“And that is one of the reason’s that I love you. That little girl has you wrapped around her finger. You are a very good father figure for her,” Dave said as he kissed me on the cheek.
“Probably because I had such a shitty father figure,” I said with a grin.
“Maybe, but I like you in the role of being a father,” Dave told me.
“You know that’s what I want eventually. Kids. With you,” I said.
“You also know that I can’t get pregnant, right?” Dave said laughing hysterically.
“That doesn't mean we can’t practice. I’ve been gone all week, and I’m pretty horned up see you tonight,” I said. I pushed away my empty plate and took Dave by the hand, leading him back to the bedroom and turned off the lights as we walked.
We took a long, leisurely shower before drying one another and going back into the bedroom. The windows were open, and there was a slight summer breeze, making the room cool. The full moon gave us plenty of light to make love. Dave’s body was amazing. He was muscular, virile, and handsome. My touch seemed to send electric ripples under his skin and cause his breath to quicken in response.
Our sweaty muscles were gliding against one another. Moans of wanton desire were coming from each of us as we worked ourselves into a tumultuous twist of libidinous bodies, grinding, halting, and, then, moving on. Lips against bare skin and undulating hips driving us to that ultimate destination of bliss, that place we all want to go. Our simultaneous climax finally allowed us to fall onto the mattress, fully satiated.
The beeping of Dave’s cell brought us out of our sleep state. I was on my back with Dave lying on his stomach next to me, his arm flung across my chest, and his face nuzzled into my neck. It was a good way to wake up.
Dave was up and dressed, and teeth brushed before he kissed me goodbye. “Sorry, Nick, I promised Mom that I would cook today and tomorrow,” Dave said, and, then, he was gone.
I slept in for another hour. It was the weekend, and I had been up at 5:30 a.m. every day this past week. There was no need to be up early today. When I finally did pull my lazy butt out of bed, I brushed my teeth and dressed. I found Dave at the grill making pancakes and frying bacon and sausage. I wrapped my arms around his waist and was kissing his neck when Georgia came through the swinging doors from the front.
“You stop harassing my help,” she said with a giggle. “Good mornin’ Nick.”
“Good morning Georgia, and I wasn’t harassing him, I was helping him flip pancakes,” I said and gave her a wink.
Dave turned and gave me a quick peck on the cheek and went back to cooking. “Mom, Nick and I discussed my becoming the cook here, and he agrees that I should quit my job at the mine,” Dave said.
“That’s wonderful news. I just feel so bad for Berto and his family. They were hard workers and good people,” George said, shaking her head in disbelief at all of their circumstances.
I plucked an apron off the wall and tied it around my waist, heading out front. It was only 7:00 a.m. and the tables were already packed. “Uncle Nick,” I heard Amber yell from her seat at a table near the bar.
“Hey baby girl,” I said, picking her up and kissing her on the head.
“I’m not a baby,” she protested. “I’m four.” She was holding up four fingers to show me her age.
“You’re my baby girl,” I said.
“I guess that’s okay,” she relented.
“Better than okay,” I scoffed, “you’re my special girl.”
She was grinning as I placed her back in her seat. I grabbed the pot of regular and the pot of decaf and started making my way around the tables pouring refills.
“Whoot whoo,” I heard a wolf whistle from a front table.
“Calm down boys, I’ll get to you in a minute,” I yelled out.
When I got up to the general vicinity of the whistle, I saw that it was Doug Simpson, the tow truck driver over at Ott’s.
“Looks like we got us a new sweetie here, boys,” Doug said with a grin.
“Tip me good mister, and I’ll let you pinch my heinie,” I said giving him back a little crap.
“Ohhh,” the guys at the table said in unison.
“Like I told Nick, you boys stop harassing the help,” Georgia yelled from the back of the café.
“Sorry, Georgia. Just having a little fun at Nick’s expense,” Doug yelled back. “Karl said you were going to the Police Academy over at Douglas.”
“I am, but I’m helping out Georgia this morning getting you guys buzzed with your morning coffee,” I answered.
When I finally got back around to checking on Amber, she had fallen asleep in a booth. I swear, that girl could sleep through anything, even the noise of the café. I continued, busing tables and helping Georgia bring out platters of breakfasts that would kill an ordinary man, but these men were ranchers, farmers, and hardworking folk, who would burn off those calories before Noon.
After the coffee and breakfast crowd had cleared out, Dave and I sent Georgia home with Amber. He and I could work the lunch crowd. On Saturdays, there weren’t that many people coming in for lunch. Then we would lock up and take a break until about four o’clock before starting the dinner special. Dave was enjoying his new role as the cook at the El Dorado. He had it in his blood, I guess.
By the time Sunday dinner time rolled around, I had eaten and had to head back without helping close up. Dave and I had to say our goodbyes in the back while he was still cooking fried chicken. God, that chicken smelled good, and God, Dave felt good in my arms, but I had to leave.
The weeks flew by at POST. A few weeks in, we were finally able to start training in using our service weapons. Sheriff Lassiter had assigned me a Smith & Wesson M&P 9. Sweet. I was also assigned a Remington 870 shotgun for my patrol vehicle. The training was very similar to Army training on weapons but less intense. I liked going to the shooting range and the video training with mock weapons attached to the system. It was cool to be seeing the scene play out on the life-size screen and then to react to a shooting incident, taking cover, shooting back, counting shots fired or taking criminals without shots fired.
Use of Force was another great training exercise. The training officer was very skilled and held a black belt, but this was a little different than my training in the Army. Hand-to-hand combat in the military was offensive, where this was defensive, keeping yourself from being injured or killed, and keeping others safe as well. This is where my physicality and sheer musculature was able to shine. I had endurance, strength, and agility. Practicing with other cadets was required, but I had to tone down my natural response to attack for the kill. I had to keep reminding myself that I was no longer a soldier, but would be a peace officer, sworn to serve and protect.
Classroom work had the usual traffic laws and traffic control, arrests, writing arrest reports, gathering evidence in casework, things like that. One sleepy afternoon after lunch, we were trying to stay awake while a county prosecutor was giving us a lecture on courtroom decorum and testifying in a criminal case. A loud voice from the back of the room interrupted and brought our drowsy attitude to an end.
“Sloan,” he hollered out. “Your Sheriff wants to talk to you. Follow me.”
“Shit, fuck, what had I done?” I thought, “I haven’t even started work yet. Sure, I’m already on the payroll, but I hadn’t had a chance to fuck up.”
“Sir, yes sir,” I said, standing up and saluting.
“Relax cadet, this isn’t the Army, just follow me,” he said.
Sure enough, it was Sheriff Lassiter on the phone for me. “Hi, Sloan. How are you doing at POST? Making me proud, I hope.”
“Yes, Sir, I hope so too,” I answered.
“The reason I’m calling is that I think we have a lead regarding that body that was shot at your place a couple of months ago,” he said.
Shit, I had almost forgotten about that incident. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
“How much do you know about Natalie Weston?” he asked.<
br />
At first, I was shocked that we were talking about a lead in a crime and about Natalie. How was she involved? Then, it came to me, drugs!
“I know that she got hooked on meth and then got clean, but about two years ago, she met up with some guy and got knocked up. Sorry, I meant pregnant and had Amber. That’s the little girl that I have gotten very attached to since I’ve been back with Dave. You know that Dave is Natalie’s brother?” I asked.
“Sure, sure, I know that. But, Deputy Luker came by my office this morning to report he heard something last night at the El Dorado Bar. Says he ran into that Cleetus Jones, the no-good-son-of-a-bitch. Anyway, Mayfield was drunk, spouting off at Natalie belonging to him now that her boyfriend is dead. Luker seems to think that Lambert fella was Natalie’s boyfriend,” Sheriff Lassiter said.
“What can I do to help? I’m kinda stuck here for a couple more weeks until I graduate,” I said.
“Nothing. I don’t want you to do anything. I just want you to keep Natalie’s family off this trail until we find out what’s going on. If they think they’ve heard a rumor, tell them it isn’t true and that you’re talking to me about locating Natalie. Got it? Okay, then, good luck and the County Commissioner’s and I will be coming over for your graduation.” He hung up.
I was getting an idea of what my life might be like with Dave. There were going to be things that I was expected to not share with him. I didn’t like that. I trusted Dave, and I would find a way around it, and this was family. I was distracted the rest of the day from the information I had just received.
That evening, back in my dorm room, I called Josh Luker.
“Nick, how’s it hanging, Buddy,” Luker said answering his cell.
“It’s good. POST is going great. I should ace this and be home next weekend for good,” I said.
“I’m trying to get Simons to cover for me next Friday so I can drive over to your graduation with Lassiter,” he said.
“That would be awesome. I’m hoping Dave can come, but with the situation at the café, I’m not sure he can,” I said sadly.
“Yeah, sorry, I heard about what happened with ICE taking Mr. Vasquez into custody for deportation. I’m sure Dave will find a way to be there for you. After all, he waited for you for four years. Things have a way of working out,” Josh said.
“Thanks for throwing that back at me, buddy,” I said with a laugh.
“Just tryin' a help,” Josh said.
“Listen, smart ass, the reason I called was to find out about Mayfield. Lassiter got me out of class today to talk on the phone. He told me that you heard Mayfield saying something about getting together with Natalie,” I said.
“Yeah, I was called to the El Dorado last night about 10:30 with the bartender reporting Mayfield was drunk on his butt and wouldn’t leave,” Josh told me. “By the time I got there, a couple of guys had propped him up at the bar. He was crying in his beer over Natalie, saying that now her boyfriend was dead, she was his. Said he was going to head back to Welling to bring her home,” Josh said.
“Are you sure he said Welling?” I asked.
“He was drunk, but yeah, I’m pretty sure, why? Josh asked.
“Just a hunch,” I said. “Do me a favor and check with law enforcement in Wheeling, West Virginia? See if they have anything on Natalie Weston, I’ll text you her date of birth as soon as I talk to Dave. Thanks, Buddy,” I said and disconnected the call.
I thought for a few minutes about what I was going to say before I called Dave.
“Hi lover,” Dave answered his phone.
“Hi, stud. How was your day?” I asked.
“It was great. I loved working with Mom,” he said. “Amber is spending the night with me. Do you want to say hi?”
I could hear Amber screaming as she ran to take the phone from Dave. “Hi, Uncle Nick. I miss you. How many days until you come home?” Amber asked.
“I miss you too, Honey. Let me see now, it will be ten days until I come home to stay,” I answered.
“That’s good because Uncle Dave misses you. I had come to spend the night with him so that he won’t be lonely,” Amber said.
“That’s my sweetheart. I glad you are taking good care of Uncle Dave. Can I talk to him again, please? I love you,” I said.
Dave took the phone. “You just made her day,” Dave said. “I made her a bed on the sofa.”
“That reminds me, I need to call Gary about our gun safe. I’d feel a lot better about having them locked up with Amber in the house. Besides, we could redo my old bedroom for her. She needs to be sleeping in a real bed when she is with us,” I said.
“It makes me happy that you worry about our little girl,” Dave said.
“Our little girl?” I asked, delighted with the way he said it.
“You know what I mean,” Dave said.
“There is something that I need to tell you, but first let me explain something. With my new job, there are going to be things that I am not supposed to tell anyone, even you, but I trust you with my life, and there are things that I have to share with you regardless of the rules,” I said.
“I understand, Nick, but if you’re not supposed to tell me certain things, don’t feel obligated. I trust you too, and know that you wouldn’t hide something that would hurt our family or me,” Dave said.
“Now that we have that cleared up, I need to tell you that I got a lead on Natalie today,” I said.
“Oh God, please don’t tell me she’s dead,” Dave said in horror.
“No, it’s nothing like that, at least as far as I know, but I have an idea where she might be. I can’t tell you for sure, but Josh is checking it out. I’m going to leave it up to you of how much you want to tell your mom, or not. I just don’t her to get her hopes up,” I told him.
“I agree. I think we should just keep this between us until we know more, and Nick, thank you for trusting me with this. It means a lot to me. I love you so much and can’t wait until you’re home,” Dave said, and I could sense the tears in his voice.
Our call may have ended in tears on either end, but I felt good that I had shared my information about his sister with him. I also felt good that Dave was thinking about Amber as being our little girl. Was there a chance of that? I didn’t know, but right now I was focused on finding Amber’s mother and bringing her home.
On Friday, we started our finals. I aced the Pistol and Patrol Rifle Proficiency scoring. I stayed the weekend to study for the written exam with the other guys in my group. I called Dave every night, and we talked a lot about his sister and where she might be. I didn’t hear back from Josh, except through a text saying there was nothing with regard Natalie Weston in NCIC, the FBI database. I shared that piece of info with Dave, and he was relieved he hadn’t said anything to Georgia about knowing where Natalie might be.
By Monday, I felt prepared for the written exam. It took a full eight hours to complete. Confidently, I left the classroom after handing in my exam and headed for the dorms. The rest of the guys were exhausted, but I decided to go for a run and clear my head. On Tuesday, we were tested on Custody Control techniques and the Use of Force. I walked away from those tests with my head held high. Tuesday afternoon, our grades for the written exam were posted, and I was a little nervous. However, I needn’t have thought twice about it. I scored a 97%, more than enough to pass.
I had put everything at home on hold and was just concentrating solely and graduating this Academy at the top of the class. Wednesday was Emergency Vehicle Operation training. This was fun. There was a paved track set up like a two-lane highway, and we got to drive patrol cars very fast around it, learning defensive and offensive maneuvers using our vehicles. We were like kids playing bumper cars. There was an old prowler with all the windows removed and a roll-cage installed. Then we got the chance to each drive an ambulance van at high speed around the track, learning to load and unload gurneys and practice using some of the equipment we had learned about in the classroom.
Thurs
day was a day of Patrol Exercises, which was putting everything together and practicing how to be a peace officer. I felt qualified, I felt confident, and I felt ready. I talked with Dave that night and told him how much I loved him. I would be leaving Douglas the next afternoon after graduation and heading home for good.
The next morning, it was a bright sunny, but cold day, in Douglas, Wyoming as thirty-two cadets lined up for graduation from Police Officer Standards and Training. I was spit-shined and dressed in my new Lincoln County Deputy Shirt with insignias attached. My service weapon was holstered at my side. The color guard was flanked by bagpipes for a police group out of Laramie, and we followed in behind. The audience rose as the Stars and Stripes made its way up the aisle.
“Uncle Nick.” I heard a small voice calling out on my right side. Looking down, I saw the small smiling face of Amber. I saw Dave, Georgia, and Grandma Betty standing with their hands over their hearts and the color guard passed. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or break out laughing. The event was wrought with emotion. The bagpipe music, the unfurled flags, the officer’s marching to the front of the standing crowd, all this was meant to impress, to give an aura of law and justice, and to make us proud of our accomplishment.
The ceremonies proceeded with speeches from dignitaries I did not know and did not care to know. I sat there on that stage looking out and seeing the family that was my only family, my real family, not by blood, but by choice. As a class of graduates, we had practiced our march to and from the podium to be presented with our certificates, but I was not prepared for what happened next.
The Sgt. Lewis, with the Wyoming State Police, rose to speak. “It is my privilege today to present the Award for Excellence to the top-scoring graduate today, the person who had the highest total score in all facets of the training at this academy. The graduate to whom I present this award today, not only scored highest in this class but the highest score in all previous graduating classes at this Academy. That person is Nick Slone from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Congratulations, Deputy Sloan.”
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