Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Damien’s POV
The city lights flickered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, casting long shadows across the polished mahogany desk. I sat back in my chair, a glass of whiskey untouched in front of me, my mind on her.
On the look in Hailey’s eyes when she’d seen me in that warehouse, the horror, the fear, the immediate understanding of what I truly was.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
“Come in,” I said, my voice flat.
Kai entered, his imposing frame filling the doorway. He closed the door behind him with a soft click and stood at attention, hands clasped in front of him.
“Report,” I said simply.
“I didn’t see her, boss,” Kai said, his deep voice carrying a hint of apology. “But I spoke to her friend. Gave her the phone like you asked.”
I nodded slowly, swirling the amber liquid in my glass. “She’s scared.”
“Boss?”
“Hailey,” I clarified, my jaw tightening slightly. “She witnessed the interrogation earlier. She’s terrified.”
Kai was silent for a moment, then spoke carefully. “May I ask you something, boss?”
I glanced up at him, one eyebrow raised. “Go ahead.”
He hesitated, choosing his words with obvious care. “Do you have an interest in this girl? Or is it just a fling?
I should have had an answer ready, something dismissive and cold that would put the matter to rest. But the truth was, I didn’t know.
Hailey wasn’t like the others, the women who threw themselves at me because of my wealth or my reputation. She didn’t want anything from me. In fact, she seemed desperate to get away from me.
And that made her dangerous in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
Because the more she ran, the more I wanted to chase.
“That’s not your concern,” I finally said, my tone making it clear the subject was closed.
Kai nodded, accepting the dismissal without question. “Understood, boss.”
He turned to leave, but I stopped him.
“Wait.”
He turned back, his expression attentive.
“Now that we have answers about who attacked our cartel,” I said, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the desk, “what’s the next move?”
Kai’s expression darkened, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. “We make them pay.”
I stood, the weight of the decision settling over me like a familiar cloak. “We’re going to sabotage one of their drug sales tonight. Hit them where it hurts most.”
“Which location, boss?”
“The warehouse on the East End,” I said, already moving toward the door.
Kai’s lips curved into a grim smile. “I’ll gather the men.”
“Do it quickly,” I ordered. “And make sure everyone’s armed. I don’t want any mistakes.”
———
Two hours later, we pulled up to the old warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The building loomed against the night sky, its windows dark and broken, weeds growing through cracks in the pavement.
A flicker of unease stirred in my gut, sharp and insistent.
“Boss,” Kai said from beside me, his voice low. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
I scanned the area, my eyes narrowing. “Where are the lookouts?”
“There aren’t any,” he replied, tension creeping into his tone.
Drug deals of this magnitude always had lookouts, always had security. The fact that there was nothing, no cars, no guards, no movement at all, set off every alarm bell in my head.
“It’s a trap,” I said quietly, my hand already moving to the gun at my waist.
The moment the words left my mouth, the warehouse doors burst open.
Gunfire erupted, muzzle flashes lighting up the darkness like fireworks. Bullets tore through the air, pinging off the cars and shattering windows.
“Get down!” Kai shouted, yanking open the car door and returning fire.
My men poured out of the vehicles, taking cover behind anything they could find. The sharp crack of gunfire filled the night, mixing with shouts and the screech of tires.
I dove behind the hood of my car, my heart pounding with adrenaline as I fired back at the shadowy figures emerging from the warehouse. They were well-armed and well-positioned, whoever had set this up knew exactly what they were doing.
“Flank left!” I barked at Kai, who nodded and signaled to a group of men.
The battle was chaotic, brutal, and over almost as quickly as it had started. My men were better trained, better prepared, and within minutes, the attackers were either dead or fleeing into the night.
Silence descended, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing and the distant wail of sirens.
“Boss, you good?” Kai called out, stepping over a body as he approached.
“Fine,” I said, straightening up.
But as I moved, a sharp, burning pain shot through my shoulder. I looked down and saw blood seeping through my shirt, dark and wet.
A bullet had grazed me.
“Boss, you’re hit,” Kai said, his eyes widening slightly.
“It’s nothing,” I said, though the pain said otherwise. The wound throbbed with each heartbeat, hot and insistent.
“We need to get you patched up,” he insisted.
———
The penthouse felt suffocating when I returned, the anger simmering beneath my skin making every breath feel tight and constricted.
I’d been fed false information. Led into a trap like some amateur who couldn’t tell the difference between intelligence and bait.
The bullet graze on my shoulder throbbed with each movement, a constant reminder of how close I’d come to something far worse.
Kai followed me inside, silent but watchful, his eyes tracking my every move like he was waiting for an explosion.
He didn’t have to wait long.
“Bring him,” I said, my voice cold and clipped as I poured myself a drink. “Now.”
Kai didn’t need clarification. He knew exactly who I was talking about.
The man we’d interrogated earlier, the one who’d given us the location of the supposed drug exchange, the one who’d set us up.