3
Shayna
Afamiliar smell drifts in as my mind starts to sharpen around the edges. The dreams slip away and the awareness settles in. I’m at the Savage Knight clubhouse. In Officer Price’s room.Link. He’s no longer a cop. He’s a lawless biker now. I saw the one-percent patch on his leather jacket, and I know what that means. Izzy was wrong about the club being a bunch of old farts out for a joy ride. Not a single man in that room was old or sporting a beer gut. I only got a quick view, but there was enough dominant hotness in that room to burn me with intimidation. Especially Officer Price.Link.
I don’t know why the fact that he’s no longer a cop has me smiling, but I guess it’s nice to know that he’s not so perfect after all. That he has a little wild in him like me. Though, it’s quite a change to go from being an enforcer of the law to one who breaks the law, but I’m guessing there’s a good reason. One I wonder whether he’ll tell me.
I open my eyes and sit up, studying his room. It’s like a studio apartment. There’s a sitting area with a sofa and a coffee table. A huge TV hangs on the wall. And there’s a little bar with a fridge in the corner. Plus, he has his own bathroom. The place is nicer than the apartment I was living in. I’m still reeling over the fact that Livensky is going to be charging twenty-six hundred for that place. But I’m sure that’s the “Shayna Jones Special.” I doubt he’s going to be requiring any of his other tenants to pay his property taxes.
As I turn to reach for my phone to text Izzy and let her know what happened, I notice the police badge sitting on his nightstand. It’s perched against his lamp, almost like a reminder of who he once was. Or maybe it’s a reminder of who he isn’t. He was never like the other cops. They were mean and rigid, and unbending. But from the very first time I met Officer Price, I thought he was the nicest man in the world.
My caseworker, Mrs. Williams, had just come into my room that morning to inform me that I was going to be placed in a foster home. I remember the panic setting in, the fear taking hold, and as soon as she left my room, I packed a bag and ran. But without any money, there was no place for me to go. So, I ran into the diner down the street, stole the tip jar off the counter, and took off. I didn’t get very far, though.
The sirens blared, the red and blue lights grew close, and I was caught. The cops hauled me down to the police station, and shortly after I was processed into the system, another officer was showing up to take me to the detention center. The big giant came in and sat down across from me. As a kid, my first thought was of the giant in the bookJack and the Beanstalk. The officer was huge. Just as broad as a sasquatch, and equally as strong, and he had a scruffy beard, which made him look like a hairy beast. But when he opened his mouth and spoke, he wasn’t cruel or angry. He was kind.
“You’re awfully young to be in a place like this, sweetheart. You want to tell me why you took that tip jar?”
I took it so I could buy myself a bus ticket and get away. “They were going to put me with a family. And I don’t want to go live with those people. I want to stay at the center.”
He let out a giant sigh, and I was worried he was going to get mad at me like the caretakers always did, but he didn’t. Instead of being irritated, he seemed kind of sad.
“So, you live at the girls’ home?”
I nod. It’s the only home I’ve ever known, or at least, the only one I can remember. They said I was placed with a family when I was a baby, but I was returned to the home when I was three so the only memories I have are of the center, and of course, of Mrs. Williams my caseworker.
“Is there a reason why you don’t want to go to a foster home? There are a lot of nice people who want to look after girls like you. It would be a good way for you to try a family on for size, see if it’s a good fit.”
“I don’t need a family. My friends have told me what happened to them when they were with foster families. I don’t want anyone hurting me or making me sad.”
Again, there was a soft look in his eyes. He was a gentle giant. I could tell.
“So, you ran away and stole the money. Where were you going to go?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Just somewhere they wouldn’t find me.”
“But what if a bad man found you instead?” I hadn’t really thought about that. “What if someone saw you on the street and tried to hurt you?”
“I would kick him where it hurts and run.”
His smile was like sunshine, warming me up inside. I wanted to make him do it again.
“You’re a scrappy little thing, aren’t you?”
“I live in a house full of girls. Do you know what girls are like? It’s survival of the fittest in there.”
He burst out a laugh and the sound was like a security blanket, wrapping around me, offering comfort. I wanted him to laugh more too. It was the most soothing sound I’d ever heard.
“I saw that you have quite the little rap sheet.” His laughter died and his face turned serious. But he still wasn’t mad. “Have to say, I’m not too happy about that. With this offense, you could find yourself doing some serious time, young lady. You may end up doing two years in the detention center.”
“Just as long as I don’t have to be put in a home with people who will hurt me, I’m okay with it.”
His lips tipped down at my remark and I felt like I had disappointed him. “But the kids in the detention center could hurt you.”
“I won’t let them.” I shook my head. “They’ll know I’m the head bitch.”
His lips tipped back up again, and it made me happy. I wasn’t used to the feeling coming from adults. My friends made me happy. Izzy made me happy. And when I’d get a present on Christmas, that made me happy. But I wasn’t used to feeling happy around cops, that’s for sure.
“Listen. I’m going to make you a deal, kid. If you promise me you’ll stay out of trouble, I’ll take you back to the home and make sure the diner drops the charges. I’ll even tip them extra for their trouble.”
