Free I'm Watching You by Mary Burton Page B

next kid."
    Jamal frowned. "Damien and I aren't the last kids?"
    Sadly, there would always be a next kid in her line of business. It was
the main reason why she was there. But Jamal didn't need statistics or
grim predictions of the future. He needed hope that his life would one day be
happy and normal. "I sure hope you are."
    Lindsay ushered the boys outside to her car. They buckled in and soon
were headed across town. Fifteen minutes later, they rolled into the Riverside
parking lot. The shelter was also in a residential neighborhood and looked much
like the other trilevel houses around it. Toys now damp from the rain littered
the front yard. The front door was open. Inside, lights glowed.
    Aisha Greenland came outside, her shoulder-length braids brushing her
wide shoulders. She grinned when she saw Lindsay and the boys. The boys
scrambled out of the backseat and ran up to their mother. She hugged them
close.
    Lindsay followed with the video game system in hand. "How'd
the interview go?"
    Aisha grinned. Hazel eyes flashed with genuine happiness. "I got
the job."
    Lindsay knew Aisha had been terrified of the interview. It had been
eight years since she'd worked out of the home. "That's
great."
    Jamal cupped his mother's face in his hands. "You got a
job?"
    Aisha kissed her son. "I sure did, baby. I sure did. I'm
gonna be working as a cashier at the supermarket." She lifted her gaze to
Lindsay. "Thank you."
    "Happy to help." Moments like this made all the bad
stuff fade .
    "I have just a little something for you," Aisha said.
    "You don't need to give me anything."
    Aisha shook her head and from her pocket pulled out a small wrapped box.
"I heard Ruby saying it was your birthday on Wednesday."
    Emotion tightened Lindsay's chest as she slowly opened the box.
Inside was a plastic butterfly. Clearly it wasn't expensive, but that
didn't matter. "You know butterflies mean rebirth."
    Aisha shook her head. "I just liked the pretty colors."
    Lindsay hugged her. "So do I. Thank
you." Unshed tears burned the back of her throat. "Good luck. You
guys take care. I've got to get back to Sanctuary."
    Inside her car, Lindsay turned on the radio, found a good song, and
cranked it. She felt good and wanted to savor this small victory. To celebrate,
she went to a drive-thru to treat herself to a milk shake, burger, and fries.
The delicious smells made her stomach rumble for she couldn't remember
the last time she'd eaten.
    Twenty minutes later, when she parked in front of Sanctuary, she'd
eaten the fries and drank half the milk shake. A little food on her stomach had
settled her nerves and she felt steadier.
    The cop car was still parked out front, as well as the forensics van.
Only one news van remained. And that was a good thing as far as she was
concerned. She prayed the press would lose interest and this whole thing would
just go away.
    She was halfway up the shelter's front steps when she heard a
woman shout, "Lindsay O'Neil!"
    Turning, she saw a tall woman with dark hair pulled back into a low,
tight ponytail. She was wearing a sleek sapphire silk blouse that accentuated
flawless porcelain skin expertly made up and black pants that showed off long
legs and a narrow waist. Kendall Shaw, former cover model and now a reporter
for Channel 10, was perfectly dressed as always.
    One look reminded Lindsay that she'd barely had time to run a
brush through her hair this morning. "Hey,
Kendall."
    Kendall grinned and held out her hand. "It's good to see you
again. I guess it's been a couple of months."
    Lindsay shifted her fast-food bag and drink to one hand so she could
shake Kendall's with the other. "Since you interviewed me a couple
of months ago for that freelance article for Inside Richmond ."
    Kendall's grin broadened. Her grip was strong and firm.
"That article was well received. The paper said that their sell-through
for that month was eighty percent. You were a hit."
    "It wasn't me. The other gals you profiled were pretty amazing."
    Kendall