Sins (Vance Davis Dossier #2) Page 2

  Vance hadn’t thought he’d be able to sleep that night, but once the adrenaline wore off exhaustion had claimed him. From that moment on, Jessie’d had a firm hold on him. She was his angel, his friend, a sister brought to him by circumstance instead of blood.

  True to her word, she’d come back the next day with a sack full of nonperishable groceries. She was also sporting a black eye, which she waved off as inconsequential. Vance’s pulse had pounded in his temple. He’d wanted to find the man who’d hurt Jessie, to repay the injury. She’d begged him not to make it worse by retaliating. At the time, he’d let her think she’d won the argument. But he would eventually repay Spence for Jessie’s black eye. It just took him a few years so he could do it without bringing more trouble on her head, but that was another story.

  As it turned out, Spence was in the market for hired help. The unprovoked attack on the homeless couple made him rethink the number of enemies he’d accrued. When Spence commented to Jessie that he was toying with the idea of hiring some muscle, she casually mentioned there was a strapping new kid in town who needed a gig.

  When Jessie arranged the meeting, Vance jumped at the opportunity. As much as he hated the man who ruled Jessie’s life, he knew becoming Spence’s right hand would be the best way to protect her. If Spence had been put off by Vance’s fading bruises, he hadn’t mentioned it.

  He became Spence’s driver, the intimidating muscle standing behind Spence at deals, the enforcer when things went south. In return, he’d gotten a roof over his head, a nice suit, and a little bit of money in his pocket. As long as he didn’t think too hard about who he’d become, it wasn’t a bad deal. It certainly beat his days of knowing which dumpsters to dive.

  The hotel bed he was currently tossing and turning in was worlds apart from the dirty little motel Jessie had put him up in the night they’d first met—even if it was only two actual miles away. His mind wandered from memories of Jessie, of his throwaway life, to the homeless friends he’d made that night. He wondered what their stories were. Maybe as he got to know the city again through them, he’d also find a way to help them, to repay what Jessie had done for him once upon a time.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ALLIE WALKER TWIRLED THE END of her blond ponytail around the ends of her fingers, her head cocked to the side as she watched Vance across the kitchen table.

  He couldn’t help the grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Do I want to know what that look means?”

  “Taking down the modeling agency that was acting as a front to traffic girls, that trafficked Nicole, wasn’t enough? You’ve decided to end homelessness in St. Louis, too?”

  Vance’s brow creased; he shook his head. “That’s not what I said. I was just wondering if maybe there was something more we could do to help these people. Like maybe you could come to St. Louis one week, spend a little time with Susie. I think it would do her some good to have a friend.”

  The light that flickered in Allie’s eyes made Vance question the wisdom of his suggestion. He had the distinct impression she’d misinterpreted his invitation as a personal one.

  Before he could backpedal from the impending danger, she was nodding. “Yeah, absolutely. I’d love to come help out.”

  “If you don’t have time, that’s okay.” He tried in vain to steer out of the murky waters. “I mean, you’re right—I really should focus on the original task at hand. And I promised Nicole I’d come visit soon, so I’d better wrap it up fast.” Nicole might not be his blood sister, but they’d spent time as foster children in the same house—albeit a decade apart. Still, it was probably as close to family as he’d ever get, barring Jessie.

  Allie pulled him back to the moment. “No, really. I don’t mind. It would be good for me to get away for a bit. Just let me make a few calls…” She was up and dialing the phone before Vance could respond. Instead, he sat there mentally kicking himself. He’d driven back to the Barnett farm to eat a home-cooked meal and load up on food for his new friends. He hadn’t planned on bringing Allie back to St. Louis with him.

  Yet that’s exactly what he found himself doing. After the last dish from Sunday dinner had been put away, he was hot-footing it down Interstate 44, trying to get back to the city while Emmett and crew were still out and about. Allie sat in the passenger seat, watching him with an expectant expression on her face.

  “Have you found out anything about Beastly Modeling?” she asked.

  “Not yet. It’s early, though. Since this isn’t a recovery, I’ll take my time.”

  “So, because there’s not a kid you know missing, you’ll just meander along?”

  “Ouch.” He winced. “I prefer to call it being thorough. It’s not like I’m sitting in the hotel room popping bon-bons.”

  “Right. Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.” She grew silent, pensive almost, before venturing again. “So, when you do solve this one, what’s next?”

  Vance shrugged. “Dunno. Another one?”

  “Oh.” Allie thought for a moment more.

  “There’s always another one.”

  “And is there ever a time when you’re just Vance?”

  He shook his head slowly. “It’s been so long since I’ve been just Vance, I don’t know if I’d recognize him. I didn’t like him very much back then, though.”

  “Maybe he’s changed.”

  Vance cut his eye toward Allie. There was such hope on her face; he wished he could make her understand. “Maybe, but I’m not quite ready to find out yet.”

  Conversation died after that. Vance thought he should maybe feel guilty about, that but all he could muster was relief. He wondered if he and Allie would ever have that elusive thing called friendship between a man and a woman. He wasn’t ready for anything else, not when he still saw Harmony’s sweet face every time he closed his eyes. Even if that weren’t the case, Allie wasn’t meant for his kind of life. She needed a good, solid farmer who she could raise her kids, go to Sunday school, and attend parent-teacher meetings with.

  A small smile escaped at the thought of attending a parent-teacher meeting. It was comical, really. He couldn’t imagine fitting into that world.

  “What’s so funny?” Allie’s eagle eye noticed his expression.

  “Just thinking about how different our worlds are now,” he admitted. It occurred to him that maybe if she realized how different, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to domesticate him. “You wanted to know what’s next with the case I’m working now. I never really answered you.”

  She shifted in the seat so she could see him better, nodding encouragingly.

  “Rescue is only part of what I do. Actually, I’m not really supposed to go busting down doors like I did with Nicole. If I know there’s a girl who needs my help on the other side of that door, I tend to forget the rules, though.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “But not smart. I tried my hand at avenger; all I managed to do was cover myself in blood and get a bounty on my head.”

  “You have a bounty on your head?”

  “We’ll just say the Bosnian mafia isn’t my biggest fan.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He’d already lost control of the conversation. “But we were talking about my case. Usually I work with local and federal law enforcement to build the case. I get the evidence to them, and they get warrants and do the rescue. That way, they have a case they can use in court to convict the traffickers. Sometimes, though, I have to get a girl or group of them to safety first, then backtrack and make a case before a new batch takes their place. Of course, with these guys, they replace their stock pretty much instantly.”

  “Stock?”

  “Well, they certainly don’t see their victims as human. There’s no way they could see them as human and do what they do.”

  Allie frowned, absorbing his words for a moment. “So how do you build a case?”

  “Talk to the people who know what’s going on, find the traffickers’ home base, and watch. I take lots of pictures. Re
cord conversations. Document everything. Well, most things. Some things it’s best if they don’t find their way into the files.”

  “How do you live?” she wondered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “How do you pay your bills?”

  “Paying bills isn’t life,” he countered.

  “For me it is.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” His voice was soft. Allie’d had her own tough road; he wished she didn’t have to walk it alone.

  “We’re not talking about me,” she deflected. “How did you pay for this truck?”

  “I have a benefactor in Italy and another in Ecuador who sees to it that I have the tools I need to do my job.”

  “A benefactor?”

  “Two of them. People who believe in what I do. I mean, I also get a consulting fee from law enforcement when I do training sessions and things like that. But it’s not much, and my day-to-day work, I do that for free. Most of the people lost to slavery were the invisible ones—runaways or foster children. But sometimes it’s a child from suburbia who goes missing from their front yard or a teenage girl from the heartland who answers an ad for a modeling gig and never comes home—I don’t think their parents should have to pay to see their kids again.”

  “You really are an angel, Vance.”

  He scowled. That hadn’t gone as intended. “But that’s just it; I’m not. Do you want to know how I learned the ropes on the street? I was one of the bad guys, Allie. At the time, I told myself I didn’t have a choice. I told myself I was in it to protect a friend, but I was really there because it was easier than going home. I was there because the money was good and I liked how it felt to have people clear a path for me when I walked down the street.”

  “We all have sins in our past, Vance. It’s what we do with our now that counts.”

  A bark of laughter spilled out of his lips before he knew it was there. He shook his head. “You’re something else, Allie Walker.”

  They both settled down after that. Allie stopped looking at him with worshipful eyes; he stopped twitching like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Something of their old camaraderie returned. They spent the rest of the drive talking about her children or Emmett, Otis, and Susie. It wasn’t long before Vance was navigating crowded streets to find a public parking space that wouldn’t have Allie venturing down too many dark paths.

  “Stay close to me,” he ordered as they walked away from the truck. He resisted the urge to tuck her up under his arm for protection, knowing how she’d interpret the action. Instead he walked as close as he could, every inch of his body projecting the message to leave them both alone. He wondered again why on earth he’d felt compelled to bring innocent Allie to the streets. But then they came across his newfound friends, and the joy evident on Susie’s face—after she warmed up to Allie—reminded him why.

  Whether she knew it or not, Allie was a natural. She exuded friendly warmth. There was no air of judgment when she extended a hand of friendship to each of the trio. They could sense as much and quickly accepted her. She chatted more easily than he did, and Vance was happy to hang back a little, watching the exchange with a smile on his face.

  “Your girl is a peach, Vance.” Otis moved closer to Vance.

  “Allie’s an old friend. Not my girl,” he clarified.

  Otis looked from Vance to Allie and back again. “She’s a pretty little thing.”

  “True, but we live in different worlds.”

  Otis let the subject drop, but the expression on his face clearly said he thought Vance was crazy.

  “Hey Otis, forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I’ve been checking into some housing for the three of you. If I find something, would you be interested?”

  Otis chuckled and shook his head. “Not me. I have a place in the woods across the river. It’s not much, but it’s well-hidden and people leave me alone there.”

  Vance nodded. “I can respect that. Just thought I’d check.”

  “Not sure those two will let ya, but it wouldn’t hurt to try with them.” Otis lowered his voice. “Emmett’s been running with a rough crowd lately. One of them hurt Susie pretty bad last week. If they don’t get off these streets soon, well, nothing good’s gonna come of it.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Vance promised.

  Otis patted him on the back. “I’m sure you will, son.” He glanced up at the sky, half-squinting. “Now I’d better head home before it gets too much later. All kinds of beasties come crawling out at night.”

  “It was good to see you, sir.” Vance shook Otis’s hand in farewell. “Do you want some dinner before you leave? Allie packed a fine supper for you.”

  “Could I maybe take it to go?”

  “Absolutely.” He swung the pack off his shoulder and fished out a pre-packaged meal and drink. “We brought lemonade today. Hope that’s all right.”

  Otis grinned. “Been a long time since I’ve had lemonade.”

  After a round of goodbyes, Otis set off towards his home.

  As if reading Vance’s thoughts, Emmett offered up an explanation. “You should see his place. Built it entirely out of wood pallets and scrap he found. Dude’s smart. He don’t let nobody come by—he wants to keep it secret so no one bothers him—but I snuck a peek once.”

  “You keep your mouth shut, Emmett,” Susie scolded. “Otis is our friend. If anybody finds out about his place, you know the cops will toss him or someone will rob him.”

  Emmett held up his hands in surrender, letting the topic drop.

  “We brought chicken and dumplings.” Allie changed the subject. “Would you like some?”

  Emmett nodded eagerly; Susie’s nod was a bit more tentative. Vance had the distinct impression she was waiting for the other shoe to fall, that she expected to learn the catch at any moment. He thought maybe it was time to address the catch head-on so she had all the facts and could decide for herself if she trusted him.

  “You’re still wondering why I’m here, aren’t you, Susie?” Vance asked, leaning against a nearby wall and folding his arms casually across his chest.

  “Sorta,” she admitted around a mouthful of dumplings.

  “I used to live on these streets, but that was a long time ago. Now I track down lowlifes who run girls and help the cops put them in jail.”

  “So you’re a cop.” Her suspicion was instantly roused.

  Vance grunted in response. “Hardly. I go the places the cops can’t go. I work with the police when I can, but I’m in this for the kids. Whatever it takes.”

  “What’s that got to do with us?” By all outward appearances, Emmett appeared to be taking the news in stride, but Vance tread carefully nonetheless. If he lost these two now, word would quickly spread on the streets not to trust him.

  “Nothing, really. But I’ve been off these particular streets for a while and figured the best way to get a feel for them again would be to make friends with the people who really know what’s what.”

  Emmett grinned around his fork. “You got that right.”

  Susie’s gaze bore right through him. He did his best not to close off, not to protect himself from her penetrating stare. It was the moment of truth; he sensed it. Whether she accepted or rejected him, Emmett would follow suit.

  “If you’re looking for girls, try Little Z. You can usually find him at the diner on 7th after hours. The man loves his steak and eggs.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  VANCE WAS GOING TO CRAWL out of his skin if Allie didn’t stop looking at him with those big, doe eyes of hers. They’d swung by his hotel room to kill some time and regroup. He’d intended to bury himself in paperwork, but expectation was rolling off Allie in waves.

  “Sorry I drug you along today. I wasn’t really thinking about how much time I spend with my nose stuck in a computer. I’m not sure what I expected you to do while I was working.” Vance pretended to be oblivious.

  Allie crinkled her brow for the briefest of moments before recoveri
ng. “No worries. Why don’t I work on finding a place for Emmett and Susie to stay for a while?”

  Vance nodded. “Good idea. Let me jot down some places to start with. If any of them have openings, I can pay for the first month up front. That’ll give me time to secure something a little more permanent.”

  “Did you ask Emmett and Susie yet?”

  “I wanted to see if I could find a place. And I want to check it out first. Some of these motels are more dangerous than living on the streets.”

  Allie shook her head. “I still don’t understand why you’d rather be here than back home.”

  “I don’t really fit either place,” Vance admitted.

  “Where do you fit?”

  “I have no clue. But I can do more good in places like this while I’m figuring it out.” Vance glanced over at Allie, briefly making eye contact before returning his attention to the list he was making.

  “Were you in St. Louis the whole time you were gone?” Allie wondered.

  Vance shook his head as he handed her the slip of paper. “If you don’t have any luck with any of these, let me know and I’ll think of some others to try. And no, I wasn’t in St. Louis the whole time. I was here for about five years before moving on.”

  “Moving on to where?”

  “Lots of places.” He shrugged.

  “Getting information from you is like pulling teeth, you know that?” Allie scowled at him.

  Vance suppressed a chuckle and went back to his computer screen. “I’ve been told that once or twice.”

  Since he couldn’t hear Allie’s response, he imagined she’d rolled her eyes at him or something. She’d been rolling her eyes at him since they were 10 years old, when he’d first gone to live with the Barnetts. Allie’s family had been their nearest neighbors, even though they were half a mile down the road. They’d become fast friends as children, that friendship naturally evolving into high school sweethearts as the years progressed. Everyone had assumed they’d get married someday. He hadn’t realized at the time how much Allie had counted on it, too.