Read Sins (Vance Davis Dossier #2) for Free Online Page B
Authors: Heather Huffman
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.
“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.”
C HAPTER F IVE
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
“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.”
C HAPTER F IVE
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