A Valentine's Loves (The Valentine's Trilogy Book 3)

by Sam E. Kraemer

  I took in the words the man was saying, but I knew there was no way I trusted them to keep my Derek safe. The best thing to happen would be for the Valentine clan to disappear. We could hide out in Waco at Quinn and Mari's cabin. That was the smartest thing, really.

  "Okay. I'll talk to him about it after I speak with the doctors. We'll get back to you. You probably shouldn't be hanging around here, right? I mean, if you're here and someone sees you, I'd guess it'll draw attention?"

  "Yeah, you're right. He never told me he was gay. I'd have never sent him in if I'd have known… My number's in Derek's burner phone. It's with his personal belongings. Call me tomorrow so I can make arrangements," York told me before he left.

  Yeah, he didn't have to finish the sentence. If he'd known Derek was gay, he'd have never hired him, much less put him undercover in a sensitive operation, I was sure. Well, in my opinion, he could fuck himself, though I doubted his pencil dick could undertake the task.

  Plans needed to be made, but first, I needed to see Derek and I needed to make a phone call or two. I missed the quiet life we had when I was in school and he was arresting hookers and johns. That, however, was a sentence I never thought I'd utter. Life had some twists, for damn sure.

  ~#~

  "Let's weigh our options," Inez stated as she poured the two of us another cup of tea. We had moved operations from our house to her apartment. The Vaughn boys were on the floor of her living room on an air mattress. Rashad had some injuries…broken nose, various facial contusions, three cracked ribs, and a sprained wrist, but nothing long-term. Dewayne was just happy to have his brother home from the hospital.

  Derek was in Inez's spare bedroom asleep. I'd snuck him out of the hospital so nobody knew where he was, for all of our sakes. He walked slowly, but we were able to escape without notice from anyone except the cute guy at the front desk. All he did was give me a wink and stand up on his chair, pretending to polish the lens on the security camera as Derek and I left. I was thankful to him, for damn sure.

  "Okay, the way I see it, we have two law enforcement entities looking for us. If we disappear with those kids, Austin PD will be tracking us, and we'll be put up on felony charges of child endangerment and possibly kidnapping, though if we don't leave the State, we might not get charged with kidnapping. I'm not a lawyer.

  "Second, we basically stole the Texas Rangers' star witness regarding whatever case Derek was working. He told me nothing about it, really. The Rangers, and possibly the FBI, will be looking for him. They wanted to put him in protective custody. I didn't like that idea," I outlined, explaining how I convinced my husband to walk out of the hospital without a heads up to the staff. I was pretty sure we were in a world of hurt.

  Just as I got up from my chair to grab the tea kettle so we could each have another cup, Derek wandered into the kitchen with his little round pillow. I held the laugh, knowing he wouldn't appreciate it.

  I situated him in a chair as Inez got him a cup. "Inez Barnes, this is my husband, Ranger Derek Valentine. Baby, this is my boss for now. We're just mulling our options," I told him as I put a green tea bag in his cup while Inez added hot water.

  "Ms. Barnes, it's nice to meet you. Are things always so exciting at DCFS? Gray's only been on staff for a few weeks, right?"

  Inez laughed. "We try to keep our new hires engaged. How about you? Being a Ranger has turned out to be a real pain in the ass, hasn't it?"

  I glanced at her and then Derek, seeing they were waiting out each other, and when they both exploded in laughter, I hurried out of the kitchen to see the boys were still asleep, thankfully.

  "Shh! You'll wake the boys," I hissed at them.

  Inez nodded and rose from her chair, grabbing a bottle of cognac from the cabinet. She poured some in her tea and looked at Derek. "You taking pills that would prohibit you from a spike?"

  "I only took ibuprofen. That other shit had me off my game. I need to be at my best, so just a small spike, please, Ms. Barnes," he responded. I waved off the liquor, not wanting my judgment clouded in the least. Inez splashed her tea and put away the bottle.

  I stood and started pacing the small kitchen. "Okay, we need a game plan. I've got two boys in my custody I shouldn't have because they should be in foster care. I have a Texas Ranger who I basically kidnapped from the hospital, and it's the end of my second week on the job. What more can go wrong?"

  Derek sighed. "I'm not at my best, but I need you to throw out my burner phone and yours. Mine's in my jacket pocket if I recall correctly. Write down the numbers first, then bust it up and remove the battery and the sim card. Do the same for yours. We need help, and I know who to call, but we need to leave here first so we don't get Ms. Barnes in trouble.

  "If your supervisor comes looking for you because of the Vaughn brothers, she can't find all of us here. We need to get to a payphone and call for help," Derek explained.

  He was right, but a few things were unclear. First, where the fuck did anyone find a payphone; second, who were we gonna call; and third, how much time did we really have? It all made me nervous, but things were too important to lose sight of the goal. Survival.

  Eleven

  Derek

  I prayed I never saw Raul Morales again because I'd be tempted to deck the fucker. Shooting me in the ass wasn't cool at all. I wasn't sure if it was some sort of message he was sending me, and if it was, the lesson was lost on my dumbass. All I knew was it hurt like a mother fucker.

  Gray busting me out of the hospital wasn't the worst thing in the world. I knew my boss was pissed at me about being shot, and if he ever found out I'd asked for it, I was pretty sure he'd shoot me in a worse spot.

  I'd provided them with enough information to be able to trace shit out regarding the Senator's activities…coked up wife and mistress with baby in tow…without actually involving Morales. I knew it wasn't what the Division wanted but they really didn't give a flying fuck about my life as I saw it, so it was just payback. I did the job, and they'd have to live with the consequences.

  "Let me get the keys to the Explorer. Fuck, we just bought a house here. We…this is gonna be a mess," Gray whispered.

  "No, it's not. We'll be fine. I mean, we'll likely have to sell the house and relocate, but we're gonna be fine. I need you to slip off to the house and get that gun in the Cole-Hahn box, baby boy.

  "Stop at Wal-Mart and pick up another burner phone. We need a line to make some calls. I'm gonna go lay down for a while, but wake me up when you get back, okay?" I asked.

  I was exhausted and the booze in my tea was having its way with me. Gray nodded and walked over to me. "Let's get you to bed. I'll be back in a little while. We'll deal with all this tomorrow," he explained quietly. I followed him…slowly…back to the spare room and after he had me in bed, the last thing I felt was a kiss to my forehead before I passed out. I needed a clear head, and I was still sleeping off the anesthesia. Hopefully, the next day would be better. We needed me to be better so we could give those boys better. They deserved it.

  ~#~

  I opened my eyes to see the room full of sunlight. I had no idea what time it was, but it wasn't early, which worried me. I gingerly rolled onto my back, moaning a little when ass met mattress. I saw movement out of my peripheral, so I turned my head, seeing Dee sitting on a chair by the bed with a book.

  He glanced up and smiled. "Hey, Vali, you're awake! You okay?"

  I sat up, rolling to my uninjured ass cheek. "I am. I gotta hit the john, Bud. I'll be back," I told him as I made my way out of the bed and toward the hallway bathroom, thankful for the loose boxers Gray insisted on buying. They didn't rub, and I appreciated the freedom of movement.

  After a quick piss and a brush of the teeth with the new toothbrush I found on the counter, I walked back into the bedroom to see the kid straightening the bed covers. "You want coffee?" he asked as he pulled the blankets back for me.

  God, the kid was amazing. He was cute, smart, and needed love. I had no idea how we'd ever convinc
e anyone to let us have him, but I'd do everything I could to try. He needed to belong to someone, and what was wrong with Gray and me? We were terrific parent material…well after we got through the kidnapping, obstruction, and child endangerment charges we were likely facing. One step at a time.

  Just then, there was a kick at the bedroom door, which Dee hurried over to open. A tall boy walked inside with a tray. He was a little bruised up, but he was smiling. "Hey, Mr. Derek. I'm Rashad, but my boys call me Shady. I've heard a lot about you from Dee," the kid introduced. He was just as cute as his little brother. He was tall for his age, which was twelve if I remembered right. He had a sense about him that told me he'd seen far too many bad things in his short life.

  "Thank you, Rashad. This looks good," I responded as I took the tray and placed it over my lap. He looked a little worried.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "I was hopin'…I guess I shoulda remembered the po-po was never gonna be friends with the likes…" he faded off.

  I held up my hand. "You said your boys call you Shady. I didn't realize I was one of your boys. If we're gonna be friends, then you call me Vali, and I'll call you Shady, you feel me?"

  He smiled again, and it made me happy. Rashad didn't have the same coloring as Dee, which made me wonder if they had the same father. It was a horrible thought, but Dee had lighter skin and green eyes, while Rashad's skin was the color of creamed coffee with light brown eyes…lighter than mine. It didn't matter because neither man seemed to be around based on what Gray had explained, but it was another item to add to the list of things we knew about the boys.

  "So, tell me about this asshole who's looking for you. What did you do for him?" I asked as I dug into the omelet my Gray had obviously made for me. It had been too long since I'd tasted my man's cooking.

  Rashad looked at Dee and nodded toward the door. The younger boy got up in a huff and stormed out, pulling the door closed behind him. It was then I could see Rashad had been the one to take care of Dewayne, and I respected him for his efforts.

  "You eat?" I asked as I continued shoveling it in. The biscuits and gravy were amazing.

  "Yeah. Miss Inez made us the biscuits and gravy while Gray went out to run errands. He got back and made you that omelet. So, you got shot in the ass?" He was trying to hide the smile, but he wasn't very good at it.

  "Ha ha. What about you? You got somebody pissed off at you, I see." I was taking in the bruising on his face. I really wanted to beat the shit outta somebody for what they did to that little boy.

  He scowled. "It was that fucker, Hector. He's Rhonda's pimp. Dee don't know that and I don't want him to know she's a whore. He loves her. I only stay around because of him. He needs her, but I hate the bitch.

  "We were locked in the big closet in our room, but I hadda get out because I had a delivery to make. Hector saw me sneakin’ out with the backpack, and we fought over it. We went round and round, but in the end, he beat the shit outta me and took the delivery. That's why Nathan's lookin' for me. He wants his Purple Kush, his cash, or my head on a stick. He ain't particular about which one he gets," the boy explained.

  I looked at him, and my heart ached. He was too damn young to be so caught up in the shit he'd described. When I was twelve, we were busy hiding a BB gun Quinn's granddad had given us to shoot at birds. Addy would have had a fit if she knew about it, and in turn, Miri Tucker would have gone off. Our worst worry was hiding that BB gun and the box of BBs from our mothers.

  I looked down at my plate while I gave things some thought before speaking. I might be able to figure out something that would benefit all of us, but I needed time to consider all of the angles so I didn’t make shit worse. "Okay. Can you ask Gray if I have clean clothes here? I'd like to take a shower," I explained.

  He nodded and headed for the door. "Hey, you got any way to get in touch with Nathan?" I asked before he left.

  Shady turned to look at me and walked back to the bed with a cell phone in his hand. "He gave me this phone. His number's in here," he responded.

  I picked it up and looked at it. "First, get me a pen and paper. I need to write down the number. Second, after we write down the number, dunk the damn thing in water until it's ruined, and then throw it in a trash can on the street. We gotta make sure he can’t find you. Now, hurry," I explained. He nodded and left the room.

  Gray came back a few minutes later. "Here," he told me as he handed me the Cole-Hahn box. I opened it and saw the gun, cartridges, and a cheap phone.

  He gathered the tray and moved it to the dresser. He came back and sat down on the side of the bed next to me. I put the box down on the floor and pulled him into my arms and on my lap. "I missed you so fucking much while I was gone," I whispered as I pulled him close to hold him to me tightly, taking a deep breath of the scent of him. The scent memory of him had faded, but having it back? Heaven.

  He kissed me gently and pulled away. "I imagined a thousand scenarios where you didn't come back to me. Who the hell shot you in the ass?"

  I chuckled. "It's a very long story I'll tell you someday. Right now, we need to break camp. I need to make a few calls before we get on the road. Do you think Inez would look out for our house while we're gone?"

  "Yeah, I'm sure she will. Where are we going?" he asked.

  "As a Texas Ranger, I have the authority to take Rashad and Dewayne Vaughn into protective custody while their mother's pimp, who was the one to beat the shit out of Shady, and the drug dealer who's looking for the boy, are both at large. Did you happen to grab me some clean clothes?" I asked.

  "I did. What about the stuff at your apartment?" he asked. I thought about it, and really, there wasn't anything there I couldn't live without. If the rent wasn't paid the next month, the shitty landlord would just throw things away. The harder part would be getting our stuff out of our house and selling it. That was one to ponder.

  ~#~

  "So, tell me how the operation worked," I questioned Rashad as we followed behind Gray's Explorer. Inez Barnes was going to stay in Austin and report to her supervisor, Ms. Flores, that Rashad and Dewayne had been taken into protective custody because of the dealings Rashad had with the drug dealer who was looking for him.

  Gray had contacted Darryl Proctor and gave him the gist of the problems the boys were facing, and he agreed a change of venue was in order. He also agreed to sign off on the paperwork regarding the investigation into the situation and the surrendered custody of the boys to me, as a Texas Ranger. Inez was going to get the paperwork squared, and she was going to watch our house for us. We were both grateful.

  The kid looked at me and shook his head. "I'm a snitch now? The boys in the ‘hood would be disappointed." We both laughed.

  "Yeah, I'm sure my ancestors are shaking their heads at my recent behavior as well. We were never fans of the white devil either," I teased.

  "So, what's your tribe?" he asked.

  "Cherokee. My biological father was full-blooded Cherokee, as is my mother. My dad, though, is a white man, and I can promise you he doesn't have horns," I joked.

  Shady laughed. "And are they happy you married your own white devil? Hell, is that shit even legal in Texas? This state ain't known for its liberal views."

  "You're damn smart, kid. Until 2015, there was very little hope of legalized same-sex marriage, but the Supreme Court took care of it for us, thankfully. Some people here still dispute its legality, but its recognized here thank goodness. We were double careful, though, because it wouldn’t surprise me if Texas found a way to overturn it. We went to a lawyer and filled out some paperwork to try to make it so we could be in charge of each other without question," I explained.

  "Ah. Sounds like y’all are prepared. If you can be married anywhere, why are we stayin’ down here and dealin’ with these assholes? We could go somewhere like Florida or New York and they’d never find us,” the young boy suggested.

  I sighed, wishing it was that simple. "Because right now? We're walkin' a tightrope regardin
g what's legal and what's not. Our asses are covered because you're in protective custody and the State doesn't want to separate brothers. Right now, we're just hiding you boys. We take you across that state line, and we're kidnapping you. We'll both go to prison for that one. So, stop changing the subject and explain to me how shit worked with Nathan," I reminded.

  The kid took a big breath and turned in the seat to face me mostly. "It started with my…Rhonda. She started sending me on errands to pick up rock for her. She was workin' for Hector. He wouldn't get her anything harder than weed, so she hooked up with Nathan for rock behind Hector's back. She'd send me to go take him money and pick up crap.

  "One night, he asked me if I'd drop somethin' off for him on my way back home. Gave me fifty bucks to do it, so I said yeah because, hell, we could use the money. That's how it started. Rhonda got rock outta the deal at a cheap price, and I made money to take care of Dee. When she tricked at the house, she'd lock us in the closet. I guess she had some concern about us, though it hardly showed.

  "Anyway, I was running late to get to school to pick up Dee one day. Rhonda had locked me out of the apartment which meant she had a trick so I knew she wouldn't be pickin' him up. I had the stash in my backpack, but I needed to pick up Dee before I could make the drop. I couldn't get Joey on the phone, and his Abuela don't speak English.

  "I left the backpack with my bike behind the dumpster in back of our building. I ran to the park to get Dee, seeing some guy there with Dee who worked for Nathan. He was trying to talk him into taking stickers to school. They were the temporary tattoo kind and they were laced with somethin' bad for little kids."

  He continued to tell me the story about losing the drugs to Hector and the fight that ensued. I wanted to kill someone, so I decided it was time to stop for a piss and a drink. I passed Gray and got in front of him, taking the next exit off I-35 North. We were about ten miles outside of Waco, and I needed to clear my head before we showed up at my parents' place.