Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

could control myself enough when the situation demanded it.
At that moment, however, I felt like I was going to burst at the seams. My
emotions were still raw from what happened last night and then recounting
the events to Maddox and Adam had me ready to punch something. That
something just so happened to be Gwyneth Harvon.
I wanted to scream that I could care for her, that I had, for years, but I
knew I couldn’t. I knew it would only antagonize me.
“I think we all should calm down.” Harvon’s coworker finally spoke up.
He looked less like a robot than the blond, but he was still keeping a
professional distance. “Miss Raymond, this is protocol, we have to take
Valentina with us tonight. She is to remain with us until we find a suitable
place for her. You can apply to be her guardian, but I got to tell you, the
chances of the state granting you guardianship of a nine year old are slim.”
He stated with heartbreaking diplomacy.
His colleague scoffed. “Slim is a nice way to put it. Talk about
nonexistent.” The more she spoke, the more I felt like grabbing her by her
bleached hair and shaking the fuck out of her.
“I don’t wanna go.” All of our eyes snapped to Valentina, who warily
glanced at the strangers, her little arms still wound around Maddox’s neck. “I
wanna stay with Sofia. She chases the monsters away.”
I felt like crying when she said that, my heart breaking at how fragile she
seemed at that very moment.
“You can still see her, Valentina. Sofia will be able to visit you at your
new home.”
“Sofia is my home! And I’m hers! We didn’t do anything wrong, why are
you punishing us?” She broke down crying after that and my heart was in my
throat. I was barely keeping it together.