Chapter 29 Chapter 29
Hailey’s POV
Kai gently but firmly guided Sophia out of the room, his hand on her elbow despite the pain in his shoulder. She was still crying, still shouting incoherent things about betrayal and sluts and how dare we, but her voice faded as they disappeared down the hallway.
The silence that followed felt heavy and oppressive.
A woman in a neat uniform appeared almost immediately, as if she’d been waiting nearby. She was older, maybe in her fifties, with kind eyes and a calm demeanor that suggested she’d seen plenty of drama in this household before.
“I’m Nina,” she said softly. “I manage the household. Let me show you ladies to a more comfortable room while we clean this up.”
Benita and I followed her to a smaller sitting room with plush couches and soft lighting that felt less like a showroom and more like an actual living space. Nina offered us tea, which we both accepted gratefully, then left us alone, closing the door behind her.
The moment we were alone, Benita turned to me. “Can we have complete privacy? No cameras, no listening devices, nothing?”
I glanced around nervously. “I don’t know. This is Damien’s house. He probably has security everywhere.”
Benita got up and checked the room anyway, looking behind paintings and under furniture, before finally sitting back down with a sigh. “Okay, I think we’re good. Or at least as good as we’re going to get.”
“So,” I said, wrapping my good arm around myself. “Marco explained everything?”
“Everything,” Benita confirmed, her expression serious in a way I rarely saw. “Hailey, Marco works for Damien’s family. Not just as security, he’s part of the organization.”
“What organization?” I asked, though dread was already pooling in my stomach.
“The Crimson Syndicate,” Benita said quietly. “That’s what Damien’s family operation is called. And it’s way bigger than we thought. Marco said they control half the city, maybe more. Drugs, weapons, protection, legitimate businesses that launder money, everything.”
The Crimson Syndicate. The name sent chills down my spine.
“And Damien?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“He’s not just powerful, Hailey. He’s the head of the entire organization. The Kingpin. Marco said people across the country know his name and fear it.”
I felt sick. I’d known Damien was dangerous, had seen evidence of it with my own eyes. But hearing it laid out so plainly, understanding the full scope of what he controlled, made it real in a way it hadn’t been before.
“And the Morellis?” I whispered.
“They’re the rival organization,” Benita said, leaning forward. “They’ve been trying to take territory from the Crimson Syndicate for years, but Damien’s been too strong. Marco thinks they’re targeting you because they know you matter to him. They want to hurt him by hurting you.”
“But I don’t matter to him,” I protested weakly. “We barely know each other.”
Benita gave me a look that said she didn’t believe that for a second. “Hailey, he dropped everything to come get you last night. He brought you to his personal home. He’s keeping you under his protection. That’s not nothing.”
I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. Because she was right. And that terrified me more than anything else.
“So what do we do?” I asked, feeling helpless and trapped.
“We stay alive,” Benita said firmly. “We let Damien protect us until this blows over or until he handles the Morelli situation. We don’t have any other choice.”
I nodded slowly, even though the idea of being dependent on Damien, on being pulled deeper into his violent world, made me want to run.
Then something occurred to me, a way to lighten the crushing weight of this conversation even just for a moment.
“Speaking of Marco,” I said, a small smile tugging at my lips despite everything. “What’s that on your neck?”
Benita’s hand flew to the hickey, and she actually blushed. “Oh. That.”
“Yeah, that,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “So you and Marco… talked?”
“We talked,” she confirmed. “And then we did other things.”
“Benita!”
“What?” she said defensively, but she was smiling now too. “It was intense, okay? Learning your boyfriend is basically part of the mafia is stressful. We needed to work through some feelings.”
“With rough sex, apparently,” I said, and despite the fear coursing through me, I found myself almost laughing.
“Very rough sex,” Benita confirmed without shame. “He has skills I didn’t know about. Makes sense now, actually. All that discipline and control from his work translates pretty well to….”
“Okay, I get it,” I interrupted, holding up my good hand. “Too much information.”
She laughed, and for just a moment, things felt almost normal. Like we were just two friends gossiping about boys instead of two girls caught in the crossfire of a mafia war.
But the moment didn’t last long.
About an hour later, the door opened, and Damien walked in. He looked tired, I noticed, dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept at all. But the moment he saw me, some of the tension in his shoulders eased.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his eyes scanning me as if checking for new injuries.
“Sore,” I admitted. “But okay, considering.”
He nodded, then his gaze shifted to Benita. “Marco told you everything?”
“Everything,” she confirmed.
“Good,” he said. “Then you understand why you can’t go back to your dorm. Neither of you.”
“We need somewhere safe,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt. “Somewhere the Morellis can’t get to us. Please, Damien. Promise me you’ll find a secure place for both of us.”
He was quiet for a moment, his dark eyes studying me. “I have a property next door,” he said finally. “Secure, fully staffed, guards on every entrance. Benita can stay there. She’ll be safe.”
“And me?” I asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it.
“You’ll stay here,” he said firmly. “With me. Where I can keep an eye on you personally.”
“Damien….”
“You’re keeping something from me,” he interrupted, his gaze sharp and penetrating.
My heart hammered against my ribs. How did he know? How could he possibly know?
Benita cleared her throat. “I should, um, go check out that property next door. Make sure it’s suitable.” She stood quickly, giving me a meaningful look. “You two need to talk. Privately.”
“Benita….” I started.
“It’s okay,” she said gently, squeezing my shoulder with her hand.
She left before I could stop her, closing the door softly behind her.
And then it was just me and Damien, and the secret that felt like it was burning a hole through my chest.
“Hailey,” he said quietly, moving closer and sitting on the couch across from me. “What are you hiding?”
I took a deep breath, my hands shaking as I pressed them together. This was it. The moment I’d been dreading and avoiding and knowing was inevitable.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered.