Summer Of My Secret Angel (3 page)

“I’m a kleptomaniac and have a medical
certificate for legal pilfering in London.”

Riley coughed, slamming a hand to his chest,
but it was the deep chuckle from the back of the room that drew my
full attention. First, I only glanced over my shoulder. But
glistening sunlight blinded me, and I pivoted around sharply.

For an immeasurable moment, nothing but
bright white fog absorbed and swallowed everything within reach.
Awestruck, I didn’t even squint. Then a tall figure emerged from
this glowing mist. A long, white cloak floated around the person’s
legs while the sleeves, long and wide, covered the masculine hands
almost completely. Fathomless blue eyes appeared next, followed by
a smile that could have melted glaciers in the Arctic.

It had to be a reflection of light streaming
through the south window. An illusion caused by today’s stress and
tension. But it didn’t disappear.

Every single pair of eyes in the room locked
onto me with confused stares. Their gawks prickled my skin all
over. Only the illuminated person lowered his gaze. He retreated a
couple of steps to the shadowed line along the back wall.
Instantly, the fog around him disappeared, and I could make out the
fine features of a young man. A casual pair of blue jeans and a
black leather jacket replaced what I was sure had been a white
cloak.

Obviously, they had to add
Delusional
to my medical certificate.

His clean-shaven face revealed a strong jaw
topped by a sensual mouth. When the corners slightly lifted, my
heart banged against my ribcage, fluttering like a sparrow caught
in a cage. Strands of tousled golden hair fell over his forehead,
reminding me of warm honey. Even with the mystic light gone, the
guy who remained was godlike.

Bloody hell, what had brought a god to my
hearing? It was a freaking sweater!

As he arched one delicate eyebrow, I snapped
my mouth shut before drool could drip from the corners. Heat rushed
through my veins and filled my face.

“Miss Montiniere, will you please pay
attention?” Abe’s words sounded far away.

Those sapphire eyes held me captive. I never
wanted to leave this personal prison of ours.

Slowly, a bony arm looped around the god’s
bent elbow.

Cherry blossoms?
Why did the room
suddenly smell of lavender and this distinctive note of spring in
bloom? The mix of floral scents pulled me back to the present. How
long since I had smelled it the last time? That must have been
something close to five years. I let my gaze trace the skinny arm
and wander farther up.

Horrorstruck, I gaped at the face of the one
person I never wanted to see again.

1. SHACKLED
   

JUDGE ABE’S SQUARE office, with all the
people shoved inside, started to spin around me. I felt like
someone had stuffed me into a too-small box and was pushing the top
closed against my head.

“Who let that bitch in?” Muscles quivering,
I glowered at Charlene Montiniere.

“Watch your tongue, Miss Montiniere,” the
judge warned. “This is a court of law.”

“The fuck I will,” I spat. My eyes staked
her. “This woman dumped me at an orphanage when I was a kid. She
never even looked back.” Fear tightened my throat. How was the hag
going to ruin my life this time?

Charlene gaped at me. The skin sagged into
bags beneath her sunken eyes. Her matted red-orange tresses had
once been the exact match to my own long auburn hair. She wore a
stark shade of red lipstick that clashed with her pale, bony face.
In short, she looked like she’d been through hell.

Good, I hoped the bitch had suffered just as
much as I had. She could crawl back into whatever rat hole she’d
emerged from. And she’d better not even think about saying anything
to me. She’d lost that right when I was five.

My hatred-filled glare silenced her. One of
her shaky hands rose slowly, as if she wanted to touch me from the
eight-foot distance that stretched between us.

“Drop dead, Charlene,” I growled.

“Jona Montiniere, I insist on you behaving
in an appropriate manner, so we can continue this hearing,” Abe
Smith roared. “I understand your mistrust against your mother, but
once you listen to the reasons, you might change your mind.”

No way in hell.

The alarm signal in my head was flashing
bright red. Another minute in the same room with my mother would
have been an eternity too long. I spun around to face the old man
behind his monstrous desk and gave him a mocking military salute.
“Goodbye, Abe. I’m outta here.”

The roar to call me to order was futile.
Consequences? Not my concern. I strode toward the door, my only
goal fresh air and a good deal of distance between me and that
bitch.

People shouted my name, some addressing me
as Miss Montiniere, some using only my first name as if we were
friends.

“Kiddo, don’t be ridiculous. Stay where you
are!” I heard Quinn call out.

Not happening.

His desperation wouldn’t stop me from
leaving. But a set of chunky arms around my waist could. Riley was
the first to capture me. The delight of victory shone in his eyes
as he pressed my back against the wall. “You’re not going anywhere,
little miss, apart from jail.”

Don’t panic.
Hysteria never got me
anywhere, and there was a very real place I needed to get right
now. Out of here.

Fists clenched, my nails bit into my palms.
“Take your bloody paws off me!”

The high-pitched squeak Riley gave nearly
shattered my eardrums when I bit into the hand he’d clasped on my
left shoulder. The donut residue I could taste on it made my
stomach roll.

He jerked his arm back. “Damn brat, you’re
gonna pay for this!”

Over his shoulder, I spotted both Quinn and
Riley’s partner rushing toward me, but the stumbling Riley bounced
into Quinn, and my only friend at the police station staggered
sideways. He caught his balance by grabbing Miss Mulligan’s arm.
The warden squealed something hysterical and slapped his hands
away.

With all the confusion in the room, I saw my
chance of escape. However, my freedom was short lived. The moment I
started for the exit, Riley’s tall partner caught my wrist and
swung me around. The momentum tossed me against the edge of a
small, dark brown desk in the back corner of the room.

In self-defense, I leaned back on the desk
and pulled my legs to my chest as the policeman came for me. My
hard kick hit his chest, and the soles of my boots popped a wheeze
out of the cop. The deputy careened backward, doubled over. When he
caught his breath, he cursed in a tongue that would have made Debby
Westwood, the uncrowned queen of swearing, go green with envy.

I shoved away from the desk, but my chance
of flight was gone as the door flung open and two guards stormed
in. Whether it was Riley’s screams, Miss Mulligan’s screeches, or a
secret button under Abe’s desk that alerted the guards, I never
knew. But they had my shoulders pinned to the floor before my next
breath. All air escaped from my lungs. A flash of pain soared
through my upper body.

“No!” two men in the room shouted at once.
One of them was Quinn. His voice was edged with sheer horror. In
that moment, I was grateful he didn’t just abandon me like so many
others had.

Who the other worried guy was, I couldn’t
tell.

One guard pulled handcuffs from his belt. He
fastened them around my wrists in front of me. Neither my kicking
nor shrieking could prevent the awful click when the locks snapped
into place.

“Get off her, you idiots. She’s only a kid.”
Quinn elbowed his way through to me. “Are you all right,
kiddo?”

The pain in my chest and back eased. I could
finally draw in air. “Wow, what a fight.” It didn’t feel like
anything was seriously injured or broken, so I pressed my lips
together and gave Quinn a halfhearted nod. “I’m fine.”

I had to be.
No weakness. Ever.

He wrapped his fingers around my upper arms,
pulling me to a wobbly stand. “In God’s name, Jona,” he whispered.
“I beg you, behave.”

A deep growl preceded my answer. “As you
wish,
sir
.” What other choice did I have with the cuffs
on?

From the corner of my eye, I caught a
glimpse of my mother’s companion. The fair-haired god studied me
with narrowed eyes.
Trying to figure me out
?
That
made me very uncomfortable.

With a gentle tug, Quinn led me up to Abe’s
desk. I turned my head to hold the blond stranger’s stare for
another moment. His arm was wrapped in a supporting way around my
mother’s shoulders.
A god in his early twenties with
Charlene?
Where in the world would a bony bitch like her find a
lover so close to my age—and that gorgeous to boot?

“Jona Montiniere!”

The murmurs in the room ebbed with Abe’s
thundering. My head snapped toward him. Nerves steeling for what
was to follow, I quickly rebuilt my mental wall of protection.

He had risen from his chair and braced
himself on the desk, glaring at me over the rims of his spectacles.
“This time, you stepped over the line. Contempt of court.
Assaulting an officer.”

“What? They assaulted me first!” My shout
echoed in the room, no less angry than his. “Riley here should be
sued for child abuse.”

“Enough!” Abe roared. “Shut your mouth and
sit down.”

“Sit down?” My dramatic glance behind me was
enough to point out there was nothing but the floor to sit on.

Abe rubbed his temples. “For heaven’s sake,
someone fetch a chair for the girl.”

One of the guards hurried to shove a chair
into the back of my knees, and I plopped down on the uncomfortable
wooden seat. Quinn stood beside me, arms folded over his chest like
the bouncer of a night club.
Ooh, my personal pit bull
. This
eased at least some of my fear. I could lift my chin again. The
move always ignited the pig-rude manners I’d gleaned from
Debby.

The judge calmed himself with a few heavy
breaths and sat down, too. His black robe with its puffy sleeves
made him look more like a watchful owl than a person of authority.
When he lowered his gaze to the papers in front of him, I took the
chance to poke Quinn’s thigh with my elbow.

“What?” he hissed.

Hands lifted, I displayed the torturing
shackles and grinned sweetly. “Remove these?”

Quinn cut a glance to the exit then studied
me for a second, his brows furrowing into a line. “I don’t think
so.”

Huh
?
And I thought he was my
friend. My
you-evil-bastard
scowl only coaxed out his grin,
and he tousled my hair.

When Judge Abe cleared his throat, all eyes
returned to him. “Miss Montiniere, I’ve followed your criminal
progress for nearly a year now. As I was informed, you will be
released from the Westminster Children’s Home in less than seven
weeks.” He pulled his glasses off his nose and placed them
carefully on the stack of papers. “This gives rise to serious
concern. With a criminal past like yours, I don’t doubt for a
second that you’ll be out on a robbing tour of London as soon as
you turn eighteen.”

Criminal past?
Hello
?
“I only
nick from the rich to give it to the poor.” In this particular
case, the poor was me. “Shouldn’t a person in your position
exercise his office without prejudice?” I had hardly spoken the
words when Quinn’s fingers dug painfully into my shoulder.

The judge let my statement go by unnoticed.
He only drew a deep, slow breath. “To prevent the worst, I should
let you stay under house arrest in the orphanage and delay an
official accusation for your latest theft until you turn eighteen.
In that case, I would have full authority to send you to
prison.”

Holy shit.

He paused to smile, and I wished the
watchdog at my side would unshackle my hands so I could scratch the
judge’s glassy eyes out. “But as it is, I’m pleased to welcome your
mother into this room today. We had an unofficial meeting this
morning, and I’m glad—”

I jumped from my seat, cutting his sentence
short. “You were the traitor who called her to this meeting?” A
siren went off in my head, tuning out common sense.

“Sit, Jona,” Quinn barked through clenched
teeth. His palm on my shoulder pushed down hard. I whined, but gave
in to his strength.

“And I’m glad,” Abe continued, as if no one
had interrupted him in the first place. “She told me about
relatives of yours in France, who offered to give you a home and a
place to stay for as long as you wish. Your aunt and her husband
own vineyards there, and you will do charity hours on the grounds
every day until you come of age.”

The judge had gone nuts. This was the only
reasonable explanation for such nonsense coming out of his mouth.
“You’re going to ship me off to the continent? Like a slave? You
can’t do that! It’s illegal.” It had to be.
Right
?

Abe quirked one brow, dismissing my
assumption. “Since serious health issues made your mother dependent
on other people’s help, she currently lives with her sister in
France. We see this as a great opportunity for you to get to know
your biological family and maybe tighten the bonds anew.”

“How can something be tightened that didn’t
exist in the first place?” I muttered. Nothing existed in this life
that could form or tighten anything between me and my mother. Let
alone a bond.
No contact with that bitch and her pet,
thanks.
And where the hell did this said aunt come from? I’d
never heard of any relatives in Britain, France, or anywhere
else.

If I’d jumped up to protest again, Quinn
would only have pushed me back into my seat. Instead, I raised my
right arm, like a good little girl, to draw the judge’s attention.
Annoyingly, with the cuffs on, my left hand lifted, too.