Hero?

4

Damon is thrilled that he is able to give Ana her first taste of a hamburger and fries. He finds her expression priceless as she tastes her first milkshake.

"I've never had ice cream before." Ana's words make it so he both is angered and pleased.

"What else have you wanted to try and haven't been allowed?" Ana had told them that she wasn't allowed sweets of any kind. She's never had a hamburger or french fries, but has always wanted one. She didn't even know what a milk shake was.

"I've always wanted to try a hot dog. Oh, and pizza. Those have always looked so good." Ana said a little dreamily.

"What did you eat?" Mrs. Lighten asks the question Damon wants the answer to as well.

"I was told that I couldn't have most foods because it was fattening. But it was strange, my parents ate all different kinds of foods. Mostly mom just opened a can of soup for me and heated it up, or had me heat it up when I got hungry. I have to say the chicken they would get smelled really good too. It would be nice to try that sometime." By the time she finished speaking her voice was wistful and Damon wants to kill her parents all over again. 

Mrs Lighten smiles, "I'm sure that you will get the opportunity to at least try some of the foods at your new home. The mother has a sixteen year old son, and teenagers have a decided liking for pizza."

Mrs. Lighten doesn't notice how Ana freezes at the mention of a sixteen year old boy. Damon does though and decides to find out more about this new home of Ana's. "Mrs. Lighten, maybe Ana will feel better if she finds out more about her new family."

"The mother is divorced. Her ex-husband is the town sheriff." Mrs. Lighten doesn't notice Damon tensing. The city doesn't have a sheriff.

"Where is her new home, Mrs. Lighten?" Damon asks with another smile.

"In Janton, I know it's a long drive, three hours, but it's the only home available and they can take her now. Or rather tomorrow since the mother won't be home today."

At these words Ana looks at Damon with fear filled eyes. It will be too far for him to watch over her. She won't be safe.

"Might I have the address so I can visit Ana?" Damon asks politely.

"Of course, but you can't interfere with the care." Mrs. Lighten says delightedly. She rather likes Damon Phoenix and sees no harm in his visiting Ana.

"I'm sure that they will take excellent care of her, and I wouldn't dream of interfering if that is the case. Ana deserves to be treated like a princess." Damon says smoothly and watches as Mrs. Lighten fidgets. There is something wrong with that family she's taking Ana too, something that she's hiding.

"Mrs. Lighten, since you aren't taking Ana to her new home today, could I have her come and swim at my hotel? You are of course invited as well. She has told me that she's never been swimming before. I don't doubt that her new family will take her, but I would like to treat her to this now."

"Well, I had planned on going back to the office to do some paper work." Mrs. Lighten hesitates.

"You could bring it with you. That way I can take care of Ana while you do your paper work. Besides the physical therapist says that it will be good for Ana to be in the water. Resistance training, or strength training or something along those lines." Damon gives her another hopeful smile and Mrs. Lighten's resolve crumbles.

"It would keep her busy and be good for her at the same time. Are you sure that it wouldn't be an imposition to you sir?" 

"It will be no imposition, I assure you." Damon says and then turns to Ana. 

"I know you don't have a swimsuit. I'll buy you one at the hotel. You can choose which one you like, how's that?" Damon asks seriously. He wants to smile, but he's not sure if Ana would like to go swimming or not.

Ana for her part wants to spend as much time as she can near Damon. She doesn't want to leave him. But she can tell that Calum is getting antsy and he doesn't like her. But she nods anyway.

Damon tells Mrs. Lighten which hotel he's at and gives her directions. Her eyes get wide when she hears the name. It's the most expensive hotel in the city. He watches her leave with Ana. Once he's sure they are out of earshot he pays for lunch and has Calum pull up everything he can on that address.

"Damon, you aren't going to like this," Calum says after he types in the address and starts receiving information.

"What is it?" Damon demands.

"Just a few months ago, another little girl was fostered at this address. She went missing for two weeks. She was gone for one before being reported missing by the foster mother. Her body was found a few days later. Obvious signs of physical and sexual abuse. She had been raped repeatedly. Cause of death, she was beaten to death." Calum says and shuts up as he sees the tick in Damon's jaw again.

"Did they find out who, or why it took so long to report a child missing?" Damon's words are hard and angry.

"No, to both. Things were covered up, Damon. There is sudden silence about this case. Someone tried to bury it deep. But that's not all, it seems that other foster kids were removed with evidence of beatings." Calum is sickened by what he's seeing and he knows that Damon can see it too. Without being told he starts looking into real estate listings for that area.

"The police are in on whatever is going on. My bet is the sixteen year old boy is behind it and since daddy is the sheriff he's getting away with murder." Damon mutters under his breath.

"Why the hell is she still allowed to foster children?"

"There have been investigations by DCFS but nothing was proven and there was no evidence of wrong doing by the mother or boy." Calum can't believe that people actually believed that. There is less evidence against Damon and far more police scrutiny than that death was given.

Calum hacks into DCFS files and reads what they have. "They didn't have a choice on placing Ana there. All the other homes were full and the only other place they could put her is a halfway house. Ana wouldn't last an hour in the halfway house."

He sends Damon the two listings he found for houses on the same block as Ana. Damon looks them over and nods, "Buy them both. You and I will take the one two doors down from Ana and have some of our men take the other. Make sure Jacob is one of them."

"Jacob? He's only eight." Calum is surprised enough to say. That Damon wants both houses doesn't surprise him.

"He'll be Ana's body guard at school. I'll have to figure out how to protect her outside of school." But he's pretty sure that he'll have to become friends with the murdering sixteen year old to do it.

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