Page 48 of Tony

She moaned in her sleep and he repositioned himself to try to make her as comfortable as possible. Knowing sleep would be impossible, he nonetheless wrapped himself around her, protecting her as much as he could, even if for tonight it was just in her dreams.

* * *

“Guys, I know I’m no help, but honestly I didn’t see anything,” Sherrie said, leaning back on the sofa with Tony’s arm draped around her. Wearing pink pajamas and a pink flannel robe, she felt self-conscious. But Tony had insisted she be ready for bed as soon as the group meeting was over. She fingered her sling, feeling useless and angry at herself for being a victim.

Shane, taking notes, just nodded as he prodded, “Anything you give us, even tiny details, can help.”

Sucking in a deep breath through her nose and letting it out slowly to clear her mind, she agreed. Tony had wanted her to take more pain medicine this morning when they woke up, but knowing that their friends were coming she had refused. At least until she could give her statement.

Matt and Shane were there officially, but had been joined by the Alvarez inner circle of BJ, Lily, Gabe, Jobe, and Vinny. Sherrie looked around, thinking how far her life had come in the past year. From being virtually alone to having good friends who cared…she sat up straighter, determined to give a good accounting of herself.

“When I visited Betina at her stepfather’s store…actually I need to make sure to call him Mr. Valesquez because he’s not her legal stepfather. When I visited Mr. Valesquez’s store, everything seemed fine, although I got a strange vibe from everyone. As though they didn’t want me there.”

“Since you actually represent the court system as her CASA worker, do you think that vibe was just a distrust of your position?” Matt asked.

“Maybe,” she said slowly, “but…you know when you just get a weird feeling about something? That was how I felt.” Looking around, she admitted, “I guess that’s sounds very flimsy, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all. Those feelings of instinct are what make a good detective,” Shane added. “So what gave you some of those feelings? What did you see? You can even just list things, if that makes it easier.”

Sherrie closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to the previous day. “I noticed that a lot of the workers there were teens and some looked to be young teens. I noticed that some kids from Betina’s school that she had said could get some food at the store, were there talking to Mr. Valesquez and he was giving them bags. I noticed that the ones running the butcher shop carvers were young boys, not men. I noticed that no one smiled at me. One of the women that was there would stare, but then when I would turn toward her, she would dart her eyes away.” Opening her eyes, Sherrie blushed, saying, “I guess that’s not much to go on, but when I left, I decided to drive by a couple of other businesses that he runs.”

“Why?” Matt said, still jotting on his pad.

“I…it’s just that…Betina doesn’t seem happy. Not at home and not at work. Her teachers say that she is smart and artistic, and that while she is quiet, she also befriends the loners. I just wanted to know more about her and since Mr. Valesquez is a big part of her life since he lives with her mother, I wanted to know more about him.”

After describing the encounter and threat in detail one more time, she was showing more signs of exhaustion.

“So you don’t trust Valesquez, right?” Vinny asked, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees.

“I really don’t. After years of dealing with the kind of people Charisse was involved with, I developed a sense about who might be untrustworthy. So I wanted to see if his other businesses hired a lot of teens and what those businesses looked like.” She leaned back into Tony’s embrace.

Before Tony could comfort her, she jerked forward again, wincing at the pain in her shoulder but ignoring it.

“I’ve seen the underbelly of this city. I’ve been there. I may have been in a normal family at birth but once my parents died, I knew what it was like to be at the mercy of others. Some great foster families and some not so great. I know what it’s like to do anything and everything you can to keep peace in a family that you don’t really belong to. I know what it’s like to go into alleys, bars, or cheap motels to drag out my drunk, high sister out of trouble. And I’ve looked into the eyes of the ones that were pulling her under. I worked as a waitress in a strip bar, dealing with scum. I can look at someone and tell if they are lying, cheating, or just plain mean. And I’ve seen evil, even when it is hiding under layers of normal.”

The group watched, mesmerized, as her chest heaved with exertion and her face a mask of pain. Reaching around to try to ease her shoulder, she slumped as the fight went out of her. “I can’t give you a viable reason as to why I don’t trust Hernando Valesquez, but I don’t.”

“Darlin’, that’s enough for me. I trust your instincts,” Shane added, as Matt flipped his notebook shut.

Lily, quiet during the questioning spoke up, “BJ and I’ll start a background check on him and his businesses and see what we can dig up.”

Matt winked at his wife as the meeting broke up. Leaving Sherrie comfortably reclined on the sofa, Tony walked the group outside.

“We’ll push the party back a week and give her a chance to heal more,” he said. The others quickly agreed and promised to come. “I want to thank you all,” he said haltingly, the emotion of having caring friends overtaking him.How many times have I sat at meetings just like this when one of their women was threatened, without realizing how overwhelmed they were?He rubbed his hand over his jaw, feeling the stubble, before pulling his hand through his dark hair, making the waves stick up.

The men nodded, understanding the emotions behind the words, and knowing he had been there for them.

Matt and Shane left in their vehicle, leaving Tony with his crew.Jennifer slid her arms around him, hugging him while Gabe clapped him on the back. “You know we’re here for you and Sherrie. You need us, just call.”

Jobe moved in next. “Captain, we got your back, and I mean both of you.” Turning toward his truck, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Tony, no one deserves that good woman more than you. Happy for you, man.”

Tony just nodded, not trusting his voice. His gaze wandered over to Vinny, the only one left in the driveway.

Vinny pulled him in for a man-hug complete with slaps on the back before admitting, “Never thought you’d fall in love again, Tony. Not that I didn’t want you happy, ‘cause I did. But seeing you with Sherrie…well, you both deserve to be happy with each other.”

Tony chuckled, saying, “Don’t tell me the great Vincent is going to break hearts all over Richmond by looking for love?”

Throwing his blond head back, Vinny laughed. “You got no worries on that score, boss. There is still plenty of Vinny to go around. Haven’t found the woman yet who can make me want to give up my ways.” With that parting shot he left as well, leaving Tony standing in the driveway.

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