Page 7 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 9-12 (The Residency Boys #8)

“If you give permission, I’m going to have my people run a background check on you and the house, and I’ll ask Welwick what it would take to get Betti placed with you.”

“I assume they’re trying to place all the kids together? I thought that would be the biggest barrier to finding them homes, you wanting to keep them together.”

Damian shook his head. “My job doesn’t keep me in one place, and I don’t keep a separate house here.

My partner has legal battles right now getting out of a bad situation.

Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the free income or the bandwidth to take on six kids, especially with what these kids need.

As my mentor keeps telling me, I need to lean into whatever community I have or, in this case, whatever community the kids have. ”

“You said partner?”

“Gang Junseo. He’s been helping me look after the kids, but he needs to get back to work.”

“We have space for Betti, but beyond that, I’d be doing Ruby a disservice. We can only take her.”

“I respect that. We’re only talking about Betti. What I do ask is a commitment to help her stay in relationship with any of her siblings that are healthy for her to stay in touch with, as defined between her social worker, you, and myself, should she be placed with you.”

Armada and Betti arrived with Hypatia. The two friends flew across the room to each other and wrapped each other up in their arms. Ruby’s demeanor changed from timid to leadership in an instant. She was checking Betti’s hair and looking at her clothes and firing off questions.

Damian turned to May and raised an eyebrow.

May smirked. “Betti is good for Ruby. What she won’t do for herself, she’ll do for her.”

Ah.

Jun came in, Habibi on his chest in the carrier, coat half open in the front to make space for the infant, and a bag in one hand. His legs below the hem of his skirt were the stuff of fantasies in plum-wine tights all the way down to a pair of brown ankle boots.

“Cedric said you were in here. Oh.” Jun came to a full stop.

Damian stood. “Miss Kirkpatrick, my partner Jun. Jun, May Kirkpatrick, mother of Betti’s friend Ruby.”

Jun glanced across the room to where Armada, Betti, and Ruby were clustered together, their backs to them, being watched over by Hypatia. He moved his bag to his left hand and extended his right to May. “Good to meet you. Betti’s missed you.”

May’s eyes flittered overJun, pausing at his hands and taking in the baby strapped to his chest, the skirt, and the hat over his hair.

“Pleasure.” She extended her hand and met Jun’s. “You have an accent.”

Jun snorted delicately. “ You have an accent. I speak proper international English, thank you.”

May laughed outright.

“Do you want to sit?” Damian asked Jun.

Jun waved Damian off. “You sit, please. If I sit, Habibi will wake up. He just fell asleep.” Jun set down his bag and braced himself, putting an arm under Habibi. “He’s going to need a diaper change soon, but until then, let’s hope he gives us some peace.”

“I’ll take him when he wakes.” Damian pulled the bag toward himself and waved May back to her chair.

“Damian said you’ve taken time off work to help with the kids,” May said.

Jun made a waffling motion with his head. “Not entirely. I was working today. Habibi just came along for the ride.”

“How did it go?” Damian asked.

Jun grimaced. “Remodeling the parsonage is looking better and better.”

“You’re working on the church?” May narrowed her eyes and turned to Damian.

“We’re putting together the money and investors to see what we can do.”

“When were you going to get community involvement?”

Damian opened his mouth, feeling quicksand under his feet, but Jun was quicker.

“Last week, he was supposed to visit the alderman’s office, and two weeks ago, he talked to a few of the homeowners nearby. We ran into Pastor Doyle, if you can call that engaging community. But then this happened.” Jun rubbed Habibi’s back gently.

“So, it’s new.” May looked at Damian again.

“As of January, we started talks.” Damian nodded. “We have commitments from a few local and locally connected investors at the moment, as well as our own money. I’m trying to meet with Kalisha Brown. Miss Jozie said she was involved in community development.”

May tapped her fingers on the table. “Are you making it a church again?”

“No.”

May inclined her head. “That’s not going to sit well with some, but they wouldn’t have lost the church if the revenue was there to keep it.”

“It’s too much property and too centrally located.” Damian leaned forward, a little excitement coming back to him. “We’re looking at mixed use, housing, shops, services, and some sort of transit to the new train line that’s going in.”

“We need a grocery store. Do you know how far I have to go just to get Betti fresh vegetables?”

“Seventeen minutes,” Damian replied.

May’s surprise showed in her eyes.

Damian spread his hands. “The neighborhood needs a locally owned grocery store, but we have to actually keep it secure enough that it can stay in business. If we offer a chain grocery store a space, they could leave at any time.”

“It’s happened in Chicago before, recently.” May’s scowl communicated what she thought of that. “The city gave them tax breaks and everything, and they just upped and left when corporate decided.”

“Know anyone who wants to own a grocery and won’t mind slim margins?”

May laughed. “Wants to? Not really.”

“If you think of anyone, let me know.”

A few minutes later, Habibi woke up. Jun handed him over to Damian and slipped away to change. He came back in blue sweats with a matching hoodie. Habibi made himself known as Jun came back, and Armada broke away from Betti and Ruby to take him from Damian.

They all ended up in the hotel room with pizza for dinner. Howser’s face flushed with rage as soon as he saw May. He grabbed his food and retreated to the far corner of the adjoining room.

“You two got history?” Damian asked.

May pressed her lips together. “Not personally. More like a whisper campaign in the neighborhood.”

Damian could surmise without May telling him what kind of whispering she was referring to.

After the pizza had been demolished and Rue had fallen asleep against Ruby’s leg on the bed, May announced that they should go.

Damian offered to walk her and Ruby out. Jun joined them, leaving Armada with Habibi, who needed another diaper change. She slipped into Damian and Jun’s room to do it as Jun had forgotten the diaper bag in there.

May left, promising with her last handshake at the front of the hotel to stay in touch and giving her final wish that Betti would come and stay with them.

“Please,” Ruby said, reinforcing her mom’s assertions.

“We’ll do our best,” Damian promised.

Damian held Jun’s hand as they walked back up the stairs. It was only a couple flights, and both of them needed the exercise.

“Howser, no!” Betti screamed from somewhere above in the stairwell.

“We’re going back to Gramps, you promised!”

Damian and Jun exchanged looks. Mark, their security, grimaced. It wasn’t his job to look after the kids. It was his job to stay on top of Jun’s and Damian’s safety.

Damian and Jun took the stairs up at a run.

Betti’s voice rose in a wail. “Howser, please. I don’t want to.” Her voice cut off in a cry.

Damian rounded the last bend between himself and the kids.

Betti was on the floor against the wall, blood on her face. Howser stood over her, a cell phone Damian hadn’t seen before in his hand. He looked down at Damian, eyes wide, then reached for Betti, grabbing her hand. “Come on.”

She pulled her wrist away from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

“Stay back,” Howser screamed at Damian.

He let go of Betti, hand going to his waistband.

Damian grabbed Jun and jerked him down on instinct.

Howser drew a handgun. He pointed it at Damian, arms shaking.