Page 51 of Seeking Love in Salvation (The American Soldier Collection 16)

“I think that’s a great idea. I’ll help, too, and Kenny will be thrilled to have other kids his age around.”

“Well, let’s not jump the gun. There’s a lot to figure out, and with both parents missing, I’m not certain what the courts will do. My first step is to see if I can be a foster parent and start that process. I became quite friendly with the social worker from the shelter and also the one assigned from the state. I have to see what I can do to get them. It’s going to be difficult.”

Lois smiled at her and then gave her knee a pat. “If anyone can do it, you can. Besides, just remember, if it doesn’t work out, you can always be certain to get those kids the best home possible by using all those powerful ways of yours.”

“Powerful ways?” Valentina asked.

“Your stubborn, don’t give up, negotiating attitude that never takes no for an answer. You’ll be their advocate, no matter what.”

Valentina smiled. “I’ll do whatever I need to do. They deserve to be happy and to be loved.”

Lois smiled and nodded. Thank God for Valentina. If Lois ever lost her, she wouldn’t know what to do.

Chapter 10

It had been two weeks since Valentina filed the necessary documents to try and adopt Tye, Lena, and Grace. She was told numerous times that the likelihood that she would be approved was slim. She worked a dangerous job. Being in law enforcement increased her chances of getting injured or killed in the line of duty. She was a single, twenty-four-year-old woman who rented and didn’t own a home. She’d never had a child of her own and was involved in an unconventional romantic relationship that could negatively affect the psyche of all three children already traumatized by violent, shocking events in their lives.

She was feeling hopeless, despite the fact that she had numerous people writing letters and making signed statements confirming her personality, her professionalism, and her abilities to be a parent to three adopted children. It was a roller coaster of emotions and only two weeks’ time had passed.

; Today, when she was allowed to visit the children at a temporary shelter, the kicker was that the social worker told her it would make everything much easier and straight forward if she got the mother, Roxie, to sign over custody to Valentina, giving up all rights.

Well, that wasn’t a possibility. First of all, Roxie was still missing. Secondly, the woman didn’t care about the kids unless it made Samuel happy, and obviously he didn’t really care, either. If the two of them were together, then they’d both basically abandoned the kids. Now what?

She was in the car with J.R. It was their lunch break and he was doing some sort of special protein shake diet, so he waited in the car while she went to visit the kids. It was a decent neighborhood and Kay, the social worker, knew she was stopping by. Valentina walked up the sidewalk, noticing a dark van sitting in the driveway. She didn’t recognize it but knew that the shelter received different deliveries twice a week.

She heard a noise and turned to look by the side door and the van. The back doors were open, and she heard a baby crying. She approached from the sidewalk, glancing behind her and wondering how she could alert J.R. Then she heard the click of a gun. She turned to the right, and there stood some guy she didn’t know.

“Don’t even think about it, pig. Put down the gun,” he said. She thought about her options. She was quick, but out of practice. This guy’s hands shook while he pointed the gun.

“Otis, what the fuck?”

She heard the voice, turned to look, and saw Samuel.

“Fuck.” Samuel approached. She had to hand over her gun and he pushed her by the van that another guy was guarding. There were containers of some sort. She saw the danger signs and put it together. Guns. These were the crates of guns that went missing from the warehouse, the ones he nearly killed two cops over. This was bad.

“What is she doing here?” She heard Roxie’s voice and saw her holding the baby and pushing Tye and Lena along. They were crying and the baby was lumped over her arm, the blood rushing to her head.

“Roxie, the baby,” Valentina said to her.

“Valentina.” Tye and Lana ran to her and hugged her tight. They were crying hysterically now, and she tried to calm them despite the fear she had.

“Why are you taking them? Just leave them here. Let them have a good life, with people who care about them,” Valentina said to her.

“They’re my kids. They’re coming with me. You’re going to die here.”

“Stop! Police!” She jumped at the sound of J.R.’s voice from down the pathway. In a flash, two shots echoed next to her and she covered the kids.

“Get her in the fucking van. Move.” Samuel yelled at them. The guy grabbed her and shoved her into the van with the kids. Valentina looked past the van and saw J.R. on the ground. He wasn’t moving.

“Oh, God, you shot him? You shot a police officer,” she yelled at him. He struck her in the mouth and she jumped forward, wanting to hit him back, when Tye covered her and hugged her neck crying. “Don’t fight him, Valentina. Don’t. We need you,” he said, and she held him tight, feeling her jaw ache as Lena crawled up next to her, too, and Roxie sat down with the crying baby in her arms. She didn’t even look at the baby. She didn’t care that Grace was crying, that they were all scaring her kids.

The van sped off and they all fell over as he made a sharp turn. One of the heavy boxes slid to the right and was about to hit Lena and Valentina stuck her arm out to stop it. The pain struck her so fiercely she cried out.

“What the fuck are we going to do with her?” one of the guys asked.

“I don’t know yet. She’s pretty hot, though. Could provide us some entertainment while we wait this out,” Samuel stated.