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“Please call me Georgia—Miss Jessamie sounds like an old lady. I’ve got a few years on you, but I’m not ready to feel like a dinosaur yet,” Georgia says with a grin, momentarily lightening the mood.
“Sorry. It’s a habit ingrained from childhood.” I stumble over my words, resisting the pull of the memories, and lower my eyes to the floor. Another old habit when in the presence of authority.
“Since he’s a repeat offender, he’ll spend at least the next month in jail. Maybe longer.” Georgia explains the possible timeline to me, looking back to ensure Rainey is still sufficiently distracted.
“The bigger issue will be that he had his daughter in the car. No judge will take kindly to that. They’ll work to slap a child endangerment charge on him. In Kentucky, that comes with a year of jail time.”
Sucking in a breath, I raise my eyes from the floor and meet Georgia’s. Her caramel-colored eyes are full of compassion and concern. As I search for words, Georgia leans forward, putting her hand on my arm. Her gesture reminds me I’m not alone—we’re both working to ensure Rainey is safe and happy.
My niece deserves more than this and it’s excruciating to acknowledge that whatever sense of normal she’s recently known is gone again. My brother’s choice to drive drunk could have killed Rainey. Relief overtakes me when I look over Georgia’s shoulder and see my niece smiling and coloring. I blow out a long breath and silently thank whoever’s pulling the strings from above. I’ll put my own life on hold to clean up my brother’s mess again. This realization slams around in my chest like a caged animal.
“Georgia?” I whisper shakily. “Is Rainey okay? Was there an accident? She looks okay, but . . .” I swipe away the tear rolling down my cheek and choke back a sob.
“She’s fine. The officer who noticed the truck swerving called for backup and Dunbar pulled over without causing any trouble. He hadn’t made it far from home. Thank the Good Lord, the roads were empty.”
Relief flushes the adrenaline from my body, leaving me feeling like nothing more than a wet rag. Georgia stands, grabs a few tissues from a box near the reception desk, and passes them to me.
“Rainey was asleep in the passenger seat. The cops hadn’t even realized she was in the truck until Dunbar flunked the breathalyzer. The flashing lights probably woke her up. An officer heard her scream and called me to meet them at the station.”
“Does she have to go back to foster care? Can she go home with me this time?”
“You’re her next of kin, Noah. Looking at the gravity of Dunbar’s charges, she’s gonna need a place to stay for more than a few nights.”
“I’ll take her as long as I need to.” The words fly off my tongue, and Georgia flashes me a look of uncertainty.
“Are you sure? You’ve only kept her for a few days, here and there,” she questions. “I just want to make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to.”
I’ve never had a say in Rainey’s living arrangements while her dad’s in jail. Unfortunately, my brother cares more about hurting me than his daughter being comfortable in the home of someone she knows and loves. He opts for foster care placement in a stranger’s home instead of allowing me to care for my niece.
Dunbar knows as well as I do what it feels like being shuffled in and out of homes. But my insistence that Rainey should be with me while he’s unable to care for her ends the same way every time. He lets me know in no uncertain terms if I interfere with his decision he’ll make sure I never see her again. It’s the trump card he holds close to his chest at all times.
“If you’re okay to take her home for the night—er, morning—I’ll sign off. We can chat after you’ve both gotten some sleep.”
“What about my brother? What if he doesn’t want me to take her?”
“The state leaves emergency placement at the discretion of the caseworker. It’s after four in the morning. I don’t have anywhere for her to go right now. If you want to take her, you can.”
“Can I see my brother before we leave?” I need to see for myself that he’s okay.
Georgia glances at the reception desk where Rainey’s still focused on coloring with the chief. She disapprovingly shakes her head at me, but motions for me to follow her. This isn’t Georgia’s first brush with my family and it likely won’t be her last.
An officer that Georgia summoned opens Dunbar’s holding room and tells me he’ll be right outside. I’m ready to fight—I never have the luxury of brazenness in my brother’s presence, but my fear and worry transformed to a pent-up rage that’s begging to explode.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I snarl and watch Dunbar’s head raise.
I’m the older sibling, but my little brother has always called the shots. Right now, he’s glaring at me with lifeless, bloodshot eyes.
“Leave me alone!” His thunderous voice slurs.
“I can’t leave you alone, Dunbar! You’re ruining Rainey’s life!”
Fury reddens his cheeks, and his nostrils flare when he swings his head to hold my gaze. I’m terrified, but my anger won’t allow me to back down now.
I glower at him. “When are you going to be a father to that little girl?”
My question pushes Dunbar over the edge of what he’ll tolerate from me. He grabs the bottle of water sitting in front of him and chucks it at my head. His drunkenness sends the bottle too far left, and he misses me, the bottle bouncing off the wall and stopping at my feet. His miss further skyrockets his outrage.
“I’m going to say this once, Noah, so shut your fucking mouth and listen. I’ve had enough of your shit to last the rest of my life.”
