Chapter 23 Chapter 23
Damien’s POV
I wasn’t letting her go home alone.
I didn’t care how much she protested or how many times she told me to leave her alone. Someone had broken into her dorm, and until I knew who and why, she wasn’t going anywhere without protection.
But Detective Morrison was making things difficult.
She stood near the station entrance, her sharp eyes fixed on me with that calculating look cops got when they knew something was off but couldn’t prove it. Her arms were crossed, and she hadn’t moved since Hailey had stormed out.
“Mr. Alejandro,” she called out as I turned to follow Hailey. “A moment?”
I stopped, my jaw tightening with impatience. “I’m in a hurry, Detective.”
“I’m sure you are,” she said, walking closer. “I just find it interesting that you showed up here tonight. For someone you’re just ‘acquainted’ with.”
“Is there a law against caring about someone’s safety?” I asked coolly.
“No,” she replied, her eyes never leaving mine. “But it does raise questions. Especially when that someone was recently attacked by criminals who are now conveniently dead.”
My expression didn’t change, but inside, warning bells were going off. She was connecting dots, drawing lines between Hailey and the Fanged Bandits’ disappearance.
“I’m sure you’ll solve that case soon, Detective,” I said evenly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
I didn’t wait for her response. I turned and walked out into the night, scanning the area for Hailey.
She was already at the curb, one arm raised to flag down a taxi.
I moved quickly, closing the distance between us. “Hailey, wait.”
“I told you I want to go home alone,” she said without looking at me.
“The police aren’t going to help you,” I said, keeping my voice low. “They’re corrupt, bought and paid for by people like me. A break-in at a college dorm? They’ll file a report and forget about it by morning.”
She whirled on me, her eyes flashing with anger. “Oh, and you’re so different? You’re the most corrupt person I know.”
The words hit harder than I expected, but I kept my expression neutral.
“Maybe,” I said quietly. “But at least I’m honest about what I am.”
A taxi pulled up before she could respond. She yanked open the door and climbed inside, slamming it shut without another word.
I watched the taxi pull away, then turned and walked quickly to where Kai had parked the Bentley.
“Follow that taxi,” I ordered the moment I was inside. “But keep your distance.”
Kai nodded and pulled out into traffic, staying several cars behind.
For a few minutes, everything seemed normal. The taxi moved through the city streets, heading toward the university district where Hailey’s dorm was located.
But then I noticed a black sedan, three cars back, moving at exactly the same pace as us.
My eyes narrowed as I watched it in the side mirror. When Kai changed lanes, the sedan changed lanes. When we slowed down, it slowed down.
We were being followed.
“Boss,” Kai said, his voice tense. He’d noticed it too.
“I see it,” I said, my mind already racing.
The shadow from the hallway. The one I’d chased but never caught.
Had they been following me since then? Had they seen me with Hailey?
And more importantly, were they the ones who’d broken into her dorm?
“We can’t lead them to her,” I said, my voice hard. “Lose the taxi. Then deal with them.”
Kai’s hands tightened on the wheel. “Understood.”
He accelerated suddenly, cutting across two lanes of traffic and taking a sharp right turn that sent us in the opposite direction from where Hailey’s taxi was heading.
The black sedan followed, confirming my suspicions.
Good. At least they were focused on me now, not her.
“Take the next left,” I ordered. “There’s a construction zone up ahead.”
Kai nodded, his expression focused and deadly calm.
We wove through the streets, the sedan keeping pace behind us. They weren’t even trying to hide it anymore, which meant they either wanted me to know they were there or they were planning something.
The construction zone came into view, a maze of half-finished buildings and equipment surrounded by temporary fencing. Perfect.
“Now,” I said.
Kai slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel hard. The Bentley whipped around in a tight one-eighty, tires screeching against the pavement, and suddenly we were facing the sedan head-on.
The driver’s eyes went wide with shock as we accelerated straight toward them.
He tried to swerve, but Kai was faster. We slammed into their side with a sickening crunch of metal, sending their car spinning into a concrete barrier.
The impact jolted through me, but I was already moving.
I shoved open the door and stepped out, my hand instinctively going to the gun at my waist.
Steam hissed from the sedan’s crumpled hood. The passenger side was smashed against the barrier, and through the spider-webbed windshield, I could see two figures.
The passenger was slumped forward, unconscious or dead. Blood trickled down his forehead.
But the driver was still moving, groaning as he tried to unbuckle his seatbelt with shaking hands.
I crossed the distance in three strides, yanked open the driver’s door, and hauled him out by his collar.
He was young, maybe mid-twenties, with a thin face and nervous eyes. His breath came in panicked gasps as I slammed him against the side of the car.
“Please,” he wheezed. “Please, I was just following orders…”
I pressed the barrel of my gun against his temple, and he went very, very still.
“Who sent you?” I asked, my voice deadly calm.
“I can’t….”
I cocked the gun, the click echoing in the quiet night. “Wrong answer. Try again.”
His eyes were wide with terror, sweat beading on his forehead. “If I talk, they’ll kill me.”
“And if you don’t talk,” I said quietly, pressing the gun harder against his skull, “I’ll kill you right now. Your choice.”