Page 48 of Deserving Ryleigh
“And I’m sure I could help find a job for the oldest,” Alaska volunteered.
Ry smiled. Her father’s plan to sabotage Cora and Pipe’s foster journey might have worked in the short-term, but in the long run, he’d done them a favor. She had a good feeling in her gut about this. “I won’t manipulate the records by approving you outright,” Ry warned Cora. “But I can put a note in that you and Pipe are very interested in fostering the entire family. Keeping them together. You’ll still have to go through another interview, meet the kids, get their approval.”
“I know how it works. And it’s fine. I’d rather do it that way, have the childrenwantto be with us than have you rubber stamp it on the back end,” Cora said.
The excitement on the other woman’s face was clear.She wanted this. Those kids didn’t know it, but their lives were about to change for the better.
“What are their names?” Cora asked.
Ry looked back at the computer screen. “The oldest is Joyce. The thirteen-year-old is Kason. Then there’s Shannon and Max.”
“Girl, boy, girl, boy,” Cora breathed.
“Yup.”
“We want them. Definitely.”
“Good. Because it’s done. Hopefully you’ll get a call soon.”
“Ry, this isn’t a done deal yet,” Alaska warned.
“It’s not?” Ry asked, looking up with what she knew had to be a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Right. This is happening,” Alaska said with a little huff of breath. “You’re kind of scary, you know that?”
For some reason, Ry felt proud of her friend’s words. “I’m not scary. I’m efficient,” she countered.
Everyone laughed. And just like that, the mood of the room switched from one of worry and concern, to happiness once again. It felt amazing to have been the one to make that happen.
Suddenly, Ry felt very differently about her skills. She’d always been just a little ashamed of them, knowing that hacking, for the most part, was a bad thing. Something she had to keep hidden. But she wasn’t a badperson. Yes, hacking into the government website wasn’t exactly good, but her father had gone way over the line, and Ry was obligated…no,honoredto help her friend.
Plus, she’d been honest with Cora. She wouldn’t rubber stamp the approval. Wouldn’t guarantee she and Pipe were automatically accepted. They’d still have to go through thesteps to get the family. But was it really a bad thing, what Ry had done? When no one else had shown any interest in fostering all four kids together? Not in her eyes.
And that brought her back around to her original thought about her father. She needed to find a way to get him talking. If she didn’t, this harassment would never stop. There would be many more days of frustration and worry for The Refuge and her friends.
What she did next was easy. Almosttooeasy. The things her father taught her, things she hadn’t done since the day she’d left his house, came back as if by rote.
Hacking into his bank account was child’s play. As was transferring out ten thousand dollars. It wasn’t a ton of money, but it was enough to get his attention. She’d asked him to stop via the dark web. Begged. Had tried to open a line of communication, but he’d ignored her attempts to reason with him, refused to talk.
Fine. In his world,moneytalked. So she’d “talk” to him in a way he couldn’t ignore.
She hit the enter button harder than she meant to, and it felt amazing when she saw his money—money he’d stolen from someone else—transfer into Padres Unidos’s bank account. It was a local program that helped fathers become more engaged, committed, and responsible. Her own dad would hate that, and it felt appropriate, since he was, in her eyes, the worst father in the world. He could’ve done with a program like Padres Unidos, for sure.
“What was that?” Maisy asked.
“What was what?” Ry asked, trying to sound innocent.
“Whatever you just did.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Uh-huh,” Maisy said skeptically.
She sighed. “Okay, look—I have to end this. My dad messing with all of you. He’s mad atme, and it’s not fair that you’re getting caught in the crossfire. Ineedthis to stop.” The last five words were whispered, and Ry realized she was on the verge of tears.
Cora reached over and closed her laptop, then grabbed Ry’s hand and pulled her up from the chair. She towed her back over to the couch and sat, pulling Ry down next to her. Maisy sat as well, scooting closer until Ry was sandwiched between the two women.
“It’s going to stop,” Cora reassured her.
