"Yeah." I agreed absentmindedly, but my focus had switched to the duo upfront. Atticus shook hands with a man and then nodded to Sax. The man, who I assumed was a detective or police chief based on his plain clothes, walked off in a different direction. When I looked back to Atticus, Sax was gone. I furrowed my brow wondering where he went. I soon found him when he appeared directly in front of me. Jumping a little, he laughed at my fright, and I slapped him playfully in return.
"Don't do that. You scared me to death."
"You can scare me any time."
The woman next to me cooed, causing both Sax and me to laugh together this time. Sax didn't say anything but grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where he'd been. Waving over my shoulder to my wall companion, I smiled at the wink she gave me in return. I'd made a friend and an enemy, based on the scowl the desk lady threw me as we passed, during my first police visit. Blowing her a kiss, I curled under Sax's arm, happy to have him here to direct me. I'd been so lost and overwhelmed I would've ended up staying here all night before I'd been permitted to see Jude.
When Atticus saw us approaching, he nodded to me but didn't say anything before heading out of the station. It was strange. My brow furrowed in thought, wondering what I'd done to make Atticus so cold toward me. Perhaps he was upset about being woken up at this hour, though to be fair, I'd called Sax and not him. He'd probably been with his fiancée and was upset about leaving her. A weird feeling fluttered in my chest at the thought. Did I feel smug that he'd left her to help me? Yeah, I kind of did.
Once Sax and I made it through the front area and into a small room, he filled me in on what was going on.
"So it seems there was a drug bust, and Jude was in the wrong place at the wrong time type of deal. He doesn't have any priors and didn't have anything on him at the time. They brought him in as an attempt to pressure him to give up some people."
"What? They can do that?"
"Unfortunately, it happens with kids in the system far too often. They don't have anyone reliable to come to get them, and the police can question them without a guardian while they wait for the state to send someone. They abuse the system to try to get kids who are desperate to turn on someone, or badger them with scare tactics long enough they give in."
Anger rolled through me, and I was glad I'd answered the phone. The asshole who'd almost made me miss it flashed through my mind, and I wanted to punch him again. "That's bullshit." Huffing, I crossed my arms, my irritation evident in my stance. Sax smiled, cocking an eyebrow at me. He boxed me in against the wall and leaned down to whisper.
"As much as your spitfire turns me on, Loren, right now is not the time for me to get hard." He licked my earlobe, causing me to suck in a breath. "So, unless you want me to pull you into the closet right there and have my way with you while everyone out here hears you scream my name, you might want to save it for later."
He pushed his hardened length against me, rubbing against my center. My body flushed at the sensation and the way his words rolled over me, enlivening me with his promise. I was halfway to agreeing when the door opened. Spinning, I watched as they brought Jude into the room.
Not even thinking about it, I instantly went to him and wrapped him in a hug. He tensed at first, and I started to realize what I'd done, thinking I fucked up. Before I could pull away, he wrapped his arms around me tight, relaxing into the embrace.
"Are you okay?"
I felt him nod into my shoulder, and I rubbed his back as I held him. Sax talked with the guy from earlier, and I glared at him, taking my anger out on him since he was the most available target. Chuckling, he lifted his hands up at my stare.
"Chill, little momma. It's cool. I'm one of the good ones, I promise. He needs to be signed out by a guardian, but we can't reach his foster parents. Are you willing to take him into your custody for tonight?"
"Absolutely," I answered without even questioning it. I wouldn't let him remain here for one more second, especially if I had the power to do something about it. Jude hugged me tighter at my declaration, and I held onto him, hoping to provide him with peace and comfort.
"Thank you, Scott. We'll be in touch."
Sax nodded at the agent as he left the room, and it went quiet as I stood with Jude in my arms. Stepping back, I took in his face. He looked okay and didn't seem to have any visible marks.
"Are you okay with staying with me tonight? We can take you to your foster's if you're not?" I hadn't meant to answer for him and wanted him to know he had a choice in the matter. My question had him dropping his head, shame coating his features.
"I can't go back," Jude mumbled.
"What's that, hun?"
Lifting his head, he said it clearer this time. "I can't go back."
"Do you mean tonight or like ever?"
"Ever."
"Okay," I nodded. There was something there, but we didn't need to discuss it here. "We'll figure it out. Come on, let's get home."
My acceptance had him relaxing, and I pulled him under my arm as we walked out. My wall companion was no longer there, so I hoped she finally got what she came for. Sax opened the door for us, continuing to show me the caring man he was. Smiling at him, he winked down at me, and I found myself blushing again. His shit-eating grin conveyed he knew precisely how he made me respond.
Once we were outside, I realized I didn't have a car here. "Shit, I'm going to need to call someone or get a taxi. I didn't drive."
"We'll give you a lift. Come on," Sax responded, leading us to a blacked-out SUV idling on the curb. Shrugging to Jude, I followed him to the car, happy we didn't have to wait.
Opening the door, I stepped up into the SUV, pausing mid-way with half my body in and the other half out of the door when I came face to face with Atticus. He appeared as shocked as I was to find one another there. It was the first sign of emotion I'd seen on his face as his eyes met mine.