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?”
