Tyler O’Neill’s Redemption by Molly O'Keefe Read Free Book Online Page A

Tyler.” She turned back to Miguel, narrowing her eyes. “You were just pretending to sleep in the backseat, weren’t you?”
    He nodded, unapologetic. Probably a skill he’d learned to survive.
    “I’m not going to jail?” Miguel asked, as if he couldn’t believe it. Juliette put her hands on his shoulders and waited until he looked at her. The impact of his wounds could still take her breath away and she wondered again whether she really was doing the right thing, or if calling in the social workers wasn’t the way to try and save this boy.
    “It’s not too late,” she told him. “I can call the Office of Community Services—”
    Miguel shook his head. “I’ll run. I swear it.”
    He wasn’t lying. And while she didn’t doubt that she’d be able to find him, if he took his sister, who knew what kind of trouble might find them before she did. Two kids, no money—it was a disaster in the making.
    “Okay,” she said. “But we’ve got to keep you away from your dad. Where is he now?”
    “It’s Monday, so he’s sleeping it off and then he’s back out at the refinery until Saturday.” The refinery was over the state line, and employed many of the men and women of Bonne Terre. Due to the commute, many of them, like Miguel’s father, spent part of the week in a cheap hotel closer to the refinery.
    “Your sister?”
    “She’s at Patricia’s. I’m gonna pick her up for school tomorrow.” Patricia was an old friend of Miguel’s mother, who did what she could for the kids, but the woman was eighty, on welfare and barely spoke English.
    She nodded. What to do? What to do?
    “All right.” She ducked her head, looking hard into his good eye. “Tomorrow after school you come right here. In fact, after school you come here every day.”
    “To the police station? ” he asked, horrified as any good delinquent would be.
    “It’s your only choice, Miguel. And considering what I’ve done for you, if you don’t show up I’ll be—” He looked away. “Miguel,” she snapped and he looked back up, sighing. “I will be very, very insulted.”
    Miguel nodded, his lip lifting slightly. Nearly made her cry to see it. Here he was, face beat in, future up in the air, and the kid could still smile. Sort of.
    Maybe she could make this work—as long as Dr. Roberts didn’t tell anyone and Tyler kept his mouth shut. And if no one in the station cared about an attempted grand theft she made disappear, or wondered why Miguel was cleaning squad cars every day after school.
    And particularly if no one else saw Miguel’s file.
    Panic nearly swamped her. Who was she kidding?
    Thinking about what she was doing made things worse. She needed to move, act, do something. Give Ramon Pastor a warning that even he would understand.
    “Get in the car,” she said, following Miguel toward her sedan.
    “Chief!” Lisa came running out into the impound yard, her blond ponytail a little flag out behind her.
    “What’s up?” Juliette asked, a little surprised to see Lisa away from her FreeCell game.
    “Mayor wants to see you,” Lisa said.
    It had been approved? She’d just turned in that paperwork last week. The squad car requisition? Man, the mayor was totally on her side—
    Lisa’s eyes flipped over to Miguel. “About the boy.”

    “D AD !” T YLER CALLED , slamming the front door shut behind him.
    “Yeah?” Richard stepped in from the kitchen into the hallway, a sauce-splattered apron tied around his trim waist. Good God, the man was playing house.
    “Let’s go,” Tyler said to Richard’s blank face. “Let’s go back to Vegas. Play some cards, get a steak as big as our heads.”
    “I’m making lasagna.”
    “Screw the lasagna!” Tyler cried. “It’s time to go.”
    “But we just got here. We haven’t found the gems.”
    “Dad, if it’s about money, I’ve got more than—”
    Richard shook his head. “I’m not taking your money.”
    Tyler blew out a long breath and stared up at the