Page 12

Chapter Eleven

“A nd you believe that’s a coincidence?”

Mo winced at Victor’s incredulous question. Riley had just come back after trying to talk to Noah and had gotten nowhere. Then the social worker had called back with further information, and Riley had shared what she’d told him. Victor’s suspicion mirrored their own.

Noah had lived with his grandmother up to her death when Noah was seven. Agnes Watkins was fully human as far as they knew, or if not, she lived a typical human existence in a small ground-floor apartment. Her daughter, Noah’s mom, had left when Noah was only five months old and was a missing person. Father unknown at that time. And even then, right up to Agnes’s death, Noah had been a model student. He was intelligent and engaged, polite, and had many friends. Noah spent five years bouncing around the system after his grandmother’s death, his behavior becoming increasingly worse, but then he was fostered by a young couple and while he took some time to adjust to the change in his living arrangements and work through his anger and grief, he eventually settled, especially when the foster parents applied to adopt him. Noah was even on the winning team for the interschool Science Olympics. The school had been interviewed by a local reporter.

And that’s where everything went sideways, because Noah’s father turned up. Sean Pearson hadn’t known his one-night stand of so many years ago had resulted in a pregnancy, but he was easily able to prove he was Noah’s biological relative through DNA. It had been an old friend that had seen the picture of Noah after the interschool competition. Noah’s distinctive eyes were identical to Sean’s and very rare. Noah wasn’t interested, though. He was happy with his foster parents and didn’t know this stranger that turned up claiming to be his father and wanting him.

The judge halted the adoption process, but Noah made it clear he wanted to stay with his foster parents, and at that age the judge would take Noah’s wishes into account. He wouldn’t have anything to do with Sean Pearson. Sean Pearson didn’t have a record, but he was a “person of interest” in a number of FBI cases. But what was obvious was that Sean Pearson wanted Noah.

Then his foster mom was killed in a hit and run, which was the point in the story when Victor exploded and said what most of them were probably thinking, that it was too damn convenient for Pearson. The foster dad was heartbroken and, despite still wanting Noah, before Noah knew what had happened, he was placed with his father.

“It was all rushed,” Riley explained, “A new judge stepped in at the last minute when the family court judge was involved in an road traffic incident. He rushed everything through with undue haste and took no regard for Noah’s wishes. It’s been a revolving door since then. Noah settles down for a few months, then erupts. This recent episode happened while Mr. Pearson was out of the country on business. One of his many businesses is a pharmaceutical company and he has a plant in Mexico. His trips are frequent, and his housekeeper was supposedly supervising Noah.”

“If the father’s away on business all the time, why did he fight the adoption?” Zack asked.

Riley arched an eyebrow. “No one knows. Noah has never complained of any sort of abuse. On the surface he’s well cared for. He has therapist visits, designer clothes, and when he doesn’t ditch, has the opportunity to attend a private school. Pearson is currently in Veracruz, Mexico, and cannot immediately leave, but the likelihood of Noah being a shifter puts a whole new light on everything.”

"Cannot immediately leave," Mo repeated in astonishment. His son was in trouble, homeless, and he was leaving him there?

“He isn’t wearing designer clothes now,” Asher muttered.

“Why a new light? Because he’s a shifter?” Mo clarified still stunned, but needing to know.

“It’s his age,” Zack murmured. “Because we have to be careful where shifter children live, especially one in a volatile situation like this,” Zack murmured. “If Noah was happy, then his father would be brought into the loop.” He glanced at Riley. “I’m assuming there’s a reason why he hasn’t been?”

Riley nodded. “Pearson doesn’t have any convictions, but one of his businesses is a trucking company that keeps showing up on border patrol reports. Illegal migrants have been found in his trucks on numerous occasions. Sometimes the drivers have taken the fall, and sometimes the undocumented immigrants had hidden in the air flow vents, for example, and were discovered on inspection. One of the immigrants insisted they had been directed to that particular truck and told when and where to hide and had paid a lot of money for the information. Border patrol has suspicions that Pearson is running a lucrative smuggling chain of illegal immigrants, but they have no solid evidence.”

Mo sighed. What a mess for the kid to be in. And because Mo wanted something to do while he was waiting to see what Daniel could find on Khloe, he’d offered to help and try to assess where Noah was at education-wise. Riley had gotten some school report cards. His elementary one had been very promising. Everything had gone to hell when he went to live with his father.

“His dad is shipping a new phone to Noah, and it will be here today, ostensibly so he can talk to his son and vice versa,” Riley added sarcastically.

“Why isn’t he on a plane?” Mo asked, but no one could answer.

So, the next morning, after Mo had insisted after a night on his own for his sanity, and in an effort to try and forget every wakeful minute he’d spent alone in a cold bed, he’d offered to see Noah.

Mo winced as Noah slammed open the kitchen door and practically threw himself onto a chair. The boy had refused to come out of his room yesterday, and while he seemed to be responding to Alex, he’d clammed up with everyone else. Mo noticed he had a brand-new iPhone in his hand.

Noah folded his arms defensively and sent another scowl in Mo’s direction. And Mo instinctively knew whatever they discussed about school wouldn’t reach him. He’d been warned not to mention shifters, as it was likely Noah had no clue about his heritage or whichever parent had given him the shifter gene.

“Tell me about your grandma.”

Noah’s head came up so quickly Mo imagined he could get whiplash. “She’s dead.”

Mo nodded. “I never knew mine, any of them. I knew my dad—he’s doing fifteen in Leavenworth—and my baby sister’s missing. No mom. I’d have killed to have a grandparent.”

Noah sneered. “They’re no good. Just die earlier.” And Mo’s heart clenched. The anger, the betrayal, was so stark in Noah’s voice.

“So, tell me about your gran.”

Noah chewed his lip. “She’s dead,” he repeated.

Mo nodded. “That wasn’t what I asked.” Mo wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Noah, but he knew that wouldn’t work. Noah shrugged.

“She was okay. Strict, but she taught me all sorts of card games.”

Mo changed tack. “I bet it was a pain living with an old lady, though. Bet she kept you on a tight leash.” He could see Noah struggling not to jump to her defense. “Bet you were glad when you could go to your dad’s.”

And he caught it. That flash of agony in his eyes even when his mouth stayed closed, and Mo felt like shit about doing this. But someone had to get through to him or he would be in baby jail soon, and Mo had no idea how that worked for a shifter.

“She was cool. But she died when I was a kid.” He shrugged. Mo didn’t point out that at fourteen, Noah was still a kid.

“I understand you and your dad are having difficulties, which is why you’re here.” And Mo saw something else. Defiance, yes, but a little desperation as well. Almost like Noah hadn’t expected this conversation.

His father had told the social worker it wasn’t working out as he’d hoped. That he really didn’t know what to do with Noah. That maybe they weren’t a good fit, and he was thinking of boarding school, which couldn’t possibly be allowed to happen since Noah was a shifter. The man acted like having a child was something you tried on for size. Like clothes. Noah kept getting into trouble, and he didn’t know what to do with him. And maybe it was good if they had a break. He definitely wouldn’t be back in the country for another four days, and his housekeeper had quit. Mo had seen it many times. Overwhelmed adults. Overwhelmed children. But Mo would bet his life there was something else going on here.

“I’m really interested in what you like to read,” he said, and Noah scoffed. Mo reached for the tablet Riley had given him. “How about you read to me?”

Noah was so grateful for the “out” that he obediently read a couple of passages easily before Mo let him go.

He waited maybe two whole minutes before Riley, Zack and Mattie, and Victor all came trooping back into the kitchen. Riley shut the door behind him.

“I didn’t enjoy that,” Mo said. He’d offered, sure, but it had been too much too soon. The quest for information seemed more important than a child’s wellbeing, which he didn’t like. But he wasn’t a psychiatrist or therapist.

He didn’t care if this was for Khloe. He wouldn’t traumatize a child. “All I did was remind him that his dad thinks he’s too much trouble and everyone good in his life has died.” He felt Victor put an arm around him, but he shook it off. He didn’t deserve to feel better.

“I spoke to Alex while you were in here,” Riley said. “And to explain, Alex has been here since he was eleven. He doesn’t remember ever belonging to a wolf pack, which is a huge thing for wolves. His dad left the pack and apparently took Alex with him, then told Alex years later, as he dropped him off at a police precinct, that he could stay there and eat ice cream until his dad came back for him. That he wouldn’t be long. He never returned. Alex was seven. He spent years bouncing around the system before he was recognized as a shifter, and he was eleven when he came to us.”

Mo’s heart ached for all the kids in the same situation. So many. Too many.

“Alex is convinced something else is going on. He’s been here over six years, and he might be a child, but he has a lot of experience.”

Mo scoffed. “I’m sorry, but experience in what?”

“Being a shifter,” Victor answered suddenly. “Being a child and coping with a huge secret that might get you killed.”

Mo gaped at him. “But—”

“Noah’s a shifter ,” Zack repeated. “You need to leave your human sensibilities at the door with this one. Whether Noah can actually shift or not, he has the instincts of a shifter. Imagine being an adolescent on steroids and you’ll get a small idea of what this kid is going through.”

Mo glanced at all the determined faces and knew he was so out of his depth. Maybe he didn’t belong here at all. Mo stood and shrugged. “You all know better than I do.” He headed to his room. He didn’t care what they said. He was leaving. He had a sister to find.