Chapter 138 Does Darcy Know?

Chapter 138 Does Darcy Know?
Then his voice came through again, firmer this time. “I delivered your girls, fine and functional, just like we agreed. I owe you only one favor now, and that’s it.”

Delivered girls? My stomach dropped. Damien was back in the skin trade? It felt like my heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest. He had promised me he was done with that life. And who the hell was he owing favors to?

His voice dropped lower. “I’ll meet you at the office. Do not ever come to my home again.”

Again? So this person had been here before? Realization hit me like a cold wave. It was Dominic. Damien owed Dominic favors. My hands began to shake as I slowly backed away from the door.

Before I could turn and rush back to the safety of the bed, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Damien stood there in nothing but his sweatpants, his eyes widening in shock when he saw me. “Tesoro,” he breathed, clearly startled. He tried to play it cool, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. “You’re awake.”

I didn’t reply. The silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable. He stepped past me and walked over to the bed, casually sitting on the edge like nothing was wrong.

I followed him and stopped right in front of him, arms crossed over my chest. He looked up at me, one brow raised in question. “Damien,” I said quietly.

“Tesoro?”

“Who do you owe one last favor?” The words left my mouth before I could soften them.

His face paled instantly. I watched him bite the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit I had come to recognize.

He let out a short, forced laugh. “It’s nothing like that, tesoro. Just work stuff.”

“Yes, work,” I nodded, pretending to understand for a second. My voice stayed calm, but my pulse was racing. “Work that requires you to go back to the skin trade you swore you were no longer doing.”

Damien blinked at me, his confident mask crumbling right before my eyes. He knew I had heard everything. There was no point in lying now. He let out a long sigh, his broad shoulders slumping.

“Damien, what is going on?” I asked, my voice softer but urgent. “Why do you owe Dominic favors?”

He looked at me with hopeless eyes. “I… I can’t tell you.”

My face fell. I sat down on the bed right beside him, close enough that our thighs touched. “Why not? I’m here for you, Damien. If Dominic is forcing you into something dangerous, tell me. Let me help.”

Damien turned his head and met my gaze. His voice came out rough and pained. “You won’t forgive me.”

I did a double take, blinking at him in disbelief. “Damien… what wouldn’t I forgive?”

He sighed deeply, running a hand through his dark curls. Then he started talking. He told me how he had dealt with Raymond. He had wanted to kill him, had gotten so close to ending his life but in the end, he spared him because of me.

Instead, he had Raymond locked away in a remote prison, far from everyone. To make that happen without any trace, he had asked Dominic for a favor: to kidnap Raymond and handle the details. But even Dominic couldn’t—or wouldn’t make the body disappear completely. So they had arranged for Raymond to be kept locked away, completely untraceable, without ever seeing a judge or a courtroom.

Because of that arrangement, Damien now owed Dominic two favors. He had already fulfilled the first one by supplying three girls for Dominic’s gun trade.

As he spoke, my expression shifted from shock to pure concern, then to something darker, anger mixed with disgust. I felt sick to my stomach. Those poor girls… Damien continued, his voice low. “Now Dominic wants to discuss the second favor.”

I just sat there, staring at him, my heart breaking into pieces. The man I loved had gone back to the very darkness he promised he had left behind. “Please… say something,” he begged, his voice cracking slightly as he reached for my hand.

I pulled back just enough to look him straight in the eyes and asked the one question burning in my mind. “Does Darcy know?”

Damien just stared at me, his dark eyes searching my face. The silence stretched between us, heavy and thick. I already knew the answer before he even opened his mouth.

“She will be heartbroken that you’re stepping back into that life,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

“But I’m not,” he shook his head quickly, his expression desperate. “I just… I did it to protect you.” He reached out and took my hand in both of his, his grip warm and firm. “I would do anything to protect you, Jasmine. Even if it means being Dominic’s dog just one more time.”

My chest tightened at his words. I swallowed hard and looked straight into his eyes. “And what if he asks you for something that could completely condemn you?” I asked, my voice steady even though fear twisted in my stomach

“Then let me be damned,” he replied without hesitation. His honesty hit me like a wave. He had done all of this for me? He had risked the new life he had built, the fresh start he had fought so hard for, just to keep me safe? The thought made my heart ache.