Sins (Vance Davis Dossier #2) (8 page)

Vance’s breath rushed from him in relief, and he realized he’d actually been holding it. “Thank you.” It felt more possible knowing he wasn’t alone. Jeff was smart. He’d figure it out.

“I’ll find out where the kids landed and keep tabs on their status. You focus on getting better.”

“What about Oklahoma City?”

“What about it? You’re a family man now.”

“But the men who took Valentine. I can’t just let them get away.”

Jeff shook his head. “There will always be another. This ends now.”

“This is the last one.”

“Don’t make me rescind my offer to help.”

“You won’t.” Vance spoke with more assurance than he felt. “Oh. I can’t believe I almost forgot. Where’s my watch?”

Jeff fished it out of his pocket, holding it up for Vance to see. “This watch? The nurse said you were really worried about it.”

“It’s my audio recorder. When you listen to the file, you might reconsider wanting me to stay out of Oklahoma City.” Vance reached over and pressed the right combination of buttons to make the watch replay its contents.

Jeff pulled a chair closer with his foot, sinking into it as the two men listened intently. Jeff winced a couple of times. Even Vance had to admit his wounds felt fresher while hearing himself be beaten. But beyond the beating, they listened to Little Z boast that Vance had no idea who he’d tangled with. As Little Z expounded on his importance, the case against him was built in his own words, and the tip about the truck stop in Oklahoma City was validated. It was a hub, the spoke in a wheel that radiated throughout the country, using the trucks that haul freight to carry children into a web of pure evil.

When it was over, Jeff met Vance’s eyes. “One more, but then you have to retire. You can’t raise kids and chase bad guys. Raising the kids will be enough of a challenge all by itself.”

Vance nodded his agreement. Truth be told, he had no desire to go to Oklahoma City. The thirst for vengeance, for penance even, had been quenched. All he wanted now was to keep his family safe and whole. He’d start by looking out for the one member of the family nobody was probably thinking of right now. “What about the dog?”

“What?” Jeff startled. “What about the dog?”

“The kids’ dog. What happened to it?”

“It’s probably at the pound, if it hasn’t already been put down.”

“Could you get it for me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Could you go get it for me, while I get out of here? They’ve lost enough. They shouldn’t lose their dog, too.”

Jeff opened his mouth to complain but settled for giving Vance an irritated look. “Sure. I’ll go get the dog for you. You just take a day or two and get better. I’ll be back after I’ve filed my report and picked up your damned dog.”

“Thank you.” If Vance were a huggy kind of person, he’d have hugged Jeff. Instead, he gave him a curt nod. It was nearly the same.

When he was alone in his room, after Jeff had gone, the nurse had checked his vitals, and the doctor had explained that he’d live, he leaned back against his bed and allowed his mind to really process what had just happened.

He had a family. Not just a sister, but a whole slew of siblings, and they needed him. He had no clue how to be around kids. He didn’t even know what skills he possessed or how he was going to get a real job to support them. But he had a family. Jessie had been right, in a way. She’d seen that Vance and Valentine fit together from the first. That woman didn’t miss much.

But he was going to have words with her about the Batman thing.

VANCE’S ENTIRE BODY
hummed with excitement. The miles couldn’t go fast enough. He glanced over at the dog in the passenger seat of his truck, its tongue lolling out happily as it watched the clouds zip by. It was some sort of a speckled, shepherd-looking thing with long fur and a docked tail. It, or rather she, seemed smart. She seemed happy, too, even if she was a bit scrawny under all that fur. Her entire butt had wriggled with pure joy upon meeting Vance. It had been a struggle to not let Jeff see how enamored with her Vance had been the instant he’d laid eyes on her. It’s like she knew she was his dog now, too.

Jeff had shaken his head and bid the pair farewell with a promise to touch base in a couple of days with a game plan for Oklahoma. Vance’s first stop had been downtown St. Louis. He’d checked each of the known hangouts for Emmett, Susie, and Otis. He’d been just about to give up when he’d spotted Otis walking back towards the bridge to Illinois. Vance pulled over and leaned out the window. “Can I interest you in some breakfast, Otis?”

Otis turned, a smile lighting his face when he recognized Vance. “I was afraid I’d seen the last of you.”

“Nope. Thanks to you, I’ll be right as rain in no time.” Vance smiled, even though it still hurt his face a little to do so.

Otis seemed to breathe a little easier. “Good. That’s good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“So, about that breakfast…” Vance reminded him.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?”

Vance pulled the dog closer to him so there would be room for Otis in the passenger seat.

The man eyed the tri-colored canine as he climbed in. “Who’s your friend?”

“Freckles. She’s a new addition. One of several.”

“You got several dogs?”

“One dog that comes with a passel of kids.”

“Huh. That could be interesting. It’s only been a week since I picked you up out of the gutter, right?”

“A busy week.”

Otis’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. Vance couldn’t blame him. If he weren’t so terrified about the path he was embarking on, he might find it funny, too. Vance wanted to take Otis to a real breakfast but felt guilty leaving Freckles in the car alone, so they opted for a drive-thru breakfast in the truck. Vance ordered an extra sandwich for Freckles, sneaking her bites in between taking bites of his own. The two men talked a little as they ate, with long pauses in between bits of conversation. Otis still hadn’t found Emmett, and now Susie was missing, too. He was starting to fear the worst. Vance promised to see if his friends in law enforcement had heard anything, but he feared the worst, too.

After breakfast, Vance took Otis back to his side of the river, where the two men said their goodbyes. Vance doubted he’d see Otis again, though he made himself a promise to check in on him from time to time.

And then Vance and his dog climbed in the truck and headed back down the interstate one more time. The further he got from St. Louis, the more he realized that era in his life had truly drawn to a close. He was ready, at last, to put it behind him. Finally, his sins were part of his past, and he was content to let them stay there.

For the first time in his life, he had a future to build.

C
URRENTLY
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UFFMAN
AND
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ANCE
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AVIS
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