Chapter 18

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

“How bad was it?” Baker asked Ben the second he heard the door close behind Jodelle.

Ben sighed and said, “Bad.”

Baker nodded. He was afraid of that. He had a feeling Jodelle had downplayed what had happened with Rowden. “Let’s sit. You can tell me about it.”

They sat on the couch and, for the next ten minutes, Baker did his best not to lose his shit as Ben described what Rowden had said, and how Jodelle had put her fucking arms out, as if that would keep the asswipe from getting into the house. He wasn’t surprised Jodelle had thrown down for Ben. No way was anyone going to take him from her house if she had anything to say about it.

“What did she think she was going to do if he pushed her?” Baker asked with a shake of his head.

“I asked her the same thing. She told me she would’ve jumped on his back like a fucking monkey and screamed her head off.”

“Good Lord,” Baker said, but he couldn’t help it when a small chuckle escaped. It wasn’t funny. Not at all. But the image of her doing just that was somewhat humorous even if the situation wasn’t.

He sobered. “Talk to me, Ben,” Baker said. “I’ve done some research into Rowden and while nothing about the man makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, I didn’t find anything concrete. I need information if I’m going to help you.”

Ben looked down at his hands clenched together in his lap. “I don’t think you can help,” he admitted. “Al’s very good at tying up loose ends. At making sure no one says anything bad about him.”

“I noticed he has nothing but praise when it comes to his job,” Baker said.

Ben nodded. “Yeah…because he lets off the kids who work with him, and the ones who don’t get the worst punishments.”

“How does he keep people quiet? I’m guessing blackmail?” Baker asked, wondering about the “work with him” comment.

Ben sighed. “To explain, I have to go back.”

Baker nodded and braced as Ben began to speak.

“When my mom first married Al, things were good. We didn’t have to struggle anymore. We moved into the big house up here at the North Shore. I was happy to get out of the city and away from the kids who picked on me because my clothes were worn. I stopped being hungry, and even my mom was happy. But after Al got her that job as a receptionist at the doctor’s office, he started getting mean. He’d yell at her, and she cried a lot. Then she fell one day and hurt her back. I was never told how she fell…but I think Al pushed her. Anyway, she got a prescription for codeine. When that didn’t seem to dull her pain much, her doctor changed it to oxycodone.”

“Shit,” Baker said.

Ben nodded. “Yeah. During that time, I still thought Al was pretty nice, even though he yelled a lot. I was twelve and I craved his acceptance and attention. I liked when he was nice to me more than when he yelled at me, of course. While my mom was stuck in her room, whacked out on painkillers…Al taught me how to break into cars. I was just a stupid kid, so I thought it was fun and exciting, and it seemed fairly harmless at the time. We’d go out to the crowded beaches and other tourist hot spots and he’d drop me off at one end of the parking lot and wait for me at the other. Some cars were always unlocked, those were easy, but others I had to use different tools, depending on the car, or even break a back window. I brought back cameras, purses, and other stuff. Al would bring everything to a guy he knew and get cash in return. He gave me some, and I thought that was so cool.

“Then he started recruiting my friends…including my best friend Alex. Again, at first it was exciting. Like a game. We’d spread out in a parking lot and grab as much stuff as we could, competing with each other. Al taught us which stuff would bring in the most money. But as time went on…it got less fun. I was almost caught several times, and instead of making it more exciting, that scared the shit out of me. A few times, my friends did get caught, and they went to court. Al let them off with a warning and some bullshit community service, which he always supervised.

“Shortly after turning fourteen, I refused to do it anymore. Al wasn’t happy, but since Alex and my friends were still willing to continue, he didn’t give me too much shit.”

“What did he do with all the money?” Baker asked. This was unlike anything he’d expected—and worse, since it involved kids. But he had a feeling Ben wasn’t done.

“He used most of it to buy drugs. He bought MDMA for my friends. Started throwing parties at our house where he hands out ecstasy like candy. The kids stay up all night dancing and drinking alcohol that Al conveniently leaves around. He never serves it to kids directly, but it’s available for anyone who wants it. Everyone goes. He has a rental property too, and he throws even more parties there, so our neighbors don’t get suspicious over all the frequent gatherings.

“At the parties, he recruits more kids into his operation. And once he lures people in, he makes sure they stay by taking video of them breaking into cars, and getting drunk and high at the rental, which has hidden cameras everywhere—he never tapes at the parties in our house. He’s too careful for that. If someone wants out, he blackmails them with the videos and threatens to turn the evidence over and they’ll end up in court. He’s already done it a few times, and he made sure those kids spent time in juvey. The only way to get out is when the kids graduate and leave.”

“Jesus, Ben.”

“I know. He’s got a ton of videos of me, Baker. I was his little protégé,” he said bitterly. “I did everything he asked me to do and didn’t care that he was recording. At first, I was actually proud that I was good at getting in and out of cars without being caught. After I stopped, I thought of telling someone what he was doing, regardless of the videos.” He sighed heavily. “But I couldn’t. Because of my mom.

“By that time, she was hooked on oxy. She was fired from her job because her boss figured out she’d stolen a few prescription pads. She was desperate for drugs, and Al’s little side business kept her supplied. He’s been drugging her for years, Baker.” Ben shook his head. “She’s so out of it, most days she has no idea what’s going on. She has no friends and she’s so dependent on Al for the pain meds that she does whatever he tells her to without complaint.

“He needs the money from the robberies to support his gambling habit too,” Ben went on. “He’s in so far over his head that I know he would’ve lost our house by now if it wasn’t for the money he gets from kids stealing. They think it’s all risqué and exciting. They get drugs and a chance to party without fear of repercussions, and Al gets money to continue gambling.”

“And you’re stuck,” Baker said, feeling sick. “If you turn in your stepdad, your mom will be left hanging. She has no job, no way of supporting herself thanks to Rowden, not to mention a substance abuse problem that would be hard to kick, even if she was strong—which, no offense, it doesn’t sound like she is. Not only that, but if word got out about what was going on, a lot of your friends and other kids would be in trouble, possibly have to do some time in juvenile detention, or even regular jail if they’re old enough.”

Ben nodded. His head was still down and it looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “I did that shit too,” he said. “Nearly every week for two years. He’s got me on video. I’d go down right along with him. He promised me that. Said he’d tell everyone that it was my idea in the first place.”

“Tell me this, Ben—you’re a pretty tall guy right now. Built. What were you like as a twelve-year-old?” Baker asked.

“Scrawny,” Ben said without hesitation. “It wasn’t until I started working out and surfing regular, and hitting puberty, that I started to grow into my body.”

“Right. And the videos Rowden has? I’m assuming they’re from when you were twelve to fourteen?”

“Yeah.”

“I get that you’re trying to protect everyone. Your mom, the kids at school, yourself. But trust me, if Rowden pulls out those videos to try to convince the cops or a judge that you were the mastermind behind everything, no one would believe him.”

Ben looked up at Baker. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“Because you were a kid,” he said. “And this was a man who’d saved you and your mother from a life of extreme poverty. You looked up to him and respected him, and he took advantage of that. Everyone will immediately realize that you were an easy mark.”

Ben shook his head. “I just want it to stop.”

“I know you do, and you’re taking the first step right now to make that happen. Why’d you get kicked out of the house?” Baker could see that Ben wanted to believe him. Wanted to have hope, but he wasn’t quite there yet.

“It’s gotten harder to recruit kids,” Ben said. “There are cameras everywhere now, especially after the break-ins became so frequent. It’s almost impossible to go to a parking lot at a tourist spot and break into cars without being caught on security cameras. He wants me to recruit for him. Wanted me to talk to some of the younger kids who surf with us and persuade them to attend the next party. I refused. He got pissed. Told me if I wasn’t going to cooperate, I wasn’t welcome in his house.

“My mom just sat there, with the same blank stare she’s had on her face for years. Didn’t stick up for me or anything. So I left. He cornered me on the way out and said if I told anyone, he’d kick Mom out too. He’d drop her off on a street corner in Honolulu with nothing. Said she’d turn to prostitution within a day to get the drugs she needed. And I…I believed him.”

Baker’s heart broke for Ben. But at the same time, a fire was brewing in his belly. Al Rowden was a menace to society. He’d blackmailed his own stepson and ruined who knew how many other young lives as well. He should’ve dug even harder to find information when something seemed off about the guy.

“First off, I don’t blame you for staying silent about everything,” Baker said.

Ben looked at him in surprise. He could see the fear in the boy’s eyes. “You don’t?”

“No. Rowden’s a piece of shit. But he’s a smart piece of shit. You were trying to protect everyone around you all by yourself. It’s a fuckin’ awful position to be in, and honestly, I admire how you stood up to him and got out of that toxic situation.”

“I left my mom there though,” Ben said in a small voice.

“This is gonna hurt to hear…but she’s an adult,” Baker said gently. “It was her choice to stay. Her choice to let him do what he did.”

“He probably blackmailed her too,” Ben said.

Baker nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe even showed her the videos of you breaking into cars and threatened to turn you in if she didn’t toe the line. He probably encouraged her to steal the prescription pads too.”

Ben shuddered at those words.

“Regardless…I’m not a parent, but I’m guessing if you asked Jodelle what she’d do if she was in that situation, if she found out a man was teaching her son how to be a thief, she’d lose her fuckin’ mind and haul you, and herself, out of that situation faster than you could even blink. She’d probably go to the cops herself, not giving him a chance to spread his filth. And even if he did, she’d fight like hell to make sure her son was living clean and safe.”

Ben chuckled, but it wasn’t a humorous sound. “She’d so do that. But my mom isn’t as strong as Miss Jody.”

“No, she’s not. But she should’ve been. For you. From what I’ve been able to find out, she worked hard to keep a roof over your head when you were younger. She could’ve done it. Could’ve fought for you—but she didn’t,” Baker said quietly.

“No, she didn’t,” Ben agreed. Then he looked Baker in the eye and said, “Now that you know, I can leave. Al’s not gonna take me being here well. He’s gonna threaten Miss Jody, and the last thing I want is for anything to happen to her. I stayed long enough for you to get back, so I could try to keep her safe, and now that you’re here, I’ll go.”

“You aren’t going anywhere,” he retorted.

Ben blinked in surprise.

“First, if you think Jodelle is gonna let you leave, you’re delusional. The woman in the other room has unofficially adopted you. Not only that, but you’ve been good for her. For five years, she’s been grieving, missing her son something awful. You being here has made some of that sorrow fade. You aren’t a replacement for Kaimana, but she needs you as much as you need her.”

“I don’t want Al causing her trouble. You didn’t see him, Baker. He was so pissed. He retreated so he could regroup, but I know he’s planning something, and I’m scared to death it’s going to involve Miss Jody.”

“Not gonna happen,” Baker said. “Now that I know exactly what to look for, I’m gonna dig deep and expose him for what he is—an abusive husband, a drug dealer, a child abuser, a gambling addict, and a fuckin’ judge on the take. He’s done, Ben. Might not be tomorrow, but it’s gonna be soon. I give you my word on that.”

“How?”

Baker smiled coldly. “I’m calling in some markers. And I’m gonna find the kids he recruited. I’ll track them down at their universities, in the military, at their workplaces. By the time I’ve had a chat with them, they’ll agree to testify against Rowden. I fuckin’ guarantee it.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Baker interrupted. “There will be no blowback on you or your mother. We’ll get her into a treatment center. No lie, Ben, it’s not going to be easy for her. She doesn’t have a lot of inner strength, so I’m not all that sure she’ll be able to kick her habit. But I’ll get her away from Rowden so she at least has a shot. And yeah, you participated in his shit, but again, you were a kid. Once you were old enough, you stopped. You been recruiting for him?”

“Fuck no,” Ben said. “I left, remember?”

“Since you told me that less than a minute ago, yeah, I remember. I’m just making a point. You stopped, refused to cooperate with him, left the house with nowhere to go, living homeless in your car in order to stay away from him. That’s gonna make an impression. A good one, Ben.”

“And Miss Jody? He really wasn’t happy with her, Baker.”

“She’ll be good.”

Ben stared at him for a long moment, then, “I’m suddenly thinking you’re kind of scary.”

“You’d be thinking right. But not to the people I care about. And news flash, you’re one of those people, Ben. You’re a good kid. You did what was right when the odds were stacked against you. You’re gonna go on to do great things. Don’t know what those things are, just that I’ll be proud to stand up years from now and say I know you.”

Ben swallowed hard, and it was easy to see he was trying to hold back his emotions. Then he asked, “You’re gonna call in markers? Um…I’m not sure I wanna stop my asshole stepfather from forcing kids to do illegal shit, by doing other illegal shit in order to make that happen.”

“I’ll tell you what I told Jodelle. I was a Navy SEAL. I met a lot of people in my line of work. Both good and bad. I might walk the line of good versus evil, but I always do it for decent people like my Jodelle. So she can live a happy life. And for kids like you and your friends. For your Tressa…who I’m gonna want to meet at some point. The world is a safer place because of what I do, Ben. Because of who I know and what I know about them. Some people would say I’m no different than your stepfather, but they’d be wrong. I only use the shit I know against the people who would rain terror down on others.”

Ben stared at him for a long time, then nodded. “I can live with that.”

“Good. Thank you for being honest with me. I won’t let you or your mother down.”

“I love her because she’s my mom…but I don’t love her anymore, if that makes sense,” Ben said softly. “She lost that when she chose drugs over me.”

“Your choice, Ben,” Baker said.

“I want her to get help, but for herself. Not for me or for our relationship. I hope she can kick the addiction. But like you said, I’m not holding out much hope.”

“I’m guessing that Jodelle will want you to stay regardless of what happens with your mom, if that’s something you want too. And after you go to college or move out, she’ll expect you to come back here for Thanksgiving and Christmas and every other holiday. When you have kids someday, if you choose to go that route, hopefully she’ll get the honor of having some sort of grandmotherly role in their lives.”

“She will,” Ben said without hesitation.

“Good. Now, you have homework?”

Ben’s lips twitched. “You playing Dad now?”

“Fuck no,” Baker said. “Just making sure you graduate because it would cause Jodelle pain if you didn’t.”

“I’ve got some math shit to do.”

“Then you best get on that.”

“Yeah.” Ben was silent for a moment, then said quietly. “He scares me.”

“I’m getting that, and I think you’d be stupid not to be scared of that asshole. He’s caused you a lot of grief over the years. You’ve had the burden of your mom, your friends, and your own future on your shoulders for a long time. I’m gonna help you get free of that. Your job is to stay away from Rowden. Do not talk to him. Do not engage with him. You see him, you go the other way. He comes back here when I’m not around, do not open the door. Do not let Jodelle open the door. Call the police, then call me. We’ll deal with him. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Baker was glad to see that Ben looked a little less stressed than he had when they’d first sat down.

“Thanks, Baker.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for telling me everything so I can protect you and Jodelle. Hard to do that when I don’t know what I’m up against.”

Ben nodded, then stood. He went into the kitchen, grabbed a can of soda, picked up his backpack that was sitting in the foyer, where he’d probably dropped it when he’d gotten home from school, and wandered down the hall toward his room.

Baker sat where he was for another five minutes. His mind was spinning with all he’d learned. He’d known Rowden was an ass, but the depth of his assholery was almost stunning. Baker would have to be careful with his next steps. Rowden might be a motherfucker, but he wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t have been able to keep up his ruse as a good guy all these years if he was. Not to mention, in Baker’s first dive into the guy’s life, he hadn’t found any evidence of his gambling habit or his drug purchase history. True, MDMA and oxycodone weren’t exactly meth and cocaine, but they were bad enough.

Standing, Baker checked the front door to make sure it was locked. Then he went to each of the windows and did the same thing. It felt great to be home, but now it was even more important to make sure the house was locked up tight.

He stood in the doorway of the bedroom and watched Jodelle’s body sway back and forth to the music in her ears as she clicked on her mouse and studied the computer screen. This was why he’d done what he did when he was a SEAL. This was why he still did what he did. Why he went to the bowels of the Earth to meet with terrorists, drug dealers, and mobsters. To keep people like Jodelle safe from their brand of evil ever touching her.

Baker stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Then he headed for the bathroom. He turned on the light, knowing it would catch Jodelle’s attention in a way that wouldn’t scare her. She immediately turned and took the headphones off.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Your talk done?”

Baker nodded. “I’m gonna take a shower real fast. You wanna get ready for bed while I’m doing that?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Thankful that she didn’t press for more info about his chat with Ben right that second, Baker went into the bathroom. He saw that Jodelle had unpacked his bag for him. His toiletries were once more sitting next to hers on the counter, the sight making him smile.

He took a fast shower, the desire to hold Jodelle spurring him on. He was finished and wearing nothing but a clean pair of boxers when he wandered back into the bedroom. Jodelle was in bed, the covers pulled up to her waist as she sat against a pillow, waiting for him. He clicked off the light, plunging the room into darkness, and pulled her close.

“I’m guessing that any plans we might have had to move our physical relationship forward are now on hold?” she asked quietly, obviously sensing his troubled mood.

“Yeah, Tink. That okay?”

“Of course. Was it really bad?”

Baker shouldn’t be surprised she took their change of plans so easily. He sighed. “Yeah.” Then he took the next fifteen minutes to share what Ben had told him. There was no way he was keeping this shit from her. She needed to know exactly how bad Rowden was so the next time, she wouldn’t fucking open the door to him. Knowledge was power, and keeping her in the dark would be a stupid thing to do. So he shared.

By the time he was done, Jodelle was stiff as a board in his arms.

“What a fucking asshole!” she hissed fervently.

Baker was surprised by the ferociousness of her words. If she was swearing, she was definitely not happy. He tightened his arms around her. “Yeah.”

“Did he tell you about the virginity thing?” she asked.

“What virginity thing?”

It was her turn to share for the next few minutes, and when she was done, Baker hated Rowden even more than he had before…which was saying something, because he really hated the fucker.

“He’s goin’ down,” Baker said.

“Good. Soon, I hope.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “As soon as I can make it happen. In the meantime, as I told Ben, you need to stay away from him. Do not open the fuckin’ door if he’s on the other side ever again.”

“I won’t. But in my defense, I didn’t know all the stuff you told me tonight. I thought he was a jerk, but I didn’t think he was as much of a jerk as he apparently is.”

“Now you know,” Baker said.

“Yeah. Now I know.”

They lay quietly in each other’s arms for a few minutes before Jodelle spoke once more. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Baker asked.

“That your homecoming, after what was probably an intense week already, had to be so depressing.”

“It’s not depressing. I’m home. I’ve got my woman in my arms. I’ve got the info I need to end the shit going on in Ben’s life…I’m good.”

Jodelle snuggled into him, hitching a leg over his thigh and nuzzling her nose into his neck. She felt fucking amazing in his arms, and Baker was more than content at the moment.

“She’s an idiot.”

“Who?” Baker asked.

“Ben’s mom. She let this happen right under her nose and she didn’t protect her son.”

“Yup.”

“If Mana was alive, if we were married, and if you started treating me and him like that, there’s no way I would’ve stayed. No matter how much I loved you. I wouldn’t have put up with any of that, for my son’s sake.”

“That’s a lot of ifs, Tink, but I understand. I told Ben the same thing.”

“You did?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“He’s hurting,” Jodelle said.

“Yup.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to try to make him hurt less,” she said.

“You already have.”

Baker felt her smile against his shoulder. “God, I’m glad you’re home,” she said after a while.

“Me too, Tink. You sure I can have a raincheck on the making-you-mine thing?” he asked.

“I’m already yours,” she said quietly.

Warmth spread throughout Baker’s body. “Damn straight you are,” he returned.

“I want to make love with you, but there’s no timetable, like you’ve already told me. Tonight’s been tough. You’re tired. You aren’t here in my bed because I’m worried Ben’s gonna assault me. You aren’t here because I feel sorry for you. You’re here because I want you here. If I didn’t, you’d still be on the couch or at your own house. You’ll hopefully be in my bed tomorrow, and the night after that, and the night after that. I don’t need or want sex every night. I think the passion ship has sailed. What I do want, is intimacy. Letting me hold you when you’ve had a shitty day and being open with me about what’s bothering you. And I want you to do the same for me.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want to have sex or make love for the sake of doing either. I want it to mean something. If you’d ignored the fact that you aren’t in the mood and tried to initiate sex tonight anyway, it would’ve been a disappointment for me. Just let me hold you, Baker. I know you’re a guy, but sometimes men need to be held just as much as women.”

Baker tightened his arm around her. She was right. Of course she was. “When we make love, it’s gonna mean everything.”

“I know. You told me that you wouldn’t have sex with me unless we both loved each other.” She looked up at him. “I think we both know where we stand even without saying the words. Now, close your eyes, think of something other than abusive assholes and slimy trolls who live under bridges who want information in order for you to pass, and sleep.”

Her words soothed his soul in a way he’d never experienced before. He’d never met a woman more giving than his Jodelle. But Baker couldn’t help chuckling. “Um…what? Trolls?”

“That’s how I picture the people you deal with for your job.”

She wasn’t exactly wrong. “I’m not gonna be doing that forever,” he said.

“Good.”

That was it. One word.

Fuck, he loved this woman.

“You gonna be able to sleep?” he asked.

“You’re home. You’re holding me. Ben’s here and safe. I’ve got a whole new group of potential friends and a big-paying job. Yeah, Baker, I’m gonna sleep just fine.”

He smiled.

She lifted her head, and Baker lowered his. It was dark, but somehow he still managed to find her lips on the first try. He kissed her long, slow, and deep. It was lazy and intimate, and possibly the best kiss he’d ever had.

“Good night, Tink.”

“Night, Baker,” she replied and wiggled against him until she was comfortable.

He heard her deep breaths and felt them against his bare skin not even two minutes later.

If he was anywhere else, Baker might’ve stayed up long into the night thinking about everything he’d heard from Ben. Plotting and planning. But with Jodelle beside him, he was able to block all the shit swirling in his head and be thankful for what he had. Tomorrow was soon enough to plan Operation Take Down Al Rowden. For now, he was going to enjoy being in a soft bed with the scent of plumeria in his nose and the woman he loved in his arms.