Untrained Eye (20 page)

“Nan, please?” I slammed shut my eyes and said a prayer up to the
Big Guy. It needed a miracle.

My group stood in the beating sun. Miroslav stumbled to his feet
and joined them. My heart started to pound in my chest. I knew it was from him.
My legs were shaking.

I glanced up to the sky and “ask and you will receive” popped into
my head.

I shut my eyes and did just that. In fact I begged.

My heart got faster. Harrison was a quarter through reading out.
She was taking it real slow. I opened my eyes. Miroslav’s gaze locked on mine.

He was scared.

I could feel his fear pulsing through me. I was terrified for him.
My knees creaked like they’d buckle.

“Hold on,” I mouthed to him. “Hold on.”

His shoulders rose and fell as his breathing got more labored. My
chest ached. Any second he’d have to bend over. His body couldn’t hold him up.

Harrison glanced over at Crespo with a snide smile.

I kept my eyes locked on Miroslav. I didn’t care if I had to take
on the entire school. I couldn’t watch him be dragged away. I couldn’t.

Miroslav’s eyes flickered. My heart hammered so hard that I could
see my t-shirt jumping with it.

“Please,” I whispered. “Please help him.”

Miroslav’s sweat trickled down his nose. I held my breath.

He was gonna drop.

His face contorted.

No . . .

Jed moved. He shoved his arm underneath Miroslav’s shoulder. I
could almost hear him whisper as he smiled at him. “I got you.”

Ryan went to Miroslav’s other side, tucked an arm under his free
shoulder. He smiled at Miroslav then turned to the front. Harrison glared at
him but Ryan puffed out his chest. His resolute courage pulsed from him, I
could almost feel them. Three boys side by side not buckling in spite of the
snarl from Crespo, the scowl on Harrison’s face. They weren’t letting him fail.

Jed looked at me and nodded. He wasn’t letting go.

Jessie hurried forward and linked arms with
Jed. Leigh-Anne followed joining Ryan, Jane, then Ian, then Ty. A silent order
seemed
to
pass down the line. Each one linked arms with the next. Every kid defiant,
every one of them making the choice to stand firm.

It looked like a show of unity, of teamwork but they were saving
Miroslav’s life . . .

And it felt like they knew it.

I could do nothing but nod back, mute with tears. They were taking
care of who needed them most. 

Unity, spirit, strength.

These kids were something else. Every one of them was a hero.

Harrison and Crespo exchanged a look.

Huber’s lips twitched, his eyes glinted with amusement. “I don’t
look good with sunburn, Ms. Harrison. Hurry it up.”

She narrowed her eyes at the kids, then turned to her tablet. She
finished the list, announced they passed, and stomped off. She didn’t so much
as utter a word my way as Crespo followed on behind her.

Huber turned and nodded to me before following.

I met Jed’s eyes, fighting the urge to run over and hug him half
to death.

“Miss Samson, he’s gonna hit the deck if we let him go.”

Miroslav’s heart hammered away, mine in chorus. I strode over and
grabbed Miroslav’s other arm from a wheezing Ryan. Jed and I carried him
inside. The girls brought over water and we lay him down.

“You did real good,” I whispered to Jed as he rammed his hands in
his pockets. “Real good.”

Miroslav’s heart started to slow as he lay still.

Jed shrugged. “He helps me with my homework. Him and Jessie do so
much for us. Least I could do.”

I met his eyes, tapping Ryan’s pocket to tell him to take his
pump. “I’m proud of you. All of you.” My voice was raw with relief, emotion,
and joy.

“We make you look good?” Leigh-Anne chirped at me from over her
water bottle.

“Good? You just made me look like a genius.” That made me laugh.
“Get Miroslav back to the dorm. Take the rest of the day off.”

They all looked at each other. I was sure they’d never heard an
order like that before. With all their medical issues, it was amazing they’d
passed let alone held up to the heat and held on for Miroslav. They all needed
the rest.

“You want to spend a beautiful sunny day sweating in a gym?”

Lots of head shakes, confusion, whispers.

“You earned some time to relax. I mean it. Go be sixteen.” I met
Jed’s eyes. “
Without
making me regret it.”

Ty wheeled the chair over as I pulled a shaking Miroslav up and
placed him on it. “You heard the lady.”

“What do we do if anyone catches us?” Jessie chewed on her nails.

“You tell them if they got a problem, they can come and see me.” I
nodded at the growing number of excited smiles. “Now get, before I change my
mind.”

“Yes, Miss Samson.”

Now they sounded like they were in the military. Frei would have
been proud of that. I watched them go, like a family, like a team and my heart
lifted.

I liked these kids.

I liked them a lot.

Jed had been a hero today. He’d been a leader. 

I smiled up at the sky, thanking the Big Guy for listening. “When
he can’t help, he sends somebody else” is what Mrs. Stein had always said.

Technically, she was on about the fact he would know I was up to no
good graffiti-ing her café. Right now, it had gained new meaning.

I smiled and wandered back to the villa. If Huber was here, Frei
would need my support. Least I could do was cook up a great dinner.

Chapter 24

FREI CAME HOME looking beat that evening and I could feel how much
it wore on her being shoved back into her past. As she went upstairs to shower,
I set out her dinner and attempted to figure out how much whisky to ice she
liked. The stuff smelled potent but I noticed she only ever had one glass. I
knew she used to drink a lot more. Although I wondered why that had changed, I
was happy she was drinking less of it. I didn’t like to think of what it did to
her insides.

“Lorelei?”

I stepped out of the way and pointed to her dinner. “Eat, relax,
I’ll leave you in peace.” I smiled at her, hoping to dislodge the frown on her
face.

“You made it for me?”

You’d have thought I’d given her treasure. It was steak and
vegetables in my attempt at casserole. It weren’t the best meal for the heat
but I was sick of salad. I hoped she was too.

She wandered to the table and looked down at it. I handed her the
Worcester Sauce she liked so much. “Makes my eyes water so you’ll have to do
that part yourself.”

She speared a piece of steak with her fork and bit it in half with
her teeth. Inside was nice and brown. I’d cooked it up first. Okay, so the
kitchen looked like a twister had paid a visit but I’d cooked up something
nice, by myself. I was proud of that.

“It took you hours?” she said, eying the devastation behind me.

I shrugged. That was the problem with kitchen diners, your
artistic process was revealed.

She let out a breath and shook her head. “You’re a balm for the
soul, you know that?”

I tapped the Worcester. “Enjoy.”

She grasped my hand as I turned to leave. “You don’t have to go.
Sit, stay. Have
you
eaten?”

My stomach growled and she dropped her gaze to it with a smile.

“You wanna talk about it?” I asked as I filled up a bowl for
myself. It was when I looked down that I realized that casserole might be
better to eat with a spoon. She nodded as I held up two.

“Which part? The fact that I lost five kids today or Huber
taunting me about it?”

Five? I slumped down into the seat next to her. “What happened?”

“Maybe I just didn’t inspire them enough.” Her tone was full of
hurt as she dosed her dinner with Worcester Sauce.

“I doubt that.” I chewed on my food. It tasted great. The thought
of five kids gone stole the joy from it. “You’re a great teacher.”

She eyed me for a moment. “You hated me in training. You nearly
drowned and then almost froze to death.”

“And you treated me like everybody else there.” I smiled. “It
weren’t exactly fun but the training stuck. Most of it.”

“It did?” She tucked into her food. I felt a pang of pride at her
groan of appreciation. It could have been the Worcester for all I knew but I
was taking it.

“When I needed it in St. Jude’s, it came out. Sure, you scarred me
for life . . .” I chomped more of my food, my stomach demanding that I feed it.
“But it saved a lot of lives.”

“She was an idiot.” Frei’s gaze hardened. “I ordered her to tell
you. I trusted her to keep you informed. Another success for my ability to
inspire and command.”

“Self-pity don’t sit right on you.” It was painful to know that
Renee hadn’t told me even under orders. I did my best to let that go. Tonight
wasn’t about me. “What happened with your group?”

“It takes extreme skill to be the kind of thief they are looking
for. It takes a passion for it.”

“They didn’t have it?”

She ate her food and I turned back to mine. She’d explain when she
was ready. Frei was quiet and controlled but having spent time around her, I
could tell that it was a sign of her processing the situation. She thought
deeply but it was always worth waiting for the words when they came.

“A lot of them didn’t understand
why
. They needed to learn
so much without any real reason. I couldn’t fire them up. All I could do was
make it a competition. I lost them.”

She had a difficult job. Mine was easy in comparison. I was
building them up. Weight training, fitness, it paid off. They were feeling
better, their conditions were under control. The benefits were there to see.
How did someone explain why climbing a wall blindfolded was useful?

“Mine asked the same thing today.”

Frei kept her eyes on her food. “Huber enjoyed informing me of
your success.”

“Nothing whatsoever to do with me.”

Her icy blues met mine. “
Everything
to do with you. I saw
the bond, the way they held that boy upright. It comes from you.”

I didn’t think so.

It came from me shutting my eyes and asking. Jed and the others
were good at their core. “It’s a lot easier when you are dealing with the ones
that everyone writes off. They
want
to prove themselves.”

“That isn’t a good trait for mine.” She sighed. “Under-
handedness, manipulation, extreme fitness, and agility yes, but a good heart?”
She shook her head. “Not so much.”

“They sabotaged each other.” It was a statement. The flash that
flicked before my eyes showed me as much. Competition was encouraged but it had
brought out the worst in already damaged kids.

“And not deftly either.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t do
anything but stand and watch.”

That I knew first hand from watching Miroslav. He’d been lucky to
find a hero in Jed.

I put my arm around her and pulled her into me. She didn’t resist
and relaxed against me. I could feel her tears wet on my neck. “Crespo was
happy.”

“He looked like he needs to be covered in treacle and buried in a
termite mound.” My ability to let it all slide waned when faced with these
people. It was so hard when they were so happy to profit from other’s pain.

“He’s vile,” she muttered in agreement. “Some are far worse than
others.”

“They are
all
slave traders.”

She lifted her head up to look at me. Her eyes glistened with her
tears. “You told him what you thought of him, didn’t you?”

She was talking about Huber, her tone said as much.

“He confuses me. I hate what he does. I hate his attitude.” I
shrugged. “You care about him. He must have a good trait in there somewhere for
that to happen.”

She held my gaze. I wasn’t sure what thoughts ran through her mind
but I was happy to let her think. I smiled, hoping that she would soak up the
warmth and comfort from it.

She cleared her throat and noticed the glass on the counter beside
her empty bowl. She lifted it up. “You pay attention.”

I finished off my food not sure what to say.

“Remind me again why you aren’t married?”

I snorted with laughter, picked up our bowls, and wandered to the
sink.

“I’m serious.” She sipped on her whiskey. “Why can you love everyone
so freely but not let anyone in further?”

Didn’t that shot hurtle past my armor to a raw spot? “You pay
attention too.”

“It’s not a bad thing.” She sighed. “It sounded like a cheap shot,
I’m sorry.”

I washed off the dishes and leaned against the sink with my hip.
“You’re fighting all the survival mechanisms that you’ve counted on all your
life.” I met her eyes. “You hate losing, you have to be the best. Huber issued
you a challenge ’cause he knows how to push your buttons.” Some folks had
bigger issues than I ever wanted to understand, Huber being one of them. “He’s
smarting ’cause we’re close.”

“Are we?” She raised her eyebrows, her glass to her lips. “Close?”
she whispered.

That earned her a smirk. “Best you don’t tell nobody, huh?” I
picked the towel off the side and wiped down the dishes. Frei kept doing the
household chores like I wouldn’t notice so I wanted to make sure she got we
were a team. She weren’t nobody’s slave. “You don’t want just anybody thinking
there’s warmth beneath the metal.”

“Good thing you’re not just anybody then.” Frei rattled her glass,
the ice chinked around. “No one else knows how I like my drink.”

The cocky attitude emerged with a playful smile and I knew I’d
done enough to lift her out of her funk. “But then they don’t get to spend time
with you neither.”

She shook her head. “You’re insane, you know that?”

She got up and turned away. Then sighed and turned back and strode
over to me.

“Insane . . . and a breath of fresh air.” She planted a kiss on my
cheek and stalked over to her laptop.

“Tell Lilia.”

Frei sat and raised her eyebrows at me.

“About the kids we lost today. She could help.”

She sighed. “Then she’d ask questions.”

“Then tell someone who can help. You know people.” I smiled a
reassuring smile. “You have a lot of folks who owe you favors. I got a gut
feeling they’ll be happy to get one over on Crespo.”

“You do?” She looked down at her laptop, a range of emotions too
varied for me to pinpoint rippled across her eyes.

“If they know you half as well as I do, they’ll be happy to help.”

Frei cocked her head. “I doubt that.”

“Doubt it all you like but it’s still fact.”

Frei started tapping away. Her energy filled her eyes as she
focused on the screen. She couldn’t control what had happened with her group
today, but giving her some way that might help was worth it.

“Why German?” I asked.

Frei’s eyes snapped to mine and narrowed.

“Huber is German, ain’t he?” I tried not to flinch under her
glare.

She took a breath and eyes softened. “His family are from Germany.
The slave speaks what the owner speaks.”

“So Miroslav’s owners are Polish?”

Frei nodded. “Polish American. Huber is German American. Crespo is
Italian American and so on . . .”

“So slave trading is a community thing?” Were there Welsh
Americans out there needing to be poked too?

“It’s America. We’re all second or third generation something or
other.” Frei smiled at me. “Even you have a bit of imposter in you.”

Nan had revealed that I had native roots too. I guess everybody
was a mix somewhere along the line no matter where they were born.

“So Huber lives in the States, right?”

Frei sipped her whiskey. I could tell from the twinkle in her eyes
that I was asking too many questions. “Baltimore.”

“Have you ever been—?”

“Yes.” She met my eyes. “All over the world in a lot of different
cities but yes, Lorelei, I lived in Germany for a while.”

I knew she was finding me grilling her amusing. I wondered how
many other people just sat and talked to her.

“That where you met Renee?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t cut me
off. “I’ll quit asking then.”

“Yes.” Frei ran her hand over her face. “Her POI was in the city.
She liked to spend her vacation there.”

“Renee?” Did she even get vacations?

“No the POI.” Frei held up her hand. “That’s all you get.”

I nodded and pulled a book from the shelves. She needed to contact
whoever could help the kids who’d failed and I had done the best I could to
lift her spirits. Somehow, it didn’t feel enough. The more I learned, the more
I saw how hard her life had been. I wanted to help her. I wanted to take the
hurt away.

I sighed.

Maybe I’d never learn my lesson. I wasn’t even
sure if I wanted to.