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

by Sam E. Kraemer

  "You okay, Vali?" Shady asked.

  I ruffled his short, curly hair as much as it could be ruffled. "Yeah, Bud. I need to stretch my legs. My ass is killin' me," I told him. We both laughed as we got out of the car.

  Gray and Dee pulled up in the Explorer and got out. "You okay, Vali?" Dee asked as he bailed out of the backseat.

  I held out my hand, which he took happily. "Yep. Needed to stretch my legs and get a drink of something to wet my whistle. How you guys doin’ in the Explorer? Gray got you listening to some lame book on tape?" I teased.

  I didn't mind them, actually. Gray liked them, and when there was nothing on the radio except religious stations, it was nice to have something else to occupy the time when we were on road trips. We'd taken some over the years, and we loved them. It was time together where we could reconnect while he was in school and I was still working for HPD. We had some great memories of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, and a gay-friendly, dude ranch in Colorado where we went one year for spring break.

  "It's so cool, Vali. It's this old science-fiction story about an alien invasion. We won't get through the whole thing on this trip, but he promised we could go out drivin' so we could hear the rest of it sometime. I like it," Dee told me as we went inside the convenience store.

  "You gotta use the bathroom?" I asked him. He glanced around and saw the sign directing to the restrooms.

  He nodded, and I let go of his hand. "I'll wait for you here. Gray's getting gas." He hurried off and a couple of minutes later, Shady walked up to me.

  "You want a soda or something?" I offered as I walked over to the case to grab a peach tea for Gray and a regular for me.

  "Where's Dee?" Rashad asked.

  "John. He said he had to go," I replied.

  The older boy looked around frantically before he turned to me. "You don't let a seven-year-old boy go to the bathroom by hisself," he snapped as he hurried away.

  'What the fuck are you thinkin'? You used to work Vice, you stupid asshole,' I chastised as I dropped the teas on the counter. "I'll be right back," I told the clerk. I hurried to the bathroom and when I tried to open the door, it was locked.

  It was a multi-stall bathroom, so I knew something was wrong. I hurried to the counter. "You got a key for that bathroom? The door's locked," I told the guy.

  "Are you sure it's locked? It's never locked." I didn't wait for him to try to find the key. I went back to the hallway, braced myself, and kicked that fucker in. I saw Dee hitting the man on the back as the man had Rashad pinned against the wall while he tried to get the boy's pants down.

  I moved Dee and wrapped my arm around the man's throat. "I'd suggest you let my son go," I told him in a voice that sounded nothing like me.

  He immediately held his hands up and Rashad adjusted his clothes. I turned to him and smiled calmly. "Take your brother out front and pick out one snack each. Get Gray some trail mix. I'll be there in a minute."

  They both nodded and left. I kicked the door shut and turned the fucker to look at me. He was about ten-years-older than me and horribly out of shape. "You like to fuck with little boys? That's your thing?"

  "Hey, that boy propositioned me. He said he was eighteen and he didn't know who that little ba…" I didn't wait for his nasty response. I slammed his head into the porcelain sink, happily hearing the crunch of his nose.

  I swept his legs out and when he was on the floor, I grabbed him by the throat, sorry my gun was in the car with my luggage. "I'd kill you if there weren't surveillance cameras all over the place. You're not worth me goin' to prison for ending your miserable fucking life, but I hope you'll remember one thing…there's always somebody more badass than you out there, and if you mess with the wrong man's son, he might put a bullet in your fucking head.

  "I'd do it myself, but we're on the way to Grandma's house so you lucked out. You try to touch another underage boy and I’ll know it. I'll find your perverted ass, and I'll make you sorry you were ever born, you feel me?"

  Without waiting for an answer from him, I rose to the sink to wash and dry my hands. I walked out of the john to the counter and saw the kid behind it looking positively green. "How much I owe you?" I asked calmly as Dee and Rashad stood next to me.

  "Uh, six-thirty-nine," the guy responded. I tossed a ten on the counter. "Keep the change."

  I ushered the boys out and we got back in the cars. When we got on the road, I turned to Rashad, seeing him hiding a smile. "How much did you hear? How much did that cashier hear?"

  He laughed. "Well, Dad, I doubt anybody in the place would fuck with a little kid after they heard that shit in the bathroom. You're my hero."

  After he laughed for a few minutes, he turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder like a guy much older. "Thanks for lookin' out for us. Nobody's ever done it before." I was a little too overcome with emotions to answer, so I simply nodded.

  I'd look out for them as long as I was allowed. They were great kids, and they deserved to be loved and protected, and with the amount of love Gray and I had to give and my protective nature? It was a match made in heaven.

  Twelve

  Gray

  We were nearly in Waco, and after the shit that went down at the gas station, I wasn't sure what to say to Dee. He was strapped into the backseat as he excitedly related to me the takedown I’d missed while I was pumping gas.

  "He just kicked in the door and grabbed that man around the throat. He's like Superman, Gray," Dee gushed about Derek's heroics at the little store. I'd have to check with Derek, but I had a pretty good idea what had happened to cause the confrontation in the men’s room in the first place.

  The fact my husband put a pervert on the floor in that minimarket was no surprise to me at all. It was a product of his protective nature. Me? I was just happy he didn't have a gun on his person. Things were already precarious with regard to what we were doing with Dee and Rashad. Him shooting a pervert at a truck stop wouldn’t go in our favor.

  I was proud of Derek, but I damn well didn't want Dee relating the story to Addy Valentine. Having two mixed-race young boys with us for an unexpected visit was going to be enough to explain. Derek hadn't been able to get in touch with Quinn and Marisol to see if we could borrow the cabin, so we were going to Addy and Rick's first. I could only imagine how it would go.

  We needed to comprise some sort of a story to explain the situation, but with us driving separate cars, it was a bit difficult to have the time to talk. I'd just have to let Derek lead and hope we had no problems. I crossed my fingers…

  ~#~

  I pulled around the side of the house to the carport where the Buick was usually parked, though it was missing at the moment. There was an attached one-car garage, but I knew Rick's Cadillac Escalade was parked inside. He and Addy still had the insurance business, but they'd hired a young guy to run the day-to-day of it. Addy worked part-time to get away from Rick, who only went into the office once a month to schmooze with some of his biggest clients. It was working well for them and they were both happier for it.

  "Who lives here?" Dee asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt in the backseat.

  "Derek's mom and dad. They're really nice. I think you'll like them," I explained (optimistically) as I got out of the truck and helped him down to the running board where he jumped off. I handed him his backpack and grabbed the two bags of clothes we'd cobbled together before we left Austin like fugitives.

  Dee looked at the house, which was very nice in a suburban sort of way, and then he looked back at me. "How they gonna feel about havin' me and Shady stayin' here? We didn’t have a nice place like this."

  Derek walked up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, turning me to look at him. "You ready?"

  I nodded, and the four of us proceeded to the front porch. Derek rang the bell instead of going right inside, which was a surprise. When Rick opened it, his smile was glowing. "This is your home, Derek, why the hell you ringin' the bell?"

  Derek reached down and picked up Dewayne. "We
brought a couple of guests, and I wanted to give you the option of saying you'd rather not have us stay here. I tried to get in touch with Quinn, but I didn't get an answer on his cell or at home. We're, uh, sort of in need of a place to hide," he explained, mindful of the boys. I put my arm around Rashad's shoulder, seeing him turn to me with worry on his face…his very bruised face.

  "What on earth? Get in here, guys," Rick insisted.

  "Where's Mom?" I asked as I ushered Rashad inside with me. I saw the two boys looking around, taking in the sight of everything as little boys were prone to do.

  "She's bothering Keith at the office. I was just in the basement. Who are these two handsome guys?" Rick asked with a big grin, likely attempting to put two nervous little boys at ease.

  Derek laughed as he put Dee on the floor and limped into the living room with Dee holding his hand. I placed my hand on Rashad's neck and steered him into the room after I shut the front door.

  "Dad, this is Rashad and Dewayne Vaughn. We're uh," I began, glancing at Derek. He sat on the couch with a look of pain on his face. I hated it for him.

  "Derek, what's going on and why are you in pain?" Rick asked as he directed us to sit down.

  Dee and Rashad started chuckling behind their hands, and suddenly, I couldn't hold it in either. Of course, my husband wasn't happy about it, but I had to remember he wasn't too long out of the hospital.

  "Derek got shot again. He actually needs a pain pill and a nap. Shady, can you go to the Explorer and get the rest of our bags? You probably need to have something as well," I remarked.

  I turned to Dee and smiled. "You mind taking Vali upstairs to his room? He needs a nap, and I think Shady might need one as well. It's the room at the end of the hallway. It's in blue and brown. You and Shady can share Cara's old room," I explained as I looked at Rick, who was nodding.

  Dee took off his backpack and offered it to me. "You'll watch this, right?"

  "Of course. Help the big guy upstairs," I requested.

  He walked over to the couch and took Derek's hand. "Come on, Superman. Let's get you tucked in. I have homework I need to do, but you need a nap. Even Superman had to sleep," the boy stated with a glowing smile. I just shook my head. They were incredible boys.

  ~#~

  I explained to Rick everything that had happened in the past week…well, as best as I could without really having the details regarding Derek's ass. Rick immediately went to the phone and called Addy to come home, only sharing with her that Derek and I were visiting.

  "She'd wreck the damn car if I told her what's going on, and we're gonna trade it in and get her something new in a couple of weeks. Should I go to the store and pick up anything for the boys? Do they have allergies or anything? You know, the first thing she's gonna want to do is feed 'em," Rick reminded.

  "I don't think they have any food issues, at least none we've discovered thus far. I'll check around to see if there's anything the boys might need that Addy doesn’t already have in the house. I need to pick up some more ibuprofen because between Derek and poor Rashad, they will both need more. Do you need anything from the store? Beer or wine?" I asked.

  We both proceeded to search the fridge, freezer, and cupboards to see how they were fixed for having four more guys to feed…Rashad could damn near eat as much as Derek, and Dee wasn't far behind even if he was only seven.

  I made a list and then went upstairs to check on things like soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. After my list was complete, I went to Derek's room to check on him, seeing he and Shady were both asleep in Derek's old queen-sized bed. Rashad was on his side with his hand on Derek's chest. Derek's left hand was holding it, and both appeared to be content. I was grateful.

  After closing the door, I went to Cara's old room to see Dee at her cute, gold-and-white desk with books spread out like he was studying for the Bar exam. "How much homework do you have, Dee?" I asked as I walked into the room and stood next to the chair, seeing him with a pencil and notebook, scribbling furiously on it.

  He spun in the chair to look at me and pointed to the end of the bed. I took a seat and watched him look through his papers for something. When he found it, he handed it to me with his cute grin in place. It was a printout from the internet regarding the required curriculum for second-grade, homeschoolers in Texas.

  I glanced over it and looked at him. "Is this from your school?" It seemed odd to me the school would hand out requirements for homeschoolers if the children were attending an actual school.

  He shook his head. "Naw. I didn't get to go to school so much this year but I don’t wanna get behind and be left back, so Joey printed that paper off the internet. I sneaked my books outta school every day I was got to go so I could keep up with the other kids when I had to be out. If I ever get to go to school on the regular, I wanna join the Scouts and maybe play baseball. I gotta keep up because if I don't make good grades, I can't play sports. I heard that on a show on TV one time. I try to read the assignments and understand them myself, but if I got questions, Shady and Joey help me out."

  I nodded, knowing without a shadow of a doubt I needed to step in. That sweet little boy was trying to teach himself, and he was so eager to learn. It was all I could do to keep from crying. "Okay, well, you and I will have school time every day from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon. I'll plan things for us to do for field trips, and we'll make sure you stay on track until we can get you into a regular school, okay?

  “I'll look into what I need to do to register with the State to home-school you and Rashad. You will both do well in school and achieve all your goals, or I'll die trying," I promised.

  He smiled. "Thanks, Gray. Did you need somethin' when you came in here?"

  "Oh, I was headed to the grocery. Would you like to come with me? Derek and Shady are both napping, and Rick's in the basement doing whatever it is he does in the basement," I joked.

  Dee laughed as he closed his books and stacked them neatly on the desk. "I can leave these here, right? Nobody'll take 'em?"

  I smiled at him. He was a remarkable child. "No, sweetie, nobody will take them. Rick and Addy will respect your privacy, and they'll leave your books alone," I assured.

  Thirteen

  Gray

  Just as we were out the door and headed for the Explorer, the Buick Regal flew up the driveway and skidded to a halt behind Derek's Camaro. The car, a 2002 model, looked as new as the day they'd likely driven it off the lot. The pearly, sand color, which was very popular that year, was just as vibrant as any new car. It had been taken care of quite well over the years.

  "Why didn't you boys call me and give me some warning. I haven't changed the bedding on Derek's bed since you were here before your graduation," Addy complained as she came around the car and spotted Dewayne.

  She walked over and looked at the boy and then me. "Who's this?" Thankfully, it wasn't asked as coldly as I'd witnessed her speak with people in the past.

  "Miss Addy, this is my…our ward, Dewayne Vaughn. His brother, Rashad, and Derek are upstairs taking a nap. Dewayne and I were about to run to the market to pick up a few things since we rudely dropped in unannounced," I explained.

  Dewayne, not missing a beat, stuck out his hand and grinned happily at her. "Miss Addy, please call me Dee. Your son, Derek, is my hero." How that child could continue to have such an upbeat and pleasant attitude after all the shit he’d been through in his life was completely beyond me.

  I could see Addy was stunned as she shook his little hand and released it. I quickly decided before she came to her senses and began asking questions, I needed to herd Dee to the Explorer. "Yes, well, he's everyone's hero, isn’t he? We'll be back," I stated quickly helped Dwayne into the car and hurriedly hopped into the driver's seat and backed down the driveway, getting us out of there as fast as possible.

  Once we were on the road to the grocery, I glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Dee staring out the window. "You okay, Sweetie?"

  He met my gaze in the mirror
and smiled. "She seemed nice. She's pretty, too."

  I laughed. "When we get back to the house, make sure to tell her that. She'll appreciate it."

  He nodded as we made our way to the Walmart Superstore. I found us a cart which Dee insisted on pushing, and we began our shopping. We started for the groceries when something occurred to me. The boys didn't have many clothes, and Derek and I didn't either…not with us, anyway. They'd definitely need more things, and it didn't get much better than Walmart for a one-stop shop.

  We went through the boys and men's departments, gathering shorts, t-shirts, underwear, and swim trunks for all of us because it was summer. I picked up flip flops for all of us before we made our way over to the grocery side of the place to hurry through my shopping list. I knew Derek and Rashad wouldn’t sleep too long and we were out of ibuprofen, so I was anxious to get home.

  As we were collecting vegetables in the produce aisle, I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I turned to see QJ Tucker with a big smile on his handsome face staring at me. "Uncle Gray? When did you guys get into town?" he asked as he hugged me. At seventeen the young man was as large as his father and every bit as good looking. He was a combination of his mom and dad, and he had an amazing personality.

  QJ was the co-captain of the varsity football team, wreaking havoc as the star running back. He played soccer in grade and middle school, but when he started high school, his game was football and he was impressive. Over the years, Derek and I had caught a few games in Waco when we’d been back for visits. The kid was destined for greatness.

  "We just got in about an hour ago. This is Dewayne Vaughn. He and his brother, Rashad are staying with us out at Rick and Addy's. You should bring Cody and Michael over. They're about the same age as these guys. What are you here for?" I asked.

  QJ frowned. "Mom sent me for salad stuff and I’m tryin’ to find it. How long y'all in town?"

  Before I could answer, Dee stuck out his little boy hand. "I'm Dewayne, but you can call me Dee if you're a friend of Gray's."