Chapter 104 Chapter 104
Fear gripped me. Damien was planning on sacrificing Mia just to destroy the syndicate?
"I doubt Miss Lisa would like that very much," Duke said, and Damien snickered.
"Not every decision should be liked. I want to save the girl, but we don't have much choice as it is. We might never get another opportunity like this." Damien retorted.
"We have her to thank for that. Such a perfect time to go missing." Duke's humour was beginning to piss me off, and so was Damien's pragmatism on the matter, but I had no choice; I had to follow through with the mission and make sure that I showed him just how important keeping Mia alive was to me.
Ten minutes up, we all gathered outside the house. My mood was cool, and I pretended not to have heard his conversation with Duke. Thank goodness Damien was about business and did not try to talk to me, so it made it rather easy.
We drove into town and straight to the suburbs. The smell and feel of the place awoke a familiar melancholic feeling in me that made me want to cry.
We finally made it past Mia's workplace. A lump traveled up my throat as we drove past it. Mia would have been home by now or working her night shift peacefully had I not been involved in this mess with Damien.
Memories crossed my mind, and I remembered how I used to trod up to her workplace and get her to treat me to ice cream or noodles. My dinner was always on her. Mia knew this dark world better than I did. She had survived countless stray attacks while working in the suburbs, but all of a sudden, it was my world that was going to shatter hers now.
"We are approaching Church Hill." I heard Duke say into the coms radio as we drove past a quiet neighborhood. If they were right and Alexander wasn't expecting us to show, then why hadn't he called again? I thought to myself.
"When we get there, Duke, you commandeer half of the guys through the back and the roof, Lisa and I would take the remaining guys through the front. Wait for my signal before entering." Damien said. I turned to look at him, but he didn't look back at me.
He obviously felt guilty. I liked to believe so, and if he did, then that was good, because what he said was a slap to my face, and it just showed me how little my feelings mattered to him compared to his zeal and desire to take down the syndicate.
We arrived at our location. A dusty old wholesale plaza that had once been booming back in the days. I used to remember frequenting it to get materials before the mafia wars broke out, and the whole place was set ablaze, claiming several lives.
That had been a dark time for the whole suburb. My favorite wholesale client had been killed. All of these made shivers run down my spine. The night air was chilly, but the cold I felt came from inside my body.
Everywhere was dark, save for the illumination of the full moon hanging above us.
"Let's go." Damien grabbed my hand and pulled me along. We crouched outside the doorless entrance and peered inside. We spotted like four guards patrolling the inside of the building. They were obviously meant to be guarding the door, but apparently had taken a break.
Damien turned to his men behind us and signaled to them to move on his mark. As soon as the men weren't looking, we filed in stealthily, moving like ninjas in the dark space. We hid behind some blocks, the men flashed their lights in the direction we had just come from, and a rat ran past.
"Damn rodents." One of them spat on the floor. They turned back around and continued discussing. There was a staircase ahead of us. Damien signaled to the men, and on his mark, one by one they jumped past pillar by pillar to get to the stairs.
As soon as we got to it, we rushed up quietly. My heart beat loudly in my chest as we hid behind another pillar on the second floor. This was indeed dangerous.
We could hear voices coming from the floor above us. I turned to look at Damien, the silver moon casting its light around us for easy movement.
He motioned to his men and some of them waited guard while others followed us up the stairs. This floor was free of Alexander's men, which made it really easy to climb up the next flight of stairs. As soon as we got to the next floor, a flash of light went over our heads sharply and Damien pushed me down in a crouch.
We moved slowly and gently until whoever held the torch had turned around and walled back into the room. There were several stores on this particular floor. The men had camped in one of them and a dim light semed a to burn in the room ahead.
"Yoo!! You cheated! Hand it over!"
"No! I won fair and square! That money is mine! You fuck shit." Two of the men argued.
We leaned against the wall beside the entrance and peeped into the room. They were playing cards and gambling. I felt sick to my stomach as the smell of cigarettes filled the room.
"Whoa, I'm calling it." One of the men held his card with a smile. Mia wasn't in this room. I looked to Damien and shook my head. We eyed the next room at the same time and ran towards it, as quietly as possible.
As soon as we got there, we saw Mia, bound to a pillar, with a gag in her mouth. Relief flooded me.
I rushed to her and hugged her. She lifted her head in fear, but when she saw it was me, she started to cry. I gestured for her to keep quiet and then, I helped untie her. Damien stood outside scouting the room, and then, he walked inside.
"We have to go now." He said and I nodded.
"Can you walk?" I asked Mia and she nodded. I supported her with my shoulder, as we walked but just as we made it to the door, Alexander's right hand man, Ivan, walked in.