Chapter 9 #2
Vigilantes weren’t new. Over the years there’d been hundreds of them, men and women who’d tried to fix a problem with acts of violence.
Their modest successes had been overshadowed by their crude and illegal acts.
Even the military hired mercenaries to perform acts that would never be sanctioned by any commanding officer. I’d seen it myself.
Jacob Jones was a career criminal, but the only crimes on his record were petty in nature.
Dime store shit handled by a teenager hell-bent on breaking the law.
His ruthless behavior had garnered him the attention of the Delgado Cartel and for a while, he’d become a drug runner.
Then Luis Delgado, the brutal leader of the clan had learned of Jacob’s love of killing and an exterminator had been born.
Even when I’d been a prosecuting attorney, I’d heard of the man’s legendary actions. Not a single law enforcement agency in the world had been able to track him down. His ultimate capture had come by way of an innocent girl leaving her waitressing job later than usual.
What if this was a case where other victims, including innocent, vulnerable women were targeted and killed? I wouldn’t put anything past the Undertaker. The bastard’s blood lust had increased at a fast pace. That was easy to see by the trail of dead bodies left behind.
If the Delgado Cartel was in a war with any of the gangs out of Colombia, the fighting could easily find its way onto American shores. The Colombians were even more savage than Luis Delgado and his motley crew of drug runners.
The way she turned her head and with her imploring eyes, I sensed a combination of emotions from distrust to anger. Strangely enough, the fury was drowning out her fear. That could push her into doing something stupid.
She watched me closely and I could tell she was irritated. I couldn’t blame her, but I also wouldn’t lie.
“Someone called me. Someone left that message on my car. Someone was standing outside my apartment. I wasn’t hallucinating. For the sake of the argument, what if it was him? How did he get my address? My phone number? I thought you told me they were protected.”
My anger was just below the surface, fueled by the knowledge secure information had been leaked more than once leading to several horrific murders. “A good question.”
After snatching the phone from my hand, she huffed.
“I’m sorry I wasted your time, Judge Armstrong. After my daughter finishes her breakfast, we’ll be out of your hair.” She grabbed her mug of coffee from the counter, brushed past me and headed to the sink. The bite in her tone told me everything I needed to know.
She would do whatever it took to keep her daughter safe, even if that meant confronting a monster.
Oh, hell, no.
“Don’t, Valentina.”
“Don’t what? Don’t be realistic? If you don’t believe me, no one else will. That means I’m going to figure out what to do. Myself. By myself. For myself.”
I snapped my hand around hers just before she poured the coffee down the drain. “No, you are not doing anything of that nature.”
“Why the hell not? The last time I checked, I was the witness to a crime, not the criminal. But oh, wait. I guess the criminals just need to know the right person and they can easily obtain a get out of jail free card. Right?” She managed to jerk her hand free, sliding under my arm while placing the mug on the counter.
When she returned to her daughter, pulling the bowl away while the little girl was still eating, I’d had enough.
“Stop. Now.” My tone was harsher than I’d intended. I fully realized her reactions were entirely different than in a typical, less dangerous situation, but she was still pushing me.
Valentina’s snort was adorable as well as aggravating. “Thank you for the help you’ve given me, Judge. You won’t need to worry about me any longer.”
“Mommy. Still hungry.” Bella’s whine ripped at the strings in my heart.
“We’ll get something on the way home, baby girl. A little treat.”
Why was it that women could be so infuriating? I had to remind myself that she was well aware of the danger she was in. That’s why her emotions and actions were all over the place.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to help you, Valentina, and the first way of doing that is to keep you protected.”
She gathered the bowl, wiping her daughter’s face with the napkin and bringing the bowl toward the sink.
“Not that I don’t appreciate your offer, but I need to ask.
Just how do you think you’re going to do that?
My God, the justice department couldn’t keep him locked away after he slaught…
” She caught herself, tossing a look toward Bella.
“You know what I mean. You’re one man and you’re on the right side of the law.
You’re a judge, not someone who regularly unalives people.
And while your house is lovely, I don’t think of it as a fortress. ”
“Again, you underestimate me.”
“I do. How so?” She made herself at home in my house, rinsing the bowl then pushing me out of the way so she could open the dishwasher. Her huff of disgust brought a sly smile to my face. Without saying a word, she proceeded to remove the clean dishes.
I had to admit, I enjoyed watching her as she yanked open several cabinet doors and drawers until she found the right location for the dishes and silverware.
As expected, when I didn’t answer her right away, she tossed me a harsh glare. The girl had spunk. I’d give her that just as I had almost a year before. Her rebellious attitude had been the single reason she’d managed to go through with testifying.
“My guess is you didn’t do your homework on the judge handling the case.”
She casually threw me an incredulous look. “Excuse me if at the time I had difficulty remembering my own name.”
“Then why don’t I share my credentials with you?
I’m a former Marine who was stationed in Afghanistan with two tours under my belt.
I was an ammunitions and counterintelligence expert.
I won’t go into the medals received or the commendations as you’d likely consider that bragging.
” I was pushing my own boundaries since she was hell-bent on facing the monster alone.
“In addition to having combat training, I’m a blackbelt and enjoy boxing as exercise.
As far as my house, I have a state-of-the-art security system and do you want to know why? ”
The way she lifted her gaze caused a hitch in my breath. Her eyes were shimmering with the same array of strangulated emotions and desires as the night before.
Being this close to her was a dangerous affair.
“Why?”
“Because I have my share of enemies, Valentina. I’m a judge who has put away some seriously bad people, many as dangerous if not more so than Jacob Jones.
Before you ask, yes, I have weapons in the house that are locked up and impossible for your daughter to have access to.
However, they will more than be adequate should anyone be stupid enough to try and break into my… fortress.”
In tossing the last word back at her, I anticipated fury or at minimum irritation, but when she smiled, it was as if the entire kitchen lit up in bright, white-hot light. “You’re funny. I didn’t know that about you.”
No, that wasn’t what I’d expected as a reaction at all.
But I’d take it. Chuckling, I scrubbed my jaw, instantly realizing I hadn’t shaved in three days.
“I’m not trying to be funny. This is serious.
I need to discover is there’s any chance your name was leaked, which should be next to impossible.
” What I didn’t tell her was that if that had occurred, heads would roll and I’d be the one cutting them off at the neck.
“I learned in my life that nothing is impossible.” Her admittance mirrored mine.
“Sadly, true, which is another reason you aren’t leaving.”
I was trying my best to curtail my rage in front of her, but it felt as if I was losing the battle.
As she’d done several times before, she eyed me with a hard expression. This time it felt as if she was dissecting me, peeling away layers to try to see what I was hiding. At this point, there was little else I could say or do to convince her.
Unless I locked both her and her daughter in a room. Which wasn’t completely a bad idea.
She finished putting away the dishes before spinning to face me, folding her arms. “I have two jobs that I can’t simply walk out on.”
“It’s Sunday.”
“Not in the world of waiting tables. I’m supposed to work the lunch and dinner shift.”
“Can you at least take a sick day so I can determine what in the hell is going on? If it’s money you’re worried about, I assure you I have enough for anything you need.”
Another flash of her eyes allowed me to know instantly I’d insulted her. “Even after my slug of a boyfriend stole every dime in my bank accounts, I never once asked for charity from anyone. I won’t start now.”
This was getting us nowhere. “I apologize. I was doing nothing more than badly attempting to ease the fears that I can tackle most easily.”
While it took a few seconds, her features finally softened.
“You don’t have miracle worker on your resume?”
“Not even close.” I wasn’t going to explain the wheels of justice were often slower than molasses.
Her lips pressed together, the simple act drawing my attention. It was extremely difficult to concentrate on the issue while standing this close. She was magnetic, highly intelligent, and bold. The combination was disruptive for any man, but the attributes could certainly leave her in danger.
This wasn’t something to fuck with.
Her dazzling eyes glinted when she realized I was studying her with more lascivious thoughts. “You’re staring at me.”
“Does that bother you so much? I think you like it.” Why was I pushing every boundary in the book this morning?
That wasn’t like me and if I had any chance of protecting her, I’d need to back the fuck off.
I wasn’t some teenage boy with an insatiable appetite, although the taste of her the night before had left me longing for more.
Even now, her scent lingered as if she’d purposely painted my skin, a permanent reminder of our time together.
“I never said I didn’t like it, but you and I both know what happened last night…” She gave her daughter another look, the little girl ceremoniously rearranging the mail I’d tossed on the table. Valentina’s slight smile as she watched Bella was a clear indication of how close the two were.
And how much love there was.
Men like Jacob Jones couldn’t care less about families or children, love or decency. He had no moral compass, which was what made him so dangerous. I had no intention of sharing with her that he’d slaughtered women and children before. She certainly didn’t need the horrible realization on her mind.
I’d done a deep dive into the man’s background and methods of criminal activity as I had with every other person who’d graced my courtroom.
I’d discovered long before accepting my position on the bench that learning everything there was to know about a criminal’s mind and motives was the best way of prosecuting him.
Even if I was required to remain impartial.
“You mean like the night we shared months ago?”
The way she bit her lower lip and the fresh hint of peach crossing her cheeks brought another wave of desire. “That one too. We can’t… I mean I’m no fool, Hudson. We’re adults.”
“Understood, Valentina. What we shared won’t happen again.
Now, I’m completely aware you have a life and responsibilities, but you came to me terrified with justifiable reasons.
Jacob Jones was released and I won’t be able to rest until I learn the next steps and that you’re safe. Indulge me for today.”
She chewed on her lower lip, obviously fretting over the decision. “Fine. One day. But I don’t want to be a burden.”
It was obvious to me she wasn’t used to anyone being in her corner, which was why she continued to apologize. The genuine goodness in her personality was a welcome change to what I dealt with on a daily basis.
“You’re not a burden. I’ll need your phone so I can program in my private number. I’ll show you the security system and what to anticipate should there be a break. If so, the system itself will automatically contact the police.”
“What if he finds me?” The vulnerable, scared girl had returned, the one I wanted to scoop into my arms and promise everything would be alright. Even if I doubted it would. Nothing good would come out of his release.
“He won’t. You’ll need to place your trust in me.”
“That’s why I’m here,” she whispered. “You’re the only person I can trust.”