"She sees you as her source now," Anna agreed. "And there's no
predicting what she'll do if she knows that source isn't easily tapped."
Pausing, she pressed her fingers to her temples, ordered herself to
think. "If she comes back into the county and attempts to make contact
with Seth, I can have her detained, legally barred--at least
temporarily--from direct contact with him. You have guardianship. And
Seth is old enough to speak for himself. The question is, will he?"
She lifted her hands, frustrated, let them fall. "He's told me very
little about his life before he came here. I'll need specifics in order
to block any custody attempt on her part."
"He doesn't want her. And she doesn't want him." Ethan resisted, barely,
crumpling the letter into a ball and heaving it. "Unless he's worth the
price of another fix. She let her Johns try for him."
Anna shifted to face him, kept her eyes calm and direct on his. "Did
Seth tell you that? Did he tell you there had been sexual abuse and
she'd been a party to it?"
"He told me enough." Ethan's mouth went hard and grim. "And it's up to
him if he wants to tell anybody else and see it put in some goddamn
county report."
"Ethan." Anna laid a hand on his rigid arm. "I love him, too. I only
want to help him."
"I know." He stepped back because the anger was too fierce and too
likely to spew on everyone. "I'm sorry, but there are times the system
makes it worse. Makes you feel like you're being swallowed up." He
struggled to block out the echo of pain. "He's going to know he's got
us, with or without any system, to stand with him."
"The lawyer needs to know she made contact." Phillip took the letter
from Ethan, folded it, and tucked it back into the envelope. "And we
have to decide how we're going to handle it. My first impulse is to go
down to Virginia Beach, dig her out of her hole, and tell her in a way
she'd understand just what's going to happen to her if she comes within
fifty miles of Seth."
"Threatening her won't helpa" Anna began.
"But it would feel damn good." Cam bared his teeth. "Let me do it."
"On the other hand," Phillip continued, "I think it might be very
effective--and look very good if it ever comes to a legal battle--if our
pal Gloria got an official letter from Seth's caseworker. Outlining the
status, the options, and the conclusions reached. Contacting or
attempting to contact a birth mother who may be rethinking giving up
custody of her child--a child who's in your files--would come within the
parameters of your job, wouldn't it, Anna?"
She mulled it over, knowing it was a fine line and expert balance would
be required to walk it. "I can't threaten her. Buta I may be able to
make her stop and think. But the big question is, do we tell Seth?"
"He's afraid of her," Cam murmured. "Damn it, the kid's just starting to
relax, to believe he's safe. Why do we have to tell him she's poking her
finger back into his life?"
"Because he's got a right to know." Ethan spoke quietly. His temper had
leveled off, and he was able to think clearly again. "He's got a right
to know what he might have to fight. If you know what's after you,