Was it Good for You Too? (12 page)

Worst of all, King was still searching for Tailan because she also could testify against him. When his people finally located Tailan on the west side at her new home with Uncle Lin and Aunt Trish, instead of protecting her, Uncle Lin entertained a horrible request causing the two men to form an unholy alliance that extended far beyond just the initial demand for Uncle Lin to turn Tailan over to King.

Tailan had barely escaped the fate of her family, but then what had happened in that house was nearly a fate worse than death.

* * *

A few minutes later, as Tailan tried to wash her hands and face, and rinse her mouth with a stinging antiseptic, a relentless banging came from her door.

“Go away!” she screamed

“Let me in, Tai!” Delvin yelled, banging once again.

“Go away!” Tailan shrieked, with a sudden need to grip her midriff.

“Woman, if you don't open this door right now, I'll break it down!”

Tailan staggered toward the door. She gripped the handle, feeling overheated and clammy. The smooth metal almost slipped from her hand when she tried to use it to brace herself. “Delvin, now is not a good time.”

He ignored her and pushed his way in. Her stomach churned as they faced off.

Between their heated glares he said, “Pam said you're not feeling well.”

“Pam needs to mind her own business.” She looked over his shoulder to give the woman in question the evil eye, who had the nerve to give it right back.

Delvin's gaze swept over her, and he frowned when she doubled over. He balanced her weak frame with his own, saying to Pam, “I've got this. Close the door.”

Pam didn't need to be asked twice.

“I don't need you here,” Tailan whispered. “I can take care of myself.” As if to prove her point, she made a dash to the bathroom and actually made it in time.

Delvin opened the door several minutes later.

“Please leave,” she begged him.

“Not when you're like this,” he whispered.

“You want to help me out?” she asked, connecting with his gaze in the mirror. “Get me some ginger ale and crackers. And some Lysol while you're at it.”

Delvin grinned at her reflection. “I'm not leaving you. I can call room service for that.”

“This time of night? That'll take forever,” Tailan countered. “7-Eleven's right across the street. Get moving!”

Delvin hesitated for a second longer. “Where's the key?”

“I'll let you in.”

“Then we'll wait on room service.”

She glared at him. He glared right back.

“On top of the television,” she finally conceded and sank against the bathroom wall.

Chapter 13

Delvin moved with purpose to the convenience store. In short order, he had all of the items Tailan needed and was standing at the check-out when his eyes snagged on a familiar treat that made him smile.

“Will that be all, sir?” the cashier asked.

“I'll take two of these,” Delvin replied, placing the items on the counter.

Delvin weaved his body through oncoming traffic to return to the hotel. Memories of Tailan's first days at his home came to mind—days when he had done everything in his power to make her feel safe from whatever it was that haunted her dreams. He never took for granted that she would be there in the morning.

Each day he would ask her to stay until the next day, and it pleased him when she trusted him a little more—and soon he didn't have to say anything.

* * *

Germaine Residence - November 17

Delvin was on a makeshift pallet spread out on the carpet in his bedroom. Tailan was stretched out in his bed. They had talked for hours until she had finally fallen off to sleep. The nightmares were less frequent, but she still slept better if he was in the room. Deep inside, that made him feel good. She was beginning to trust him even more, and that was no small thing. A sudden noise down the hall made him jump up. His parents were back. They weren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow!

“Delvin, sweetheart …” Anna Germaine's voice had trailed off as she froze at the threshold and stared openly at the young girl in his bed. Soon his father, Delvin Senior, was by her side. He too, frowned.

“What's going on here?” his father bellowed.

Tailan jerked up, pulled the blanket to her chin, and cast a frightened look at Delvin.

“I had a friend stay overnight,” Delvin said in a low voice. “That's all.”

His mother's gaze narrowed on Tailan, who quickly looked at Delvin for reassurance.

“Who is she?” Anna demanded. Her creamy skin flushed a bright red as she moved further into his room, her nostrils flaring as she tried to subtly sniff out a lie.

“A classmate.”

Anna's eagle-eyed gaze swept the room and landed on his pallet. She let out a visible sigh of relief. “We need to call her parents.”

Panic rolled off of Tailan in waves. He held out his hand to keep her in place. “She doesn't have any parents.”

“Rubbish,” Anna snapped, her slender hand dismissing that notion with a flourish. “Everyone has parents.”

“My parents were killed.”

Only then did his mother become contrite; her eyes softened, and her hands lowered to her side as she leaned against his desk. “Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. So who were you staying with?” An arched eyebrow shot up. “I mean, before you came here.”

“My aunt and uncle.”

“Then you'll need to go back to them,” she said simply, gesturing to the clothes that were folded on Delvin's chair. “Get dressed, and we'll take you.”

Tailan scrambled off the bed and hurried to gather up her things. “I'm not going back there. I'm
never
going back there,” she said as she locked a steely gaze with his mother. Then she crammed her meager belongings into one of his duffle bags. “I'll leave.”

Her voice softened as she looked at him and said, “I'm sorry, Delvin. Thank you for everything. Really. Thank you so much.”

Delvin's heart melted at her gratitude. She never took anything for granted—not the meals they prepared together, not the clothes he gave her to wear. She appreciated every kind gesture. This was the Tailan he knew—vulnerable but strong.

Anna stepped closer to Tailan. “We can't drop you out on the streets by yourself. We'll call DCFS, and they'll find you a place to live.”

“Right,” Tailan said sourly. “A group or foster home where the same thing can happen.”

“Same thing?” Anna turned to Delvin for some sort of explanation.

“My uncle and aunt wanted me to pay for my living,” Tailan offered. When Anna's expression showed she didn't understand how that was a bad thing, Tailan added, “On my back.” She ignored Anna's shocked gasp and continued packing. “That's all right. I'll be fine.”

Delvin Senior's eyes narrowed on the items in her hand. “How long have you been here? Really?”

“Three months,” Delvin replied. He didn't lie to his parents, and he wouldn't start now.

“My God!” Anna splayed her hand over her bosom. “How could we not have known?”

“Because we were careful,” Delvin answered, facing them head on. “She needed a place to live. Something to eat. I made sure she was all right.”

Anna's bottom jaw dropped. “Three whole months in this bedroom together? Did you—”

“Oh, no. Never,” Tailan immediately chimed in. “Delvin hasn't touched me. He's been the nicest person I've ever met.” She timidly moved in front of Anna. “Please don't punish him for helping me.”

The various emotions Delvin was feeling battled for supremacy within him. His parents' silent condemnation tugged at his mind. But his promise to protect Tailan was gaining traction. So many others had let her down. He couldn't do the same.

He grabbed some clothes and stuffed them into a bag he yanked from the closet.

“What are you doing?” Anna asked, moving closer to him.

“Mom, I can't let Tai go out there alone. If she's leaving, I am too,” he said. “I brought her here to keep her safe. I'm not going to stop protecting her just because you say she can't stay here.”

“Delvin, you can't go with me.” Tailan reached out a hand and stilled his movements. “You have parents who love you.” She glanced over to the Germaines, then lowered her voice. “The love they have for you is evident everywhere in this house.” Tears surfaced, and she blinked them back. “It's in the photos over the fireplace. It's in the artwork on the walls. Every room in this house makes people want to stay. There are people who would kill to be in this kind of family.” She shook her head. “Don't leave that. Don't give that up for me.” She stepped back and placed a few t-shirts inside. “Besides, I was doing fine before you came along.”

“You were starving,” he snapped. Then he turned to his parents. “I found her sleeping on the floor in one of the classrooms at school.”

“It won't be like that again,” she whispered, keeping her back to them to try to hide the flush in her cheeks.

Delvin turned from his parents, took her by the shoulders, and shifted her so they were face to face. “Where will you go? Tell me that.”

Tailan tried to pull away. His grip tightened. “I don't know. But I'll see you in school every day,” she said, nodding. “Trust me. I'm getting my education. Then I won't be anybody's problem anymore.”

Delvin pulled her into an embrace. No matter what she said, he couldn't let her walk away. He stepped back and again turned to his parents, facing them like the man they had raised. “If she leaves, I'm with her.” He took Tailan's hand in his. “We'll make it on our own.”

His parents' expressions changed from shock to concern to raw fear. Anna dropped down on the bed, her hands folded into her lap. Delvin Senior joined her. They mumbled and sighed and mumbled some more.

After a rapid-fire debate between them, Anna said, “The two of you have given me a major headache.”

Delvin squeezed Tailan's hand. He wanted to smile. If Mom had a headache, things were looking up.

“Tai, we will allow you to stay. But Delvin's father and I will lay down all the ground rules going forward. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Ma'am,” Tailan whispered, with a gentle squeeze from Delvin's hand.

“We have three for right now, then we'll discuss more as the need arises.”

“Yes, Ma'am.”

“Rule number one—no sex in this house. Ever,” Anna ordered with a pointed look at Tailan and Delvin.

They both nodded.

“Rule number two,” Delvin Senior added, “Tai you will now reside in the guest bedroom. Gather up your things from Delvin's room.”

Delvin opened his mouth to protest, knowing that Tailan couldn't sleep well without him nearby. She squeezed his hand, signaling him into silence.

They again nodded.

“You will have chores, homework, and such going forward, and we expect to see your grades from school.”

“Yes, Ma'am.” Tailan cried. Delvin gave her a hug to settle her nerves. His parents shared a speaking glance, but he smiled at them, letting them know that they wouldn't have reason to worry.

Anna Germaine was at Tailan's side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as she asked, “Are you all right?”

Tailan tried, but failed at a smile. “No, but I will be.” She scanned the older woman's face and said, “I swear to you we never did anything like that. It's the only reason I feel safe here.”

Their gazes locked for what seemed an eternity, and there was some unspoken message between his mother and Tailan that Delvin couldn't decipher.

Anna whispered, “I'm glad to know that I raised that kind of son.” To which Tailan nodded emphatically.

“Finally,” Delvin Senior said once she stopped crying. “We'll still have to deal with the legal issues involving your family regarding your custody. But we'll handle that when the time comes.”

“I promise I won't be any trouble,” Tailan said, with a look to both of the adults.

And for a while Tailan Song became part of the Germaine family.

Safe, but only for a little while. Because trouble found them.

* * *

Tailan was still in the bathroom when Delvin returned from the convenience store. She looked worse, which caused him to flip through his memory banks to try to figure out what was going on. “What are you allergic to?”

She moaned and shook her head. “Nothing that I ate tonight.”

Delvin helped her out of the bathroom and over to the bed. “What
did
you eat?”

Tailan rattled off her menu selections, and Delvin did a mental rundown of the ingredients he knew would be used in those meals. “And you're sure you're not allergic to any of that?”

“Positive,” she moaned. “Oh, my head.”

Delvin dialed the restaurant and spoke with the manager, who, in turn, spoke to the chef. After a brief investigation, they discovered that an “ambitious” new student added one other ingredient to the meal—tasso.

Delvin covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Tai, you still stay away from pork, right?”

“Never touch it. I told the restaurant that, and also that Nona and Les were allergic to shellfish.”

“There's the culprit,” he mumbled. “Sir,” he said to the manager, “the woman who had the private party tonight is having a serious problem since she doesn't eat pork. And that was something she told you all ahead of time.”

“We're so sorry about that,” the manager said quickly. “We'll reimburse her for her dinner.”

“They'd better do better than that!” she shrieked when Delvin repeated the man's words. “I'm practically dying up here.”

Delvin grinned at her dramatics. “You might want to reconsider. She's been out of commission for the past hour.”

Tai shouted, “Three!”