My chest swells. God, I love this man.
“Thank you, baby. You didn’t have to.” I pull out the wrap and bag of chips and feel something else in there. “A sugar cookie too? Have I mentioned that you’re my favorite person on this planet?”
His lips curve and his hand settles on my thigh beneath the booth, his thumb tracing circles. “So what happened? Things have looked pretty calm on the floor all night.”
I shake my head, holding in a laugh since I’m mid-bite.Such a stalker.Once I swallow, I give him a rundown of Jess and Adam’s conversation.
His expression doesn’t change but halfway through his thumb stills. I can tell he’s thinking what I’m thinking. Something doesn’t feel right.
“It could be nothing,” Damon finally says, but his voice lacks conviction. “Rich people are paranoid. Could be someone immunocompromised who doesn’t want to risk hospital germs during flu season. Could be?—”
“Could be someone who needs medical clearance on trafficking victims before a sale,” I finish quietly.
His jaw tightens, and he moves his hand from my thigh to tap his fingers against the table. I expect him to look angry, to even argue with me on this, but as his eyes meet mine there’s something fierce burning in them. Something proud. “What’s your gut telling you?”
I take a breath. “That something’s really wrong. That Jess is walking into something dangerous and she has no idea.” I wrap my hands around my paper cup. The warmth grounds me. “I know we were supposed to have our two days. I know this ruins our plans. But I can’t just?—”
“Blake.” He leans forward, and his hand finds mine across the table. “You really think I’d want you to ignore this? That I’d choose a quiet Christmas over potentially saving someone?”
“I mean... we’ve been looking forward to it. You promised?—”
“And I meant it. But Angel, this is who we are.” His thumb resumes those gentle circles, this time on my palm. “This is what we do. And the fact that your first instinct was to investigateinstead of ignore it?” His features soften and his voice goes low. “Fuck, I’m proud of you.”
My chest tightens in the best way. “Yeah?”
“Hell yeah.” He grabs his phone. “So let’s figure this out. You said she’s accepting the offer tonight?”
“That’s what she said. The guy… whoever contacted her, is supposed to send over a list of what they need before she accepts.”
“Good. That’s something to get us started. Plus, there must be security footage of whoever it was in the cafeteria this morning.” He’s already texting, his leg vibrating with tension. “Leon can start digging right away. A rich prick soliciting residents, offering fifteen grand for a Christmas Eve house call? There’s a trail somewhere.”
“But should we really be bothering them tonight? It’s Christmas Eve.”
He shrugs. “They may ignore my texts, but I have a feeling they’ll want in.”
I take a bite of my wrap, watching him work and trying not to feel guilty for pulling the others into this. Watching Damon when he’s like this does all kinds of things to my chest, though. I love when he’s focused, when those wheels in his mind are turning. Of course, I hope this ends up being nothing, but in a twisted way I’m enjoying the way he lights up from this kind of work.
He catches me staring and shoots me a look. “You better eat your dinner. You need to keep up your strength for the rest of your shift.”
“It’s two more hours,” I say. “Watching you is way more fun.”
That look doesn’t leave his face, so I huff and eat a bit more.
“That’s my girl.”
Swapping the wrap for the allergen-free snowman sugar cookie, I smile picturing Damon picking this out in the bakery of Whole Foods.
“Leon’s in,” he says, after a flurry of back and forth messages. “He’s already working on the hospital security cameras. He’s happy to get a break from watching the third Hallmark Christmas movie of the day with Amanda, Jasper, and Bailey.” He chuckles. “Falin’s in too. She said,thank God. I can’t take another minute of these movies.”
“I can totally envision the look on their faces.”
“Same,” he says with a laugh.
“Are you really okay with this?”
He sets his phone down, giving me his complete attention. “Of course, I’m okay with this. And you better believe my angel will still get the perfect Christmas.”
“Yeah?” I ask, my throat clogged with emotion.
