Chapter 21

Lucy attempted to get out of the jeep and rush towards the house, but Adam stopped her by locking the door from his side of the controls.

"Mr. Adam!" Lucy looked at him with panicked eyes.

"Thanks for the information," Adam told the teen and gave him the money he was holding.

"No problem, big guy!" The boy grinned and ran off.

Adam then turned to face Lucy. "You are not stepping out of the jeep. It's going to be dangerous out there, they might not listen to you and cart you away as well."

They all turned and saw the policemen bringing some teenage boys and girls out of the building. Some were bruised as they had had to put up a fight and had got hit by the police baton in the process.

"But Reece is still—" Caleb started but Adam cut him off.

"I'll go get Reece," Adam said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "But you all must remain inside, okay?"

They all nodded.

Caleb turned to face the window again while Lucy closed her eyes tightly, shutting out her view of the policemen and those they were dragging out of the house. Matt's heart was beating fast out of anxiety while Scarlett was quite frightened.

Adam looked back and kept his gaze on Scarlett.

"It's going to be okay. I'll get him out now, I promise," he assured her with a small smile, and she nodded.

He then went out of the jeep and walked towards the policemen. The remaining kids watched him from the jeep.

Just then policeman dragged out a familiar dark-haired boy by the scruff of his neck.

Adam's fist clenched and his eyes grew stormy with anger when he saw the purple bruise that was forming on Reece's left hand and the black eye he already had.

His new white jacket wasn't on him anymore and the green, long sleeve that he had on as innerwear was brownish all over with dirt.

Reece was still being headstrong and struggling with the policeman as he was being led away into their van.

At once a baton was landed on his head, making him grit his teeth in pain.

As Adam approached them, he could make out the words they were saying.

"Look cop,” Reece growled. "You've got the wrong guy. I ain't one of them. I just entered some minutes ago."

"Shut up," the policeman snarled. "You're one of those highway robbers. Don't think we didn't find the duffel bag and the other things you stole. You and your friends were struggling for the loot when we arrived, weren't you?"

"What?!" Reece all but exclaimed.

"I ain't got no friend in that building. Jack and his gang were just trying to take my stuff! They're mine! I didn't steal them from no one!"

"Shut up and move, Reece. I know a thief when I see one and you are a thief!" The policeman hit Reece again as he was still struggling with the police.

"Let me go, you doofus! I ain't done nothing wrong!" Reece snapped at the policeman.

"Get in the van, Reece!" The policeman shoved him roughly, but Reece struggled to maintain his ground.

"Unhand him at once!" Adam said in an authoritative voice as he marched up to the policeman.

Two other policemen walked up to them on seeing Adam glaring at the policeman that held onto Reece.

"Morning sir," one of them greeted politely. "Don't fret, we aren't going to harm them; Just giving them justice," he told Adam reassuringly.

"I didn't do anything wrong! You ain't doing justice to no one but yourselves! I'm innocent.... let me go!" Reece tried to yank his hand away from the policeman that held him, but he only got a slap on the face.

Adam sucked in a deep breath.

He brought out his I.D card.

"I'm Adam Hunt," he revealed, and the policeman stopped pushing Reece but held onto him firmly.

"You don't need to worry about that criminal sir," another policeman said with a smile as he handed Adam his I.D card back.

"He's not a criminal," Adam insisted in a firm tone.

"He and his buddies were trying to share the loot they stole. You should've seen them; fighting like a pack of wild animals," the one that held Reece said.

"That's a lie! Jack and his gang were trying to grab my stuff!" Reece snapped back defensively at the policeman.

"Just hear the way he talks; without any respect at all." One of the policemen said as he shook his head in disgust.

"Like heck, I'll ever respect a lousy—" Reece started, glaring at the policeman evilly but Adam quickly cut in.

"Reece!" Adam said sharply and Reece kept quiet and looked away angrily.

"Listen, officers," Adam started. "Reece didn't rob anyone."

When the policeman holding Reece opened his mouth to protest Adam added, "I was the one that gave him those things; actually, I bought them for him—every item there," he explained uncomfortably.

The policemen were all shocked and it showed in their expressions.

"You are not trying to cover up for the nitwit, right?" One of the policemen asked with an air of doubt once he overcame his shock.

"No, I'm not," Adam said and explained how they met and how Reece had been staying with him. He left out the part that he was unwilling to let them stay with him and the part where he had thrown them out again.

"So... why was he in Ronald's notorious house again?" Another policeman asked skeptically.

Adam shrugged.

"You know kids. He actually said he wanted to tell a few of his buddies goodbye and show them a few of the stuff he's got so they'll know he hit good fortune but unfortunately that nasty Jack ganged up on him with his buddies," Adam lied through his teeth.

"I was even in my jeep, waiting for him to return." Adam pointed at his jeep that was some feet away from them to make the story more believable.

God have mercy... He thought as he bit his lower lip, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue.

Reece looked away when all the policemen turned to look at him.

"So... he’s with you?" The one holding Reece asked unsurely.

"Yes," Adam responded, nodding vigorously.

"Huh!" One of them exclaimed.

Another scratched his hair.

"Well...sir, you see...," one started and Adam gave him a sharp look. "Not that we don't believe you! To be honest, we haven't seen Reece for a while on the streets," he quickly added when Adam sent him a nasty look.

"What I'm just trying to say is that you're going to have to bail him; after all he was found in bad company," the police completed firmly.

Adam shook his head and brought out his wallet.

"I don't have the time to spare to follow you all the way to your station. Tell me the amount of the bail, I'll pay it right now. You do know I'm always busy," Adam said.

One of the policemen licked his lips and rubbed his palms. He called a certain figure for Adam, watching cautiously how Adam would react.

"You fat liar! That ain't no bail amount!" Reece growled at him.

"Shut up!" One of the other policemen barked at him.

Adam raised an eyebrow at the one that had mentioned the sum of money to him. "It's um...additional costs sir, for his bags as well...those went under the evidence corner and well...we'll need to go through a lot of processes to retrieve them. But since you're a busy man and we all just thought you'd pay us instead of wasting your time by saying you should come for the paperwork and all, you know; making statements and all that," the policeman rambled an explanation quickly.

"Very well," Adam said in a curt tone and brought out the amount and tossed it at the policeman.

The one holding Reece immediately let go of his hand while another left to get Reece's bags.

Reece glared at Adam, furious that he had paid the policemen such an outrageous amount, but Adam simply ignored him.

Reece snatched his bag from the policeman that held it, but the policeman didn't seem to mind as he turned to beam Adam a smile instead.

"Greedy vultures," Reece muttered under his breath as he searched his bag to make sure everything was intact. He huffed when he saw it was, and his white jacket had been kept there as well.

"Good day officers," Adam said as he grabbed the stubborn Reece's hand; as Reece was still lingering about, sending the policemen evil glares.

"Goodbye, sir!" They all chorused before turning to face the one whom Adam had given the money.

"They ain't going to give their superior that 'bail' money," Reece snorted as he looked back at the policemen who had clustered around their fellow officer.

"I know," Adam replied coolly as they got to where his vehicle was parked.

He entered the driver's seat while Reece got into the back seat.

"Reece....oh my gosh, you're alright!" Lucy sighed in relief as she looked at the back seat once Reece sat down.

"Your eye is swollen," Scarlett said in a whimper.

Reece tsk-ed and looked out the window. "It's nothing," he muttered.

"Are you okay, man? You didn't tell anyone that the place was dangerous!" Caleb accused.

"So what? I ain't a kid no more; I can take care of myself," Reece murmured.

"Does it hurt much?" Matt asked worriedly.

"Nothing I ain't used to," Reece replied as he gave a nonchalant shrug.

"You can stay with me, but I have to warn you; there's a really annoying guy, Spencer. He thinks he's the lord of everyone in the uncompleted building where I bunk because his dad's a gangster and we're all relying on him for protection against all those thug fights that happen at night," Caleb said with a small scowl.

"That's quite messed up, but it's nothing I can't handle," Reece replied confidently.

Adam's hand tightened on the steering wheel and a slight frown marked his expression, but the kids went on talking, unaware of it.

Lucy looked back at the rest.

"Or will you both stay at the orphanages as well?" she asked, referring to Caleb and Reece.

"No way!" Caleb objected strongly.

"Nah," Reece waved her off dismissively.

"I don't want to go too," Matt protested as he crossed his arms against his breast.

Lucy settled down in her seat, facing forward again. "You don't have a choice," she told them sternly.

"What if someone else adopts us before you could?" Scarlett asked with a small frown of her own.

"All well and good then," Lucy huffed.

"No! I wanna stay with all of you!" Scarlett whined.

"I'll make sure I break both the legs of anyone that wants to take my lil' sis away from me," Reece said as he cracked his knuckles playfully. Scarlett grinned at him.

"I'm going to Wes Liak, Metof area," Caleb told Adam.

"I thought that's where the Wog company is building their first-ever shopping mall," Matt said.

"It is but we'll stay in the uncompleted buildings at night and avoid the workers in the daytime," Caleb told him.

"What if they finish building the mall, where would you stay then?" Lucy asked quietly.

Caleb shrugged. "We'll find another uncompleted project we can stay on, I guess."

"Why don't you just come with me?" Lucy offered, turning back to them again.

Reece scoffed slightly. "Sorry Lucy, but squatting in shops I'm going to work in ain't ma style." Lucy frowned at that but didn't reply to him.

Adam suddenly made a U-turn.

"Um...Sir, I believe Wes Liak is a little further ahead," Caleb informed Adam.

"Yeah, it's not now you'll turn but until later," Lucy added as she turned slightly to Adam.

"He can see that; he has a GPS in case he gets missing," Matt commented dryly.

"Maybe Mr. Adam wants to drop you guys off at the orphanage first," Caleb concluded with a small shrug.

"Quiet, all of you," Adam said, making them all turn towards him in surprise.

"Orphanage, uncompleted buildings, squatting in shops...all that's nonsense as far as I'm concerned," he said as his eyes remained trained on the road. "I clearly believe God made our paths to cross for a reason and I'm not going to ignore that reason anymore!" he finished as his grip on the steering tightened.

"What...what are you saying, Mr. Adam?" Lucy asked with her heart beating fast. Surely, he couldn't be saying what she thought, could he?

Adam gave a little crooked smile but looked determined.

"You're all staying with me from now on." He said with such certainty that his voice resonated in the vehicle. "I'll be your legal guardian."

Reece, Matt, Caleb, and Lucy all stared at Adam with shock written on their faces.

Scarlett sighed and grinned and made herself more comfortable on her seat in the jeep.

"Good. Cause I like it here," she smiled contentedly.

The other four turned to look at her, with open jaws.

"What?" Scarlett asked childishly.

Adam chuckled.

His estate came into view.