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Damian disappeared after he finished the dishes. Valerie chuckled at his obvious discomfort and as soon as I thought he was out of range, I stared her down.
“I hope like hell you’re just having fun at his expense.”
Her jaw dropped and I leaned back, crossing my arms. She had no clue how territorial I was where he was concerned. Hell, I pretty much had him all to myself for the last five years so the idea of sharing him in any way irritated me.
Her mouth popped closed as she dropped her gaze. “Naomi, I wouldn’t dream of sleeping with him.” When she met my glare, I softened at the sincerity in her eyes. “Besides my uncle, Damian’s the only family I have.”
“So you’re yanking his chain for the pure joy of seeing him squirm?”
The slow smile that spread across her lips along with the glint of humor in her eyes made me laugh. Valerie had a way of disarming me that no one else had and I could tell in time we would be the best of friends.
“You know, I’m family, too.”
“I know,” she said and stretched, looking at the clock. “Since Damian disappeared on us, did you want to play a game?”
I bit my lip, contemplating whether to hang with Valerie or go see what Damian was up to. A quick glance at the clock told me she had some time to kill before she headed out to pick up Michael and Uncle Ted. “I’m not a big chess player. Damian tried to teach me and I just don’t have the patience for it. I do play cards though, so if you’re up for a game of rummy or canasta, I’m game.”
“I’m up for a game of Rummy-five-hundred,” she said and stood, retreating to the living room and coming back a minute later with a deck of cards.
We played Rummy until a little after eleven. I beat her two out of three games and the last one was a draw because she had to get ready to go pick up Michael and her uncle.
“Did you want me to come?”
Valerie shook her head. “Michael was very clear, he didn’t want either of you leaving the house for a few days or until he could deem the place safe.”
“Oh, so I’m just as much of a prisoner as Damian?” I asked. I didn’t like the thought of being sequestered inside, especially during the day, now that I had that kind of freedom.
“You’re not prisoners,” she sighed. “He just wants to make sure it’s safe for all of us.”
The reality that we were putting Valerie in as much danger as us settled and I nodded. She was as much a child of the light as I was and I didn’t want Lucifer to target her. If one of his minions reported that we were back here, then both Valerie and her uncle would be in danger.
I gave her a small hug. “Be safe,” I said and she smiled, heading out the door and once the garage closed and the headlights faded down the road, I turned, heading down into the basement to see what Damian was up to.
The bulkhead to the basement was open and I shivered in the cold draft before heading into the living space. Halfway down the dark hallway, a form appeared in the dark. I waited with the light of my cell as company until he stood in front of me.
“This is the last of the dirt,” he said and poked his chin toward the mound on the wheelbarrow.
“Ah,” I answered and started following him back toward the apartment.
“What have you two been doing?”
“We played some cards before she headed out. I offered to go with her, but apparently, Michael has us on lockdown.”
“I understand his discomfort,” Damian said and trudged across the living area and out into the basement. For a brief moment, I wondered how he’d get the heaping wheelbarrow up the stairs but then he bent down and slid his hand under the bed, lifting it without so much as a strain in any of his muscles. I sighed, it had only been a week, but I missed that raw strength.
He disappeared into the night and a few minutes later came back with the empty wheelbarrow, closing the bulkhead doors and latching them before he came back in the basement and closed the door, engaging those locks as well. He wiped his cheek, leaving a streak of dirt and I smiled. His rugged good looks wore dirt well.
“What?”
“You look sexy when you’re all grubby,” I said and received a flash of white teeth and a chuckle before he skirted by me.
“The gloves are upstairs in the bedroom,” he said. “Feel free to grab them and when I’m done getting the tunnel supports in place, you can do some exploring of your own.”
He winked at me and I considered high tailing it upstairs, instead, I followed him into the dark tunnel.
“Michael did an exceptional job putting this together,” he said as we walked toward the glow at the end of the tunnel. “He sealed the concrete connectors almost like a welder connects pieces of steel. I don’t have a clue what he used, but the likelihood of water getting in is slim and I think the base is set up like a curtain drain anyway, so water will flow away from the pipes.”
He rattled on about the construction and when we approached the end of the tunnel, the pile of dirt had been replaced by a stack of thick wood planks and a crowbar. Damian glanced over his shoulder at me.
“Do me a favor and just stay in the pipe until I can get the door open, okay?”
I glanced at the dirt ceiling and the bent door before I stepped back into the security of the concrete pipe. Damian picked up the crowbar and I took another step back when he carved the hook into the crease of the door.
The only time I ever saw his muscles strain was when he was chained in the warehouse but the moment he leaned on the bar, the fabric of the shirt pulled taut across his shoulders and the ripple of muscle across his back and arms left me hotter than hell.
His gaze turned away from the door and a crease appeared between his eyes.
“Really?”
“What?” I shrugged.
“The strangest things turn you on,” he answered and focused on the crowbar, putting his back into it. The tearing of fabric masked the creak of the door and I was so focused on the frayed seam encasing his shoulder that I didn’t see the fruits of his labor until the metal swung open and smashed into the dirt wall, creating a plume of dust.
When the air cleared, Damian stood in the opening, his gaze locked on the top of the stairwell and his chest rising and falling in the pattern of excitement. He glanced at me and smiled, both his teeth and his eyes shining amidst the grime.
He looked like a little boy who rolled in dirt and I couldn’t help but grin back.
The moment he turned back, he vaulted up the steps two at a time and I scrambled after him, catching up to him just as he pushed the hatchway open. It banged into the undercarriage of the truck and his smile faded.
“Flat tires,” he said and held the hatch so I could crawl through.
Once I rolled out of the way, he crawled out from under the truck and stood, scanning the garage from floor to ceiling, sighing at the tall platinum covered plates blocking all entry and exits. He opened the driver’s door of the truck and put the vehicle in neutral, rolling it away from the opening before resetting the brake and taken a closer look at his undisturbed stock.
I shivered in the cold room, drawing his attention.
“You’re more than welcome to go wait in the house where it’s warm,” he said and glanced at the dark room. “This is going to take me the rest of the night.”
“Can I help?” I asked and rubbed my hands together, blowing on my fingers to warm them.
I could see the slight rise of his eyebrow as he met my gaze. He glanced around again and then shook his head. “Not tonight. I have to figure out what I need before I can enlist your help. I’m sure all the cars will need oil changes, batteries and new tires, but I won’t know what else until I clean the place up and tinker under the hoods.” He glanced up at what was visible of the windows. “And I don’t have unlimited time.”
I glanced around at the shadows of the cars before turning and climbing back down the stairs into the well lit alcove. When I passed under the jog in the tunnel ceiling, I had to use my phone for lighting. The warmth of the apartment penetrated the dark and by the time I got back upstairs into the heart of the house, the chill biting my skin in the garage had all but vanished.