"This is what was inside the car after the accident." He opened it, took out an envelope. The white paper was stained with dried blood. "I guess somebody—one of the cops, the tow truck operator, maybe one of the paramedics—looked inside and read the letter, and they didn't trouble to keep it to themselves. It's from her." Ethan tapped out the letter, held it out to Cam. "DeLauter. The postmark's Baltimore."
"He was coming back from Baltimore." With dread,
Cam unfolded the letter. The handwriting was a large, loopy scrawl.
Quinn, I'm tired of playing nickel and dime. You want the kid so bad, then it's time to pay for him. Meet me where you picked him up. We'll make it Monday morning. The block's pretty quiet then. Eleven o'clock. Bring a hundred and fifty thousand, in cash. Cash money, Quinn, and no discounts. You don't come through with every penny, I'm taking the kid back. Remember, I can pull the plug on the adoption any time I want. A hundred and fifty grand's a pretty good bargain for a good-looking boy like Seth. Bring the money and I'm gone. You've got my word on it. Gloria
"She was selling him," Cam murmured. "Like he was a—" He stopped himself, looked up sharply at Ethan as he remembered. Ethan had once been sold as well, by his own mother, to men who preferred young boys. "I'm sorry, Ethan."
"I live with it," he said simply. "Mom and Dad made sure I could. She's not going to get Seth back. Whatever it takes, she won't get her hands on him."
"We don't know if he paid her?"
"He emptied his bank account here," Phillip put in. "From what I can tell—and I haven't gone over his papers in detail yet—he closed out his regular savings, cashed in his CDs. He only had a day to get the cash. That would have come to about a hundred thousand. I don't know if he had fifty more—if he had time to liquidate it if he did."
"She wouldn't have gone away. He'd have known that." Cam put the letter down, wiped his hands on his jeans as if to clean them. "So people are whispering that he killed himself in what—shame, panic, despair? He wouldn't have left the kid alone."
"He didn't." Ethan moved to the coffeepot. "He left him with us."
"How the hell are we supposed to keep him?" Cam sat again. "Who's going to let us adopt anybody?"
"We'll find a way." Ethan poured coffee, added enough sugar to make Phillip wince in reaction. "He's ours now."
"What the hell are we going to do with him?"
"Put him in school, put a roof over his head, food in his belly, and try to give him something of what we were given." He brought the pot over, topped off Cam's coffee. "You got an argument?"
"Couple dozen, but none of them get past the fact that we gave our word."
"We agree on that, anyway." Frowning, Phillip drummed his fingers on the table. "But we've left out one pretty vital point. None of us knows what Seth's going to have to say about it. He might not want to stay here. He might not want to stay with us."
"You're just looking to complicate things, as usual," Cam complained. "Why wouldn't he?"
"Because he doesn't know you, he barely knows me." Phillip lifted his cup and gestured. "The only one he's spent any time with is Ethan."
"Didn't spend all that much with me," Ethan admitted. "I took him out on the boat a few times. He's got a quick mind, good hands. Doesn't have much to say for himself, but when he does, he's got a mouth on him. He's spent some time with Grace. She doesn't seem to mind him."
"Dad wanted him to stay," Cam stated with a shrug. "He stays." He glanced over at the sound of a horn tooting three quick beeps.
"That'll be Grace dropping him back off on her way to Shiney's Pub."
"Shiney's?" Cam's brows shot up. "What's she doing down at Shiney's?"
"Making a living, I expect," Ethan returned.
"Oh, yeah." A slow grin spread. "Does he still have his waitresses dress in those little skirts with the bows on the butt and the black fishnet stockings?"
"He does," Phillip said with a long, wistful sigh. "He does indeed."
"Grace would fill out one of those outfits pretty well, I'd imagine."
"She does." Phillip smiled. "She does indeed."
"Maybe I'll just mosey down to Shiney's later."
"Grace isn't one of your French models." Ethan pushed back from the table, took his mug and his annoyance to the sink. "Back off."
"Whoa." Behind Ethan's back, Cam wiggled his brows at Phillip. "Backing off, bro. Didn't know you had your eye aimed in that particular direction."
"I don't. She's a mother, for Christ's sake."
"I had a really fine time with the mother of two in Cancun last winter," Cam remembered. "Her ex was swimming in oil—olive oil—and all she got in the divorce settlement was a Mexican villa, a couple of cars, some trinkets, art, and two million. I spent a memorable week consoling her. And the kids were cute—from a distance. With their nanny."
"You're such a humanitarian, Cam," Phillip told him.
"Don't I know it."
They heard the front door slam and looked at each other. "Well, who talks to him?" Phillip wanted to know.
"I'm no good at that kind of stuff." Ethan was already edging toward the back door. "And I've got to go feed my dog."
"Coward," Cam muttered as the door shut at Ethan's back.
"You bet. Me, too." Phillip was up and moving. "You get first crack. I've got those papers to go through."
"Wait just a damn minute—"
But Phillip was gone, and cheerfully telling Seth that Cameron wanted to talk to him. When Seth came to the kitchen door, the puppy scrambling at his heels, he saw Cam scowling as he poured more whiskey in his coffee.
Seth stuck his hands in his pockets and lifted his chin. He didn't want to be there, didn't want to talk to anybody. At Grace's he'd been able to just sit on her little stoop, be alone with his thoughts. Even when she'd come out for a little while and sat beside him with Aubrey on her knee, she'd let him be. Because she understood he'd wanted to be quiet.
"He was coming back from Baltimore." With dread,
Cam unfolded the letter. The handwriting was a large, loopy scrawl.
Quinn, I'm tired of playing nickel and dime. You want the kid so bad, then it's time to pay for him. Meet me where you picked him up. We'll make it Monday morning. The block's pretty quiet then. Eleven o'clock. Bring a hundred and fifty thousand, in cash. Cash money, Quinn, and no discounts. You don't come through with every penny, I'm taking the kid back. Remember, I can pull the plug on the adoption any time I want. A hundred and fifty grand's a pretty good bargain for a good-looking boy like Seth. Bring the money and I'm gone. You've got my word on it. Gloria
"She was selling him," Cam murmured. "Like he was a—" He stopped himself, looked up sharply at Ethan as he remembered. Ethan had once been sold as well, by his own mother, to men who preferred young boys. "I'm sorry, Ethan."
"I live with it," he said simply. "Mom and Dad made sure I could. She's not going to get Seth back. Whatever it takes, she won't get her hands on him."
"We don't know if he paid her?"
"He emptied his bank account here," Phillip put in. "From what I can tell—and I haven't gone over his papers in detail yet—he closed out his regular savings, cashed in his CDs. He only had a day to get the cash. That would have come to about a hundred thousand. I don't know if he had fifty more—if he had time to liquidate it if he did."
"She wouldn't have gone away. He'd have known that." Cam put the letter down, wiped his hands on his jeans as if to clean them. "So people are whispering that he killed himself in what—shame, panic, despair? He wouldn't have left the kid alone."
"He didn't." Ethan moved to the coffeepot. "He left him with us."
"How the hell are we supposed to keep him?" Cam sat again. "Who's going to let us adopt anybody?"
"We'll find a way." Ethan poured coffee, added enough sugar to make Phillip wince in reaction. "He's ours now."
"What the hell are we going to do with him?"
"Put him in school, put a roof over his head, food in his belly, and try to give him something of what we were given." He brought the pot over, topped off Cam's coffee. "You got an argument?"
"Couple dozen, but none of them get past the fact that we gave our word."
"We agree on that, anyway." Frowning, Phillip drummed his fingers on the table. "But we've left out one pretty vital point. None of us knows what Seth's going to have to say about it. He might not want to stay here. He might not want to stay with us."
"You're just looking to complicate things, as usual," Cam complained. "Why wouldn't he?"
"Because he doesn't know you, he barely knows me." Phillip lifted his cup and gestured. "The only one he's spent any time with is Ethan."
"Didn't spend all that much with me," Ethan admitted. "I took him out on the boat a few times. He's got a quick mind, good hands. Doesn't have much to say for himself, but when he does, he's got a mouth on him. He's spent some time with Grace. She doesn't seem to mind him."
"Dad wanted him to stay," Cam stated with a shrug. "He stays." He glanced over at the sound of a horn tooting three quick beeps.
"That'll be Grace dropping him back off on her way to Shiney's Pub."
"Shiney's?" Cam's brows shot up. "What's she doing down at Shiney's?"
"Making a living, I expect," Ethan returned.
"Oh, yeah." A slow grin spread. "Does he still have his waitresses dress in those little skirts with the bows on the butt and the black fishnet stockings?"
"He does," Phillip said with a long, wistful sigh. "He does indeed."
"Grace would fill out one of those outfits pretty well, I'd imagine."
"She does." Phillip smiled. "She does indeed."
"Maybe I'll just mosey down to Shiney's later."
"Grace isn't one of your French models." Ethan pushed back from the table, took his mug and his annoyance to the sink. "Back off."
"Whoa." Behind Ethan's back, Cam wiggled his brows at Phillip. "Backing off, bro. Didn't know you had your eye aimed in that particular direction."
"I don't. She's a mother, for Christ's sake."
"I had a really fine time with the mother of two in Cancun last winter," Cam remembered. "Her ex was swimming in oil—olive oil—and all she got in the divorce settlement was a Mexican villa, a couple of cars, some trinkets, art, and two million. I spent a memorable week consoling her. And the kids were cute—from a distance. With their nanny."
"You're such a humanitarian, Cam," Phillip told him.
"Don't I know it."
They heard the front door slam and looked at each other. "Well, who talks to him?" Phillip wanted to know.
"I'm no good at that kind of stuff." Ethan was already edging toward the back door. "And I've got to go feed my dog."
"Coward," Cam muttered as the door shut at Ethan's back.
"You bet. Me, too." Phillip was up and moving. "You get first crack. I've got those papers to go through."
"Wait just a damn minute—"
But Phillip was gone, and cheerfully telling Seth that Cameron wanted to talk to him. When Seth came to the kitchen door, the puppy scrambling at his heels, he saw Cam scowling as he poured more whiskey in his coffee.
Seth stuck his hands in his pockets and lifted his chin. He didn't want to be there, didn't want to talk to anybody. At Grace's he'd been able to just sit on her little stoop, be alone with his thoughts. Even when she'd come out for a little while and sat beside him with Aubrey on her knee, she'd let him be. Because she understood he'd wanted to be quiet.
