off his punishment.”
“His punishment?”
“I’ve told him time and time again, he needs new friends. He refuses to listen, and look where we are now?”
I wasn’t sure I’d have called Ben and his gang friends, but I wasn’t in the mood to piss Mr. Sauvage off. If I wanted to check up on Felix, I needed to play the game. The last thing I wanted was this surly man stopping me at the door and rejecting my request. I didn’t let Cleveland’s statement faze me. I kept my shoulders back and my gaze unwavering. Most people didn’t argue when I pulled out my authority. Cleveland might be an exception.
“If it’s all the same, Mr. Sauvage, I’d like to have a quick word with Felix, then I’ll be on my way, and he can resume his chores.”
“Punishment.”
“Right.” I waved a hand. “Mind if I come in?”
“He’s around back, mowing the lawn.”
I waited. I had no intention of walking around the side of the house.
When he saw I wasn’t backing down, Cleveland’s sighed. “Come on through then.”
I took my time as I walked to the back end of the house, scanning and observing as much as I could. You could tell a lot about a family by their environment. The Sauvage residence was lived-in. There were small messes here and there; dirty dishes in the sink, crumbs on the counters, the TV was playing, but no one was watching it.
In the living area, Penny was lying on the ground among a pile of paperback novels, markers spread across a sketch pad, and music filtering into the room from her phone which sat beside her.
“Is Catherine around?” I asked, referring to Cleveland’s wife.
“She ran to the store. Why?”
“No reason. Just curious.”
Cleveland guided me out a back door and onto a small stone patio area. Felix had his back turned, mowing in the opposite direction. He was limping a bit still, and I cursed under my breath.
Cleveland shouted, “Hey! Turn that thing off and get your ass over here.”
Felix stopped and glanced back. Although I was sure he hadn’t understood a word over the noise of the mower, he shut it down and passed a glance from his father to me.
“Thank you.” I darted a stern glare at Cleveland. “I won’t be long.” I left him and crossed the yard toward Felix so we could talk without his father overhearing.
Felix’s attention remained focused on his old man until I was directly in front of him. The wariness on his face wasn’t hidden.
“Morning, Chief. What are you doing here?”
“I came to check up on you. You’re limping.”
“I’m fine.”
His face was a rainbow of colorful bruising, and his split lip was swollen and puffy. The kid looked rough and miserable. It was impossible to tell if he had any new injuries as a result of his father’s rough hand, and I doubted it was something Felix would share.
“You should be resting and healing, not mowing a lawn.”
Felix flickered his gaze behind me once before meeting my eyes again. He shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“Has your dad gone inside yet?”
“No.”
“Look, kid. I don’t know everything that’s going on with you, but I hardly slept last night for worrying. I want you to know I’m on your side. If you ever want to talk, I’ll listen without judgment. You hear me?”
He looked away and shrugged again. The pain in his eyes wasn’t hidden.
“Felix. Look at me.” He did, so I continued. “You can tell me anything.” I pulled a business card from the front pocket of my uniform shirt and handed it to him. “Call me anytime. My personal cell phone is on there too.”
He stared at the card in his hand for a long time before shoving it into his pocket and glancing back at his father. “Thanks for stopping by, Chief. I gotta get back to work, or I’ll never finish the list of shit I gotta do.”
“All right.” But I didn’t walk away. I couldn’t. Maybe he wouldn’t answer me, but I had to ask. Before the kid could turn back to the lawnmower, I placed a hand on his arm. “Are you safe here?”
Felix huffed a humorless laugh and met my eyes. “I ain’t safe anywhere.” Then he pulled from my hold and went back to work. The loud roar of the lawnmower effectively ended our conversation.
Walking away from the Sauvage residence, I felt worse, not better. I didn’t know what Felix meant by his parting statement, but it didn’t sit well with me.
Chapter