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. He’s coming by to pick me up to go home.”

A quick look flashed across his features before just as quickly disappearing. “Yes, ma’am

I’ll see you tomorrow then.” With that, he turned around and hurried out of the room. Maya

looked at the closed door with a bemused expression, before she headed back to her office.

* * * *

Outside her office door, a very different expression had settled across the intern’s face,

which cast a baleful glow across his small set features. Holding the folder close, and lightly tapping the contents with a neatly manicured hand, he thought back on the conversation he’d overheard.

He’d thought Dr. Richardson had already left for the evening when he’d approached her

door, because moments earlier he’d seen her assistant leave. James had learned that the outer door leading to Dalia’s office was left open on Wednesday’s so the senior intern could come in and work. After the intern left for the night, she would make sure both offices were locked, and leave the key with the overnight security guard.

The senior intern had called, saying she wouldn’t make it tonight and for the offices to be locked. James had taken the call, and had been on his way to inform the security officer, when he’d walked past the office and heard low talking.

Curious, he quietly opened the door and recognized Dr. Richardson’s voice and stood

silent, listening to her conversation.

Normally a private person, James knew what he was doing wasn’t very ethical, but he

found Dr. Richardson utterly fascinating and didn’t walk away when he her beautiful laugh

trickled out from behind her partially open door.

The mild look of pleasantness on James face passed, and he felt the heat of

embarrassment light his cheeks. He could tell from her conversation who she was speaking with, and the intern was surprised at the filthy words that came out of the mild doctor’s mouth. Well, perhaps he exaggerated a bit. But still, he couldn’t imagine her having sex, much less allow that overgrown ape of a cop to do the things she’d just asked him to do to her. Spinning around to escape hearing any more of her low intimate suggestions for the detective, James had tripped and bumped the corner of Dalia’s desk, and the folder of the week’s programs had fallen out of his hand and onto the floor.

Cursing his own clumsiness, James had been in the process of picking up the fallen

papers when Dr. Richardson’s door had opened and he had looked up into her surprised face…

He glanced at his watch. He knew he needed to get out of Imani House as soon as

possible, and so he hurried down the hallway, his stride stiff and formal.

“What is going on out here?” Dalia’s thunderous voice yelled, over the gathering of

women who were protectively circling Imani House’s latest resident. Dalia’s glance took in the scene and summed up the problem in an instant.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time an incident of this nature had occurred. Rocco, an

acquaintance of Ruby their new resident, had not taken kindly to one of his women leaving him for Imani House.

He’d originally attempted to get the woman the same day she’d arrived, but had been

thwarted by Maya and Walter. This time Maya wasn’t at the House, and he obviously thought he could bust in and take her.

When he came for her this time, he had been more resourceful. One of the residents had

innocently opened the door after looking through the peephole and seeing the large bouquet of flowers held in his hand. She’d thought someone was getting a nice surprise, and had opened the door. Rocco slammed it completely opened, and the resident was pushed harshly against the

wall.

Rocco then proceeded to yell at the top of his lungs for Ruby to ‘bring her ass out and

quit taking up his valuable time with all this unnecessary bullshit’ and strutted through the house like a rooster in a hen house, yelling out Ruby’s name.

Dalia wasted no time. Although she’d called out for the guard’s assistance, she didn’t

wait for him to arrive on the scene before she boldly ran toward the circle of women in the middle of the large dining room.

Luckily, the guard was entering the room no sooner than his name was called, along with

several of the counselors.

Rocco’s normal bracing bravado began to visibly fade as his glance encompassed the

angry party advancing on him. Mustering up his courage, he straightened his back and pushed away from the small crowd.

“Look here, I came here to see my woman, I ain’t come to start no shit. Maybe she don’t

want to be here no more. Ruby you ready to come on back home? Ain’t you? You know I love

you, come on back home, baby.” The pimp directed his cold stare at Ruby’s small shivering

frame.

The security guard was quickly advancing on the posturing man when Ruby Vallejo

straightened her narrow shoulders. She stared at the pimp, fearful, yet defiant at the man she’d come to hate and fear.

She knew this sudden show of concern over whether or not she was happy was bullshit.

He didn’t give a damn about her; he only cared about how much money he’d lose if she didn’t go back to selling her body for him.

“Rocco I’m just fine where I am. I ain’t going back to being a ho for your ass no more.

So you can go on somewhere with that shit.” As she said the words to the man who’d controlled her life for years, she felt a curious detachment from her surroundings. She saw the barely discernible flush gather on his dusky cheeks, and the way his thick nostrils flared at her words.

She knew if she had good sense, she should be scared. Maybe she didn’t have good

sense, because she wasn’t afraid. What she felt instead was a taste of freedom. She would stay right where she was, and she damn sure didn’t have to let this asshole sell her body or her soul anymore.

“Okay buddy come with me, Ms. Ruby has made her intentions clear and I think it’s time

for you to go.” Rowan roughly grabbed the man by the upper arm and pulled him away from the throng of women and counselors.

“You gone regret this you stupid bitch. Don’t worry--your ass a be right back beggin’ me

to take you in when they find out what a worthless ho you really are. Man, get your damn hands off me,” the pimp demanded, as Rowan easily held him within his grasp and shoved him toward the door.

As they left the room, Dalia engulfed the petite woman in her arms, as she reassured her

everything was okay. “Although it looks as though you are able to take up for yourself very well Ms. Ruby,” Dalia chuckled.

“Do things like that happen often?” James asked one of the other counselors as they

followed the others out of the room, going back to the session they’d been pulled out of.

“Not often, things are pretty calm around here. Sometimes a pimp will call them, but our

residents rarely leave on their own, especially the first few weeks they’re here, so it’s hard for the pimp to get access to them,” she explained.

“What does Dr. Richardson do when that happens?”

“Do? What do you mean?”

“Well does she call the police? Does she reprimand the resident?”

“She certainly doesn’t punish the resident. And usually she’ll call the police and they put a restraining order on the pimp.”

“Oh yes of course of course,” he hastily agreed. “That was really awful. I wonder how

Ruby is? I think I’ll go and check on her,” James finished with a smile, changing the subject.

He left the intern and found Ruby. “Hi Ruby, I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m one

of the new interns, and I wanted to let you know if you want to talk about anything, I’m here,” he began in a sympathetic tone.

“Yes thank you, I remember meeting you. Dr. Maya has already assigned a counselor to

me but thanks anyhow. I’m gonna meet with her now. She thought it be good for me to talk

about how all what just happened made me feel,” Ruby answered with a nervous laugh.

“How did it make you feel? Are you angry about what he did?’

“Angry? Why would I be angry?”

“Well… because here you are, trying to start a new life, and he struts in here like some

peacock making you feel worthless and ashamed, telling you you’re not good for anything

besides being a whore. I mean those are some pretty awful things to say to someone don’t you think? People like him shouldn’t be able to roam around free. I’m happy for you. You got away from him.”

“I guess I could be pissed off, usually I’m scared as shit of him. Today, I wasn’t scared so much,” her voice was filled with pride. “I saw him as a big, dumb-ass bully that I don’t need in my life no more.”

Patting her shoulder, James commented, “Good for you Ruby. Well I don’t want you to

be late for your session. Ruby is that Rocco’s real name?” he asked as he turned back toward her.

“Naw, that fool thought Rocco sounded tougher than his real name.”

At his raised eyebrows she laughingly told him what his name was. They both shared a

laugh as James left her to go to her counseling session and he went to attend to his own duties.

“How about it? Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Mark asked Maya as he covered her small

naked body with his, and planted kisses along her sensitive neck, making her squirm.

“Mark, I haven’t skated since I was fifteen years old and that was only once. Besides,

I’ve never roller bladed.” Was her answer to his request they go skating at the park close to her house.

“Come on, baby, it’ll be fun. It’s a beautiful Saturday morning and we’ve got our

weekend to ourselves for once in a long time and…”

“And you want to show off your prowess as the superior athlete and laugh at poor klutzy

Maya. I don’t think so,” she picked up the end of the sentence, laughing as she rolled away from him on the bed.

“Come on, baby, you know I would never laugh at you. And there’s no way in hell you’re

going to convince me you are in any way klutzy, not with the way you move.” His eyes raked

her body with a leer. He leaned on one elbow and stared at her. “I’ll teach you how--it’ll be fun.

Come on, Maya.”

She looked up into his handsome beguiling face, and couldn’t resist responding to the

little boy expression, on his very adult features. “I suppose you already have roller blades?” At his nod she continued, “Maybe I’ll have to watch you anyway. I don’t have any blades,” she said with feigned dismay.

“Stay right here.” Mark gave her a quick kiss, before jumping out of the bed. He jogged

out of the bedroom to return with his gym bag in his hands.

In resignation she watched as he unzipped the bag and withdrew a pair of glitzy pink

roller blades with a purple Nike symbol on the side. He approached the bed with a smile and sat down next to her.

“Well what do you think? You like?”

“You’re too much! I didn’t know Nike made roller blades. When did you get these? And

how did you know my shoe size?” Maya accepted the blades from him and turned them over,

reluctantly admiring the pretty roller blades.

“I bought them a few days ago and of course I know your shoe size. It’s my duty to know

everything I can about you, didn’t you know that? Do you want to try them on?”

“Like this?” she asked pointing down to her naked body.

“Works for me.”

“Funny. I think I can wait until I’m dressed. Do we have time for breakfast first?” she

asked as her phone rang. She answered it around Mark’s groping hands. “Hi Jordan, sure he’s right here.”

Mark frowned and accepted the phone. “What’s up partner?” Maya moved over to give

him room on the edge of the bed. As he listened to his partner, the frown increased on his face and he linked hands with her, rubbing his thumb along the inside of her palm.

“Did you send a couple of uniforms to bring her in?” he asked as rose from the bed. With

a slight squeeze to her fingers he released her hand to go search for his clothes.

“Okay great. Hold off for a few minutes and I should be there in the next half hour. All

right. Yeah--well it’s okay, it goes with the job. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“You need to go in to the station? What happened?” Maya asked, when he handed her the

phone.

“Hell is breaking loose as we speak.” Mark walked into the bathroom, with Maya close

on his heels.

“Jordan took a call from a woman who was traveling along I-10 early this morning