Chapter 106 Chapter 106
"I'm sorry, Mia, but if I run now, they will just find me and kill me. You heard Ivan, the psychopath from earlier on, there is a bounty on my head. The only way I can keep you safe is to stay away from you." I said with regret.
"I don't know you anymore, but I hope that the girl I do know is somewhere in there and she comes to her senses really quickly." She said and lay down.
I just wish Damien would let her stay here for now until she was ready to leave. But the most important part was if she would be willing to stay.
"You should get some rest. If you're hungry, I'll have Elena bring something to you." I said.
"I'm fine." Was her curt reply. I heaved a sigh and got up. Downstairs, the guys were still up and busy. In this world, crime never sleeps. Damien's office door was shut, but I knew he was either in there or outside. I tried to open the door, but it did not budge, meaning he was outside.
Damien rarely spent time in his bedroom. Lately, he had rarely been sleeping. I stepped outside to the porch, and there he was, leaning against the bannister, lost in thought.
"Are you okay?" I asked him as I approached.
"I should ask you. How's Mia?" The words came out so suddenly, I wasn't sure whether he meant it or not. Just a while back, he was more than willing to sacrifice her for the downfall of the Syndicate.
"Shaken. She has never had to experience the dangers as much as I have. You don't really get used to any of this, if you were never born into it." I said, staring down at my injured hand.
"Hmm" he nodded, still staring into space. "Victor's been quite busy. Intel revealed that he's been consolidating power the same way the Syndicate had been trying to." He said.
"What does that mean? Is he planning on backstabbing Alexander?" I asked. He turned to me and smiled.
"Well, he is trying to beat them at their own game. In this world, you don't trust anyone. Everyone is after their own gain, their own freedom. They are either trying to get out or get in, and neither is easy, so, betrayal is inevitable."
That explained why he had alot of trust issues. It was evident given the number of times he had been betrayed by the people he trusted.
"I think he wants to take over the syndicate." Damien asserted.
"But, we don't even know who the leader of the syndicate really is. I mean, it is possible that Alexander does and perhaps that is why he chose to work so closely wih him, so he can get close enough to take them down." I replied.
"Yeah, that's what I think too. But Alexander, my father, is a smart man. He won't be fooled so easily. If he is keeping Victor with him, it is because he has a plan himself."
"What about Marcus? Do you think he has an idea who the leader might be?" I asked. Damien shook his head.
"Even if he did, I'm sure he would rather die than tell us. Marcus was my right hand man, and for so many years in his supposed loyalty to me, he never said or did anything that made him seem like a snitch, yet, he worked for the Syndicate so dilligently."
"Once he picks his loyalty, he stays with it. He won't give them up, whatever it would cost him." Damien replied.
The sadness in his voice told so much about his loss. I looked away from him, I couldn't stand to see him like that, broken, with little hope. I was trapped in this world for all I knew, with all its heart breaks, dangers and probabilities.
"What do we do now? Who do we go for?" I asked. 'We?' I said in my thoughts. Was I really willing to go down this drain? Was this even about clearing my name anymore or was I just stuck here?
"We wait, whoever makes the first move, we take down. This time, neither of them will get away." He replied with a vengeance.
The door opened and Duke stepped outside with a phone in his hand."Boss, we just got intel, not sure how legit it is but Alexander and Victor are meeting tomorrow to ascertain their alliance."
Damien's brows furrowed. "What time?" He asked.
"Sun rise at a local fabric factory. It is one of Alexander's safe houses where he stores his merchandise."
"This could be a trap." I stated. The information was so specific, what if Victor or Alexander was trying to draw him out?
"What if they want you to be there?" I asked.
"Don't they always? It is always a trick with them but we'll be prepared. Find everything you can about the area. Do we have anybody there? We need an eye." Damien instructed Duke.
"Yes boss," Duke replied and walked away.
The next morning, I got up early to go for a run around the mansion's perimeter. On my way back, one of the guards patrolling the grounds bumped into me.
"I'm sorry, ma'am." His nose and mouth was covered by a cloth. I assumed it was because of the dust. I nodded and continued to run back to the house.
After taking a shower, I joined tbe guys outside. Damien insisted on inteecepting the meeting despite the obvious fact that it could all be a trap.
When I left the room, Mia was still asleep. She would be safer here than out there. I just hoped she didn't leave before we got back.
"Alright, with the information Duke got, we'll take the side entrance and back. Sean and the others will wait upfront, right here next to the tank for our signals. Sniper shot, find your eagle's eye around here and once I give the signal, we all attack." Damien said.
I put on my watch, of course the plan was to stay beside him. We set out for the factory in separate cars. The idea was not to draw attention when we got there.