Escaping Duty

Chapter 11

Lara finished putting in another earring, as she heard David coming back home from dropping Mateo off at school. With one last look at her appearance, making sure she seemed unassuming, she went to greet her husband. He hadn't been in their bed when she'd woken up.

"How was he?" she asked him, watching as he dropped his keys by the front door, and headed into the kitchen for some coffee.

"Same as usual. The school says he's keeping up with his work, and making friends. Normal things a kid his age should be doing. Guess we have Valentina to thank for that" he explained yawning.

Lara walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his midsection from behind, and he put a hand on her arms. She leaned her head against him exhaustion overcoming her. Last night took a lot more work than she had anticipated. They had to communicate with their police connections about what to do next. They'd need to handle the mayor and news outlets in a precise manner.

They hadn't gotten back home until 6 am, and now here they were, awake again at 10 the same day.

"I've been meaning to ask you, where did you go last night when you left the guesthouse, before the call?" Lara asked David.

"I was checking on the kids. How did things go before I left?" he asked her, referring to earlier in the night before the wolves had attacked.

"We didn't get the information we wanted or needed out of it. Had to put it down. Markos says this is the third one he's seen in the past few weeks. More wolves will come too, and the alpha won't sit back knowing we're killing pack members." She explained, reaching around him to drink some of his coffee.

"Seems they're coming anyway after last night," David said darkly. "What about the body?"

"Taken care of. It was my idea to leave them a little message. Turned out convenient the attack happened the same night," she said smiling. David didn't comment on it.

His wife's ways were unconventional, but if it achieved the higher goal he trusted her opinion. They didn't want their children getting hurt, and he admitted, his wife may get too caught up in their job to show concern for them.

"That aside, for now, we need to focus on what we're going to tell our daughter," Lara said moving from his grasp.

"You've already decided?" David asked her, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, and hopefully, we get through to her," she said. David only watched as his wife went down the hallway towards their daughter's room.

***

Valentina sat in the car with her parents, looking between the both of them suspiciously. They told her they wanted to spend the day with her so no class or work for today. She didn't want to skip school, nor did she necessarily want to spend a day with her parents. But this was being normal, so it had to mean something. For now, what she found last night would have to wait.

Would it have anything to do with what her father told her last night? The car ride was silent, with the radio being the only source of noise as her parents drove up alongside a Denny's.

Valentina sent a quick text to Phoebe, asking her to cover another one of her shifts in turn for a favor. Inside her parents choose a booth in the far corner of the quiet restaurant. A waitress named Teresa came asking for drinks and left with a wide smile and three order.

"Valentina have we ever told you how your father and I met?" her mother suddenly said, and Valentina looked up from considering some pancakes.

Her parents never disclosed much of their past to her, which made them a mystery, not that she questions it anymore. Her parents took her silence as an answer, and her mom started telling her.