Chapter 122 Home
DAMIEN
A cold, merciless rage coursed through my veins as I stood there, staring at the place that had stolen my world from me. For one year… one year, eight months, two weeks, ten days, and countless, endless hours—I had lived without her.
Without Jasmine.
Without my tesoro.
The weight of that absence was suffocating. It pressed down on my chest, clawed at my lungs, hollowed me out from the inside until I wasn’t sure there was anything left of me beyond the obsession to find her.
To bring her back.
Or to die trying.
My gaze remained fixed on the massive structure before us—the factory. From the outside, it looked ordinary. Harmless, even. Just another industrial building standing under the indifferent night sky. But I knew better.
Evil didn’t always look monstrous.
Sometimes it hid behind steel walls and silent gates.
Sometimes it stole the only thing that mattered to you… and left you breathing just enough to suffer.My fingers curled around the gold hibiscus necklace wrapped tightly around my wrist. The metal was slightly worn now, the delicate petals dulled from constant contact, but to me, it was priceless.
It was hers.
I brought it to my lips, pressing a lingering kiss against it, my eyes falling shut as memories crashed into me all at once.
Her laughter, her scent. The way her fingers would absentmindedly play with the hem of my shirt. “My silly girl…” I whispered, my voice breaking despite my effort to remain composed.
God, I missed her.
I missed her so much it physically hurt.
Every room I entered felt empty. Every silence was deafening. Every breath I took reminded me she wasn’t there to share it with me.
There were moments—brief, cruel moments—where my mind tricked me. Where I’d turn, expecting to see her curled up on the couch, arguing with a movie character like her life depended on it…
Only to be met with nothing.
Just emptiness, just absence. And it broke me all over again. “I’ll have you back,” I murmured, my thumb brushing over the pendant. “I swear it… I’ll bring you back to me.”
Even if it killed me. “Damien.”
Thomas’ voice pulled me back to the present.
I turned, my expression immediately hardening as I walked back toward the makeshift camp. The men moved like shadows, silent and efficient, positioning themselves exactly where they needed to be.
Good.
They would need to be.
Because tonight… there would be blood.
“Tell me what we’re dealing with,” I demanded, my tone leaving no room for anything but the truth.
Thomas nodded once, gesturing toward the table littered with maps and notes. “Thirty guards outside. Split into three groups. Ten each. Heavily armed.”
My jaw tightened.
“Go on.”
“They rotate shifts every hour,” he continued, pointing at the map. “Each group takes ten minutes to transition. That’s our window.”
My eyes narrowed, scanning the layout.
“And inside?”
He exhaled slowly. “Worse.”
Of course it was.
“They’ve built an underground structure. Tunnels. Cells. Holding areas.” His voice darkened. “That’s where she is.”
My fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. “She’s alive,” I said, more to myself than to him.
She had to be.
Thomas didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he checked his watch, then looked up with a grim smile. “Three… two… one.”
In the distance, I watched as one group of guards began to disperse. Our men moved instantly, silent, deadly.
They intercepted them before they could even react—dragging them into the shadows, ending their lives without a sound.
I didn’t flinch.
Didn’t hesitate.
They were obstacles.
Nothing more.
Minutes later, I was gearing up.
I slipped the gun into my waistband, the cold metal a familiar weight. Three knives followed—two in my holster, one hidden in my boot.
I hadn’t been this man in years.
I had buried him. Swore I never would become him again. But for her? For Jasmine? I would become something far worse. “Five minutes,” Thomas muttered. “We move.”
I nodded once, then I ran. The inside of the factory was eerily quiet, too quiet. Crates lined the space, stacked high like a maze, but I knew it was all a façade. The real nightmare was below.
I moved swiftly, silently, blending into the shadows as I made my way toward the entrance of the underground tunnels. Every step felt heavier, every breath sharper. Until finally… I reached it.
A large metal door.
Rust clung to its edges, and the smell…
God.
The smell.
Rot.
Blood.
Decay. It hit me like a punch to the gut. My chest tightened violently. “She’s in here…” I whispered.
My tesoro had been breathing this air.
Living in this hell, for a year.
Rage exploded inside me. A sudden sound snapped me out of it. Footsteps. I moved instantly. A shot rang out—but I had already dodged. “Shit.”
The sound would alert others.
No time, I lunged forward, slamming the guard into the wall before driving my gun into his side. He crumpled, gasping, and I didn’t hesitate.
One shot to the knee.
A silenced scream.
I left him there, alive to suffer. The deeper I went, the worse it got. The air thickened. The darkness deepened. And then— A punch.
It grazed my jaw, but I recovered instantly, turning with a snarl. The guard barely had time to react before my fist connected with his nose.
The crack echoed.
He dropped.
Pathetic. I reached down, picking the bunch of keys from his waist band.
“Jasmine…” I whispered as I passed each cell.
Empty.
Empty.
Empty, then a sound, a whimper. My heart stopped. I ran, then I saw her. Everything inside me shattered. She was curled up on the floor, trembling, her voice barely audible as she whispered broken pleas.
“Please… don’t hurt me…”
Tears blurred my vision.“Tesoro…”
Her eyes lifted. And when they met mine— God.
They were empty, hollow, broken. I felt it physically, like my soul was being torn apart.
I opened the cell, my hands shaking.
“Jasmine… it’s me… I’m here…” She didn’t move at first, didn’t believe me. Of course she didn’t. I knelt in front of her, trying not to frighten her already trembling form. But then…Slowly… She reached out. Her hand slipped into my awaiting one and I broke.
I brought it to my lips, kissing it over and over like a madman. "I’m here… I’ve got you… I’ve got you…”
And then she lunged at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her body shaking violently as she sobbed into me.
I held her just as tightly.
“I’m here… you’re safe… you’re safe now…”
But when I touched her back— She whimpered.
My blood ran cold.
I pulled back slightly, and saw them. The wounds, the scars, the damage. Something inside me snapped, but I swallowed it. My heart was bleeding for her. I cupped her face gently. “I’ve got you… I’m taking you home…”