Reyona held the seven-year-old's quivering body till the latter cried herself to sleep.
Then she gingerly lay her on the bed and eased out of bed as Maxwell covered the girl's body with her blanket.
Jane came forward to meet them as she stood up from the beanbag she had pulled closer to Junior's bed.
"He fell asleep," she said quietly.
Maxwell inclined his head towards the door as Reyona moved closer to the boy's sleeping form.
"I am so sorry," she whispered as she smoothed his hair away from his face.
She pulled his blanket tightly around him, suspecting it would be at the other end of the bed before the night was over.
She left the room with a set look on her face.
Maxwell followed her out to the hallway, where Jane was waiting in the hallway.
"Will she be fine?" she asked anxiously. "Do you want me to stay with them tonight?"
"There will be no need for that." Reyona said, then asked, "How much of that did you hear?"
"I heard some of it, ma," Jane said carefully.
"Good," Reyona said simply. "That means I know who to go to if I hear anything about it anywhere."
"No, ma. I would never do such a thing."
"You had better not," Reyona answered calmly. "Goodnight"
Jane left them and went to her room.
Reyona's hands tightened around the railing and said "I am going to kill them."
You will need to get in line" Maxwell said as he lay his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Verified foster parents indeed."
Reyona shook her head sadly as she said in a low tone "Poor girl. I can't believe how much she had to deal with just because some assholes refused to do their jobs right!"
Her hands tightened against the railing as she lowered her voice and said "They have to pay. I know I don't have a say when it comes to the kids, but I want to see those bastards pay for what they did."
Maxwell's hand moved from Reyona's shoulder to her back in a soothing motion as he said "You are one of the reasons why they won't have to endure something like that again. So, yes, you have every right to say this. They won't go scot-free. That I can promise you."
Reyona nodded and looked at him as she swiped at the unbidden tears that laced her eyes.
"These kids are very lucky that they have you in their corner," Maxwell said as he turned her slightly and wrapped his arms around her.
Though Reyona was tempted to lay her head against his broad shoulders, she held herself back rigidly.
His gentle touch made her remember what he had said earlier.
Her posture even got stiffer as she wondered why he was changing the rules on her.
She thought they had an unspoken agreement that their passion was just that.
Two people who were attracted to each other and were acting on it for the main time.
How can he spring something like that on her?
The fact that her body wanted to do the opposite of what her mind was thinking made Reyona take a step backwards.
"What is it?" he asked as she tried to shrug off his restraining arms.
She shook her head and said, "I just need a moment."
"You need to rest. It will be a long day tomorrow. Come, let's…"
"Actually, I would like to stay with the kids tonight. I don't think I would be able to have much sleep anyway. Not with that anguished scream still ringing in my head."
"I understand," Maxwell said as he reached out to touch her again. "Let me get some bedding and I can join…"
Reyona subtly moved, so his hand missed her shoulder. "No, I would like to stay with them." A pause. Then she added, "Alone."
"Oh," he said as he tucked his hand into his pocket and gave her a considering look. "Okay," he said simply.
Hesitated for a bit, then added "Let me know if…" he jerked his thumb towards the door they just came out through.
Reyona nodded, even though she was sure that would be the last thing she would do.
"Right. Goodnight" he said simply.
"Good night," Reyona said as she watched him leave.
She let out the breath she had not realised she had been holding.
What was that look on his face? She thought in exasperation as she entered the room again.
Junior was still as covered up as possible while Allysyn was sleeping peacefully.
Reyona was glad that she had been able to soothe the girl's fear enough for her…
The sound of the door opening interrupted her thoughts.
She gave Maxwell a look as he came forward with an inflatable bed, bed cover, pillows and blanket.
"I told you I…"
"I heard you," he said almost testily. "Just let me do this, and I will be gone, okay?"
He looked towards the bed to be sure that he had not woken the girl up.
Then he proceeded to make the bed for her.
Reyona just couldn't get over the many ways that he surprised her.
The efficient way he made the bed like it was something he did every day made her feel somehow.
Then he plumped the pillows and rose as he gestured towards the bed in invitation.
"You do not need to…"
He strode towards her, held her before she could pull back, and then kissed her firmly.
He pulled away before she could gather her shocked senses to make a protest.
"We need to talk," he whispered to her.
Reyona blinked at him and said, "About Allysyn, yes we…"
"No, I am not talking about Allysyn. You and I need to talk," he said emphatically.
"I don't think…"
"Later," he said before he kissed her on the cheek. "Good night," he said once again.
He was out of the door before she could turn around.
Reyona was not a fool.
Of course, she knew what he wanted to talk about.
Just as she knew, she didn't want to have that discussion.
As her gaze went to the bed he had just made for her, even after she made it clear that she wanted to be alone, her heart sighed in a way that made Reyona uncomfortable.
She went to sit on the mini couch close to Allysyn's bookshelf.
She pulled her errant thoughts from the direction they wanted to head and looked back at what mattered at the moment.
The kids and how they could get the justice needed for her to ensure that those bastards never tried that with someone else again.