A Chance in the Night

It was nearing ten in the morning and his stomach was growling but he didn’t have time to grab a bite before his next appointment.

He jogged the short steps to the well-kept brownstone and rang the buzzer. A minute later a voice inquired about his business.

“Christian Holt. I’m here to pick up Mathias Breck.”

The door buzzed open and he stepped over the threshold as the director of the group home for boys, Sally Hutchins, greeted him with an effusive hug, but there were worry lines bracketing her thin mouth. “Maybe today isn’t a good day,” she said, causing him to wonder what had happened. They’d had this day scheduled for a month now. He was taking Mathias into the Village for Little League tryouts.

“What’s wrong?” Christian asked.

Sally pushed away a lock of fine, graying blond hair and pursed her lips as she shook her head, sadness in her eyes. “I think his visit with his mother didn’t go well. He won’t talk about it.”

“Can I see him?” Christian and Mathias had a lot in common in that they both came from really messed up backgrounds. Christian knew how it felt to sleep with uncertainty, a growling belly and constant fear. Whereas Christian’s mother had checked out of this life unexpectedly with an overdose when he was eleven, Mathias’s mom was still crashing in and out of the boy’s life now and again, most likely when she sobered for a short time, and then disappeared again when her addiction came raging back. It was rough for a kid to see his mom like that. He remembered quite vividly.

Sally closed the door behind him and ushered him into her office, off the main hall. She sighed as she lowered herself into an overstuffed leather office chair. “It was terrible,” she shared, drawing Christian into her confidence. “She came and checked him out for the day and everything seemed fine but when he returned—alone—I knew something bad must’ve happened.”

Christian didn’t need to ask how a boy managed to navigate the city without an adult. Likely, Mathias had done it often enough at a much younger age, another unfortunate commonality he shared with the young boy. “He didn’t tell you what went down?” he asked, curious that Mathias’s mother was allowed to check the boy out in the first place.

Sally shook her head. “He buttoned up real quick the minute he walked through the door. Something tells me it was very upsetting.”

“Did you file charges against the mother?”

“No, she hasn’t broken the law. I did report her to Mathias’s social worker, though. Perhaps they can do something about her.” She shrugged as if knowing the hope was futile, having seen too many similar scenarios before. “But he’s back and that’s all that matters, though he’s not the same kid. So, I don’t know if this is a good idea today.”

Christian wasn’t deterred. If anything, he was more determined to get Mathias back on track and that included things that kids should be doing, such as Little League tryouts. “Can I give it a try?” he asked.

Sally hesitated, clearly unsure if letting Mathias go with Christian was the right decision, but after another lengthy sigh, she picked up her phone and called for Mathias to come down from the rec room. She pinned Christian with a serious look. “If it looks like he’s going to give you trouble, then you bring him right back.”

He knew how to handle a kid like Mathias but he gave Sally the assurances she needed so that he could sign the necessary paperwork involved with a day trip.

Ordinarily, anyone not employed by the state wouldn’t be able to sign out an unrelated minor housed in the group home but Christian had gone through the mentorship program, which enabled him to work with the kids. He’d gone through extensive background checks that included a full physical workup to ensure that he was suitable to work with the kids housed at the home. It was something he felt strongly about and he didn’t mind the hoops he had to jump through as long as he could help some kids out of a rough spot in their lives.

Mathias, a nine-year-old boy with streaks of gold running through his mop, appeared in the doorway, his expression wary until he saw Christian, then a brief light flared in his eyes that spoke of his happiness even if he didn’t say a word.

Sally stood and waved Mathias in with a warm smile. “Look who’s here to see you…would you like to spend the day with Christian?”

Mathias shrugged. “I guess.”

Christian saw through the artful nonchalance and remembered giving off the same vibe the day he walked through Mama Jo’s front door, a bundle of nerves, dread and apprehension beneath a surface of guarded calm. He knew that somewhere in that kid’s most private thoughts pulsed a raw wound that Mathias would do anything to protect, including pushing away those who were only trying to help.

“Let’s go, buddy,” Christian said with a friendly gesture. “Got a full day ahead of us.” He waved goodbye to Sally and then they headed out the door.

CHAPTER FOUR

“YOU SHOULD BE RESTING.”

Skye ignored the advice. She wasn’t about to give up the opportunity to spend some much-needed time with her son to lie around in bed. She slid into her wool coat, taking care not to wince even though the pain nearly took her breath away. It’d been almost two weeks since the beat down so at least her facial bruising had nearly disappeared but her side still hurt like a son of a bitch. She couldn’t let on how much it hurt or how much she was suffering or else Belleni’s watchdog would make things difficult for her. Once Skye had broken her pinkie toe by accidentally catching the corner of the wall as she ran to help Nico when he’d fallen and even knowing this Vivian had insisted that Skye wear stilettos that night for a client, saying that a former ballerina should be accustomed to pain. Skye forced a smile. “It’s a beautiful day and Nico wants to go to the park,” she said, adding with enough ice to convey her feelings, “besides, I’m not about to miss my designated day with my son. I see him so little as it is.”

“Suit yourself. It matters little enough to me if you’re in agony or if you stupidly injure yourself further but Belleni might care if you’re unable to fulfill your duties.” Vivian Forrone, a woman whose flawless skin yet shrewd gaze made it difficult to determine her true age, pinched her mouth in obvious disapproval as she took in Skye’s pallor and mostly faded bruises. She gave the apartment a cursory inspection before saying, “You look like hell. You can’t go walking around the city like that.” She chided with a scowl, “Belleni said—”

“I don’t care what Belleni said,” Skye cut in sharply, just saying his name made her want to snarl. It was reckless, acting this way so openly, but she felt the walls closing in and she needed some fresh air before she went crazy. Added to that, she missed her son and felt his absence like a physical ache in her chest and it would take a nuclear bomb going off to stop her from spending time with him today. “I promised Nico and I’m not going to disappoint him.”

“Nico is not in charge,” Vivian reminded Skye with a glint to her icy-blue eyes that almost looked like hatred, and Skye suppressed a wary shudder. Vivian reported to Belleni alone and provided an extra set of eyes on the women that he kept in his stable. Vivian was the equivalent of an office manager/accountant/ spy and as far as Skye could tell, the woman relished her job with a zealot’s enthusiasm. Skye had often wondered at the relationship between Vivian and Belleni but no one, including herself, had ever had the courage to find the answer. A frown pulled Vivian’s smooth brow into disapproving lines.

“We won’t be out long,” she assured Vivian, moving quickly to get away from her. “Probably only an hour or so.”

“Perhaps we should check with Belleni first. I’m sure he’ll agree with me that you should stay indoors.”

Skye called out to Nico as she headed toward his room. “Vivian, I’m taking my son for some fresh air and I don’t care if it snows, we’re going out.”

Belleni had sent Vivian to help care for Skye while she recuperated but that wasn’t the only reason the sharp-eyed woman was suddenly her shadow. Skye wasn’t naive; he’d wanted to ensure that Skye knew she still belonged to him by infringing on her privacy.

“This is very unwise,” Vivian cautioned, yet her expression was inexpressibly smug, almost glad. “But do as you will. Your star has fallen and it’s just a matter of time before it’s snuffed out and replaced with something shinier and brighter, someone far prettier than you.”

“I look forward to it,” she said simply. The day Belleni let her go would be the best damn day of her life, but given their most recent conversation…that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

Plainly disappointed by Skye’s failure to react more strongly, Vivian switched tracks, aiming for something far more bound to rile her as she queried, “Have you given any more thought to the Excelsior School for Boys?”

Skye’s gaze narrowed. “No. My answer remains the same as it was the first time Belleni suggested it. I want my son to have as normal a childhood as possible and that does not include being sent to boarding school,” she said firmly, ignoring Vivian’s long exhale of annoyance. Belleni’s motivation was transparent enough to Skye. He no longer wanted to be encumbered by a child and shipping Nico off at the earliest opportunity was the easiest answer but there was no way she’d even consider it. Nico was the only thing keeping her sane on some days. “Besides, he’s not even old enough to be put on the list so why even talk about it?”

“Oh, please, let’s not run in circles about this. I only ask because Belleni is eager to see Nico with an excellent education. Personally, I couldn’t careless. But Belleni seems to have taken a mild interest.” Her lip curled in distaste and Skye’s fingers curled into a tight fist but she made a concentrated effort not to give into her impulse. Punching Vivian would only provide a momentary—albeit deliciously wonderful—satisfaction but it would no doubt create more problems than solve. And she had enough of those on her plate as it was. “Well, I can’t expect you to understand the value of a higher education seeing as you barely graduated high school—”

“You know that’s not true, Vivian,” she interrupted coolly. “I graduated early so I could focus my attention on my ballet.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Vivian made a show of remembering, though Skye knew it was an act. Why they had to play these silly malicious games was beyond Skye but Vivian rarely gave up an opportunity to jab at her. “Dance. What a shame that didn’t work out, either. Given your experience, I would assume that you would want Nico to focus on getting the best education possible. But what do I know? I’m not a mother.”

Thank God for that. She imagined crocodiles were more suited for parenting than the spindle-thin, pointy-jawed, designer-clad menace idly straightening Skye’s photos along the mantel. “No, you’re not. For everything there is a reason, I suppose,” Skye said, not quite able to help herself.

Vivian’s gaze cut to hers, frost in her eyes. “Yes, well, not everyone is as lucky as you.”

Lucky? Skye swallowed the sputter of indignation. She was hardly what she’d consider graced in that area. If anything, ever since she’d booked that flight from Iowa to New York, a black cloud of misery had been hanging over her. Ballet had been her life but if she’d known how cutthroat the professional world of dance was…She suppressed an inward sigh of resignation. Oh, who was she kidding? It wouldn’t have mattered. She’d had stars in her eyes and believed stardust in her slippered toes. Ha. The old injury twinged in her knee as if to remind her how far she’d fallen from her dreams, pulling her back to the moment and the fact that she was wasting time trading barbs with Vivian when she could be enjoying the day with her son.

“I doubt your services are needed for the rest of the day. Go someplace where you’re wanted. If there is such a place.” Skye allowed a small amount of pleasure at the red creeping up Vivian’s neck to stain her cheeks at the insult. “Don’t let me keep you from the rest of your day,” Skye said, dismissing her as she walked toward her son’s room. “I know Belleni keeps you busy with all your responsibilities.”

Vivian smiled and grabbed her purse, saying as she opened the door, “Enjoy your day with your son, Skye D’Lane. Perhaps the memory of it will ease your heartache when he’s gone. But remember there are eyes in the city. Don’t think of running off or else you will find yourself scratched out of Nico’s life forever.”

The door slammed and Skye flinched. Vivian didn’t make idle threats. The woman was a socio-path draped in a socialite’s body. Vivian didn’t seem to understand or possess anything remotely close to human compassion. She wasn’t moved by tears, pleas or heartache. And she seemed to hate children. Or maybe it was just Nico. Another reason Skye wanted Nico out of Belleni’s house.

She’d long suspected that Vivian hated her but she’d never figured out why. After she’d become pregnant, she’d realized the true depth of Vivian’s aversion as it was reflected in all its purity when she looked at Nico with something between revulsion and fascination. Skye found it extremely unsettling that Belleni had sent Vivian to play nursemaid when there were plenty of other women in his employ who could’ve fit the criteria.

Nico appeared, a darling angel with a shock of dark hair and deep-set blue eyes the color of diamond-cut sapphires, wearing a hopeful expression that buoyed her as much as it broke her heart that he was being raised in such an environment, and she longed to scoop him into her arms but her protesting rib prevented it. She wiped at her eyes and then pressed a kiss to his forehead. “It’s a lovely day, sweetheart. Are you ready for the park?” she asked.

Nico nodded but his gaze went to the door where Vivian had left. “Do I have to go back?” he asked in a small voice. Vivian scared Nico and it renewed Skye’s ire that Belleni insisted Vivian be the one to shuttle Nico to the apartment for visits.

“Yes. For now,” she answered, wishing things were different. Perhaps, a house will fall on the big, bad witch and at least one half of her misery would disappear. “But she’s gone, at least for today,” she said with bright cheerfulness. “Ready to have some fun just you and me at the park?”

Nico nodded and smiled up at her, his fears dropping away. “Can we get hot dogs?”

“Of course. A trip to the park isn’t complete without a hot dog with lots of ketchup and mustard, right?”