Cattle Valley 28 - Second Chances (6 page)

* * * *
“I’m gonna go check on Cullen,” Oggie said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Drake reached out and grabbed Oggie’s hand before he could walk down the aisle of the plane. “He’s been through a lot. Don’t take it personally.”
“I know. I keep telling myself that.”
After Oggie disappeared into Asa’s flying bedroom, Drake glanced at Mandy. Staring out the window of the plane, she seemed so lost. She’d said very little since they’d boarded and he was starting to worry.
Drake unbuckled and moved to sit across from her. “Have you flown before?”
Mandy nodded. “Just once. When my mom flew me out to Arlington to live with my grandma.”
“How old were you?”
“Seven.” Mandy glanced at Drake. “Thanks for doing this.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Everyone deserves a second chance in life. As a matter-offact, Oggie’s ranch is called Second Chance.”
“Does he really have horses?” she asked, playing with the brittle ends of her bleached blonde hair.
“Yep.” Drake shifted in his chair, trying to get more comfortable. “Can I ask a favour of you?”
“Sure.” She seemed surprised by the request.
“Oggie won’t ask because he’ll be afraid of offending you, but would you mind helping out with getting the dorm together and keeping it clean? I normally wouldn’t ask, but you and Cullen will be the first residents, and, well, I think Cullen needs to use the time to deal with what happened to him.”
“I can do that. It’s been a while since I cooked, but I could help with that, too, if Mr Ogden needs it.”
“I’m sure he’d be okay if you called him Oggie.”
Mandy shook her head. “It’s not the way I was raised. Grandma always taught me respect starts with the name.”
“Smart grandma.” Drake wondered what had happened to Mandy to put her on the streets.
“She was.” Mandy smiled. “She died last year.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. She’d be happy for me. She bought me a subscription to a horse magazine for my tenth birthday. We’d spend hours going through it. We had this dream that we’d win the lottery, buy a big ranch in Montana or something and raise horses.” Mandy shrugged and turned back to the window. “It was a stupid dream, but it was ours.”
Drake put his hand on her shoulder. “Not stupid at all. Dreams get us to where we’re going.”

* * * *

Oggie opened the small bedroom door and stepped inside. “Do you need anything?” “I’m fine,” Cullen mumbled.
“Your eyes are looking better today.” Oggie eased his way into the room. Cullen nodded but didn’t speak.
Fuck.
Oggie was out of his mind if he thought he could help these kids. Hell, he barely

knew how to deal with other adults, how was he supposed to get through to kids? The thought brought up something he’d planned to talk to Cullen about in the hospital, but he’d known better than to discuss it around Joseph.

Taking a seat on the foot of the bed, Oggie ran his hand over the soft cotton comforter. “Joseph told me he first met you almost four years ago.”
“Yeah.”
“You were hooking at thirteen?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Cullen said, his gaze sliding away from Oggie’s.
It didn’t take a genius to know Cullen wasn’t telling the truth. “Do you mind if I ask how you ended up on the street?”
“Just did.” Cullen closed his eyes. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to sleep now.”
Oggie glanced at the small digital clock beside the bed. “We should be in Cattle Valley in about two and a half hours. There’s a button there on the table. Push it if you need something before we get there.”
“Sure.”
Oggie stood and walked to the door.
“What happened to Willy?” It was the first time Cullen had asked about his pimp.
“The police are still looking for him. Don’t worry, they’ll find him. I have a feeling Joseph will be bugging them until they do.”
“What’ll happen to him if they find him?”
“He’s wanted for assault and attempted murder. There’ll be a trial. You’ll probably have to go back at some point and testify.”
“Will Joseph be there?”
“I’m sure he will. He cares about you—ya know that, right? You’re like a son to him.”
“Yeah, I know how he feels about me,” Cullen whispered before rolling to his side, away from Oggie.
With a shake of his head, Oggie left the room. He walked passed Drake and Mandy and entered the small galley. His suspicions about Cullen’s true feelings for Joseph had been confirmed.
Crap
. Not only would Cullen need help mending a broken body and spirit, but he’d also need help to mend his broken heart.
“Everything okay?” Drake asked, wrapping his arms around Oggie from behind.
Oggie leant back against the solid wall of Drake’s chest. “I think Cullen’s lying about his age.”
Drake kissed Oggie’s neck. “What makes you think that?”
Without proof, Oggie hated to say too much. “I just don’t believe he was selling his ass when he was thirteen.”
“What’re you saying?” Drake turned Oggie around to face him. “If you don’t trust him it’s a mistake to take him home with you.”
Oggie shook his head. “I’m not saying he’s a bad person, but I don’t think he’s telling the truth about his age.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Good question. Could have something to do with the fact that he’s in love with Joseph.”
Drake leaned in and kissed Oggie. “I’ll see if I can dig up information on him.”
“No. I think trust doesn’t come easy to Cullen. If he finds out we’ve been digging in his past, it’ll only make matters worse.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not about to let you put yourself in danger for some hustler.”
“Let me?” Oggie stepped away from Drake and held up his right arm. “I know this throws people, but I was a damn good cop for years. I don’t need you or anyone else protecting me from a hooker who barely weighs a hundred and twenty fucking pounds.”
Drake shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Forgive me for being concerned.”
Oggie watched Drake stomp down the aisle to a seat towards the back of the plane. “Shit,” he said under his breath, afraid he’d screwed up the best thing to happen to him in years.
Swallowing his pride, Oggie grabbed a bottle of juice out of the fridge before moving to stand in front of Drake. “Thank you for worrying.”
Offering a silent invitation, Drake moved his legs so Oggie could slide in beside him.
Not good enough
, Oggie thought, straddling Drake’s lap. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Mandy wasn’t watching before he started to grind against Drake. Knowing he had to apologise, Oggie tried to find the words to express how he felt.
“I need you to see me as an equal, not an invalid.”
“Your goddamn hand has nothing to do with this, so stop using it as a crutch.” Drake stilled Oggie’s hips.
“Really? So why’re you trying to protect me? Don’t you think I can take care of myself?”
Drake pushed at Oggie until he had no choice but to stand or get dumped on the floor. “Don’t try to corner me. You’ll lose.”
“Who’s trying…” Was Drake trying to find an excuse to push him away? “You’re just like all the others,” Oggie said before walking away.

* * * *

The private plane landed during Cattle Valley’s first snowfall of the season. It wasn’t a bad storm, thankfully. Drake couldn’t imagine spending another minute on the plane trapped with Oggie. Still, he helped Oggie get Cullen and Mandy to his pickup. He regretted the earlier scene, but knew it was probably for the best that they went their separate ways. “Call if you need anything,” he told the teenagers.

“Thanks,” Mandy replied while Cullen continued to shut everyone out.

Drake stared at Oggie over the hood of the truck. “Guess I’ll see ya around.” “Yeah, sure.” Oggie finished scraping the windshield before getting in. Standing at the edge of the runway, Drake watched Oggie drive away. Part of him

wanted to run after him, cling to him and beg for forgiveness, but he stood his ground as the snow continued to fall.

Drake wasn’t sure how long he stood there. Long enough for the pickup’s tire tracks to be covered, wiping away any trace that Oggie had been there. With a final nod, Drake shouldered his duffle and made his way to Montgomery Enterprises. It would feel good to get back to his own private space.

He tapped in the code and pressed his cold palm against the scanner on the backside of the building. The locks disengaged and he stepped back into real life. There was a note taped to his door to see Shane when he got in.

Staring at the door to his apartment, Drake had no desire to go inside. It was a first, and he knew Oggie was the reason. “Dammit!”
Drake turned and strode towards Shane’s office without bothering to toss his bag inside. He’d bury himself in his job. It had always worked in the past.

Chapter Five

True to his word, Asa had outfitted the interior of the dormitory in its entirety. A sense of pride filled Oggie when he led Mandy and Cullen through the door. “This is it.”
Mandy’s jaw dropped. “It? As in where we’re gonna get to stay?”
“Yep. There’re two bedrooms on this floor and another five upstairs. For now you’ll get your own, but as we bring more people in, you’ll have to double up. It would probably be best if you both stayed downstairs for now. The house has zone heating, so we’ll be able to turn down the thermostat upstairs. We’ll need to save money whenever we can so Asa continues to help fund us.”
“Which room do you want me in?” Cullen looked like he was ready to drop even though he’d slept the majority of the flight.
“Whichever—they’re identical in size, although they could be decorated differently.” Oggie shrugged. “All this stuff is as new to me as it is to you.”
Mandy dropped down onto one of the expensive-looking leather sofas. “So I’m the first person to sit here?”
“Probably.” Oggie indicated the state-of-the-art entertainment centre. “You’re on your own figuring that shit out.”
Mandy shook her head. “Grandma still had rabbit ears when she died, so I’m no help there. But, if there’s a manual, I’m sure I can figure it out.”
Oggie turned his attention to Cullen. He and Drake had managed to salvage as many of Cullen’s possessions as they could find, which wasn’t much. Picking up the small suitcase Drake had purchased, Oggie started towards the bedrooms. “Come on, Cullen, I’ll help you get settled.”
Cullen didn’t argue, but he didn’t look happy either. He followed Oggie down the hall and entered the first bedroom. “This one’s closer to the bathroom,” Oggie explained.
Cullen said nothing as he studied the room. “Okay.” He approached the window and stared out at the falling snow. “It’s pretty here.”
The simple observation made Oggie smile. It was the first positive thing he’d heard out of Cullen’s mouth since they’d found him in the motel room. “Yeah. We’re lucky. We get four seasons of Mother Nature at her finest, although by February, you’ll probably be cussing her out and begging for a warm day again.”
Cullen shrugged and turned away from the window. “DC’s not exactly the Bahamas, and at least here I’ve got a roof over my head. So what’s it gonna cost me to stay?”
Oggie had worked street patrol long enough to know that look. “Not what you’re thinking. Once you’re back on your feet, you’ll have to help around the ranch—clean stalls, move cattle, whatever needs doing.”
“That’s it? And for that you’re gonna just let me mooch off you?”
Oggie shook his head. “No mooching. You pull your weight or we have a problem. Got it?”
“Loud and clear.”
Satisfied that Cullen could handle himself, Oggie turned towards the door. “I’ve got some work to catch up on, so if you need me, I’ll probably be in the barn. If not, my house is across the way. Dinner’s usually around five-thirty or so. Depends on what time of year.”
Cullen nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window. “I won’t cause any trouble.”
“I know.” Oggie said, before closing the door.

* * * *

Drake threw his duffle in his office before going to Shane’s. The younger man looked up from his computer when Drake entered. “You’re back.”
“In the flesh.” Drake leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms. “You got anything?”
Shane’s face lit up. “You bet.” He turned his monitor around and pointed to the screen. “I’ve got the originating IP address, and I have a pretty good idea of why he uploaded it in the first place.”
Drake moved to sit in the chair in front of Shane’s workstation. “Tell me.”
“There are a series of codes embedded in the programme that allows whoever did this to track every keystroke of a user who downloads it. Basically giving them thousands of people’s personal information, including financial records.”
“So why now? If that code’s in there, wouldn’t it make sense to wait until the damn thing’s released? Why pirate it?”
Shane grinned, evidently pleased with himself. “Because, I believe that particular coding that was added is the glitch that we’ve been trying to solve, and I think whoever put it in there figured that out.”
“So the IP, what did you learn from that?”
“Where he uploaded it.”
“Did you get a name?”
Shane’s face screwed up and he shook his head. “Not exactly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whoever uploaded the programme did it from Grinders, that new coffee place downtown.”
Drake checked the time. “They still open?”
“Should be, although with all the snow I doubt they have many customers.”
“Good work,” Drake said. “You still keeping it off the pirate sites?”
“Not completely, but I’ve been doing what I can. Doesn’t really matter at this point. Unless someone’s smarter than I am, they won’t be able to make sense of the damn thing.”
“Keep it up. I’m going to talk to Asa again about issuing a statement to the press. Bad business or not, we need to warn people before their bank accounts are drained and we become the fall guys.”

* * * *

Drake parked down the street from Grinders and walked to the coffee shop. He inhaled as he entered the quaint little store, taking in the blue and white gingham curtains and large display case stocked with baked goods. He imagined Kyle wasn’t too thrilled about the competition.

“Can I help you?” a petite, middle-aged woman asked.
“Coffee, black, please.”
“For here or to go?”
“Here.” Drake had no real plans to drink the coffee. It was too late in the day for him,

but he doubted he’d be able to get the woman to talk without it. Luckily they were alone in the shop. “Quiet day.”

“Hmmm, yes. Don’t tell anyone, but my favourite time of the day is the lull in the afternoon, especially today. I’ve spent the last hour watching the snow and grinning from ear to ear.” She handed Drake his coffee. “My name is Julie, by the way.”