“Ruby?” January said.
Ruby sprang up. “I have to go. Will you watch Maya?”
“What are you doing?” January stood.
Sean had gone out to get dinner, so he wouldn’t get in her way. “I have to go to him.”
“No, Ruby. It’s too dangerous.”
“January, please. I know Kid and his gang. They’ll be suspicious if I’m not there. I have to go. Now.”
January met her eyes, and Ruby saw her understanding. She related to what it was like to be with men who weren’t afraid of confronting bad people. She had a protective nature like Ruby.
“Okay,” she said. “Maya is safe here.”
Ruby threw her arms around her and breathed a thank-you.
“Just come back alive, all right?”
“I will. Nothing will keep me from my daughter.”
As she hurried from the house, Ruby wondered if this situation might be the one to keep her from her daughter—if she didn’t survive the night.
But she could not stand by and do nothing. Damon was in law enforcement, but Ruby knew way more than him about the evil that surrounded Kid.
* * *
Standing in the back of a conference room, Damon listened to his boss lay out the strategy of the raid. They’d already gone through the drill, but this was a refresher and also a pep talk, a strength-booster. They had the element of surprise. Santiago had no clue what was coming. The task force had the advantage, but they could not underestimate the enemy.
“One more time,” Brian McNatt said. Special agent in charge of the Chicago Field Division of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, he had a commanding presence. “Somebody tell me the plan.”
The DEA had partnered with federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies to bring down Kid Mercer’s reign of terror.
“We loaded the weapons into a truck and are ready to meet Santiago at the nightclub,” Damon said. “We’ll have snipers in position and a team surrounding the alley, some inside buildings, some out of sight outside. There are more agents in vehicles who will sweep in once the exchange of money happens.”
“And you’re certain Santiago and his men aren’t aware of your identity?” the agent asked.
“I’m certain.” Thanks to Ruby for helping him with that. Kid’s gang of thugs would not expect the DEA descending on them. Damon would relish every moment, even as dangerous as this move would be.
“What about Duarte? Why isn’t she here?” Brian asked.
Damon ground his teeth, He needed her with him to make this go smoothly. He hadn’t forced her, though. He had gotten her into this mess. He didn’t want to put her through any more stress.
“She’s somewhere safe,” he said.
“You didn’t tell her to be here?”
“No, sir.”
Brian studied him a while. “I understand. You have to be extra careful without her. She was Kid’s girlfriend, the mother of his child. She’s the reason we found the weapons.”
“I’m aware of that.”
The room was silent as the gravity of the situation sank in.
“All right.” Brian checked the time. “Let’s get this done.”
Before anyone could move, the sound of running feet and the door to the big conference room bursting open stopped everyone. Damon turned to look and saw Ruby, breathing fast in her rush to get there.
Damon’s heart swelled with love. She had come to help him.
He stood as she walked hurriedly to him and threw her arms around him. Conscious of the crowd of burly agents surrounding them, he held her through the brief hug.
Then she leaned back. “I had to come here. You need me. You all do.”
He grinned. Not caring who saw, he kissed her. Cat calls erupted along with clapping.
“My brave woman,” he said when the kiss ended.
“Let’s go crush Kid’s gang.”
Yeah, and then start a new life together. Damon didn’t say that now, but he felt sure of the course ahead of him. He just had to convince her she had the same one. With him.
* * *
Ruby and Damon arrived at the meeting place. She saw Santiago with his entourage of armed men. Carl, Orlando and Sonny flanked him, each carrying mean-looking automatic weapons. Her heart raced. This could go so bad in such a short amount of time. She looked over at Damon.
He winked at her.
She smiled. He was totally in his element. A flood of trust and love suffused her. She had never felt anything like it before.
He would get them through this.
She got out of the car and walked with him toward Santiago.
“Where are my guns?” Santiago asked.
“Parked not far from here,” Damon answered.
“You have someone else involved? Who is with them now?” he demanded.
“No one. Ruby is going to go get the truck and bring it here as soon as I know you have my money,” he said, calm as could be.
He amazed her. She could tell he wasn’t playing any role right now. He was Damon Colton, not Damon Jones. Santiago wouldn’t know that, though. That was when Ruby realized Damon had not really been faking it the whole time. For the most part, his confident personality drove his character as a bartender looking to make some illegal cash.
“I need to see the guns before I give you the cash,” Santiago said.
Orlando stepped forward, holding his weapon aimed at the ground—for now.
“Show me the cash, and then we’ll bring the guns,” Damon said, clearly not afraid. His entire demeanor was daunting. Ruby marveled over that. He was such a man.
She saw Santiago take note of that. Damon would not back down. If he wanted his guns, he’d do as Damon asked.
Santiago turned to Carl and gave a nod. Carl, the obedient dog he was, went to a black SUV with dark-tinted windows. At the back, he withdrew a duffel bag. Returning to the group, he dropped it on the ground, then unzipped the top, jerking the opening wide to reveal an impressive pile of money.
Damon stepped forward and crouched, examining the bundles, fanning a few of them to make sure they were not counterfeit. Appearing satisfied, he stood and looked at Ruby. This was her cue to go get the truck.
She went to the car and drove the two blocks to where the agents had left the truck full of weapons. She saw an agent sitting on a bus-stop bench. She only knew he was an agent because Damon had told her he’d be there. His presence gave her some reassurance.
There were more agents surrounding the drop site, but she didn’t see them. They were experts at covert operations. She began to feel empowered, part of something big and dangerous, with the law on her side.
Driving slowly, she turned into the alley behind the club. The group of men waited and watched her approach. Damon and his commander told her to wait in the truck.
Damon led Santiago and his men to the back of the truck, where he opened the door to show them the contents. Carl carried the bag of money.
Ruby could see a little of what transpired back there in the outside rearview mirror. She could hear Santiago’s pleased voice.
“Good work, Damon. I think you’ll fit right in,” he said.
Damon moved to shake Santiago’s hand, and she could now see his back. Carl handed him the bag of money. As soon as that happened, chaos erupted.
DEA agents poured out of buildings and into the open from every angle, guns aimed. They came from the back door of the nightclub, from around corners of buildings and into the alley. Ruby saw a sniper on the roof of a four-story building behind the club.
In the outside mirror of the truck, Ruby watched Santiago and his men glance around in shock. Then Santiago turned to Damon. “You son of a bitch.”
To her horror, he took out a gun and fired. Damon flew backward and landed on the ground.
A snip
er’s shot hit Santiago in the head. His body collapsed to the ground.
Santiago’s men began firing at agents.
Gunshots rang out. Worried sick about Damon, Ruby ducked down in the truck as the volley of shots continued for endless seconds.
Then the shots quieted, and all Ruby heard were agents yelling for Santiago’s men to drop their weapons. She sat up and looked around. Agents passed the truck and ordered Santiago’s men on the ground with their hands up.
As soon as she knew it was safe, Ruby got out of the truck and ran to Damon, kneeling by his side. He grimaced in pain and held his shoulder.
“Let me see.”
He moved his hand, full of blood. More blood drained from the wound.
“Oh.” Urgency overtook Ruby. The shot was too high to have damaged any organs, but he was bleeding badly.
She ripped his shirt to expose the wound and checked for an exit. There was one. There was no bullet left in his body.
A man with a DEA Agent jacket on knelt beside her. “I’m a paramedic.”
Ruby gave him room but stayed near Damon. He dug into his backpack and produced a bandage.
Ruby took it from him and applied pressure while the paramedic secured it with tape, tightly to stop the bleeding.
“You a nurse?” the paramedic asked.
“I will be, as soon as I finish school,” she said.
“She’s a nurse,” Damon said. “And I’m her first patient.” Damon grinned and all but stopped Ruby’s heart. How could he smile at a time like this? A moment later, she had her answer. This was Damon Colton. DEA agent. Brave. Handsome. But most of all, a hero.
Ruby looked down at Damon, meeting his eyes, secure with the sense that he was going to be all right.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
“You’re just saying that because you’ve lost too much blood.”
He chuckled, then winced.
Ruby kept pressure on his wound. “Sorry. A nurse shouldn’t joke at a time like this.”
“I’ll get an ambulance,” the paramedic said. He stood and rushed off.
Looking from his departure to Damon again, she touched his cheek, and they shared warmth in the intangible feelings they had for each other. Ruby appreciated his ability to rise above the pain he must be in.
Hearing someone approach, she assumed it was the paramedic, but instead it was a six-foot man with close-cropped medium-brown hair and beard. His green eyes with a grayish tint were serious. Ruby recognized him through her association with Sean. He was Harry Cartwright, a detective with the Chicago PD.
“Is he all right?”
“He’s going to be,” Ruby said. “The shot went through his shoulder.”
The ambulance arrived, and Ruby stood.
Damon winced in pain as he was moved onto a gurney.
Ruby put her hand on his chest. “I’ll follow you to the hospital.” Leaning over, she kissed him briefly.
His expression smoothed, a fleeting alleviation of pain that put a grin on his mouth.
Always a gentleman, maybe a ladies’ man. He had a pure soul. She squeezed his hand before he was rolled away, seeing him meet her gaze until she couldn’t see him anymore. “Seems I have some catching up to do,” Harry said.
Ruby turned to him, wondering at first what he meant and then catching on. He could tell she and Damon had more going on than the Mercer investigation. With a beard that only just covered his skin around his mouth and chin, his eyes held the somber resolve of a devoted detective. She saw the same in Damon. She checked his ring finger and found it bare of jewelry. She found it odd—or maybe unfortunate—that he hadn’t found a woman to share his life with. But then...neither had she. People had reasons for not diving into relationships.
“You know Damon?” she asked.
He nodded. “I work in Narcotics. Yes, I know him, and I was part of this task force.”
“Working in the background?” Not having to lie...
“Yes. I suppose you can say that. Damon had to be undercover, as I’m sure you can understand.”
She did. Damon could not reveal his identity. Doing so would have put his life at risk. Even Ruby had to admit he had done what he had to do with her. They hadn’t known each other. He couldn’t trust her as a stranger. As hurt as she was by his betrayal, she did understand. But she still had to get past the hurt. Emotions didn’t come with conditions. They were felt, and humans had to come to terms with them. In some way.
Harry eyed her speculatively. “Or maybe you don’t.”
Ruby bowed her head, self-conscious at her transparency. Then she met Harry’s eyes. “I met Damon as a bartender. I didn’t know he was a DEA agent.”
Harry took some time before he replied. He seemed to assess her and her connection to Damon.
“I’ve been on the periphery of this investigation. Working behind the scenes, as it were. But from what little I’ve seen of the two of you, I’d have to say Damon’s cover ID doesn’t matter all that much.”
His insight both speared her with fright for the state of her heart and hope for a fairy-tale future. “You seem like a nice man, Mr. Cartwright.”
“Harry.”
“Harry. Thank you for telling me what you did.” She meant it. He had eased her mind over what had tormented her and continued to do so. She wasn’t sure if she could overcome all she’d been through because of Damon and his investigation. Granted, he had saved her from the aftermath of Kid, but he wasn’t the man she’d met that first time he bought coffee.
“Damon is a very lucky man,” Harry said.
Lucky? How?
“You got away from a very dangerous man,” Harry said, as though reading her thoughts. Maybe he had. Maybe he had picked up on something in her eyes.
“You got your daughter back, and you helped us take down the rest of Kid’s organization,” Harry said.
He made her feel important, as though she had played a key role in the investigation. Maybe she had.
Yes, she had. Without her, Santiago and his men would not have been stopped. She would have been haunted the rest of her life.
“I...” She didn’t know what to say. Thank you seemed inadequate.
No problem...
“Hey, just living my life and trying to protect my daughter...”
Looking for love...
Harry chuckled. “I can see why Damon is so captivated by you.”
“Oh... I...” He was making her so uncomfortable.
Harry chuckled again. “Sorry. I just want to thank you. A lot of people worked very hard bringing Kid’s organization down, and it couldn’t have been done without you.”
“Oh...” She knew that to be true, but she didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t feel instrumental. She felt like more of a victim.
“I... I need to get to the hospital.”
“I have a car for you. Come with me.”
As she followed Harry, she contemplated his insight, whether he had planned to provide it or not. He’d told the truth, that’s all, and she struggled with what that meant for her and Maya’s future. Kid was permanently gone from their lives. None of his followers would pose a threat to her and Maya anymore. To be released from that felt...surreal. She had lived in fear for so many years, to finally be free of that—of Kid—felt so abrupt. But she was free. Maybe she just needed some time to adjust.
Damon.
Now that his investigation was over, what would he do? With the absence of excitement, would he still want her? How would their relationship change?
Ruby dreamed of having a family: mom, dad and daughter. A playset in the backyard. A barbecue. A home full of homeyness. Was that possible with a federal agent?
She didn’t want any excitement beyond school activities and community participation. Neighborhood friends. Would Damon be happy
with that?
Damon was more like Ruby and reluctant to form casual relationships. More and more she had to face the fact that they might be meant for each other. She was still too afraid to let go, at least not completely. She’d been burned before. She would not be burned again.
Chapter 16
Ruby paced the waiting area at the hospital. She bit her thumbnail. She folded her arms. Damon’s team was busy processing the arrests of Kid’s men and the death of Santiago. She was alone. She had decided not to call January yet. She didn’t want to alarm Maya.
Finally, a doctor approached.
“Ruby Duarte?”
“Yes.” Her heart raced with apprehension. Nothing mattered more than Damon right now.
“Damon is going to be all right.”
Ruby took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes.
“We did surgery on the wound, and he should have a full recovery,” the doctor said.
She tipped her head back. “Oh. That’s wonderful to hear.”
The doctor smiled, flashing not teeth but fondness. “He’s demanding to see you. He’s been quite the uncooperative patient ever since he woke from anesthesia.”
She breathed a laugh. “That sounds like Damon.” Damon needed to be in control, fighting for justice.
“Come with me.” The doctor wore a slight grin as he led her to the elevators. They rode up a few seconds before the doctor said, “Congratulations, by the way.”
She looked at him. “Pardon me?”
“Damon said you two are getting married.”
Married? Why had he said that to the doctor?
“What kind of drugs did you give him?” she asked.
The doctor chuckled. “The kind to make some people honest. Although, his confession did seem genuine, like he’d say it without being in pain and on meds.”
Colton 911: Temptation Undercover Page 20