Sins (Vance Davis Dossier #2)

by Heather Huffman

  A couple of rowdy drunks stumbled in, pulling Vance back to the present. He barely cast a glance at them over his shoulder. Little Z seemed content to enjoy his late-night breakfast without conversing much. Admitting to himself that there wasn’t anything to be learned tonight, Vance paid his bill and headed back to the apartment. It occurred to him that he should have called Allie hours ago to let her know he wouldn’t be home. By the time he’d realized it, though, he was afraid she’d be asleep. That’s what he told himself anyway. It sounded kinder than admitting some part of him hoped she’d give up on him if she finally realized he wasn’t a home-for-dinner kind of guy.

  Valentine had made herself comfortable in his absence. He’d half-expected to come home to an empty apartment. Instead, she was curled up on his couch, asleep with the TV droning softly in the background. He watched her for a moment, admitting if only to himself that there was something about this one. He felt a pull to protect her, stronger than he’d felt since meeting Jessie for the first time. He wasn’t sure how he’d keep her from going back to the life she’d found herself in, but he was certain she’d suffered her last abuse—even if it meant blowing the entire mission. With a sigh, he covered her with a blanket before collapsing on top of the covers on his bed.

  He awoke with a start three hours later. The sun was peeking through his windows, giving him enough light to see Valentine curled up on the floor beside his bed. It took him a second to decide if she was asleep or awake.

  “Why are you sleeping on my floor?” His voice was soft.

  Her shrug was barely perceptible with her arms curled up to support her head. When she looked up at him with those enormous blue eyes, he could see the answer: She’d been scared.

  “Are you hungry? I can go pick up some fast food or something. Or if you want some breakfast, I can take you somewhere away from the city. I just have to make a phone call first.” It occurred to Vance he still had a love-struck ex-girlfriend in a hotel across the city. The thought struck him that Jessie would be highly amused by his current predicament.

  “You look like my dad. A little. Through the eyes, the jaw. He was big like you, too.”

  Vance propped himself up on an elbow. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  Another shrug. “I don’t hold it against you.”

  “I appreciate that.” He chuckled. “So, do you want breakfast or not?”

  She hesitated.

  “What is it?”

  “How long—how long am I going to be here? I thought I was supposed to go back this morning.”

  “Do you want to go back?”

  She buried her face in her arm.

  “Hey.” He crawled off the bed to crouch on the floor next to her. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  She peeked up from the crook of her arm.

  “I mean it—it really is a secret. If you tell them, you’ll get me killed, so you have to promise.”

  She nodded, her eyes growing wide. “I promise.”

  “I am who these guys think I am, but what they don’t know is that I’ve spent the past five years helping girls like you get away from guys like him. If you want to go back, I’ll let you. It’ll kill me because I think it’s the wrong thing, but I’ll let you.” He was lying. He’d drag her out of here kicking and screaming if he had to. He wanted to give her a chance to take control, though. He wanted it to be her choice. “But if you want to be free, I’ll take you away from here and hide you so they’ll never find you. You’ll be protected.”

  She thought about his words for a moment before slowly sitting up. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, the nightmare is over if you want it to be.”

  She shook her head. He could see in her eyes that it was out of disbelief. She wasn’t rejecting the notion of freedom; she was overwhelmed by it.

  “I don’t know. It’s my home. They’re my family.”

  “Is it really home, or just the only home you know?”

  She frowned at him in response.

  “A real home is a safe place, and the people there love you, and nobody hurts you. You deserve that kind of home, Valentine.”

  She blinked, angrily wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Vance’s phone rang, interrupting whatever she might have said next. He would have ignored it, but it was Allie and she was probably worried sick about him by now. He grudgingly answered it.

  “Vance, where the hell are you?” There was a shrillness to her tone that made Vance wince.

  “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear, mama bear.”

  “Don’t make fun of me. I’ve been up all night worried sick about you.”

  He glanced at Valentine, not sure how to explain. “I, uh, had a bit of a new development.”

  Valentine raised her eyebrows at him and he shrugged helplessly in response.

  “Are you okay?” Irritation gave way to worry.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. And I found Little Z last night. But there’s something else I need to take care of today. Will you be okay by yourself there today? I promise I’ll be back by dinnertime.”

  “You seriously dragged me all the way to St. Louis to leave me sitting in a hotel room all day?” And the irritation was back.

  “I’m sorry, mama bear, but this is really important.”

  “Stop calling me mama bear. Forget it. I’ll rent a car and drive myself home.”

  Vance frowned at the phone, suddenly remembering the benefit of being a lone wolf. “You don’t want to say goodbye to Susie? Just give me one day. I’ll take you back tomorrow.”

  “You’re an ass, Vance Davis.”

  “That’s two swear words in one conversation. I don’t know who you are anymore.”

  “An ass.” She drew out the words, letting them linger on her tongue for emphasis.

  “Sadly, I’ve been called worse. If you’re still here tonight, I’ll take you to say goodbye to Susie and then we’ll grab a nice dinner. If not, well, then, I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”

  “I hate you. I really, truly hate you.”

  Vance listened to the silence for a moment before admitting to himself that she’d hung up on him. He supposed he was happy she no longer wanted to love him, though he hadn’t meant for the pendulum to swing quite so far in the other direction.

  “Girlfriend?” Valentine watched him curiously.

  “No, but she wanted to be.”

  “Wanted?”

  “She’s pretty pissed.”

  The hint of a smile tugged at Valentine’s lip. “I kinda figured. Does she know what you do?”

  “A bit of it. She’s not really part of that world. I made a mistake bringing her up here. I thought she could help me with some homeless friends I’ve made, but she thought it was going to be something else.”

  Valentine nodded knowingly. “She thought you guys were gonna…”

  “Yeah, I think she thought we were gonna.” Vance sighed with defeat. He’d mucked up any chance of friendship with Allie by ever getting her involved. If not friendship, a truce.

  “Can you really give me all that crap you talked about?”

  “You make it sound so lovely.” Vance’s response was dry.

  “I mean it—can you really do that, give me a place that’s safe, that has all that stuff you were talking about?”

  He looked her dead in the eye and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I can. If you’ll let me, I’ll take you there right now. We’ll get breakfast on the way and be there by lunch.”

  “But you won’t stay with me, will you?”

  “I don’t live there, no. And I have to finish my job here. But the couple you’d be staying with are my closest friends. And I’d be back to check in on you.” Vance didn’t know why he made the promise. He rarely checked back in on the girls he helped. He was always too busy focusing on the next one. He also didn’t know why he promised to take her to Jessie. He knew her shelter was full. He hoped by showing up on her doorstep and begging, she’d make room.

&
nbsp; “And if I go back…What then?”

  Vance took a deep breath. “Then, assuming they don’t kill you before the raid goes down, you get swept up with all of the other girls. The system will try to find a place for you, but since all the beds are full, you’ll probably end up in a juvenile detention center somewhere.”

  “So I go to juvie? You think I’m a criminal?”

  “No, I don’t think you’re a criminal, but there’s nowhere else to keep girls like you safe.”

  “Why not just let me go?” she asked.

  “Go where? To what? Valentine, this is your absolute best chance at having a life, and you know it.”

  “Why do you care about me or my life?” There was a hint of accusation in her voice.

  He opened his mouth to tell her that he liked himself better when he was saving girls instead of being the threat used against him. He wanted to tell her that if he saved a million girls like her, he’d never be able to erase from his memory the eyes of the ones he’d betrayed. But something in him knew that while he cared about the girls he helped, he never cared for them. He had no vested interest in what happened after he got them to safety.

  “Well?” she pressed when no answer was forthcoming.

  “I don’t know why I care, Valentine. I just do.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  VANCE HAD BOUGHT THEM EACH a fast food sandwich and some hash browns on their way down Interstate 44. Now he kept one eye out for cops as his truck roared down the highway, gobbling up blacktop at a pace that would definitely get him pulled over. He’d zipped up and down this highway enough to know where the most likely checkpoints were, though, so he took his chances. The Missouri State Highway Patrol would be nothing compared to Allie Walker if he missed dinner.

  Vance glanced over at Valentine. Her shoulders seemed so slight, so delicate. It made her look breakable.

  “Are you nervous?” she asked, her tiny shoulders moving ever-so-slightly.

  “Jessie is my angel. We used to work for the same guy on the streets. Now she takes in foster children who don’t have anywhere else to go because they aged out. Sometimes she helps girls coming out of your situation. She picked me up off the streets when I was ready to just lay down and die—literally. She really is the best.”

  “You love her.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Vance grinned. “Not like you’re thinking. She’s like a sister. I don’t have any blood family; I like to think the world gave me Jessie instead.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “My mom died when I was young. Last I heard of my dad, he was in jail. I wouldn’t mind if he still was. He was a real bastard. What about you, Valentine? Do you have any family?”

  Another shoulder twitch.

  “Is there someone I should be calling?” he persisted.

  “My dad’s a real bastard, too. He got out of prison long enough to make me and my sisters. This time he’s in for life. I was so relieved when they took him. I know they didn’t do it for us, but it meant we could finally breathe without being smacked. Mom was gone all the time, so we got to just be, you know?”

  “You have sisters? Who are they with? Your mom?”

  “I guess. I wouldn’t be able to find them now, though. I’m sure they moved; Mom doesn’t keep a place long.”

  “Do you want me to try? You’d be surprised who I can find.”

  Valentine shook her head and stared out the window. “They won’t let me raise them, even though that’s what I was doing when I was at home. I know I should go back. I should, but I can’t. I worry about them, but I can’t help them. Lily will do a better job of keeping it together than I did, anyway.”

  “Why don’t you give me their names and I’ll check in on them. I won’t mention you; I’ll just be sure they’re okay. How about that?”

  “Sure. Whatever.” Valentine was trying to sound nonchalant, but Vance thought he detected a trace of hope in her voice.

  After a pause, he prompted. “So, are you going to give me their names?”

  “Lily, Jasper, and Charlie. Well, Charlotte.”

  Vance nodded, pleased she was going to let him help. “Do Lily, Jasper, and Charlie have last names?”

  “Right. That does help. Finegan.”

  “And your mom’s name?”

  “Adelaide Finegan,” she answered.

  “Any weird spellings I should know about?”

  “Nope.”

  “Great.” He didn’t ask about her dad. It would probably be easy enough to track him down if need be, but the mom would most likely be simple to track down. Odds were pretty good she took state aid for the kids. If so, there’d be a paper trail to follow no matter how many times she moved.

  “And you won’t let them know where I am?” Valentine sat up a little straighter and really looked at Vance for the first time during the conversation.

  “I won’t do a thing without talking to you first. I’m just checking in on them for you.”

  “Good. Oh, you should probably know that I came from Oklahoma.”

  “That will save me some time. Thanks.” Vance turned on his blinker and took the truck out of warp speed. “This is our exit. Do you need a bathroom break? Last call before we’re there.”

  She shook her head and placed a hand over her stomach.

  “It’ll be okay,” he reassured her.

  The reassurance didn’t keep her from fidgeting the rest of the ride. As they wound through the increasingly wild country, Valentine grew increasingly agitated. By the time they pulled onto the dirt road leading to Jessie’s drive, she looked like a cat about to climb the door of the truck.

  “Valentine?” Vance put the truck in park and turned to her.

  She turned to him, her eyes wide.

  “Breathe.”

  She nodded, still terrified.

  “I mean it. Breathe. You’re going to be okay. But only if you keep breathing.”

  Valentine opened her mouth to suck in some air and slowly pushed it back out of her body, looking to Vance for approval.

  “Good. Now repeat.” The hint of a grin cracked his face and he gave her a small wink. “Come on, before they start to wonder why I’m sitting in their driveway instead of coming in.”

  They had sat in the truck long enough for Jessie to be waiting for them at the door. Her warmth in greeting him was tempered by curiosity. Or maybe it was something else—Jessie’s shelter was full to the brim, and there was historically only one reason for Vance to show up on her doorstep with a girl in tow.

  He’d ignored her tepid greeting, choosing to scoop her into a bear hug that lifted her off her feet, despite her protests.

  She swatted him and squirmed. “Stop it, you big brute. I’ll have my husband thump you.”

  “You know you love me, Jessie-girl.”

  Valentine soaked in the exchange with a curious smile.

  “What has gotten in to you?” Jessie laughed and tried to set herself straight once she’d regained contact with the floor.

  “I’m buttering you up,” he admitted freely.

  “Ah, I see.” Her gaze flitted from him to Valentine and back again. “I’m Jessie.”

  “This is Valentine,” Vance supplied.

  Jessie nodded once. “Nice to meet you, Valentine. Have the two of you had lunch?”

  “Vance bought me a breakfast sandwich on the way down.”

  “Don’t feed that girl that junk. Come on, let’s get you some real food.” Jessie would have hooked an arm through Valentine’s, but she instinctively drew nearer to Vance. Instead, Jessie motioned for the girl to follow her to the kitchen.

  “Where are the kids?” Vance asked.

  “With Gabe at the hardware store. They should be back in about a couple of hours.”

  “I’m sorry I’m going to miss them. Not sure I can stay that long.”

  Jessie arched an eyebrow at him.

  “He’s in trouble with a woman who wants to be his girlfriend,” Valentine explained.<
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  “Well, at least you can catch me up on Vance’s life if you’re staying here,” Jessie observed.

  “How did you know that’s why Vance was buttering you up?” Valentine asked.

  “Because it’s usually why he butters me up.”

  “I’m sorry.” Valentine ducked her head, embarrassed.

  “Don’t be. I’m glad to see him showing signs of life again.” Jessie stopped rooting through cupboards to smile over her shoulder at Valentine.

  Vance folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter. “I’m still here.”

  “We’ll wait until you’re gone, then,” Jessie teased.

  “Comforting.”

  Jessie and Vance kept the light teasing going throughout lunch, doing their best to set Valentine at ease. After lunch, Jessie rounded up supplies and an extra set of comfy clothes for Valentine to get a shower. Once she and Vance were alone, she rounded on him.

  “You couldn’t even call first?”

  He looked down at his shoes like a guilty little boy then cast his eyes up at Jessie. “I figured it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

  “Because you know I’m full.” She leaned across the table and placed a hand on his arm. “I told you when you called about Nicole.”

  “That’s precisely why I didn’t ask,” he admitted.

  “Do you understand the meaning of the word full?”

  “Room for one more in desperate times?”

  Jessie chewed her bottom lip, a sure sign she was relenting. “Are they desperate times?”

  “I bought her for the night, for a cover. I planned to let her sleep on my couch, find out what I could…”

  “But you can’t stand to see her go back.”

  “I physically couldn’t do it. Jessie, there’s something about this girl, like I need to protect her.”

  “You protect a lot of girls.”

  “I don’t know.” Vance shook his head. “I probably could have called around and found somewhere for her to go, but I wanted her to be here, with you.”

  “It really matters to you this much?”

  “Yeah, it really does.”

  “I’ll see if I can put a rollaway bed in one of the dorm rooms. I’d let her stay in the house, but we don’t know this girl—whatever your gut is telling you, I still have little ones running around.”