LILA
“Slow down,”the giant man in the fancy suit orders.
I glare at him as I take a much-needed breath before I shove another fry into my mouth. I go for the cheeseburger next but only take a small bite. He gives a small nod of approval. My stomach gives a strange dip which I chalk up to being over the food. I haven’t had anything warm to eat in days.
The first three nights I was here, they never locked the cafeteria, but last night they had. Thankfully, Beau only needed warm water for me to make his toddler formula which he favored. I had a stash of his other snacks of fruits and jarred items, but I was down to my last can of the formula. He can have whole milk, but he doesn’t care much for it, and it’s harder to keep with me. I was hoping I could lay low here for longer, but we both needed food, and I was never going to find that formula here.
Then again, I might be wrong because when the tray of food arrived, so had three giant cans of toddler formula with it. It was like magic how it popped out of nowhere. It seems that the suit says what he wants, and it appears. I’ve learned that in the short time I’ve been in his presence.
Of course, the same day I plan to leave our newest home I end up getting caught. I’m not even sure what to make of the man that’s caught me. When I first saw him, I almost peed myself. The man is likely three times my size. Then he went and plucked Beau out of my arms. He didn’t seem so scary with Beau cradled gently in his thick arms. Everyone else looked as perplexed as I did about him taking Beau from me.
“Are you going to give me your name?” he asks when I’m halfway through my cheeseburger.
I can’t remember the last time I ate something so good. My stomach is starting to hurt, but I don’t want to stop yet. I’m guessing the food in prison is going to be shit. I should enjoy this last meal. How much time does a girl get for kidnapping a little boy? Gotta be a lot of time for that one.
“Does it matter?” I say before taking another bite. His eyes stay trained on me. They never seem to leave me. If they do, it’s only for a moment to check on Beau in his arms. Does he think I’m going to bolt? I can’t. Not while he still has Beau. I think he knows that.
“You know I can’t let you walk out of here with him. Especially when I don't think he’s yours.”
“He could be mine,” I blurt out defensively.
“You’re lying.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“You better be lying,” he half growls, making me sit up straighter.
“Or what?” I try to act tough and challenge him, but it comes out as more of a whisper. Something dark flashes in his eyes. I swear the whole temperature in the room starts to change. “He’s not mine but I, I—” I stumble over my words, not sure what Beau is to me. The thought of someone taking him from me makes my heart ache, but at the same time wouldn’t he be better off with a good solid family? Wouldn't we all, actually?
“You want to keep him.” He rocks Beau in his arms.
“I’ve been taking care of him since he came to my fo—” I clamp my lips together. Why do I keep spilling my truths to this handsome stranger? There’s something about him that puts me at ease. A feeling I’m not accustomed to after being in foster care.
“Foster home,” he finishes for me. A knock sounds at the door before it opens a second later. In walks one of the men from before. I think his name is Colin.
“As you requested, sir.” He sets a bunch of bags down. “Anything else, Mr. Mason?”
“That will be all, Colin.” Colin nods, his eyes bouncing between me and the big man in the suit before he’s back out the door. “I haven’t called the police, and I think it’s clear I’m not harming you either.”
“I’m scared,” I admit. I hate saying it out loud, but it’s the truth.
“I can help you, but I can’t do it blind.”
“They’ll take him either way.”
“Will his parents be looking for him?”
I shake my head. “They died. It’s how he ended up in my group house. I’ve been watching him. God knows my foster family isn’t going to.” I’ve tended to his every need.
Taking care of younger kids wasn’t new to me. It's something you always do in the system. I’ve bounced around a lot. We all try to take care of each other. Some homes are better than others. This one hadn’t been bad really. The Porters just wanted their state checks and to be left alone. If you stayed out of the way, it was all fine.
“Why did you run from there?”
“You won’t believe me.” I’m still trying to believe what I heard.
“Try me.” I chew on my bottom lip, not sure how much I should tell. “You have nothing to lose at this point.”
“I heard Ms. Jacobs, the social worker assigned to Beau, talking to Mr. and Mrs. Porter. They were discussing selling him. They were going into detail about how they could make a fortune off him, but they needed to act soon cause he’s getting older. The younger the better. They planned to say he’d gone missing. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they were going to say that I had him last. I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t believe it at first, but I know what I heard. I couldn’t let that happen. I mean, who were they going to sell Beau to? Just someone who wanted a baby? Or like organs or some other thing I don’t even want to think about? I just—"