Play With Me (16 page)

I read the story
of Peter Pan and how he taught his friend Wendy to fly above a sleeping London.
Bloody hell, I should leave my window open and beg for someone like him to come
through and carry me out in his arms. But then again, with my problem of
vertigo, I wouldn’t have made it past the windowsill.

On Tuesday
morning, I dressed in the best pair of black jeans I owned, fixed the hole over
the right knee with a safety pin and scrubbed my scuffed boots. A dark gray
hooded sweater with ragged cuffs that ended two inches above my wrists had to
do on top.

Miss Mulligan,
dressed in an abominable pink suit, escorted me in a taxi to the court. I was
to meet Abe in the smaller, almost private office where minor cases were
handled behind the big hall.

As I strolled
down the hallway next to my warden, the distinct scent of lavender and cherry
blossom floated in the air. The smell set off an ice-cold trickle at my nape,
waking memories of painful days long ago. I knew only one person who used to
wear this particular perfume.

I stopped dead
in my tracks and pivoted wildly, scanning around me as Miss Mulligan sent me a
puzzled glance. Breathing deep, I inspected the hallway up and down. But the
one person I searched for was nowhere in sight.

A slow breath
wheezed from my lungs. Must’ve been mistaken. 

A guard stood
watch in front of Judge Smith’s office. He let us in when we showed him my nice
and official invitation. He frowned at my hands shoved deep into my pockets,
but I ignored him and followed Miss Mulligan through the door.

Wide windows on
two walls brightened the beige-carpeted office. A small number of people
gathered on one side of the room close to the door, some sat next to the
judge’s big desk. I caught a glimpse of Quinn’s encouraging eyes and felt a
cloud of calm settle in my chest for a moment. Then my gaze zeroed in on Abe.

He looked up
from a stack of papers on his desk as soon as I crossed the threshold. His
disapproving eyes sent shivers down my back, but even as my warden slowed her
pace, I walked straight up to him.

‘
Never show
weakness or fear
.’ Debby’s advice rang in my ears.

“Jona
Montiniere, it is.” Abe adjusted his small round spectacles and gave me a quick
once over.

Squaring my
shoulders, I lifted my chin and put on my best let’s-talk-shop grin. “Hello,
Abe. Is business doing well?”

The judge ground
his teeth. “You keep me busy enough,” he grumbled through his beard.

I always
wondered how it happened that men lost the luxury of hair on their heads, while
stubble still sprouted wildly on their faces. This was not the best moment to
bring up the prickly topic, though. Not with Abe already gathering momentum.

He scanned his
papers again, shoving the glasses further up his nose. “This is the
twenty-third time in less than one year that I have you standing here.” At the
word twenty-third an awed whistle came from the seats. I cut a quick glance to
Quinn, who cocked a brow.

“Is there
anything you can say in your defense?” the judge demanded.

I pouted, Quinn
only shrugged.

Next to him sat
Riley, who stuffed the last bite of a doughnut with pink icing into his mouth.
It brought a grin to my lips, and I turned back to Abe.

“I’m a
kleptomaniac and have a medical certificate for legal pilfering in London.”

Riley coughed,
slamming a hand to his chest, but it was the deep chuckle from the back of the
room that drew my full attention. First, I only glanced over my shoulder. But
glistening sunlight blinded me and I pivoted around sharply.

For an
immeasurable moment, nothing but bright white fog absorbed and swallowed
everything within reach. Awestruck, I didn’t even squint. Slowly, a tall figure
emerged from this glowing mist. A long, white cloak floated around the person’s
legs while the sleeves, long and wide, covered the masculine hands almost
completely. Fathomless blue eyes appeared next, followed by a smile that could
have melted glaciers in the Arctic.

Had to be a
reflection of light streaming through the south window. An illusion caused by
today’s stress and tension. But it didn’t disappear.

Every single
pair of eyes in the room locked onto me with confused stares. Their gawks
prickled my skin all over. Only the illuminated person lowered his gaze. He
retreated a couple of steps to the shadowed line along the back wall. As soon
as he did so, the fog around him disappeared and I could make out the fine
features of a young man. A casual pair of blue jeans and a black leather jacket
replaced what I was sure had been a white cloak.

Obviously, they
had to add “
Delusional
” to my medical certificate.

His clean-shaven
face revealed a strong jaw topped by a sensual mouth. When the corners slightly
lifted, my heart banged against my ribcage, fluttering like a sparrow caught in
a cage. Strands of tousled golden hair fell over his forehead, reminding me of
warm honey. Even with the mystic light gone, the guy who remained was godlike.

Bloody hell,
what brought a god to my hearing
?
It was a
freaking sweater
!

As he arched one
delicate eyebrow, I snapped my mouth shut before drool could drip from the
corners. Heat rushed through my veins and filled my face.

“Miss
Montiniere, will you please pay attention?” Abe’s words sounded far away.

But those
sapphire eyes held me captive. And I never wanted to leave this personal prison
of ours.

Slowly, a bony
arm looped around the god’s bent elbow.

Cherry blossoms?
Why did the room suddenly smell of lavender and this distinctive note of spring
in bloom? The mix of floral scents pulled me back to the present. How long
since I had smelled it the last time? That must be something close to five
years. I let my gaze trace the skinny arm and wander farther up.

Horrorstruck, I
gaped into the face of the one person I never wanted to see again.

2

SHACKLED

JUDGE ABE’S
SQUARE office, with all the people shoved inside, started to spin around me. I
felt like someone had stuffed me into a too-small box and was pushing the top
closed against my head.

“Who let that
bitch in?” Muscles quivering, I glowered at Charlene Montiniere.

“Watch your
tongue, Miss Montiniere,” the judge warned. “This is a court of law.”

“The fuck I
will,” I spat. My eyes staked her. “This woman dumped me at an orphanage when I
was a kid. She didn’t even look back.” Fear tightened my throat. How was the
hag going to ruin my life this time?

Charlene gaped
at me. The skin sagged into bags beneath her sunken eyes. Her matted red-orange
hair had once been the exact match to my own long auburn tresses. She wore a
stark shade of red lipstick that clashed with her pale, bony face. In short,
she looked like she’d been through hell.

Good, I hoped
the bitch had suffered just as much as I had. She could crawl back into
whatever rat hole she’d emerged from. And she’d better not even think about
saying anything to me. She’d lost that right when I was five.

My hatred-filled
glare silenced her. One of her shaky hands rose slowly, as if she wanted to
touch me from the eight-foot distance that stretched between us.

“Drop dead,
Charlene,” I growled.

“Jona Montiniere,
I insist on you behaving in an appropriate manner, so we can continue this
hearing,” Abe Smith roared. “I understand your mistrust against your mother,
but once you listen to the reasons, you might change your mind.”

No way in hell.

The alarm signal
in my head was flashing bright red. Another minute in the same room with my
mother would’ve been an eternity too long. I spun around to face the old man
behind his monstrous desk and gave him a mocking military salute. “Goodbye,
Abe. I’m outta here.”

The roar to call
me to order was futile. Consequences? Not my concern. I strode toward the door,
my only goal, fresh air and a good deal of distance between me and that bitch.

People shouted
my name, some addressing me as Miss Montiniere, some using only my first name
as if we were friends.

“Kiddo, don’t be
ridiculous. Stay where you are!” I heard Quinn call out.

Not happening.

His desperation
wouldn’t stop me from leaving. But a set of chunky arms around my waist could.
Riley was the first to capture me. The delight of victory shone in his eyes as
he pressed my back against the wall. “You’re going nowhere, little Miss, apart
from jail.”

Don’t panic.
Hysteria never got me anywhere, and there was a very real place I needed to
get. Out of here.

Fists clenched, my
nails bit into my palms. “Take your bloody paws off me!”

The high-pitched
squeak Riley gave nearly shattered my eardrums when I bit into the hand he’d
clasped on my left shoulder. The donut residue I could taste on it made my
stomach roll.

He jerked his
arm back. “Damn brat, you’re gonna pay for this!”

Over his
shoulder, I spotted both Quinn and Riley’s partner rushing toward me, but the
stumbling Riley bounced into Quinn, and my only friend at the police staggered
sideways. He caught his balance by grabbing Miss Mulligan’s arm. The warden
squealed something hysterical and slapped his hands away.

With all the
confusion in the room, I saw my chance of escape. However, my freedom was short
lived. The moment I started for the exit, Riley’s tall partner caught my wrist
and swung me around. The momentum tossed me against the edge of a small, dark
brown desk in the back corner of the room.

In self-defense,
I leaned back on the desk and pulled my legs to my chest as the policeman came
for me. My hard kick hit his chest, and the soles of my boots popped a wheeze
out of the cop. The deputy careened backward, doubled over. When he caught his
breath, he cursed in a tongue that would’ve made Debby Westwood, the uncrowned
queen of swearing, go green with envy.

I shoved away
from the desk, but my chance of flight was gone as the door flung open and two
guards stormed in. Whether it was Riley’s screams, Miss Mulligan’s screeches,
or a secret button under Abe’s desk that alerted the guards, I never knew. But
they had my shoulders pinned to the floor before my next breath. All air
escaped from my lungs. A flash of pain soared through my upper body.

“No!” two men in
the room shouted at once. I recognized one of them as belonging to Quinn. His
voice was edged with sheer horror. In this moment, I was grateful he didn’t
abandon me like so many others.

Whoever the
other worried guy was, I couldn’t tell.

One guard pulled
handcuffs from his belt. He fastened them around my wrists in front of me.
Neither my kicking nor shrieking could prevent the awful click when the locks
snapped into place.

“Get off her,
you idiots. She’s only a kid.” Quinn elbowed his way through to me. “Are you
all right, kiddo?”

The pain in my
chest and back eased. I could finally draw in air. “Wow, what a fight.” It
didn’t feel like anything was seriously injured or broken, so I pressed my lips
together and gave Quinn a halfhearted nod. “I’m fine.”

I had to be. No
weakness. Ever. 

He wrapped his
fingers around my upper arms, pulling me to a wobbly stand. “In God’s name,
Jona,” he whispered. “I beg you, behave.”

A deep growl
preceded my answer. “As you wish, Sir.” What other choice did I have with the
cuffs on?

From the corner
of my eye, I caught a glimpse of my mother’s companion. The fair-haired god
studied me with narrowed eyes. Trying to figure me out? That made me very
uncomfortable.

With a gentle
tug, Quinn led me up to Abe’s desk. I turned my head to hold the blond stranger’s
stare for another moment. His arm wrapped in a supporting way around my
mother’s shoulders. A god in his early twenties and Charlene? Where in the
world would a bony bitch like her find a lover so close to my age—and this
gorgeous to boot?

“Jona Montiniere!”
The murmurs in the room ebbed with Abe’s thundering. My head snapped toward
him. Nerves steeling for what was to follow, I quickly rebuilt my mental wall
of protection. He had risen from his chair and braced himself on the desk,
glaring at me over the rims of his spectacles. “This time, you stepped over the
line. Contempt of court. Assaulting an officer.”

“What? They
assaulted me first!” My shout echoed in the room no less angry than his. “Riley
here should be sued for child abuse.”

“Enough!” Abe
roared. “Shut your mouth and sit down.”

“Sit down?” My
dramatic glance behind me was enough to point out there was nothing but the
floor to sit on.

Abe rubbed his
temples. “For heaven’s sake, someone fetch a chair for the girl.” The words
left his mouth in a broken sigh.