Maya was well into her meal by the time he and Ruby dug in. Damon noticed her glance at him often. She did that a lot. Watched. Being deaf, she must have amazing abilities to read people from only their body language.
After a time, breakfast approached an end as hunger waned. Ruby put her fork down and sipped some orange juice. She leaned back against the stool and watched her daughter for a time. Damon would never get tired of that, the vision of a mother like Ruby just watching her daughter.
“I had a thought today,” Ruby said.
Maya had stopped eating and now drew in her notebook.
This seemed important to Ruby. She had clearly waited for Maya to be fed and preoccupied to bring this up. Plus, her demeanor was completely different. Whatever she had to say would carry big weight.
“Kid had another house in Chicago,” she said. “Maybe he brought Maya there...without me.”
Ruby stood and took her plate to the sink, beginning to clean up.
Seeing her distress, Damon went to her. He stood behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. “None of this is your fault, Ruby. This is Kid’s doing. He made some bad choices in life, for whatever reason. You were sucked into his vortex. Deceitful vortex.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier,” she said.
“I know. I’m going to be your champion, Ruby. I will expunge that man from your mind, and I will be the man you deserve,” Damon said, meaning every word.
She faced him and met his eyes. “You mean that? You’re being honest?”
“Yes.”
He watched her struggle to believe that. He suppressed a grin. She had been that way since he’d first met her: reluctant, guarded. He had never had to work this hard for a woman’s affection before, and he discovered he not only loved it, but he also had tremendous respect for Ruby. Her penchant for surety would also secure his. Except...he was already sure. He’d stop at nothing to win her trust.
He kissed the tip of her nose. “We’ll go by there tomorrow, then we’ll take Maya to the zoo. If she gets any negative vibes, that should take care of her.”
Ruby turned, putting her hand over his on her shoulder. “You’re an amazing man, Damon Colton.”
He breathed a chuckle. “I’m just catching the bad guys.”
“I just hope I’m enough for you.”
“You are, Ruby. The only question is...am I enough for you?”
* * *
Damon’s words kept running through Ruby’s mind as they drove toward Kid’s old house. Am I enough for you?
She knew exactly what he meant. He didn’t mean to question whether he, personally, was enough for her. He was. He meant was he enough for her to trust?
Damon pulled up to the house where Kid had stayed on occasion. He parked across the street.
“Maya.” Ruby reached into the back seat and waved to get her attention.
Maya looked up from her coloring book.
Ruby signed, Have you seen this house before? Ruby pointed.
Looking out the window, Maya nodded.
Did you see any guns in there?
Maya shook her head, and Ruby let out a disappointed breath. She glanced at Damon. “I can’t think of any other places where Kid would have taken her.”
His expression became as grim as she felt.
“What now?” Ruby asked. Santiago would surely come after them. He’d want them dead if they came up empty-handed.
Then from the back seat, Maya poked Ruby’s shoulder.
She looked back and saw Maya stretch her arm out and point to the house next to the one Kid had owned.
A surge of hope ran through Ruby. The house appeared as though it had been left unmaintained for quite some time. Years. It was in poor condition. This was an older subdivision, and the houses much smaller than the one she and Kid had lived in. But Kid had found the charm irresistible and purchased a house here.
Damon took out his phone and called someone. “Yeah. Colton here. I think we found them.”
He must be talking to his boss or some other member of his undercover team. He gave the address and said it was an abandoned house. At some point he must have informed them that Maya had drawn pictures.
“I’ll wait to hear from you,” Damon said.
Then he turned to Ruby. “They’re going to find out what happened to the owner or their family. If the owner intentionally left with no plans to return or the family just doesn’t care, I can go in without a warrant.”
Ruby sat with him in silence while they waited. Who knew how long it would take?
“How many people are working your case with you?” she asked.
“Quite a few. There’s administratives, other agents, special-forces types. Not all of them know the details of my cover, for obvious reasons, but they are all ready for a raid. I report to the agent in charge.”
They were all waiting for an end to this investigation. Just like her. Except Ruby wasn’t law enforcement, and her stake in this was personal.
“This reminds me of my grandmother’s house. In a way.” He took in the other houses, many like the one his estranged and dead grandfather had bought for her.
“How so?” Ruby asked.
“It was a Federal-style mansion built in the 1800s.”
“These aren’t mansions,” Ruby said. “That’s probably why Kid didn’t come here much. He had fantasies of riches he’d never be able to possess.”
Damon could see that. People who gambled their lives on drugs and violence usually wound up dead or in prison. Not many made it as far as El Chapo.
He rested his head back, content to wait for his team to dig up information on the abandoned house and to spend the time with Ruby.
“What’s your grandmother’s house like?” Ruby asked.
He rolled his head to see her. She had leaned back as he had. He smiled gently. They were two peas in a pod.
Rolling his head straight again, he said, “Old. Too big for her to manage.” He took a mental tour through the home. “Even the furniture is old. Most of it belonged to the previous owner.”
“Sounds nice to me,” she said.
“Grandmother can’t afford the upkeep on a place like that. Most of it is boarded up. She needs money to fix it up. That’s one reason she’s going for the aorta to get our cousins’ money.”
Ruby turned her head to look out the passenger window. He could see she was in thought.
“It’s kind of sad your grandmother is that way,” she finally said, turning back to look out the windshield. She sighed slowly, relaxed. “There is so much more to life... Family... Love.”
That made him sigh the same way. “Yeah.”
Their moment was rudely interrupted by his phone going off. He answered. It was his team.
“What does the exterior look like?” the agent asked.
“Basement windows are boarded up. Weeds everywhere. Paint chipping. Second-story windows are also boarded.”
“We couldn’t get a hold of the owner. Go in and see what’s inside. If it appears abandoned, do the search. Call if you need backup.”
“Roger.” Damon lowered his phone and looked at her. “I’m going in. You wait here with Maya.”
Ruby readily agreed. Maya was now absorbed in her book. She was a voracious reader. Watching Damon disappear around the back of the house, she tried to stave off a wave of worry. What if someone was in that house?
* * *
Damon peered into several windows and saw the house wasn’t furnished and was in grave disrepair. When he opened the single screen door, it fell off its rusting hinges. Leaning it against the house, he tried the doorknob. It didn’t budge. The handle looked new, probably the only new thing on the property in decades. To Damon, this was a good sign. Kid would have thought to secure his stash.
Seeing the kitchen window was cra
cked, he used a rock to break the glass. Clearing the shards, he crawled through. Dirt and broken cabinets greeted him. It smelled moldy. He walked through the rooms, looking out the front window to check on Ruby and Maya. Ruby looked toward the house, and Maya entertained herself in the back seat.
He checked every closet and searched for secret doors. The second level was empty and filthy like the first. Damon hadn’t expected to find much up here. He headed down to the main level and went to the basement stairs. The door was padlocked. A sure sign something valuable was down there. Damon left it untouched. The weapons had to be here.
He returned to the car, on the way telling his team to move in. He didn’t want to risk being here longer than necessary, lest he alert Santiago and blow his cover.
Time to go to the zoo.
* * *
Maya sat next to the giant giraffe Damon had bought for her yesterday. Morning now, Ruby prepared cheesy scrambled eggs, toast and fruit for breakfast. Damon sat at the table working on his laptop. He’d been on the phone for hours last night. The DEA had found Kid’s stash of weapons and ammo in the basement of the abandoned house.
Ruby shied at believing her nightmare would finally be over. Even in death, Kid could still haunt her.
She brought plates to the table, then went to get Maya’s attention. She left her morning cartoon, awkwardly and adorably carrying the giraffe. She put the stuffed animal on the chair beside her.
Ruby took the seat adjacent. Having placed a plate next to Damon’s computer, she waited for him to pry himself away from work and notice.
He grinned. “Sorry.”
She felt his excitement. It matched her own.
They began eating, Maya taking intermissions to have a signing conversation with Giraffe.
Ruby enjoyed the peaceful moments while they shared a meal as a family. She was ever curious to know what resulted from all his work so far today.
“So...what are you going to do with Santiago and the guns?” she asked.
Maya was busy eating and carrying on with her giraffe.
“I’m going to use the weapons to coerce him into a deal. I’ll demand money for them. It’ll be a sting. If he goes for it, we’ll arrange to meet at the abandoned house, make the deal and carry out the raid.”
Ruby worried at that. “But Santiago thinks he’s in charge of you. You’re like...his boy.”
Damon chuckled. “I am not his boy. I have the weapons. He doesn’t know where they are. All he expected from me was to find them. He didn’t anticipate I’d use them against him. I made sure of that. His greed and power-hungry ego will be his downfall.”
That had been his plan all along. Make Santiago believe he was acting to protect Ruby and Maya, that his main goal was to be accepted into the criminal organization, to make money. He had done that. Santiago had no idea who he was dealing with. More than an undercover agent, Damon was no man’s man.
Chapter 15
Although Damon didn’t like taking Ruby with him to meet Santiago, for the sake of the investigation her appearance would be best. After all, Santiago believed she was the one who had led him to the weapons and ammo. They had dropped Maya off at January and Sean’s home. Damon would take Ruby there before he and his task force met Santiago at the vacant house. Santiago wouldn’t want to wait.
Damon spotted Santiago sitting at his claimed table with Carl and Orlando, two of his most dangerous men.
He pulled a chair out for Ruby and she sat, looking sexy in a white summer dress. He sat beside her.
“I assume there is a reason for this urgent meeting,” Santiago said. “Why not just tell me over the phone?”
“We found the guns and ammo,” Damon said.
Santiago’s eyes moved to Ruby. “You finally gave in and told him?”
“I didn’t know where they were. I only knew where Kid would have gone. It was a process of elimination,” she said.
Now Santiago looked pleased. “Very good. Very good. Where are they? We need to arrange shipment to one of my warehouses.”
Damon remained calm, meeting Santiago’s eyes intently. “It’s not going to be that simple, Santiago.”
Santiago’s brow rose. “Oh?”
Carl and Orlando glanced at each other, then watched Santiago for signs of whatever order he might decide to pass on to them. Damon always marveled over the psychology that drove criminals like them. They were pawns. They took orders. They lived in threat of being killed. And for what? He doubted even they knew the truth of that. They grew up in volatile homes with little or no love. They learned crime and lived crime.
“We want a finder’s fee,” Damon said to Santiago.
“You want money.” He said it flatly, glaring at Ruby as though blaming her for this.
“Those guns and ammo don’t belong to you. Not yet. They belonged to Kid Mercer. The way I see it, whoever find them gets them. Now, I’m a generous man. I can be reasonable. I think ten percent of their value should do it.”
“You’ve got balls demanding that,” Santiago said. “I took over in Kid’s place. Anything that belonged to him now belongs to me.”
“That’s why I called it a finder’s fee. You’ve been on me to give them to you, now I can, but you have to pay for all my effort.”
Santiago half stood and pounded his hand on the table. “How dare you?”
Ruby flinched and stood, backing away from the table. Orlando drew his gun.
“You will give me every one of those guns and the ammunition. I want them tonight. If you don’t bring them to me, I’ll have you killed.” He looked at Orlando, who nodded once.
Damon stood and took Ruby’s hand to reassure her. He was accustomed to dealing with characters like this; she wasn’t.
“You don’t seem to understand,” Damon said. “I have your weapons. I know where they are. If you want them, you’ll pay me my finder’s fee.”
“Your finder’s fee.” Santiago looked at Ruby.
“Ruby has nothing to do with this deal. This is my deal.” Damon leaned over the table, his palms supporting him, bringing his face inches from Santiago’s. “Give me the address for your warehouse. I’ll bring the guns and ammo. When you pay me ten percent of their value, I’ll give them to you.”
Santiago met his eyes hard for a while before cynicism took over. “You surprise me, Mr. Jones. I had you pegged for another follower. But here I discover you are more than that.”
“I am much more than that. I can make you a lot of money if you give me a chance.”
“I thought that’s what I did when I gave you the opportunity to find and hand over my weapons.”
“Which I have done. I found your weapons. Now I expect to be paid for that service,” Damon said.
After a moment, Santiago’s expression changed from dangerous to grinning evilly. “I like your style, Mr. Jones. I always have.”
“Santiago,” Orlando said in a warning tone.
Santiago lifted his palm to silence him. “No. I’ll give you this deal. Ten percent.” He turned to Carl. “Get everyone ready.” Then he faced Damon. “The alley behind Kid’s nightclub. Midnight tonight.”
That would be difficult to orchestrate with his team. “I’ll be there.”
* * *
Ruby was extremely worried. Damon dropped her off at January and Sean’s, kissed her quickly and said he’d call when it was over. Now her imagination ran wild. She had no illusion as to the kind of men he was up against. Kid had been ruthless in his doling out punishments when his men didn’t rise to his ridiculous expectations. Santiago was every bit the tyrant Kid had been.
Sitting on the back patio with January drinking iced tea, Ruby was glad Maya wanted to color. She was too distracted by her thoughts.
“He knows what he’s doing, Ruby,” January said.
Ruby looked at her, realizing her worry was tra
nsparent. “I know. It’s just... I was with Kid long enough to know what they’re capable of.”
“Damon is a DEA agent. He’s in law enforcement, like Sean. They are good at what they do. You just have to trust him.”
“Huh. Trust.” Now there was a word.
January laughed lightly. “It’s always hard going into a new relationship. You never know which way it’s going to go.”
Ruby appreciated her candor. “Yes, and both Damon and I have been through rough past relationships. His role-playing while he was undercover didn’t help. I admit I’m overly cautious and maybe a little paranoid, but I can’t help it. It’s just...ingrained in me based on experience.” Horrible experience.
“You’ll be fine. Once all the turmoil is over, it’ll just be you and him.”
That would be nice. Ruby wasn’t sure it was that simple, though. “Maya has grown close to him.”
“That’s great! She needs an influence like Damon in her life. He’s a hero, not a criminal. I think he’d make an awesome dad. I mean, I can’t say I know him well yet, but he seems like an honorable man.”
“He is,” Ruby had to say. It was the truth. “Every time I meet someone new, I try to tell myself not to have any expectations, but I want to. I want to believe I can have a life with someone like Damon, but I’m so afraid to let go.”
“Everyone is. Just give it time. It’ll all work out in the end.”
Ruby liked January’s optimism, but she had already gone through the trials with Sean. They were a solid couple now. Ruby could not say that about her and Damon.
“I can tell you love him,” January said.
Did she love Damon? Thinking about the man in that context, she got all warm and tingly inside.
“And I saw the way he looked at you at the party. He’s a goner. He’s fallen for you hard.”
Ruby laughed, full of joy, unbidden and without prior thought. Natural. She caught her breath. No. Damon had the power to break her heart like no other. And Maya’s.
She turned her gaze away from January and found herself looking out at trees and flowers. It didn’t soothe her. Damon might very well not survive what he was about to attempt. He had told her before he dropped her off that it would be best if she came with him to make the deal. She was an integral part of the investigation. But Ruby had thought only of Maya and resisted. Damon, being the man he was, hadn’t pushed her.
Colton 911: Temptation Undercover Page 19