5. Wyatt

Chapter Five

WYATT

The first time I set foot on Beaufort property, I was already grown, but I'd heard the gossip all my life.Eden was legendary in Devil’s Garden, not just for the historic architecture and ghost stories, but for the wild bunch of boys who’d raised hell there.

Wealthy families like the Beauforts and Vanderhoffs weren't part of my world growing up, so I'd only ever caught glimpses of the property from a distance.I was raised smaller and humbler, the first cop in a long line of dirt-poor crawdad farmers.Built on love, not money and violence like the Beaufort boys.They were hard cases, and over the years, every cop in Devil's Garden was in and out of the house so much we'd memorized the floorplan.

Things settled down a little after Gage skipped town, and even more after Gideon took over running the house.The guy put the fear of God into everyone.Literally.

With any luck, he could do something for the half-feral girl I was bringing him now.

Ivy was curled up in my passenger seat, huddled as close to the door as she could get without tumbling out.She was a tiny thing. Too small for seventeen, and pale enough that she’d probably disappear if I stood her against a wall.She hadn’t said more than a few words since I’d picked her up from the hospital, but her eyes never stopped moving.Scared, yeah, but mean, too. The world had taught her that being mean was the only way to survive.

I’d seen plenty of kids with that look.It came with the job, but every year it seemed like there were more.Drugs and gangs had taken root in Devil’s Garden, filling hospitals and morgues at a record pace, and as usual, kids were the ones who suffered the most.The good cops couldn't keep up, and the dirty ones grew fat and rich off the suffering.Drug runners moved their product through the bayou in the dark of night like a swarm of cockroaches.Catching them felt like playing a giant game of whack-a-mole, especially when the DA dropped more cases than he prosecuted.

Ivy was probably just another instance of wrong place, wrong time, but whenever I looked at her, I felt a sense of deep unease.Maybe because she reminded me of Gage when he was a child.Too tough for her own good but hollowed out on the inside.Always looking for something to fill her up, and never able to find it.

“We’re almost there,” I told her, even though she hadn’t asked.

She didn’t react. Her gaze stayed fixed out the window, following the road as it snaked through the swampy outskirts of Devil’s Garden.Her knobby fingers were twisting the hem of her oversized hospital sweatshirt like it was a lifeline.

I kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting out the open window to catch the early morning breeze.Silence didn’t bother me, so I let it ride.

Eventually, she dredged up the courage to speak.“What about him?”

My brow furrowed. “Who?”

“You know… him.”

For the first time since she woke up, there was life in her face, and she sounded hopeful.Almost greedy. That tone of hero-worship?I’d know it anywhere.

“Gage?” I asked, smothering a chuckle with a quiet huff.“He’s around. You’ll see him soon enough.”

Ivy scanned me, deeply suspicious, before looking away.She didn’t trust me, but I didn’t mind.Gage was the only one she trusted right now.From the little she’d let slip, it sounded like he’d hit her captors like a force of nature—or an avenging angel.He’d saved her from something terrible, that was certain.Bad things happened at The Dead End.The bar was a hive of backroom deals and underage drinking.Not the kind of place for a kid, no matter how tough she thought she was.

As I turned down the long, oak-lined driveway, the massive house came into view.It looked like something out of a storybook, the kind with wolves in the woods and kids who never find their way home.

“It’s safe,” I said, parking in front of the veranda.“No one’s gonna hurt you here.”

She rolled her eyes and didn’t reply, clearly unimpressed, but she didn’t have much of a choice, and she knew it.After a long beat, she unbuckled her seatbelt, slow as molasses.I got out first and came around her side to open the door.Her eyes popped wide as she followed me up the steps.

Loretta stood at the door with a huge, welcoming smile.She wore plain clothes and sensible sneakers, and her bleached hair was teased into the same frizzy helmet she’d probably had since the eighties.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” she said, waving us in with a dishtowel.“Come on in before the no-see-ums eat you alive.”

“Hey, Loretta.” I leaned down, dropping a peck on her cheek as I guided Ivy across thethreshold.

She'd grown up with Boone, or so she said, and began working for his family right out of high school.Once Boone opened up the foster program, she'd taken over as both housekeeper and matron for the kids.The woman was an absolute firecracker, and she made the best fried chicken I'd ever tasted.

She led us down a long hallway, wiry curls bouncing with every step.As we entered the north wing, the shift from stately mansion was subtle but noticeable.The family heirlooms disappeared, and the furnishings became more practical.Still cozy, probably even high-end for most kids, but designed to be sturdy enough to survive a pack of teenagers who hadn’t learned how to keep their hands to themselves.

“You’ll be back here with the rest of the kids,” Loretta said.She gave Ivy a soft look, but her tone was all business.No sugarcoating. “You’re our first girl.They're all good kids, but they can get rowdy.I put you in your own room right next to mine.It has a nice solid lock, so you’ll feel safe."

Ivy’s arms were crossed tight over her chest, like she thought she could shrink herself out of existence, but her eyes were huge as she took in the luxe surroundings.The main floor consisted of a small kitchen, an office, and a living area crammed with overstuffed furniture, board games, and electronics.A brand new console was hooked to a big screen television, and two boys sat hunched in a set of matching beanbag chairs, tethered to the screen by their controllers.

“Go, go, go!” yelled a kid with fluffy hair, mashing buttons like his life depended on it.“Revive me! Revive me!”

“I’m trying!”

They were so focused on the flashing screen they didn’t even notice us.I couldn’t help but smile, remembering how many days I'd spent exactly like this as a boy.The graphics might have improved, but some things never changed.

“I’m dead!” Luis yelled as his character went down.“Goddammit!”

“Stop cussing for fuck’s sake!” JJ barked, still focused on the game.

Loretta cleared her throat loudly and nudged his beanbag with the toe of her sneaker.“JJ!”

With almost comedic timing, both boys jumped and spun around.

“My bad,” JJ muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

Luis stretched out in his beanbag and laughed.“Sorry, Loretta.”

“You will be sorry if Gideon catches you,” she warned, raising one eyebrow.

That shut them up quick. JJ scrambled to his feet, wiping Cheeto dust from the corners of his mouth, and begged, “You won’t tell him, right?Not when we peeled potatoes for you first thing this morning?Out of the goodness of our hearts?And we cleaned up the bedroom for the new kid?—”

“Hey, is that her?” Luis craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Ivy, hiding behind me and using me as a human shield, all while somehow looking down her nose at the boys.

JJ’s eyes widened as he took her in from head to toe.“Well, well, well. New blood,” he said with a shit-eating grin."Newbies do all the chores, you know."

“First time we’ve had a girl here,” Luis cut in, scuttling around me to stick out a hand.“What’s your name?”

I felt a tiny fist clench in the back of my shirt.When I glanced down, Ivy was glaring daggers at Luis through the crook of my elbow.

“Whoa, easy.” He raised both hands in mock surrender, looking amused.“We’re just making conversation.”

“Yeah,” JJ chimed in with a smirk.“No harm in asking.”

“You’re scaring her.” The voice came from a quiet kid standing in the doorway.He was the youngest and had white-blond hair shaved so close he looked bald.I’d never learned why the other boys called him Worm, but it seemed affectionate.An older boy stood beside him with his hands shoved deep in his pockets.Worm met Ivy’s eyes and said softly, “They’re just curious.We don’t get visitors.”

“She’s not a visitor,” I clarified, letting Ivy cling to my uniform as long as she needed.“She’ll be staying for a while.”

“Not for long,” Ivy interrupted, lifting her chin and glaring at Luis again.She seemed to have taken a set against him in particular.In less than sixty seconds, he’d done something to mortally offend her.

Luis grinned, undeterred. “Everyone says that when they first get here.”

“Yeah, they all try to leave, but this place is like a black hole.Just sucks everyone back in,” JJ said, nodding along so hard his hair flopped around on his forehead like a piece of limp broccoli.“Even Gage. I’ve been here the longest, so I’m the only one who remembers him.He thought he got out but look what happened. Schwooop!” He made a sucking sound and gestured dramatically.“Black hole.”

Ivy flinched just a little at the mention of Gage’s name.I couldn't say I'd never done the same, so I had some sympathy."Yeah, well, I'm almost aged out," she muttered, but she ruined the effect by tightening her fingers around a fistful of my uniform.

“She’s like a mouse,” JJ commented, unable to resist another jab to fill the silence.

Without missing a beat, Ivy whipped around and snapped, “Better than looking like a llama, big mouth.”

JJ looked ready to fire back, but Luis beat him to it with a laugh.“I like her,” he declared, eyes twinkling.“She’s feisty.”

These kids understood each other best through a little good-natured ribbing, and Ivy knew it, too.But she was hitting her breaking point; I could feel it in the way she pressed closer to me.As if she knew I'd protect her if it turned out she'd read the room wrong.She didn't like me or trust me, but I was her safest option at the moment.What a terrible feeling that must be.I opened my mouth to calm the boys down, but suddenly, the shadow of a man appeared in the doorway behind Worm.

“That’s enough.” The voice was calm and quiet, but I don’t think anyone could ever mistake it for gentle.

The boys froze with identical, hangdog looks of guilt.Ivy noticed their abrupt change at a glance and went on high alert.One look at Gideon, and the defiance in her eyes instantly guttered and died.She shrank back against me, shivering.

Never could put my finger on it, but something about Gideon Beaufort was unsettling.He had a sealed juvie record I'd never cracked, not even with special clearance, but beyond that, he'd never been in even a whisper of trouble.While his brothers were out raising hell, he was taking seminary classes.He volunteered at food banks and charities throughout Devil's Garden, and he spearheaded the foster program.By all accounts, Gideon was a stand-up guy, righteous and pious, but I could never bring myself to completely trust him.Eyes never lied, and his...they were alien.

He looked at Ivy, neither smiling nor trying to put her at ease.Respecting her fear. “Come with me,” he said gently.“We’ll talk.”

Since picking her up at the hospital, I’d been careful not to touch her any more than necessary, but I gave her shoulders a solid squeeze when she curled against me.“You’ll be okay,” I assured her.

Gideon met my eyes and gave a faint nod.He had no illusions about how people felt around him.

“Yeah, he’s cool,” Luis volunteered, flashing his irrepressible grin.Worm nodded so enthusiastically he looked like a bobblehead, and JJ offered the barest hint of a smile, like he was passing a message without words: he’s not the enemy. They came from different walks of life, but they all had one thing in common—a ferocious mistrust of authority.

Ivy didn’t look convinced, but she seemed to realize she didn’t have much choice.She sucked in a quavering breath, squared her shoulders, and finally peeled her hand free of my uniform.It was a good act, but as she followed Gideon out the door, I caught her muttering in a dark voice, “Brilliant.Save me from assault and then leave me alone with a Catholic priest.”

Gideon definitely overheard, but he didn’t react.He led her to his office across the hall, leaving the door wide open behind them.I leaned against the door frame to watch, close enough to step in if the girl needed but far enough not to intrude.Through the open door, I watched as Gideon pulled his chair around to face her instead of staying behind his desk.Ivy perched on the edge of her seat, arms crossed tightly around her middle.Holding herself together again.Gideon leaned forward, hands clasped loosely between his knees, and spoke in that low, measured tone he reserved for Sunday mornings.

Whatever he was saying, it was too quiet for me to make out, but I could see the effect it had on Ivy.Her posture softened by degrees.She nodded once, and then spoke—hesitantly at first, but with more confidence as she went on.In the end, she did most of the talking.Gideon merely listened, nodding occasionally and speaking rarely.His eyes never left her face.It was like watching a shell start to crack open in real time.

“That’s how it is,” JJ snorted, dropping back into his beanbag and retrieving his controller.“Nobody stays scared for long.”

Luis nodded in agreement. “It’s voodoo, man.Pure voodoo.”

There was a reason so many people turned to him when they had nowhere else to go, religious or not, but magic wasn’t it.More like a knack for gentle manipulation.Gideon understood human nature and was skilled at reading others, so he had a rare ability to make people feel seen and heard.I was envious of the talent; it would be handy in my line of work.

I couldn’t help but wonder what Ivy was telling him.Gage didn't trust me as far as he could throw me, and even if he did, he'd still refuse to seek my help.That's just how he was. In his world, everything was settled in the streets.Whoever attacked them was still out there, and without any leads to go on, my hands were tied.

Almost like he’d read my thoughts, Gideon raised his head and caught my eye, giving me a subtlehead shake.I got it. Either she hadn’t told him anything, or it was a confidence he’d neverbreak.Either way, I was still at squareone.

Her hospital records hadn’t saidmuch.The worst of her injuries were a severe concussion and some nasty bruising, but at least she hadn’t been sexuallyassaulted.That was one mercy. She’d been bouncing between foster homes foryears.I didn’t blame her. I’d seen the condition of some of those homes myself; they were nothing like EdenHouse.If she’d figured out that sometimes running was safer than staying…well, I couldn’t fault her forthat.

I knew another guy exactly likethat.The same man she was hero-worshippingnow.The lesson had been imprinted on Gage's heart young, and maybe, I thought with a twist of guilt, I’d only carved it deeper when I turned my back on him five yearsago.

When he’d needed memost.