“Can you... would you show me how to shoot?” He pulls his head back to look at me.
I should tell him no. I could help him escape this life, and at his age, he should be holding a baseball bat or a hockey stick, not a gun. But looking beneath his bravado, the kid’s not much different than me. I know that even if I gave him everything his heart desired, it would never erase his memories. He might physically be a kid, but on the inside, he likely feels a hundred years old.
Instead, I give him the only thing that might fuse together some of the jagged cracks in his heart. I give him his power back.
“Yeah, I can do that, and when you’re ready, I’ll stand beside you and watch you show whoever hurt you that they can’t hurt you anymore, even if I have to hold them down myself,” I promise him.
He looks shocked that I agreed so readily, but then he snorts, surprising us both. “You know that’s fucked up, right? We’re standing in the dark after you shot the cop who was making me…” His voice drifts off for a second as he sniffs and swallows.
“Everyone’s fucked up, some of us just hide it better than others. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m sick to death of hiding.”
He nods slowly in agreement, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Me too,” he whispers.
“What’s your name?” I ask him, pulling my phone from my pocket and texting Danny.
“I’m DJ,” he offers hesitantly. No last name, but I don’t push him.
“Hey, DJ, I’m Viddy. It’s really nice to meet you.” I grin at him, and that’s when he does something that steals a little piece of my heart. Standing there in shock, both of us covered in blood splatter, he smiles.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I observe DJ from the kitchen area of Baker’s apartment as the kid sits on the living room floor watching cartoons.
“I’m not sure what’s going on here, Viddy, but you can’t just collect kids,” Baker grunts from beside me.
“Not to mention, you killed a fucking cop,” Danny hisses. “People will search for him.”
I sigh and take my eyes from DJ and turn to face them both.
“Do you know that DJ is thirteen years old?” I ask them quietly.
“Even more reason you can’t keep him, V. He will have people at home worried sick about him.”
I look at him with pity, bursting his bubble with the truth. “I found him on his knees with tears running down his face while that dirty fat fucking cop shoved his dick down his throat. And you know what? DJ would choose to do that every single day if it meant social services can’t find him and send him home. What does that tell you?”
Danny looks like he’s going to be sick and Baker has gone an alarming shade of green.
“Guys, it’s handled. You can bet your fucking asses there will come a time we’ll be dealing with DJ’s family, but that’s for another day,” I reassure them. “Right now, we have other shit to deal with. I picked up the keys for my new place today. I want you to take the cop’s body there and dispose of it.”
Turning to Baker, I sigh. “I’m sorry we invaded your space, but I can’t take him back to the penthouse. After you found those cameras, I can’t risk exposing him to Zodiac. The truth is, he’s no safer with me than he is out there, but I couldn’t just leave him.”
“I still don’t understand why you won’t let us get rid of the cameras, or at least loop some footage so it looks like they’re still recording,” Baker grumbles.
“You know why. I can’t let Zodiac realize I’m on to him, and if his tech guy is half as good as you, he’ll know in a heartbeat if you tamper with the footage.”
“Is this why you got a new place?” Danny asks.
“Yeah, that and it’s mine so no fucker can take it from me. Plus, I got it for a steal.” I grin.
Danny and Baker look at me before looking at each other then back to me again.
“Okay, spill. What aren’t you telling us?” Baker asks with a frown.
“My new place is Shadow Falls,” I tell them, biting my lip.
“Shadow Falls? Why does that sound familiar?” Danny says, frowning.
“Holy fuck, you have got to be kidding me,” Baker shouts. We