Chapter 58

Chapter 58
Alicia

I couldn’t sit still. The moment Damon was wheeled into the test room, my mind refused to stop racing. Every beep of the monitor, every whisper of footsteps in the hallway, made my heart jump. Nathan was out there, and I knew he wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot.

I stayed near the door, arms crossed, pretending to be calm, but inside I was spinning. Damon had been through so much in the last 48 hours. The hit during the game, Marcus’s betrayal, the threat from Nathan. And yet, even with all that, he refused to show weakness. Even now, lying in a hospital bed, his pride and determination radiated in every movement.

The nurse came out and whispered that the tests would take about an hour. I nodded, forcing a smile, but my eyes never left the hallway. Damon’s footsteps echoed faintly behind the closed door, and I imagined him trying to stand tall, trying to appear unshaken. I wanted to go in, hold him, tell him he didn’t have to be strong for anyone.

But I didn’t. Not yet. Instead, I pulled out my phone. Time to get serious. Nathan was not just a threat to Damon; he was a threat to everyone who cared about him. I needed information, and I knew just the person who could help... someone who owed me a favor from my hospital days, someone who still had access to the league’s insider networks.

I called, and within minutes, I was getting data, footage, schedules. I pieced together Nathan’s movements, his contacts, and even hints that Marcus’s betrayal might have been just the start of a bigger plan. My stomach knotted. Nathan wasn’t thinking about just Damon anymore, he was orchestrating something massive, something that could hit Damon right where it would hurt the most.

My thoughts snapped back to Damon. I could see him in my mind, bracing himself for the tests, forcing a smile for the nurses, trying not to let them see the exhaustion in his eyes. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve the constant fear and pressure, but it was part of who he was... who we were, together.

The door opened, and Damon came out, walking with a slight limp, his arm propped by a nurse. I hurried to his side, taking his hand. “Hey,” I said softly.

He tried to smile, but I saw the weariness behind it. “Hey,” he replied, voice hoarse. “You’ve been waiting?”

“Of course,” I said. “I wasn’t going anywhere.”

He sighed, leaning slightly against me for support. “You shouldn’t have to do this. You shouldn’t have to be here, worrying about me every second.”

I shook my head. “I want to. I need to. Damon, I can’t just stand by while someone’s trying to hurt you. Not after everything.”

He looked down at me, his gaze intense, full of unspoken emotion. “You don’t understand. Nathan… he’s smarter than you think. He doesn’t just go for the obvious. He targets everything you care about.”

I swallowed hard, knowing exactly what he meant. “I know. That’s why we need a plan. You, me, the team... whoever we can trust. We have to stay one step ahead.”

He nodded slowly. “I’ve been thinking about that. Marcus… what he did… it’s not just a betrayal. It’s a warning. Nathan’s showing us that he can manipulate anyone. That he can get to anyone.”

I squeezed his hand, my voice steady. “Then we make sure he can’t. We figure out the pieces before he moves. We don’t wait for him to strike.”

For a moment, he was silent. Then he whispered, almost to himself, “I hate feeling like I’m running out of time.”

“You’re not,” I said firmly. “Not while I’m here.”

We walked back to the waiting area together, and I kept my hand on his arm. The hospital corridor felt endless, but I couldn’t let myself think about what could happen if we weren’t fast enough. Nathan wasn’t just a threat on the field; he was a threat everywhere.

Back in the small office off the hospital lobby, I started organizing the information I’d gathered. Damon leaned against the doorframe, watching me, his brow furrowed. “You really think you can figure out his next move?” he asked.

“I have to,” I said. “If I don’t, he’ll have the advantage. And if Nathan has the advantage, he could hurt more than just you. He could ruin everything.”

He came closer, his hand brushing mine as he moved. “You don’t have to do this alone either,” he said quietly.

I looked up at him, surprised by the softness in his voice. “I know,” I said. “But I also know you’ll hate me if I don’t. You can’t just sit back and do nothing. That’s not who you are.”

He smiled faintly, and my chest tightened. “You always know the right thing to say.”

“I just say what I feel,” I replied. “Sometimes that’s enough.”

He reached for my hand, holding it firmly. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”

The word ‘together’ hit me harder than I expected. Damon had been my anchor through chaos, through uncertainty, and I had been his... sometimes more quietly, sometimes more fiercely. We had survived games, threats, and betrayal, but Nathan was different. Nathan played a game that could destroy everything we’d built, and I knew the stakes had never been higher.

The nurse returned with some coffee for me, and Damon gently pushed it toward me. “You need to eat,” he said softly. “You’re no good to me if you pass out from hunger.”

I laughed lightly. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“No,” he said firmly. “I’m serious. I need you strong. I can’t protect you if you’re not.”

My heart skipped a beat. His tone wasn’t just about concern... it was determination, and something deeper. “I’m always strong for you,” I said softly.

He nodded, eyes darkening. “I know. But I don’t want you to be strong alone. I want to be there too. Always.”

I felt tears prick my eyes, but I blinked them away. “You will be,” I said. “We’ll be in this together. Every step.”

And for a few moments, the hospital faded. There were no games, no threats, no Marcus, no Nathan. Just Damon and me, holding on, promising each other we’d survive whatever came next.

But the quiet didn’t last. My phone buzzed again, an unknown number flashing on the screen. My stomach dropped. Another message.

I hesitated, then opened it.

“You think you’re safe with him? Think again.”

I froze, heart hammering. Damon’s head snapped toward me. “Who?”

I swallowed hard, hands shaking. “Nathan. He knows we’re planning. He’s watching.”

Damon’s jaw tightened. “He won’t get away with this.”

“I hope not,” I whispered. “But we need to move fast.”

He reached for me, holding my hand tightly. “We do. But whatever happens, we face it together.”

I nodded, heart racing. “Together.”

And as we sat there in the small office, the weight of what was coming pressed down on us, a dark storm waiting beyond the hospital walls. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nathan’s next move was closer than we thought... and that when it came, it would be personal, and it would test everything between Damon and me.

But I wasn’t afraid. Not yet. Because whatever happened, we would face it side by side.

The phone buzzed again, and my stomach sank. This time, it was a photo.

Damon’s eyes followed mine as I opened it. My breath caught. It was a picture of someone we trusted. And a message that made my blood run cold.

"One of you is already compromised.”

I looked at Damon. He looked at me and in that moment, I realized Nathan’s game had only just begun.