Page 82 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 9-12
“Hopefully that stays their mother’s problem. If she’s arrested, we could reach out to their family in Korea.”
“That could be hit or miss. They may not take in children from someone who’s disgraced.” Jun leaned against the counter. “Oh, fuck. I just realized I have family on my dad’s side, the same family the girls do. I wonder if they ever knew about me.”
“Yun has a private investigator making some discreet checks on your father’s side. There’s a report in our emails. I haven’t read it yet.”
Jun checked his email. There were at least ten messages, all of them having to do with one case or another except for Mi Hi’s message with the contract for the apartments. He closed the app. Not right now. He needed to process the fact that he had half-sisters, at least legally.
Damian poured coffee into Jun’s warmed cream and handed it back. Jun brought it up to his face and breathed in the aroma. So, so good. “Drugs. Exactly what I need. Good drugs. So good. Habibi, don’t listen to me. Wait till you’re older. Only do legal ones.”
Habibi waved his arms, trying to grab the mug. Jun shielded his drink and took a sip. “I better get back to the kids. The guys get in tonight. Are you good on your own with the kids after work? I can stay here until Yohei calls me.”
“Don’t you need to write?”
“I have been.” Jun pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. “Ignore the smears.”
Damian ran his eyes over the paper. “Is this written in crayon?”
“Habibi threw my pen. It’s still missing.”
Damian pulled a new pen out of his suit pocket and handed it over. “You still need time where you can focus, use a keyboard.”
Jun grimaced. “As soon as Thaddeus is caught. It’s only been a week.”
Damian winced. “Twelve days.”
Damian
The rest of Damian’s Tuesday passed in a blur of work. The detectives had no updates on Thaddeus. Jun joined him in evening duties at the hotel, taking off for only two hours to greet his bandmates and make sure they were settled into their new living quarters. Kimbo developed a cold by that evening, and Betti sobbed her heart out at the hotel after dinner. Damian made her an appointment with a child psychologist and a doctor. If he couldn’t make her situation physically better, he could at least get her medical support.
He took time off Wednesday morning to take her to the emergency appointment, leaving Armada and Jun at the law office in the conference room again. Cedric drove them from his office. While Betti spoke with the female doctor privately, Damian cooled his heels in the waiting room with Cedric.
“Boss.”
Damian looked up from his phone. He hadn’t been doing anything, and Cedric probably knew that. There were things he should be doing, but his brain was fritzing out.
“Yeah?”
“Can I say something out of line?”
“You never say anything out of line, Cedric.”
“Pretty sure I do. Just asking permission this time.”
Damian straightened up, putting his phone away. Cedric sounded serious. “Shoot. I mean, go for it.”
“Me and Anna were talking. And I heard through the guys who were on duty yesterday you’re planning to find families for the kids. I wanted to know, um, if Anna and I, could we be on that list? Top of that list.”
Damian tilted his head. “You would want to…adopt?”
Cedric nodded, his hands flexing nervously. “I know it’s presumptuous.”
“No, no, it’s not, actually.”
Cedric blinked. “You don’t think so?”
“No, you and Anna have been there for them. Kimbo and Rue adore both of you. I did promise Armada I was going to try to keep all of them close. Don’t you and Anna live in Washington Park?”
“Right now. There’s nothing keeping us there. We’d be willing to move.”
