Withholding Secrets Read Online Free Page A

to him because he wasn’t home when he was supposed to be.
    “Are you waiting for someone?” Sky took a seat at the kitchen table and rested her arms on the top as she watched me flip the potatoes.
    “Your brother. I’m just a little worried with him gone for so long.”
    “He does this all the time. He’ll be back before dark.” She nodded as she smiled a little. “Do you think that I will make some friends here?”
    “I am sure you will. It’s a new school and new people. Just no boys as friends,” I teased her, causing her face to turn beat red. “What do you like to do? Maybe there’s some afterschool activities you can get involved with to help meet new people.”
    “I liked to play basketball, but … it’s okay. I don’t have to play.” Her cheeks tinted with the shy coloration and she raked her bottom lip through her teeth. The want to play basketball was there, shining out of her, but the fear of asking was keeping a lock on it.
    “You should if you like it. Try out when it comes around.” Taking a seat across from her, I looked at her, watching as the shame flooded in and took over the sweet innocence. “Don’t be afraid, Sky.”
    “She just … she would always come to the games and make a big scene, and she was always drunk. It made me the laughing stock and the people started hating me.” Crocodile tears dripped out of her eyes as the horror of what she been through replayed through her eyes.
    “Well, lucky for you, I don’t drink.” Getting up, I checked the burgers again and flipped the potatoes. “This is going to be new for the both of us. We can do this together. You’re old enough to tell me if something I do bothers you. And don’t ever, ever be afraid to tell me if someone else does something that you don’t like or that bothers you.” Looking at the clock again, I glanced out the kitchen window to see if Jordan was there, but he wasn’t. Dinner would be done shortly and I had no idea of his whereabouts. Not a great beginning to being a full-time parent. No wonder why my mom constantly kept tabs on me. This worrying stuff was hard. “Where is he?”

Chapter 4
     
     
    Sitting in my office, I leaned back in the old green chair and tossed the little orange ball in the air and caught it while waiting for him to answer. But he wasn’t budging. The anger and hatred was too deep in his blood to even care. That was ten times worse than if he was just stealing equipment to get high. But I waited for him to give me some kind of answer, but the tightness in his jaw and the rage swirling in his dark eyes told me that I was just wasting time waiting.
    Just as I figured. The duffle bag was filled with skates and gear from the few lockers that he busted open while the boys were on the ice practicing. He was cutting the lock to the fifth locker when I caught him in the locker room after he disappeared from the stands. For those few weeks, he was there, right on time, to watch the practice until today. It was all to steal some gear, but for what? His arms were clear except for a few cuts that he sustained from something else, but not self-inflicted. That much I knew. His dark eyes were clear so he wasn’t high or on drugs, and I was pretty sure that he wasn’t a user either.
    “Let me ask you again. Why were you stealing my boys’ equipment?” I put the ball down on the desk and sat forward. Using my size, I needed to intimidate this kid to get any sort of response out of him. If it was money that he was needing for a good reason, I would give it to him, but then he could work it off. If not, then I would need to take further action. No property was actually taken from the rink and the damage was minor. A few locks were cut, but that was the extent. “Listen, I don’t want to involve the cops, but if you leave me that choice then—”
    “I need the damn money.” He body locked up with the rage, and flames of anger shot through his eyes.
    “What for?”
    “What the hell do