Chapter 71 Welcome back
DAMIEN
The bathroom was filled with steam and the faint scent of soap.
Water ran down Damien’s back as he stood beneath the shower, his hands braced against the tiled wall. For a moment, he let himself believe this night could be normal. Jasmine was in his bed.
Safe
Waiting.
Then his phone buzzed on the sink counter.
Once.
Twice.
He turned off the water and reached for it, already knowing who it was.
Dominic.
Damien wrapped a towel around his waist and answered.
“What?” he said quietly.
Dominic’s voice slid through the speaker, smooth and dangerous. “You sound out of breath, cousin. Busy?”
Damien clenched his jaw. “Talk.”
A pause. Then, “We found him.”
Damien’s hand tightened around the phone. “Raymond?”
“Yes.”
The word landed like a blow to the chest.
“Where?”
“Los Angeles,” Dominic replied. “My men tracked him to a rundown apartment near the docks. Fake papers. New name. He’s been hiding like a rat.”
Damien closed his eyes. He could see Jasmine’s face in his mind—soft in sleep, trusting.
“You’re sure it’s him.”
“I wouldn’t wake you for guesses,” Dominic said. “You wanted him found. I found him.”
Steam curled around Damien’s shoulders as silence stretched between them.
“And?” Damien asked.
“And now you owe me.”
Damien’s voice hardened. “I already owe you”
Dominic laughed quietly. “That was for the first, this is a new favor.”
“I told you I was done with that life.”
“You told yourself that,” Dominic corrected. “But here you are. Calling me in the dark. Asking me to protect what you love.”
Damien looked at his reflection in the fogged mirror—wet hair, shadowed eyes, a man standing between two worlds.
“He tried to hurt her,” Damien said. “He disappeared. That means he’s planning something.”
Dominic’s tone shifted. “So this is personal.”
“Yes.”
“That makes you careless.”
“That makes me determined.”
Another pause. The crackle of a lighter.
“You always were dangerous when you loved someone,” Dominic said. “Fine. You want Raymond? Come get him.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow night. One of my safe houses in Los Angeles. I’ll send the address.”
Damien swallowed. “And the costs?”
Dominic didn’t hesitate. “Open-ended. When I call, you show up.”
“That could drag me back into blood.”
“It already has,” Dominic replied coolly. “You just don’t see it yet.”
Damien pressed his palm against the cold sink. “You’re forcing my hand.”
“No,” Dominic said softly. “You’re choosing her.”
Damien’s chest tightened.
“Yes,” he said. “I am.”
Dominic chuckled. “Then welcome back to the game, cousin.”
The call ended.
Damien stared at the dark screen in his hand. The bathroom felt smaller now. Colder. Like the walls were closing in.
He leaned over the sink, breathing hard.
Five days, he thought. I’ll be back in five days.
He grabbed a towel and dried his hair slowly, trying to wipe away the weight in his chest. He didn’t want Jasmine to see this part of him—the part that lived in shadows and debts.
When he finally opened the bathroom door, the bedroom light was dim.
Jasmine lay curled beneath the sheets, her hair spread across his pillow, her eyes half-lidded with sleep.
She smiled when she saw him.
“There you are,” she murmured.
~
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the distant sounds of the city outside. Jasmine lay beneath the covers, staring at the ceiling while the steam from the bathroom slowly drifted away. Her heart was already restless, though she didn’t know why.
Then Damien stepped out.
He wore only a pair of grey sweatpants, his hair still damp, water trailing down his neck and chest. The sight of him usually made her smile. Tonight, it made something ache inside her instead.
He walked toward the bed and slid in beside her, pulling her gently into his arms. His skin was warm, grounding. Jasmine turned and pressed her face into his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
For a moment, they just breathed together.
She felt his chest rise and fall. Felt the tension in his shoulders. “Tesoro,” he murmured, his voice quieter than she had ever heard it. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his sweatpants. “What is it?”
“I have to leave tomorrow, for five days” he said. “For work.”
Her heart dropped instantly.
“Where?” she asked, though she already feared the answer.
“Los Angeles.” He hesitated, then added, “My men found Raymond.”
Her entire body stiffened.
The name alone was enough to send a cold wave through her. Two weeks of pretending the danger had passed shattered in an instant.
“Raymond…” she whispered. “I thought— I hoped—”
“So did I,” Damien admitted. “But this isn’t over yet.”
She lifted her face and cupped his cheeks with trembling hands. His eyes were dark, guarded, but gentle when they met hers.
“Be careful,” she said, her voice breaking. “Please.”
“I will.”
“Call me when you land, and whenever you have free time, promise me"
“I promise.”
“I can come with you,” she blurted suddenly, fear overtaking her restraint.
He shook his head softly. “No. I won’t risk you.”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I don’t like this. I don’t like being apart from you again.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Neither do I.”
She wanted to say more. She wanted to tell him not to go. To forget Raymond. To stay in this bed with her and pretend the world couldn’t reach them.
But she knew him.
Damien Blackwood did not run from threats. He ended them. She swallowed and nodded. “You said five days?”
“Yes.”
Her arms tightened around him. “That’s too long.”
He kissed her hair. “It will pass faster than you think.”
“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered against his chest.
“I don’t want to leave you but don't worry, Richelle will come stay with you here” he replied just as quietly. They lay there in silence, clinging to each other as if the night itself were fragile. Jasmine listened to his heartbeat, afraid that once she fell asleep, morning would come too quickly.
She traced circles on his chest, memorizing the feel of him. His scent. His warmth.
“Promise me something,” she said softly.
“Anything.”
“Come back to me.”
His arms tightened around her. “Always.”
She nestled closer, tucking herself beneath his chin, and he wrapped himself around her as though he could shield her from every nightmare that waited beyond the walls.