Fate’s Unseen Shadow (Cager #1)

Chapter 9

9

“ N o, I said to offer ten thousand over their asking price. I received information that Taylor and Taylor Properties is also about to make an offer. I want to beat them. I want that office complex.” Damon turned onto the expressway and headed back to the apartment.

His real estate broker, Kurt Swanson, hummed on the other side of the phone line, the sound echoing through the speaker. “Umm, okay. Got it. Ten over. Anything else?”

“No.” His phone beeped, and Slater’s name was shown on the caller ID. “I need to run. Call me if there’s an issue.” He flipped over to the other line. “Hello?”

“We got a tip on a bail jumper. I knew you were working, so Xavier and I headed out here to do it alone. A mistake on this one. We need some backup. Kenneth Ashland is here with the one we were after. Not going to go quietly. Already called Ryker. He’s en route with the sketch artist to Ella.”

Damon accelerated. “Where are you?”

“The port.”

“I’m pulling into the apartment complex. I’ll change and then head right there.”

“Sounds good.” Slater ended the call, and Damon parked, his mood darkening as he spotted Ella standing on the sidewalk, talking to a young guy.

Damon jerked open the door, not wasting time.

“I don’t normally ask a woman out when I do a delivery, but if you’re not busy later?—”

“She is.” Damon dropped his arm over Ella’s shoulders, forcing her to walk with him to his apartment or get dragged along.

She stumbled, catching herself with a hand on his abs. “What the hell?” She laughed. “That was my food delivery guy.”

“Who was asking you out? First Jeff and now him. Did you get asked out this much before?”

“No, never. Who’s Jeff?”

Damon snorted and pulled his keys out, unlocking the door. He looked down at her, taking a breath to ask her if she was oblivious to how gorgeous she was, but stopped himself. He saw it in her eyes. She’d lived for so long in the corporate world, running it, that no man would dare to approach her while she was in command of Cassin Systems.

But as Ella, she was approachable.

“Jeff is Detective Moore. I’m in a rush. Slater called, and they need backup.”

“Oh no. A runaway case?” She moved into his apartment after him. “I ordered you a sandwich—simple turkey and cheese. You said you’d be home at lunchtime, and I thought you’d like something. You’re always worried about feeding me. Wanted to return the overbearing favor.”

He unbuttoned his dress shirt, dragged it off his wrists. “Thanks, and no, it’s not a runaway. Might be a double capture, which means he needs more than two of us there.”

Ella set the bag on the counter and then turned, holding the sandwich in her hand. “Do you want…”

He pulled off his undershirt and balled it up. “Do I want what?”

“Uh…” Ella was staring at his chest. She swallowed. “Something to drink.”

When she lifted her gaze back to his face, he smiled at the blush crawling across her cheeks. “Are you okay?”

“Sorry.” She ducked her head, setting the sandwich to the side. “But you’d stare if I suddenly took my top off in front of you.”

He chuckled and walked to his bedroom, saying, “I’d do more than just stand there and look at you.”

“I might have, but you said you were in a hurry!”

He laughed louder, swapping his suit for jeans and boots. He tugged his T-shirt over his head as he reentered the living room. Last night, he’d pushed the boundary. But the thought of him ending up like a Matteo, someone convenient for her time here, made him pull back from the idea of seeing where this went.

Now, standing in front of her again, recognizing that small spark of interest, made that risk almost worth taking.

Almost.

She stood by the door with his sandwich and a bottle of water. “Here.”

“Thanks.” He locked up his apartment behind them. “Go up and stay there till I get back.”

“Locked away again.” She sighed. “Be safe.”

“If they called me in to help, they only need an extra set of hands. The rest of them pack the firepower.”

She frowned, her forehead wrinkling. “Even the muscle can get hurt.”

Damon set his hand on her shoulder. “Please go inside and worry about me from behind a locked door.”

With an exasperated eye roll, she turned and jogged up the stairs. When her door closed, he climbed in and started his car. He couldn’t focus on Ella right then. Slater needed him.

Damon flew toward the port, eating part of the sandwich as he drove. When he turned into the far parking lot, he called Slater.

“Need you,” Slater grunted out. “Now, dammit!”

He threw the car into Park. “What happened to waiting on me?”

The call ended without an answer, and Damon jumped out of his car and opened the app to track their phones. He took off at a jog and heard the scuffle before he saw it inside a warehouse.

Two men struggled with Slater and Xavier. It was a fistfight at this point. The guys wouldn’t pull a gun unless either their lives were endangered or the felons pulled one first.

He flew into the fight, landing a solid hit on the taller guy who had knocked the wind out of Xavier. The men were like two massive trees. Big, round, and hard to take down.

He recognized Kenneth as he swung, and ducked.

Damon came back with an uppercut, the guy staggering back into Slater, knocking him to the ground.

“Watch out!” Xavier shouted.

Damon moved but felt the burn along his lower back and recognized it—a knife.

Based on the location, it was near his kidney, but it didn’t feel deep enough to touch it.

Swinging around, he caught that guy across the face before disarming him. He threw the knife across the empty warehouse.

Slater managed to get on top of the other one, putting his knee into his back. Xavier joined him, while Damon occupied Kenneth, who’d caught him with the knife.

A punch to his ribs hurt, but Damon threw a hard hit to the guy’s temple.

That took him down.

And he didn’t give a damn if he’d hurt Kenneth. Not while blood soaked into his T-shirt.

Xavier stumbled to the side. “Holy shit. Wow.” He shook his head, still out of breath. “Was not expecting that.”

“Two-for-one special.” Slater stood up and then looked around. He walked over and picked up his phone. “Great. Cracked my screen. I’m not going to try to transport these. Calling the bondsman and then the police.”

“Don’t blame you.” Damon looked down at the back of his shirt. “Fuck, this hurts.”

“Need stitches?” Xavier asked, lifting Damon’s shirt. “Meh. Maybe.” He poked at a tender spot, and Damon hissed. “Definitely.”

Damon twisted away from his probing. “I’ll clean it up and throw some butterfly bandages on it.”

Sirens sounded in the distance. “They were happy to get the call.” Slater pocketed his phone. “Damn. He got you good. I had no idea he had a knife, but hey, double the reward.”

“You can keep your reward. Split it between the two of you.” Damon and the others looked up as police entered the warehouse. “I’m out.” Back at his car, he took off his shirt, pressing it along the cut to keep from bleeding on his leather seats.

His half-eaten sandwich sat in the seat beside him. He unrolled it and took a large bite. Well, that had turned out to be an interesting Friday, and it was still early.