The Spark by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 6
Donovan
When Saturday night arrived, I was looking forward to doing absolutely damn nothing—maybe watch whatever new action flick was currently streaming, water my plants, kick my feet up on my coffee table, and suck back a cold beer or two. I deserved a reward. I’d managed to catch up on my billable hours, and I hadn’t broken down and called a certain woman whose name I would not be thinking about tonight—especially when I climbed into bed later. Over the last few days, I’d managed to talk myself down off the cliff I’d been standing on. I’d worked seven long years to get where I was today, and I was not going to let a woman fuck that up, especially not one who had no interest in me.
Nope. I was not interested in Autumn Wilde.
Not in the least.
I picked up the spray bottle on my kitchen counter and walked over to the first of more than a dozen plants scattered around my apartment.
“She’s not my type anyway.”
Spray. Spray.
As if to challenge that statement, my brain conjured up a memory of Autumn from our weekend together—long legs, creamy skin, gorgeous, deep red hair, tiny waist, and a pretty full ass for a little thing…
“Fine,” I grumbled. “So maybe she’s sort of my type—physically, anyway. But she’s definitely more work than I could handle.”
Spray. Spray.
Though…when I looked back at the weekend we’d spent together, which I’d definitely done on a few hundred occasions, work wasn’t exactly how I’d describe it. Just the opposite. Autumn and I had been holed up here in my apartment for three full days, and it was probably the most effortless good time I’d had in…maybe forever. We’d talked until the sun came up and spent the days renting movies, fooling around a bit, laughing, and falling asleep snuggled on the couch. I’d even done her damn laundry while she’d slept.
I shook my head and moved on to the next plant.
“Fine.”
Spray. Spray.
“But what the hell do you expect me to do? She’s not interested. Plus, she’s dating my boss. So does it even matter if she’s a walking wet dream who could make me smile for an entire weekend without having sex? Or that I can still smell her perfume right now even though I haven’t been near her in two days? Or that I can remember the taste of her from every kiss we’ve shared?”
Spray. Spray.
“I’ll tell you the answer. No. It doesn’t fucking matter.”
Even if there were a hundred reasons I couldn’t get her out of my mind, she was dating my boss. That alone had to tip the scale to the stay-the-hell-away side, clearly outweighing all the reasons to call her. I just needed to get my mind off of her for a while. That’s all.
So I finished watering my plants in silence, got a cold beer from the fridge, and sat down on the couch to scroll through the movie choices on Netflix. But as I watched the preview for some movie that seemed like it should’ve been titled Ocean’s Nine Hundred and Ninety or Whatever, my cell vibrated in my pocket. I briefly considered ignoring it, but the workaholic in me couldn’t let it go to voicemail. So I dug it out and swiped to answer a number I didn’t recognize as I brought my beer to my lips. “Donovan Decker.”
“Hi, ummm… It’s Autumn. I’m sorry to bother you.”
I immediately sat up and planted the beer on the coffee table. Something was wrong. I could hear the stress in her voice. “What happened?”
“It’s Storm. He ran away.”
I raked a hand through my hair. Shit. One of the terms of his release was that he had to remain under the direct care and control of Social Services. “How long has he been gone?”
“Since about four o’clock this afternoon. Today is his birthday. The last time he spoke to his mother, she promised she’d visit him on his birthday. She never showed up. Visiting hours ended at 3:30, and when the residence manager went to check on him, she found a broken window and Augustus was gone. They know they’re required to call the Probation Department if anything like this happens, but I’m friends with Lita, the manager there, so she called me first. I asked her if I could call it in… But that was five hours ago, and I never did. I didn’t know who else to call. Can I get him in more trouble if I continue to hold off on calling?”
“You can get yourself in trouble. As his social worker, you have a legal duty to act.”
“I don’t care about that, but…” She paused, and I heard a knock in the background. “I’m sorry. Can you hang on a second?”
“Yeah.”
I listened to muffled voices. The man’s voice got loud, and I thought he said, “It’s just five damn dollars.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Autumn?” I yelled into the phone.
She came back on after a few seconds. “Sorry—where was I?”
“Forget where you were with your story. Where are you right now?”
“I’m in a parking lot. I think I’m on Delaney Street or maybe it was Delancey. I don’t remember what I turned on.”
I walked to the closet to get my shoes. “You’re in Storm’s neighborhood?”
“Yeah. I’ve been looking for him the last few hours.”
“Are you in a car?”
“Yes.”
“Did someone just knock on your window and ask for money?”
“Yeah. I pulled into an empty lot to call you, and I didn’t notice anyone. I think maybe some homeless people might be living here.”
I shook my head as I grabbed my keys and wallet from the counter. “If you’re on Delaney, you’re about eight blocks from the seventy-fifth precinct, where he was held the other night. It’s on the corner of Sutter and Essex. Punch that into your GPS and go. I’ll meet you in the parking lot of the station. Don’t roll down your window to answer anyone, and keep your doors locked.”
“Are we going to ask the police for help finding Storm?”
“Something like that. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Once you get to the police station, just sit in your car. Don’t go in without me.”
“Okay.”
***
Autumn jumped when I knocked on her window. She looked relieved when she realized it was me, and she pressed the button to roll it down.
“Do you mind if we take your car?” I said.
“No, that’s fine. But where are we going?”
“To find Storm.”
“I thought we were going to ask the police for help?”
“No, this was just the safest place I knew of to put you until I could get here.”
“Oh…”
I walked around the car and got into the passenger seat. Autumn looked around the parking lot. “Is that your car over there?” She pointed.
“Yep.”
“Nice. Are you sure you don’t want to take yours?”
I buckled. “Definitely not. This will fit in better. People in this neighborhood don’t trust two types of people—police and haves.”
“Haves?”
“Yeah. They consider themselves have nots, and haves are outsiders. If we’re going to drive around, your Hyundai will be less conspicuous than my overpriced Mercedes.”
“Okay.”
I pointed down the street. “Pull out and make a left, then go straight for about a half mile. We’ll start at the closest park.”
Autumn did as I asked. As we waited at a red light, she said, “Why did you buy it?”
“What?”
“The Mercedes. You said it was overpriced. So why did you buy it?”
“I didn’t. The firm leases it. They give us three choices of cars so we look the part when we go see a client. I don’t drive it that often since I live and work in the City and prefer trains.”
“Oh.”
A minute later, she said, “What kind of car would you get if you were buying it?”
“If I was buying it and wasn’t planning on pulling up to a client in it?”
She nodded.
“A nineteen seventy Ford Bronco.”
“Really? A fifty-year-old car? I don’t know what it looks like.”
“Did you ever see the movie Speed?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, it’s what Keanu Reeves drove. I watched that movie twenty times when it came out, just to check out his character’s car.”
She smiled. “That’s not the type of car I would have expected you to covet.”
“I think there’s a lot about me you’re going to find out tonight that you might not have expected.” I pointed up ahead. “Pull over in front of those of stores.”
“Near that group of guys?”
“Yeah.”
Autumn did as I asked. But when she put the car in park, she went to turn off the ignition.
“Keep it running. I’ll just be a minute.”
“I want to go with you.”
“You’re not going with me.”
“Why not?”
“Can you just trust me?”
She sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll wait in the car.”
I opened my door and turned back before getting out. “Lock the doors behind me.”
There were three guys standing in front of a closed neighborhood grocery store. They eyed me as I approached.
“I’m looking for a twelve-year-old kid named Storm. Any chance you’ve seen him around?”
The taller of the three lifted his chin. “Who’s asking?”
“I am. Name’s Decker.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know any Decker.”
“I don’t live in the neighborhood anymore. I used to hang with Dario over on Cleveland Street and ate my meals with Bud most nights.”
The guy rubbed his chin. “Decker, huh? That does sound familiar.”
“Look, I’m trying to find the kid to keep him out of more trouble than he’s already in.” I tilted my head toward the car. “That’s his social worker in the car. She’s putting her neck on the line right now by not calling in that he disappeared from Park House. If I don’t find him, we’re going to have to call it in, and then he’s in deeper shit than he needs to be.”
Two of the guys looked at each other, and one nodded. “I don’t know if the kid you’re looking for is there, but there’s a group around that age that hangs out in the abandoned lot over on Belmont Ave. And check out behind the pizza place off Jerome Street.”
“Thanks.”
Autumn and I stopped at the park, since it was on the way. I ran out and looked around, but it was empty. Then I gave her directions to the abandoned lot the guys at the store had mentioned.
“You know this neighborhood pretty well. Did you have clients here when you did street crimes?”
“Nope. Used to live here myself.”
“Really? I don’t think you mentioned that when we…met to exchange luggage.”
I looked over and waited until her eyes met mine. “I don’t think you mentioned that I only had seventy-two hours to fill you in on my life story because you were going to disappear.”
She smiled sadly. “I guess I deserve that.”
We both stayed quiet until we pulled up at the abandoned lot. Again, I got out by myself and had a few words with the people I encountered. Unfortunately, Storm wasn’t there, but one of the kids knew him and suggested trying some girl named Katrina’s block, because Storm “got it bad for the girl.”
Over the course of two hours, we went from place to place. It was beginning to feel like a futile attempt when I finally saw a kid about Storm’s size walking alone on a block he shouldn’t have been walking alone on. We rolled up and sure enough, it was him.
As we pulled close, Autumn asked, “Can I handle this?”
I nodded. “Of course. Just stick close to the car, please. And if he acts like a little punk and takes off running, you get back in the car and let me chase him down on foot. Deal?”
“Deal.”
I watched from the car as Autumn and Storm spoke. It looked like she laid into him good, and the kid was smart enough to just take it and not argue back. After about ten minutes, he climbed into the backseat while Autumn got behind the wheel. I turned.
“I’m sure Autumn covered most of what needs to be said, so I’m just going to add two things.” I counted off with my finger. “One, you may not give a shit what happens to you, but Autumn here could be arrested for not reporting that you took off. I’m going to take a leap of faith and assume you didn’t know that. But now that you do, you need to think twice about how your actions affect others—especially a person who is good to you.” Storm was avoiding eye contact, so I spoke with a stern tone. “Look at me.”
His eyes flashed as they met mine.
“How many people in your life can you count on? I got a pretty good feeling that number is low. So I’m going to give you some life advice, man to man—not attorney to dumbass client. When you find a person who has your back, you make sure you have theirs. So from now on, before you do something stupid, you act like a man and think about the consequences. Got it?”
Surprisingly, he didn’t grumble too much. “Got it.”
Autumn was driving, so she couldn’t see our interaction, but I nodded in her direction, hoping he’d take a hint.
Storm frowned but after a moment, he spoke. “Sorry, Autumn. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.”
Satisfied, I went on with my lecture. “And number two, you might be a tough kid, but you don’t walk around these streets alone at night. You stick with a buddy, or better yet, two or three of them. If you grew up here, you know what you were just doing was dumb. You might have friends and know the blocks to keep off of, but it’s not safe out here alone, no matter how tough you are.”
He wasn’t as receptive to that comment, but at least he didn’t argue. Honestly, half the struggle for a kid in his situation was knowing which battles to fight and which to surrender to. Storm was smart and had figured that one out early.
“I don’t remember which way the police station was,” Autumn said as she drove. “Do I make a right or a left at the light?”
“The police station is to the right, but go left. Let’s drop him off at Park House before you take me back to my car.”
“It’s okay. I can handle it from here. I already have you out so late.”
“I’m fine. I’d rather make sure the resident manager didn’t jump the gun and call Probation, and also that no one gives you a hard time.”
“Oh, alright. Thanks.”
Park House was quiet, and luckily no one had called Probation. So once I knew there was no trouble brewing, I waited outside to give Autumn and Storm some time to talk. I sensed she’d wanted to have another heart to heart with him.
I was leaning against her car when she walked out a few minutes later.
“Everything go okay?”
She nodded. “Though I also thought everything was going to be okay the other day when I dropped him off. I just don’t get what it’s going to take to scare him.”
“Unfortunately, not much scares a kid like him.”
Autumn’s eyes quietly roamed my face. “It sounds like you’re saying that from personal experience.”
“I am.”
She made a face that reminded me why I didn’t often talk about how I grew up. I loathed pity. That shit should be saved for people who can’t help themselves.
I shoved my hand into my pockets. “Every screwed-up kid who manages to pull himself up out of the dirt has one person who made a difference in his life. You’re Storm’s person. You may need to use that to your advantage at times.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t value himself right now. But he does value you. Don’t hesitate to do what I did in the car—remind him his consequences could get you in trouble or hurt you in some way. He’ll do the right thing by you, even if he won’t yet do the right thing for himself.”
“That feels really manipulative to lay on him.”
I smiled. “Trust me, he’s manipulating you more.”
Autumn sighed. “Thank you. Not just for coming with me, but for giving me some insight into what’s going on in Storm’s mind. They don’t teach that kind of stuff in social work school.”
“Anytime.”
“I owe you one. I’m not sure I can put on a cape and come to your rescue like you did for me tonight. But keep my IOU in your pocket in case you need some help with social service on a case someday or whatever.”
I nodded.
“Come on,” she said. “I’ll drop you back at your car before it’s time for you to be at work already.”
“Actually, how about if we go out for a cup of coffee or a drink? I’m not tired.”
Autumn nibbled her bottom lip. “I should get going.”
It would’ve been smarter to use her IOU to have her put a good word in for me with her boyfriend, but instead I reached into my pocket and pretended to pull something out. Extending my empty hand to her, I said, “I’d like to cash in this IOU that’s been burning a hole in my pocket.” I smiled. “Have coffee with me.”
