Chapter 14 Chapter 14
Hailey’s POV
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The man tied to the chair, blood dripping from his mouth, his face swollen and unrecognizable. The dark stains on the concrete floor. And Damien, standing there with blood on his knuckles, his expression cold and detached like this was just another routine.
This was the Kingpin everyone whispered about in fear.
And I’d slept with him. Twice.
My stomach churned violently, nausea rising in my throat.
I should have stayed in the car. I should have just waited like he told me to.
But I couldn’t.
The entire drive over, all I could think about was that message on his phone. Sophia’s suspension reduced. Of course he’d helped her, he was her father. But knowing he’d used his power to let her get away with what she’d done to me, it burned.
I’d needed to confront him, to tell him to his face that what he’d done was wrong.
But now, standing here watching him torture a man, all of that seemed insignificant.
“Hailey,” Damien said, his voice cutting through the ringing in my ears.
I took a step back, my hands trembling.
“Wait,” he said, moving toward me.
That single word snapped me out of my frozen state.
I turned and ran.
“Hailey!” he called after me, but I didn’t stop.
My footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as I sprinted toward the exit, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. Behind me, I could hear heavy footsteps, someone was following.
Terror clawed at my throat. What if they caught me? What if they decided I’d seen too much? What if they tried to silence me?
I burst through the door and onto the street, gasping for air. A taxi was idling nearby, and I practically threw myself into the backseat.
“Drive!” I shouted. “Please, just drive!”
The driver looked startled but didn’t argue. The car lurched forward, and I twisted around, staring out the back window.
No one had followed me out.
But that didn’t mean I was safe.
My hands were still shaking as I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts until I found the card Detective Morrison had given me.
I saved her number under “Emergency” and stared at it for a long moment.
Just in case.
Just in case something happened to me.
———
By the time I got to campus, my heart rate had finally started to slow down. The familiar sight of students walking between buildings, laughing and talking like nothing was wrong, helped ground me.
Nothing had happened. I was fine.
I was fine.
I kept repeating it to myself like a mantra as I walked toward my dorm.
“Hailey!”
I turned to see Benita storming toward me, her face twisted with anger.
“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded. “I’ve been calling you all morning! You just disappeared last night, and then you didn’t come home, and…..”
“Benita, I can explain….” I started, but before I could finish, my stomach lurched violently.
I barely had time to turn away before I threw up all over her shoes.
“Oh my God!” she shrieked, jumping back.
I doubled over, heaving, my entire body trembling.
“Okay, okay, it’s fine,” Benita said quickly, her anger forgotten. She grabbed my arm, steadying me. “Come on, we’re going to the infirmary. Right now.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled weakly, but she wasn’t listening.
She practically dragged me across campus, her grip firm on my elbow. By the time we reached the infirmary, I felt like I might pass out.
The nurse took one look at me and ushered me into a room, asking a series of questions that I barely registered.
When did this start? How long have you been feeling nauseous? Have you experienced any other symptoms?
I answered on autopilot, my mind still stuck back in that warehouse, replaying the scene over and over.
“We’ll run some tests,” the nurse said gently. “Just to be safe.”
I nodded numbly and let her draw blood, my thoughts a tangled mess.
Time blurred after that. I sat on the examination table, staring at the wall, while Benita paced back and forth in the waiting area outside.
Finally, the nurse returned, holding a clipboard. Her expression was carefully neutral, but there was something in her eyes that made my stomach drop.
“Miss Hailey,” she said softly. “I have your results.”
I straightened, my heart suddenly pounding again.
“You’re pregnant,” she said. “Three weeks gone.”
The words hit me like a freight train.
Pregnant? Three weeks?
That was exactly when I’d first slept with Damien.
No. No, no, no.
This couldn’t be happening.
“Are you sure?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
The nurse nodded sympathetically. “The blood test is very accurate.”
All I could do was sit there, staring at the floor, as the weight of her words crushed down on me.
Pregnant. With Damien’s baby. The Kingpin’s baby.
Tears burned behind my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them from spilling over.
“I need a minute,” I choked out.
The nurse nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
The moment I was alone, I broke down completely. Sobs wracked my body as I buried my face in my hands.
How could this be happening? How could everything go so wrong so fast?
I was supposed to be focusing on school, on rebuilding my life after Sophia’s attack. I wasn’t supposed to be tangled up with a dangerous man. I wasn’t supposed to be pregnant.
A soft knock on the door made me jump.
“Hailey?” Benita’s voice came through. “Can I come in?”
I wiped my face quickly, trying to pull myself together. “Yeah.”
She stepped inside, her expression full of concern. “What did the nurse say? Are you okay?”
“It’s just a fever,” I lied, my voice shaky. “Nothing serious.”
Benita frowned, clearly not convinced. “You sure? Because you look…..”
“I’m fine,” I interrupted, forcing a weak smile. “Really.”
She studied me for a moment, then sighed. “Alright. But there’s someone here to see you.”
My blood turned to ice. “Who?”
“I don’t know.”
Panic shot through me like lightning. Damien. It had to be Damien.
“No,” I said quickly, my voice rising. “No, I can’t see anyone right now. Tell him I’m not available. Tell him I’m sick. Tell him anything, just please, Benita, don’t let him in.”