problem."
Victoria sighed, but liked hearing
that she was once again in his good graces.
"Let’s just take her
inside and figure out what to do. Then you can get back to your
wonderful life."
The three stepped through
the back door into the kitchen, and Jack immediately became
irritated. Tiffany tried her best to wipe her feet at the door, but
still tracked dirt onto the tile. He barely held in a
groan.
"Sorry," she said.
"Whatever. You thirsty?"
She eagerly nodded her head. Victoria
sat at the breakfast bar and motioned for Tiffany to do the
same.
"You’re very pretty,"
Tiffany told Victoria.
"Why, thank you. You’re a
very pretty little girl yourself."
"Okay," Jack said, pouring the child a
soda. "Not to interrupt this pretty-fest, but why did you run away
again? And how the hell did you even find my house?"
"Miss Simmons is the
meanest woman ever. I don’t want to live with her."
"Eh, life’s full of
disappointments. Get used to it now."
Victoria shot him a nasty
look.
"Anyway," he said. "My
house?"
Tiffany smiled and rooted
through her backpack. She produced her camera, and pulled up the
picture she was looking for. Jack traded the camera for the glass
of soda. He stared at the picture and laughed before handing it to
Victoria.
"They took her back to the station,
and she took a picture of the paperwork I filled out."
"I got directions from the
library," she said. "I’ve got a bunch of pictures. Pictures of the
police station, the policemen, Miss Simmons pretending to cry. But
the picture of the monster doesn’t look good. Maybe monsters can’t
have their picture taken."
Victoria laughed. "Clever
girl."
Jack tried not to smile,
but his lip curled up anyway.
"Tiffany, you’re a cool
kid. But you can’t stay in my shed. You’re gonna have to go to the
police. Understand?"
She pouted. "But then I’ll
have to go back to Miss Simmons."
"I don’t know how foster
care works, but you won’t be with that bitch forever. Someone will
adopt you. Just hopefully not a serial killer or something like
that."
"Jack!" Victoria said.
"No one will adopt me," Tiffany said,
lowering her head.
"Whatever. Let’s just get
going. Maybe Victoria will let us ride in her Porsche. We can stop
and get you something to eat."
"But you're the only person who's ever
been nice to me."
"If I had a heart, that might get you
somewhere. Get your stuff."
Jack circled the breakfast
bar as Victoria frowned at him. He simply shrugged. What did she
expect him to do?
He grabbed her backpack and tried to
set it on her shoulder. Tiffany winced and let it fall to the
floor. She picked it up with her other hand.
"What's your problem?" he
asked.
She said nothing, just lowered her
head and stared at the floor. Victoria and Jack traded looks before
the vampire moved from the stool to her knees in front of
Tiffany.
"Tiffany, are you okay? What's
wrong?"
The young child looked up
slowly, her eyes full of fear.
"Miss Simmons got real
mad."
Victoria shifted Tiffany's
shirt around to see her shoulder and the top of her arm was
bruised. The bruises were spread out slightly, some larger than
others. Tiffany tried to pull away, but Victoria held her
steady.
"Your foster-mother did this to
you?"
"Yeah. She used a belt this time. She
left bruises, and they hurt."
Victoria looked up at Jack. His face
was unreadable, and he was quiet for a long time. She waited
patiently to see his reaction.
"Do you have any spare
clothes in that backpack?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Okay. Go upstairs and get cleaned up.
Take a bath, take as long as you like. Throw your dirty clothes
down the steps. I'll wash them."
Tiffany walked through the living room
and had one hand on the stairwell railing when she turned
around.
"So...I can stay in your
shed?"
"Go."
She disappeared up the
stairs. Jack exchanged another look with Victoria before moving
into the living room. He hooked his iPhone into the largest dock
Victoria had ever seen and sat on the couch.
Victoria sighed, but liked hearing
that she was once again in his good graces.
"Let’s just take her
inside and figure out what to do. Then you can get back to your
wonderful life."
The three stepped through
the back door into the kitchen, and Jack immediately became
irritated. Tiffany tried her best to wipe her feet at the door, but
still tracked dirt onto the tile. He barely held in a
groan.
"Sorry," she said.
"Whatever. You thirsty?"
She eagerly nodded her head. Victoria
sat at the breakfast bar and motioned for Tiffany to do the
same.
"You’re very pretty,"
Tiffany told Victoria.
"Why, thank you. You’re a
very pretty little girl yourself."
"Okay," Jack said, pouring the child a
soda. "Not to interrupt this pretty-fest, but why did you run away
again? And how the hell did you even find my house?"
"Miss Simmons is the
meanest woman ever. I don’t want to live with her."
"Eh, life’s full of
disappointments. Get used to it now."
Victoria shot him a nasty
look.
"Anyway," he said. "My
house?"
Tiffany smiled and rooted
through her backpack. She produced her camera, and pulled up the
picture she was looking for. Jack traded the camera for the glass
of soda. He stared at the picture and laughed before handing it to
Victoria.
"They took her back to the station,
and she took a picture of the paperwork I filled out."
"I got directions from the
library," she said. "I’ve got a bunch of pictures. Pictures of the
police station, the policemen, Miss Simmons pretending to cry. But
the picture of the monster doesn’t look good. Maybe monsters can’t
have their picture taken."
Victoria laughed. "Clever
girl."
Jack tried not to smile,
but his lip curled up anyway.
"Tiffany, you’re a cool
kid. But you can’t stay in my shed. You’re gonna have to go to the
police. Understand?"
She pouted. "But then I’ll
have to go back to Miss Simmons."
"I don’t know how foster
care works, but you won’t be with that bitch forever. Someone will
adopt you. Just hopefully not a serial killer or something like
that."
"Jack!" Victoria said.
"No one will adopt me," Tiffany said,
lowering her head.
"Whatever. Let’s just get
going. Maybe Victoria will let us ride in her Porsche. We can stop
and get you something to eat."
"But you're the only person who's ever
been nice to me."
"If I had a heart, that might get you
somewhere. Get your stuff."
Jack circled the breakfast
bar as Victoria frowned at him. He simply shrugged. What did she
expect him to do?
He grabbed her backpack and tried to
set it on her shoulder. Tiffany winced and let it fall to the
floor. She picked it up with her other hand.
"What's your problem?" he
asked.
She said nothing, just lowered her
head and stared at the floor. Victoria and Jack traded looks before
the vampire moved from the stool to her knees in front of
Tiffany.
"Tiffany, are you okay? What's
wrong?"
The young child looked up
slowly, her eyes full of fear.
"Miss Simmons got real
mad."
Victoria shifted Tiffany's
shirt around to see her shoulder and the top of her arm was
bruised. The bruises were spread out slightly, some larger than
others. Tiffany tried to pull away, but Victoria held her
steady.
"Your foster-mother did this to
you?"
"Yeah. She used a belt this time. She
left bruises, and they hurt."
Victoria looked up at Jack. His face
was unreadable, and he was quiet for a long time. She waited
patiently to see his reaction.
"Do you have any spare
clothes in that backpack?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Okay. Go upstairs and get cleaned up.
Take a bath, take as long as you like. Throw your dirty clothes
down the steps. I'll wash them."
Tiffany walked through the living room
and had one hand on the stairwell railing when she turned
around.
"So...I can stay in your
shed?"
"Go."
She disappeared up the
stairs. Jack exchanged another look with Victoria before moving
into the living room. He hooked his iPhone into the largest dock
Victoria had ever seen and sat on the couch.
Similar Books
