Page 104 of Rules of Engagement

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Why didn't you ask for help?" I inquired. I kept my aim steady, not for a kill shot, but definitely to do bodily harm if he dared to hurt Maddox.

Damien didn't turn around. "I tried. I asked my brother for a loan but I guess he got sick of bailing me out."

"Did you explain what the situation was?"

"I couldn't. How was I supposed to tell him that I'd gotten into a major mess?"

"You should have just said it. Having Solomon mad at you had to have been better than leaving him so exposed and vulnerable he got shot."

Damien's hand wavered. "I didn't know that would happen! I swear I didn’t!"

"I believe you, but when it did happen..."

"When it happened, it was already done! I thought I'd be able to get the money together. I begged for more time, but I only have a few more hours before they promised to kill John or Anastasia."

"That's not going to happen." Not least because there was no way anyone was getting near either of them.

"No, it's not, because I'm going to get them the money I owe them. I know John has more than enough to pay them off. Where is it?"

"You already cleaned out the petty cash in his desk," I pointed out.

"Yes, I did, but that's not enough."

"He doesn't keep the kind of money you need lying around the house," I told him, "but we can go to a bank, and I’ll get it transferred to you; then you can move it wherever you need to."

"You think it's that simple?"

I connected eyes with Maddox, hoping that he understood from my look that I needed to know if he was okay. He stood there, his hands still on his head, and not a trace of panic on his face. Me, on the other hand? My sense of panic shone brighter than lip gloss on my face.

"You think I can ever get away from this?" asked Damien. "They will chase me forever. They know where my family is now. Anytime they want to threaten me again, or make me do something for them, they will use that as leverage. Do you think I want that? For all of you to be unsafe and in perpetual danger?"

"We can take them down, if you help us," I said. "You can tell Garrett everything you know and get your job back. They'll all be doing time behind bars and we'll all be safe."

"My job's already gone. I'm suspended, thanks to the gang. It's only a matter of time before they redirect their investigation on me and realize how deep I’m in. As soon as they found out I was a cop, they made me do all kinds of illegal stuff to work off my debt but I could never manage to get out of it. I only fell deeper into it," he said, his voice breaking.

A shot of sympathy surged through me at witnessing his stupidity and the grim inevitability of being used by criminals, but it soon evaporated. Damien was in a vicious circle of his own making and Solomon's life hung in a cruel state of limbo all because of it. Now Anastasia was being threatened too. "We can end the cycle," I said, hoping that I could persuade him. "Garrett is a reasonable man. If you have intel that can bring down Eric Dutka and the Copleys, he'll work tirelessly to ensure that happens. We know all about them and their money-laundering business."

"I'll go to jail. Do you know what happens to cops who go to jail?"

"You might not. We can help you. We can call Garrett now and give him Lucas's research and you can tell him everything else he needs to know in order to bring them down. We can all work together and make sure Solomon and Anastasia stay safe."

Damien was silent for a long minute. "No," he said, shaking his head. "We need to get the money first. You, on your knees." He waved the gun at Maddox.

"Don't forget, I have a gun aimed directly at you," I said. "Maddox isn't going to do anything."

"He's going to get on his knees and you and I are going to walk out of here, get into your car and go to the bank. You're going to get me the money like you said, and I'm going to make the payoff. Then, and only then, I'll help you; but only after we have more time."

"You already said that no matter what you did, your debt continued to increase. Do you think this meager payoff will really stop everything?" I asked. "You're still suspended from the PD. You're still going to be investigated. You need to think about your future. The only way out for you is to take down the whole gang, the Niners here and Dutku's business in Boston."

"And go to prison," Damien added.

"Or into the witness protection program," I suggested. "You could have a whole new life, and be freed from all of this."

"What? And never see my family again? Never know if my brother and sister are truly safe?"

"It’s better than burying them," I said bluntly. "Plus, if that happens, and you haven't done everything you can to stop it, I will personally kill you myself."

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