I searched his address book until I found the one number I wanted, and I called it from his phone. "Senator? What can I do for you, mi amigo?"
"Not the Senator. We need to talk. Are you in Texas or Mexico? It's urgent," I told him.
The case we had on the Senator was for taking bribes and providing information in direct breach of National Security. All I had to do was provide the reason why he was taking the bribes…his coked-up wife and his mistress and kid…and the Feeb's would take it from there. I could keep Raul Morales out of it and maybe buy back my life back because his people would hunt me to the ends of the earth when it all went tits up.
"And, I need to talk to you why?" he asked, not sounding happy at all.
I took a deep breath. "You're not looking to get into a scrape with the Federales Americanos, are you?"
He chuckled. "No, I'm not."
"Good, I'm not either. When and where can we meet?" I asked.
"Seems like the ball's in your court. You name the time and place," he offered.
"Eleven tomorrow over by the food trucks near the Capitol. You know it?" I asked.
"Si. How do I know who to look for?" he asked.
I thought about it and laughed. "Look for the 'EZ-PZ Mac & Cheezy' truck. I'll be in a Ranger's baseball cap," I told him. He agreed, and I took a deep breath.
I had no idea what I'd do about my job because I knew the State…fuck, the Federal government…wanted a reason to arrest Raul Morales, but I was assigned the job of getting the goods on Percy Graham. That was the scope of my assignment, and I was sticking to it.
~#~
I didn't sleep well that night, but I got my ass out of bed bright and early. I went to work, and I feigned a stomach issue just before noon. I told the secretary I need to go to the drug store before I escorted the Senator to lunch at noon, and she nodded without looking up.
I went down to the gym in the Capitol building and grabbed my Ranger's baseball cap. I also grabbed my PT111 and slid it in my boot after I made sure the safety was engaged. I sure as fuck didn't want to shoot myself in the foot.
I left my Ruger and holster in the locker. I'd miss the gun, but it was really time to let things go. I had a husband to get home to because I missed him like crazy and I was sure he was going to be in deep shit after what I witnessed the previous night.
I walked across the park and found the food truck. There was a line, and when I saw Raul Morales waiting in it with Rodrigo, his guard, I pulled on the Ranger's cap and walked up to them. "Hey, man, it's good to see you again," I offered for the benefit of the crowd, extending my fist.
I could see Morales didn't remember me, but Rodrigo did. He extended his fist and pulled me into a man-hug, patting me down as indiscreetly as possible, I assumed.
When he pulled away, he smiled. "He's clean."
Morales pulled me closer and put his arm around me. "Your boss was supposed to call this meeting. I'm waiting for some information…information for which I paid a lot of money…and I haven’t heard from him. Has he sent you with this information? I don't appreciate meeting with street soldiers at a public place," he complained.
I took off my ball cap and held it in front of us, dusting it off a little. "You like the cap?"
He looked at me with confusion. "I'm not a Ranger's fan. What's this about?"
I took a deep breath and let it go. "I'm sure you're not, but the Rangers aren't a big fan of you either. In fact, they'd be disappointed you got tangled up in State business. You're a smart guy, Señor Morales. You should have seen Graham was getting a little too big for his britches. He's got so many magnifying glasses on him; I'm surprised he doesn't burst into flames like ants on the sidewalk."
We were up next in the cue for food, so I turned to the young guy at the window. "I'll have a mac-n-cheese with bacon," I ordered.
Morales turned to me and smiled. "Ah, you like the pig?"
"You are what you eat. Let me buy your lunch. Order what you want," I told him.
He ordered a pulled pork sandwich, and the two of us left Rodrigo to stand at the window to wait for the orders. Morales had a lot of questions, I was sure, but I didn't want him to ask them. It had to be cut and dried.
I took a sip of my Coke and looked at him. "He's on the radar, and you need to back up and let it fall unless you wanna have a very, very large enema. Also, I'm gonna need you to have someone wing me so I can get out of this detail," I told him as I pointed to my Ranger's baseball cap again.
He looked at me and then at the cap as I continued to point to it. "You're not a US citizen. There's really no reason for you to get caught up in State politics, is there?"
Morales nodded as our food was delivered. I stood from the table and smiled as I tossed cash on it. I adjusted the baseball cap and looked at him. "I'm gonna stop at the dry cleaner's down the street from the Capitol this afternoon to pick up my stuff. It would be awful if I got caught in an attempted robbery, wouldn't it?" I asked. He nodded, and I left.
At some point later in my life, I'd likely ponder whether I'd done the right thing with regard to Morales, but the job I'd taken wasn't the job I'd been promised. I never anticipated they'd put me out there like a fucking target, but that's exactly what they did without a second thought.
My only hope was the shot I'd get would be strategic enough it wouldn't do any permanent damage. Of course, when you make a deal with the devil, you gotta expect to get the pitchfork.
Ten
Gray
"We have to wait for Inez to come down, Dee. Grab a chair," I encouraged. He was worried about his brother and I understood it, but he was driving me crazy with his pacing. I had no idea he was such a nervous boy, but I should have seen it. He was high strung about everything.
Darryl had gone home earlier that morning, telling Dewayne he'd be in touch. I'd been assuring the kid I thought Darryl was honest and it seemed to appease him for the most part.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the hospital and asked about Rashad, they told us there wasn't anyone by that name had checked in. Dee quickly became upset, so I took him down the hall to grab a seat in the waiting room because Inez was due any moment.
"Calm down. It's a common practice to use an alias…a fake name…in these types of situations. It's for Rashad's protection, Dee. If that man, Nathan, comes here to check on him, we don't want him to find your brother, right?" He looked up at me and nodded, so I sent a text to Inez.
We're here. Can Dewayne see Rashad? GV
We both waited for a few minutes until I received an answer.
Come up to the fourth-floor waiting room. There's a problem. Don't say anything to the boy. IB
I sighed, suddenly feeling much older. "Ms. Barnes said we should go up to the waiting room on four. Let's go," I told him as we gathered his large pack…my old one Derek had given to him…and headed for the elevator.
We got off on the fourth floor and went to the waiting room. When we walked in, I saw a tall Hispanic kid pacing. When Dee saw him, he took off. "Joey!"
The boy turned and picked up Dee. "Hey, little bro. Are you okay? Where've you been?"
"That's my friend, Gray. He took care of me last night. I learned how to tie those knots we saw in that book, so when I get back to school, I can sign up for Scouts. I've got 'em all down," Dee stated confidently.
Joey put Dee on the floor and looked me up and down. He glanced at Inez and then he stepped forward. "I'm Jose Gomez. Rashad and I are good friends and I look out for Dee sometimes. What's gonna happen to 'em? Mi Abuela said she'd take care of 'em," the boy explained.
"Until I find out what's going on with Rashad, it's hard to know what'll happen. We haven't been able to get in touch with their mom…" I began.
Inez walked over and smiled. "Joey, will you get Dee some juice, maybe? I wouldn't mind a coffee," she told the young man as she handed him a few bills. He nodded and led Dewayne off, leaving the backpack with me.
"What's going on, Inez?" I asked quietly.
> "There was a guy here earlier. The mom? She's nowhere to be found, but a guy was here looking for Rashad. Based on the description the nurse gave me, he was definitely a bad guy. If that man wants to talk to Rashad about something, I fear it's either drugs or money, so we're in trouble. When the office finds out we've not reported any of this, I'm pretty sure we're going to be fired and may face charges of child endangerment or kidnapping."
I took a deep breath and pulled out my burner phone. I sent Derek an 'SOS' text and waited. He'd never abandon me, I knew for sure. Sadly, he might be really busy with his assignment, so I decided if he didn’t get back to me soon, I would call Darryl Proctor or even Anthony Trammell if necessary. Darryl might be green, but I knew he'd help us. He cared about Dee too much to turn his back on the boy.
As I stood there stewing over what to do, my burner cell buzzed.
What's wrong?
There are people looking for Rashad, and they're not happy. Can you call me?
My personal cell phone rang from an unfamiliar number. "Hey, what's up?" he asked.
"I've got a twelve-year-old boy who is running deliveries for some not nice people, and he's currently in the hospital. Someone came by here today looking for him…likely wanting drugs or money. What the hell should I do? I can't call my boss with this. Inez and I are likely going to jail," I explained.
"Look, baby boy, I'm at the dry cleaners right now. Let me make some calls and I'll call you right back. Don't worry…"
POP. POP.
"Derek?" No answer.
"DEREK!" Still no answer.
My heart skipped a beat. I fell to my knees and continued to call his name. It had all been too good to be true, really, our charmed life. I let go a final breath before I closed my eyes.
~#~
I opened my eyes to see Inez and Dewayne looking down at me. I had no idea how long it had been since I hit the floor, but they were there…actually, Dee was prying my eyes open. "There he is," Inez teased.
"No, no, you don't understand," I told them.
"Gray, get your ass up from the floor. We have an image to uphold," Inez stated as she glanced around the room.
I slowly stood and straightened my clothes, seeing Dee dusting off my knees. I turned to Inez. "My husband and I were on a call, and we were disconnected. I heard gunshots," I told her. Of course, she knew nothing about Derek's job, so she had no sympathy for me.
"If he's a cop, I'm sure he's fine. We have a situation here we need to concentrate on at the moment. Rashad needs to go into protective custody. I think we need to hide him in a juvenile detention center," Inez whispered.
I shook my head. "Nope. We need to hide them at my house. He and Dee can stay with me, and I'll call Darryl to come to the house so I can find out where my husband is and if he's alright. We're both going to be fired over this anyway, and I hope the charges won't bring too much jail time, but those boys need to be protected by someone who cares about their well-being. They shouldn’t be locked up.
"Get Rashad released, and meet me at the back of the hospital. I'll get my truck." She nodded and we got the hell out of there.
I met Rashad Vaughn when Inez Barnes loaded him into my SUV and climbed into the front seat. "Rashad, this is Mr. Valentine," she introduced.
Dee laughed. "You can call him Gray. I had a sleepover at his house last night. It was fun. Oh, wait till you meet Vali. He's a huuuuge dude, but he’s real nice. You'll like him a lot. I got to talk to Joey," Dee continued chattering as I took us to my house, still worried about my husband and his safety.
Inez was working the phone, and I wasn't sure how any of us would fare at the end of the day. When I pulled into my garage, I saw the boys looking out the window at Derek's Camaro. It was all I could do to keep from crying.
"Okay, let's get inside," I ordered as I put down the garage door. We all bailed out of the Explorer, and I laughed as Inez turned the key to look at the odometer, scribbling in the little notebook she left in my SUV.
"You'll thank me come tax time," she stated as she hopped out, bringing her stuff with her.
After we were inside and the boys were situated in the living room with cheese, crackers, and sodas, I went to the kitchen and looked at Inez. "What the fuck are we gonna do?"
Before she could answer me, the house phone rang. I answered, "Hello?" not recognizing the number.
"I'm looking for Gray Carson. Is he available?" a man asked.
I was hesitant to answer because so much shit was going through my head, but I remembered my Derek and the phone call from earlier in the day. "This is Gray."
"Mr. Carson, this is Fred York, Derek's boss. He's been shot. He's at…" the man began his well-rehearsed announcement.
"You put Derek in a position where he could get shot? I thought you protected your Rangers," I snapped at the man.
"Mr. Carson, Ranger Valentine knew the dangerous nature of the assignment when he went undercover. There's always a risk," the man told me.
I laughed without humor. "Really? Because when Derek and I discussed it, it didn't sound to me like you gave him a lot of choices. Wasn't it because he was new to the organization and no one would be able to place him as a Ranger? Wasn't that the logic you used to persuade him to go undercover? You told him it would be two weeks. What happened to that?" I snapped as I walked down the hall to my bedroom, closing the door.
"Who are you to Ranger Valentine?" the man asked. It put me in a very vulnerable position because if Derek hadn't told them he was gay, I wasn't about to blow up his job.
"Derek and I are very close. Where the hell is he?" I asked without answering much more.
"He's safe. He'll be released in a few days. I just wanted to follow his wishes before he went into surgery," the man said.
That caught my attention. "Where? I have a Power of Attorney and a Living Will granting me the power to make decisions for Derek in the event he's unable to make them himself. Where the fuck is he? I'll call my lawyer if I have to," I threatened.
The man laughed. "He told me you'd throw a fit. Look, we're trying not to blow his cover yet. The wound is superficial, I promise you. It's was a small impact bullet into his left buttock. They're extracting the bullet and making sure there's no permanent muscular damage. If everything goes well, he'll be released the day after tomorrow."
I wasn't having that. "Where?" I demanded.
"Westlake," he answered.
"I'll be there in half-an-hour, and I better not have any trouble getting to him. I mean it," I threatened, hanging up without waiting for an answer.
When I turned, I saw three faces I'd forgotten about. "Uh, what can I get everyone to eat? I need to run out for a bit of time, but I'll be back. I have a Tex-Mex lasagna I can put in the oven. It takes about an hour, but it's pretty good. I made it myself," I explained.
"Go. You need to get to your husband, and I know how to cook. We'll be fine here, and I'll figure out our next step. Take care of your man," Inez instructed.
I didn't wait for anything more. I was out of the house and into the Explorer, hoping they made themselves at home in my absence.
As I made my way to Westlake, I thought about the predicament in which we found ourselves. Derek was supposedly undercover and had been shot. From what I'd been told he was in surgery so he'd likely been conscious and gave consent at one point. Who shot him and were they still looking for him? That was problem number one.
Problem number two was the prospect I was going to be wearing an ugly orange jumpsuit…which wouldn't complement my color wheel at all. The Vaughn brothers needed someone to love them and take care of them, and they would damn well need a lot more protection and guidance than the Gomez family (which consisted of Joey and his grandmother) could provide going forward.
Of course, I was worried about both things at the same time, and I had no idea how anything would work out, but in that moment, my husband was in the hospital, and they weren't going to keep me from him.
I walked to the recepti
on desk in the ER and handed copies of the powers of attorney to the man sitting there. "I'm looking for my husband. He's somewhere in this hospital and I have every right to know where he is," I told him.
He glanced up and smiled. "Ah, a member of the family. Give me a minute, doll. What happened to him, if you know?"
"From what I was told, he was shot in the ass," I explained. The guy was trying to hide the smile, and I couldn't help myself. The tension was too fucking much, and when I heard it out loud…Derek was shot in the ass…I giggled. He wasn't hurt badly…well, maybe his pride. I'd be happy to nurse him back to health.
"I don't have a…wait a second. I have a John Whitehawk registered with a GSW to the right gluteal muscle. He's just out of surgery and in recovery. Is that your man?" the guy asked.
I smiled. "That's him. Where can I find him?"
"He's on six. The elevator's down the hall on the left. I hope things work out," the guy told me as he handed back my papers.
I nodded and hurried down the hallway. I hopped on the elevator and punched the button, hoping and praying my Derek was only minorly injured. I loved him to heaven and back, and until I saw for myself he was okay I'd never rest.
When I got off the elevator, there was a man pacing. He wasn't an attractive man. He was tall and thin with a very patrician nose. He had brown hair and dull, hazel eyes. He was likely in his late forties, and he didn't look particularly happy to see me. My disdain for him outweighed anything he thought he could feel for me.
"Captain York, I presume?"
He walked over to me and sized me up, clearly not happy with me at all. "Mr. Carson, I presume?"
"Actually, it's Valentine. Derek's my husband. How the hell did he end up getting shot?" I asked with a snap in my voice. I wasn't fooling around. I wanted the truth.
"He was at the damn drycleaners. We have no idea who shot him or why. He's going to be out of commission for a while. We're spinning it that his cover persona, Johnny Whitehawk, was killed in an attempted robbery. He needs to go under the protection of the U.S. Marshal’s Service for a while until we can process the information he's been gathering and hand it off to the FBI," he told me.
A Valentine's Loves (The Valentine's Trilogy Book 3) Page 8