Page 78 of Valor on the Move
“Republicans can be chefs, Mom.”
Camila sighed and re-crossed her legs. “Do you know what your grandfather did for a living?”
Puzzled, Rafa nodded. “He was a businessman. An entrepreneur.”
“That’s what we tell people. He was a cook. Not a chef. Nothing close to that. He cooked at a diner. And his business was cleaning grease. He had a little machine on wheels that he towed around. After a day at the grill making burgers and French fries, he cleaned the vats. Then he went to the other restaurants in the neighborhood, and he cleaned their vats too. We could never quite get rid of the smell of grease in our little apartment. Even after he died, it was like the grease hung on, a film over everything. The thought of you cooking…it made me ashamed. Like we were going backwards when we’d come so far.”
Rafa stared at his mother. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She patted his knee. “As Adriana would say, it’s my issue. I’m sorry I let it affect you so much. It’s silly now that I say it out loud.”
“I guess we all have issues.” Rafa tried to imagine his mother as a little girl, but couldn’t quite.
“Rafa, we were wondering…” Camila paused. “Well, we wanted to know…is there anyone special? A young man you’ve managed to keep hidden?”
His heart skipped. “No,” he said too quickly. “Not yet. I was so busy with school.”
“Well. Yes, plenty of time for…that.” She shifted uncomfortably.
Rafa tried to imagine what they’d say if they found out about Shane, and nausea rolled through him. No, better to cross that bridge later. Much, much later. Unless Shane tells the truth to the Secret Service. Rafa couldn’t see why he would, but the longer he went without being able to talk to Shane, the more his imagination went into overdrive. Surely Shane wouldn’t tell a soul. He had more to lose than Rafa did.
“There’s one more thing, son.” Ramon put his hand on Rafa’s arm. “We know it won’t be pleasant, but you’ll have to answer some questions for the Secret Service.”
Rafa’s pulse thundered. “About what?”
Ramon’s brows drew together. “The abduction, of course. We’ve put them off this long, but you’ll have to meet with them tomorrow morning. It’s necessary, I’m afraid. You might have seen something, or heard something that could help.”
“I don’t think so.” Rafa went back to his nail, peeling off a strip. “I was pretty much just in the metal box until Shane rescued me.”
Camila shuddered. “Oh, darling. I can’t imagine.” She ran her hand over his head.
“It was…bad.” He shuddered as he remembered the sensation of being blind, squashed in the box with his muscles cramping. “Why would they do that to me? I mean, what was their plan?”
His father squeezed Rafa’s shoulder. “Terrorists want to disrupt our lives. Instill fear in us. They’re cowards. When all is said and done, the why doesn’t even matter. These people aren’t worth another moment of our thoughts.” He grimaced. “Of course that’s easier said than done. If they’d succeeded…taken you away…”
“It’s okay. Shane saved me. I’m fine, Dad. I am.”
Ramon kissed the side of Rafa’s head. “You’re a brave boy.”
“Um, thanks.” Rafa’s palms were sweaty, but he managed to keep his tone casual. “Hey, can you get Shane’s number? I really want to thank him again.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be able to once the investigation is over,” Ramon replied, tugging on his tie.
Rafa sat up straighter. “Why can’t I thank him now?”
“Darling, I’m sure he’s very busy.” Camila rubbed his arm. “Now, let’s talk about—”
“What aren’t you telling me?” He looked between his parents.
His father sighed. “Rafa, we don’t know yet how this happened. Or who was involved.”
“I thought they were Chechen.”
“Yes, the kidnappers were. But to get to you the way they did, they had help.”
“Yeah, but…” Rafa’s mouth went dry. “Wait. Not from Shane. Is that what the Secret Service thinks?” He jumped to his feet. “He didn’t help them. They almost killed him! I saw the bullet hit his head! The blood. And he saved me. He killed them all!”
“All right, all right.” Ramon stood as well and put his hands on Rafa’s shoulders. “We’re not accusing Agent Kendrick of anything. They’re investigating, and I’m sure they’ll discover the truth very soon.”
Rafa forced himself to inhale and exhale slowly. “Okay.” Calm down. Don’t let them see. Shane’s innocent. He’s fine.
“Let’s go down to the kitchen and get a snack.” Camila led Rafa away from the couch. “Don’t worry about any of that now, all right? You have a future to plan. You can tell us more about Australia. We were there what, five years ago, Ramon? We held a koala. I think it was as stoned as a hippie.”
As his mother talked, Rafa followed his parents downstairs and told himself not to worry. And as he thought of planning his future, he knew without a doubt he didn’t want one without Shane.
