Seeking Love in Salvation (14 page)

The tears filled her eyes and she leaned back and stared out at the water and the quietness. The fear in those babies’ eyes sat with her even now.

Samuel had broken Tye’s arm and bruised up Lena, and God only knew how he could hurt Grace. They were such beautiful kids. She wished she could do more, but she couldn’t. She learned early in her police career that she couldn’t take other people’s problems home with her. As much as she wanted to help or felt for them, it wasn’t her job. Her job was to catch bad guys, to put killers behind bars, and to seek justice for victims’ families by finding those responsible for violent crimes against them and their loved ones.

Somehow along the way, after nearly losing Kenny and Lois and coming so close to dying, her views about not getting involved and keeping a separation were changing. Maybe she couldn’t be a cop anymore. She didn’t even know if she could shoot someone if she had to. Sure, she passed all the tests she was required to take after being shot in order to get back to active duty, but then seeing Kenny and Lois so scared and suffering made her change her mind. She had to change her life to help them. That was what family did.

But who would help Tye, Lena, and Grace? Who would give them the chance for a better life and to grow up un-abused, un-victimized, and happy and healthy and loved? Who? Roxie and Samuel sure weren’t going to. Those babies were going to wind up in the system, and it just broke her heart.

“Valentina?”

She gasped as she heard her name, turning around on the bench to see Beck, Ridge, Jace, and Sparrow.

“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked and then faced the water again as she leaned back against the picnic table. They all gathered around her. Jace and Beck sat on the top of the table with their boots on the bench seat, Ridge sat right next to her, and Sparrow sat on her other side.

“We saw you come down here a while ago. Everything okay?” Sparrow asked her.

She felt Beck’s and Sparrow’s shoulders brush up against her and sensed the others so close. It gave her a good feeling—a happy one—and she smiled softly.

“I needed this. Thanks.”

“For what? We just got here,” Beck asked.

“For coming down here. For sitting close to me and surrounding me. It feels good. Right?” she said to them.

“Did you have a bad day?” Sparrow asked her.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

“I guess you could say that. It was a bit heartbreaking and upsetting to me, and now I’m down here letting my mind wander over all the things that have happened. I’m feeling different. I don’t know.” She leaned forward and Beck caressed her back under her sweater. When his warm hand caressed her bare shoulder underneath, she leaned against him and he held her to his side.

“What happened? Maybe if you talk about it we could help?” Jace asked her.

“Do you really want to know?” she asked.

“You’re upset, maybe we can help,” Sparrow said.

She explained about the case she was working on and about her visits the last week. She told them about her feelings and about what she learned about Roxie. When she got to today’s events, she stood up and looked at them. The four of them watched her, giving her their full attention, and she could tell they were getting upset, too.

“So I was holding her in my arms and she calmed down. I mean, if Roxie would just give her some loving and some comfort and hold her like she cared...” She shook her head and lowered her arms.

“It sounds like she doesn’t, though. Like maybe she stopped believing in loving and caring for another human being. Like maybe she’s obsessed with getting any attention from Samuel, even abusive, negative attention, it’s still attention,” Ridge said to her.

“You’re right, but they’re just babies. Scared, exhausted babies who need love and attention. I spoke to my boss and it seems like, since Roxie is resistant to changing and to putting her kids first, social services might take them from her. The social workers at the shelter can’t let her get away with being abusive physically and verbally to the kids. My God, the baby is only one year old.
One
,” she said and turned around and hugged herself. A moment later she felt strong arms wrap around her. Beck was there, placing his face next to her cheek.

“These things happen, Valentina. You know that as a cop and, sure, it gets to you. You wouldn’t be human or have a heart if it didn’t. You feel compelled to help her and there’s no reason you can’t keep trying to get through to Roxie, is there?”

She turned around to face him.

“She doesn’t want the help. She really doesn’t care. All I can do is wait and see what happens next.”

“Maybe if social services does take the kids it will be a wakeup call for her. They could try to work things out and get her counseling. They always try to keep the kids together and with their mother,” Ridge said to her.

“Getting abused changes a person. Makes them want to see things as they wish they could be, instead of the way they are,” she whispered and then ran her fingers along the top of her chest and the scar there. Beck covered her fingers with his.

“Is that what happened to you and Lois? Was your sister abused?” Beck asked, and she was caught off guard.

He pulled her back toward the table and bench and sat down. He lifted her up and she straddled his hips. Beck wrapped his arms around her waist and she held onto his shoulders. She looked at his dark blue eyes and his crew-cut hair as she felt the muscles under her fingertips as well as under her ass. Sparrow caressed her left thigh while Jace caressed her right thigh. Ridge slid down off the table and walked behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, under the sweater.

“Is that what happened?” Sparrow asked her and leaned forward to kiss her bare arm. Her sweater fell off her shoulders and she moved it off the rest of the way and placed it on her lap. Then she ran her palms up over Beck’s chest and the blue shirt he wore.

“Before Kenny was born, Caden was abusing Lois.” She heard their sighs of anger, maybe disgust, but she went on. Ridge continued to caress her shoulders. They were all touching her, and remaining close to her, and she pulled from their strength and presence.

“It’s a long story, but eventually my sister got out of the relationship. Caden was involved with selling illegal drugs and doing other stuff. He retired from the service and he lost his way. He had some close friends that were doing shit, and Lois got caught in the middle. I helped her to get out and to get away from Caden, but it didn’t last long.”

“The guy was a soldier?” Ridge asked.

“A Marine,” she told them.

“What happened in New York?” Sparrow asked.

She took a deep breath. She could do this.

“I was watching Kenny for Lois. He hadn’t been feeling well and she had to work. Caden showed up at the apartment, along with another thug friend. He forced his way inside and they both went after me. They knocked me around and Don dragged me kicking and screaming to the bathroom. He shoved me in there and he barricaded the door somehow. I tried getting it open. I kept kicking at it and hitting it. I could hear Kenny crying for help.”

She shook her head and felt the tears in her eyes.

“You must have been so scared. What happened next?” Beck asked her.

“I was desperate to get out of there. I grabbed the shower curtain rod and kept banging it against the door knob and the wooden door. Then I heard my sister screaming. I remember thinking, ‘Why is she home? She shouldn’t have been home for another hour. Maybe they let her off early because Kenny was sick?’ I didn’t know, but then Kenny was yelling to ‘stop hurting Mommy’ and he was crying and it sounded like they were hurting him. I could hear Lois screaming. God, it was so terrible and desperate sounding.”

She paused and ran her fingers through her hair. Even now, she could feel her heart racing talking about it. Sparrow and Jace caressed her thighs. Ridge kissed her shoulder as Beck held her gaze.

“Take your time,” he whispered.

“I was frantic and slammed that metal pole so damn hard I finally broke the knob. I got it open and when I looked down the hallway, there was Don, his back facing me. His foot was on little Kenny’s back, holding him to the floor as he laughed and watched whatever Caden was doing. I was so angry and scared I ran with the pole and slammed it against him, making Don fall to the floor and away from Kenny. Kenny ran to the right and I looked at Caden. I looked at Caden and…”

She covered her face with her hands and began to cry. She was sobbing and Beck pulled her against his chest, wrapped her up in his arms, and held her close. He kissed her forehead and her cheeks and rocked her in his arms. She needed a few seconds to calm down and she pulled back. She shook her head.

“I can’t,” she said and tried getting up, but Beck wouldn’t let her, nor would the others. “Get it out, honey. Just let it go and tell us. Maybe talking about it will help you to heal. We won’t tell anyone about this. We won’t share what you tell us,” Sparrow said to her. She looked at him and held his gaze.

“You can’t. Lois would be devastated. She isn’t over any of it. She’s been seeing a counselor and Kenny, too. He saw so much. Too much,” she said as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jace reached over and gently caressed them away.

“You don’t need to tell us every detail. Just how you guys got out and got away?” he said to her, and she knew it was because he wanted to know about her scars. About getting shot.

She wiped her eyes.

“I ran into the living room and saw what Caden was doing to Lois. How he beat her and…and had her bent over the couch.” She ran her hand over her mouth. She heard them curse and then felt Ridge’s hands tighten on her shoulders.

“I dove at him like a crazy woman. I did whatever I could to stop him and tackled him to the floor and we fought. I just kept hitting him, and he was hitting me. Then I felt the gun to my shoulder and Don telling me to get off of Caden. I knew if I did that we would all be dead. I was so angry I used a move on him, knocked the gun from his hands, and struck Don. Caden went to reach for his gun and as Don turned and I struck, he pulled the trigger, hitting me in the side. I tackled him, grabbed the gun as I knocked him down, took it, and I shot him when he tried getting away.

As I turned toward Caden, he was pointing a gun at me and we both pulled the triggers. I felt the hit to my chest, then him falling on top of me and I unloaded the gun into him. I just kept shooting and shooting until I couldn’t anymore.”

“My God, baby. You could have died,” Beck said to her as he cupped her cheeks.

“All that racket and yelling had finally gotten someone to call the police. I remember shoving Caden off of me and then feeling a small hand caress my hair from my cheek and cover my shoulder where I was bleeding.” She sniffled.

“Kenny?” Jace whispered.

She nodded.

“Then Lois was leaning against me crying until the paramedics and all the police arrived. I went through numerous surgeries, was touch and go for a bit, but I knew Lois and Kenny needed me. We had to get through this. That little boy needs love, needs happiness, not fear and pain.”

“You saved them, Valentina. You are bringing them peace and happiness and safety. Coming here to a place like Salvation was meant to be. You were meant for us, and we for you, honey,” Sparrow told her and leaned closer and kissed her lips. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt Beck press forward and kiss her chest. He moved the material of her top down a little until the scar could be seen. She pulled back for Sparrow. Ridge kissed her shoulder on that side. Jace reached up and ran his thumb along the scar.

“You’ve got battle wounds just like us, baby,” he whispered.

“You’re so special, Valentina. We want to take all those bad thoughts away. We want to make happy memories with you and embrace these feelings we all have. You can trust us. We’re here for you and we’re here for your family,” Beck said to her then kissed her lips. When he released them, he slowly lowered her top, her strapless bra barely covering her abundant breasts, and he leaned forward and kissed the scar. She gripped his shoulders and lifted up and Beck cupped her breasts. She felt him pull the bra down and then he latched onto one breast as Sparrow latched onto her other. They tugged on her nipples and she moaned and held onto them. She felt Jace’s hand maneuver under her shorts to her panties. She lifted higher, giving him better access to her cunt, and he pressed a digit up into her. She rocked her hips and felt the lips against her spine next. Ridge joined in. They were all exploring her body, taking from her and making her want them in every way.

Sparrow released her breast and stood up. “Come home with us. Let us make love to you and make you all ours.”

“Yes, Valentina. I want you so badly, baby. We all need you,” Ridge told her.

She looked at Beck as he released her breast and lifted her bra and top back into position. Jace slowly thrust fingers into her cunt and gripped her hair and neck to move her mouth closer to his.

“I want to make you mine, baby. I want to sink my hard cock deep into this wet, hot pussy and claim every inch of you. I want you to let go. We all need this. We all need one another,” he said and kissed her deeply. She rocked her hips and moaned into his mouth. She didn’t want to think. She wanted to feel more. She wanted to be free.