The Mom job

Sophie stopped in surprise in the kitchen Darcy was dancing around Eliot while they prepared dinner. Darcy hummed happily chopping vegetables while Eliot seared some steak.

“I didn’t know you could cook Darcy.”

“Uh yeah well grifters can do a lot of things but cooking isn’t one of them. I learned early on that if I wanted to eat something other than take out I had to learn how to cook. Jesse’s mom started teaching us as soon as we could reach the stove or as soon as Jesse could reach the stove because well I did not inherit your height. That’s why I’m here. Jesse’s gone missing, she’s my best friend, her family they’ve been good to me.”

“We’ll do what we can I promise Darcy.” Her watery smile made Nate’s heart clench. He might never admit he cared for his team but this kid Sophie’s kid had wormed her way into his heart after just one day. He was damned sure going to help her. He may have just met her but he knew she wouldn’t have come all this way alone without a good reason. “Why don’t you start from the beginning. Your friend Jesse you said she’s missing?”

“Yeah after Mrs. Lewis died last year, Jesse and her…”

“Diana died?”

“Yeah a heart attack it was kinda unexpected. I guess Mr. Lewis didn’t tell you. I wondered why you didn’t come to the funeral.”

Darcy shook her head, she had been heartbroken when Mrs. Lewis died. She was the patient one the one who Darcy went to when she was having a hard day or missing her mom, with her gone the hole in her life that her mom left just got bigger.

“Well Mr. Lewis never really wanted a kid to raise. He left it all to her when she passed, I guess I was more trouble than I was worth. He sent me to this school they call it therapeutic school for troubled girls yeah right. ClearLake it’s awful and I hate it there but I could deal because I’m a senior and I’ve been through worse.” She gave a weak smile to her mom. “I know how to keep my head down but Jesse stupid loyal Jesse had her mom send her there to so I wouldn’t be alone. She’s loud, brash, she made noise. Places like that don’t want attention brought to them, especially by the little brown girl whose parents actually check on her.”

“Just what’s that supposed to mean young lady?”

“Mom, I love you. You know I do and I get why I live where I do. I may have been little but its real hard to forget being tortured. But this is going to take a real long time if you get offended by everything I say. As far as anyone knows my parents are dead. All I have is a grandfather who doesn’t want to deal with me. So when I don’t fall in line there’s no one to care if the teachers are a little too rough.”

“Rough! Just what in the hell goes on in that school. Hardison I want names.” Eliot barked his fist clenched.

“Already on it.” Alec’s voice was tight and he kept one eye on the screen in front of him the other on Parker. Sophie might be alive but for all intents and purposes Darcy was an orphan and he and Parker knew how orphans were treated by the system. He recognized the look in her eye when they had taken her shopping like she couldn’t believe that someone was spending money on her. Most people wouldn’t spend a dollar they didn’t have to on a kid that wasn’t theirs. Darcy’s clothes were nice but they were off brand and well worn speaking of a tight fist with money. Why buy new clothes if the old ones still fit. Sophie having a kid was surprise to them all but Alec knew that Sophie had probably sent the majority of her money to the Lewis’s to care for Darcy and judging by the scuffed sneakers they had not spent the money on the girl.

Nate was already up standing behind Darcy, hands on her shoulders giving her a reassuring smile. Sophie saw the rage simmering in his eyes and she returned it with cold rage of her own. She might not have been the best mother in the world but she loved Darcy. She kept her at arms length to protect her someone had taken advantage of her absence to hurt her child. She would make sure they paid.

“ClearLake Therapeutic school for troubled girls. Founded in 1995 by Janet ClearLake where they take a religious approach to todays problems.” Darcy snorted at Alecs words

“If by religious they mean starving girls, beating them, public humiliation and communal showers that are supervised by the male staff and shaving our heads if we speak out to much make to many waves. Then yeah super religious. Right out of the 1500’s.”

“Is that what happened to all your lovely hair?”

“Yeah well I’m lucky at least my hair grows back pretty fast.” Darcy tugged self consciously at her chin length hair. She wouldn’t admit that she had sobbed for hours in Jesse’s arms the day they had forcibly shaved her, for daring to speak out against Mrs. Hanigan shoving a freshman into a desk.

“I’ll kill them!” Sophie snarled Eliot nodded already making a list in his head of ways to make the male staff disappear. He killed for years for a country that hadn’t cared for him, later for whoever paid the most. He could do it again for his team for Darcy. Who wasn’t telling them everything. Eliot knew when someone was hiding things and by Nates nod at him Nate knew more than a shaved head and supervised showers had happened at that school.

“You’re not going back there!”

“I have too. This isn’t about me like I said I know how to keep quiet when I have to but there are other girls there. Ones with no families to run to or families that don’t care or don’t believe them. That’s the beauty of a place like this even if we tell people they don’t believe us because we’re troubled. They put things in our file like bi-polar disorder or ADHD and substance abuse for the rest of our lives we’re branded as liars, trouble makers. The ones that disappear well troubled girls run away everyday. But Jesse wasn’t trouble she was my friend my only friend. She went there for me now she’s gone. So I’m begging you please mom help me find my friend.”

“When did she disappear?” Nate asked

“Two days ago, there’s this teacher Mr. West he’s different than the others. He’s nice always there for the girls to talk to but its not he’s not…” Darcy let out a breath, when she started speaking again her voice shook and she wouldn’t look them in the eye. “He reminded me of Armando. He was too slick too nice. It wasn’t right I didn’t like him stayed away from him when I wasn’t in class didn’t seek his help like the other girls. I guess he thought I was a challenge. That’s the only reason I can think of for why he focused on me.”

Eliot and Hardison shared a look. She might have been a challenge but that wasn’t why the soon to be dead man had focused on her. Darcy was like a damn pinup and any red blooded male couldn’t help but notice. She was also a damn minor and Eliot was going to enjoy ripping that guy’s larynx out.

“He was always around trying to give me sweets, crowding me in his class pressing his whole body against me when he leaned over to check my work. I’m not stupid I know an act when I see one and it was all an act. Jesse though, she thought he was nice that he could help us get word to her mom. Mrs. Sanchez she’s a stay at home mom but she will straight up storm the school with a pipe bomb an a machete if she thought either one us was in danger. She’s no joke. Mr. Sanchez well he plays golf with the Senator and I’m pretty sure has some shady connects. Because everyone in the neighbor is terrified of him which is super weird because he’s the governor and the nicest man.”

“What happened to your friend?”

“Jesse and our other friend Sky met with Mr. West after class. I haven’t seen them since. I confronted him, he said he hadn’t seen them that they must have run away. Sky’s an orphan she doesn’t have anyone to look for her. He tried to say they left but I’ve known Jesse since I was seven years old the only reason she was even at that damn school was for me! I know her she wouldn’t have left me. Sky she’s an outsider. She doesn’t have anyone but us. She would never abandon us. Mr. West he asked to meet me last night to interview me about the girls, yeah right. He kept making vague threats that if I didn’t cooperate I would end up like the girls.” Darcy took a deep breath here her voice shook. “He grabbed me! I was so angry so sick of men putting their hands on me without my permission. I just grabbed the first thing I could reach and smashed his head in, I used his key card to get out of the school. I went straight to the airport came here looking for you.”

“Was he breathing when you left?” Nate asked his voice quiet. If he was dead, the bastard deserved it but it would hurt Darcy to know she had killed even in self defense. He hopped for her sake the fucker was still breathing…for now

“Yeah, it was just his laptop he probably had a headache but he was still alive.” Darcy shrugged she hadn’t been planning on hurting him but she couldn’t find it in herself to care if one more creep was gone from the world. Eliot nodded at her once his face proud and understanding.