Chapter 34 Chapter 34
The photograph burned in my hands. Four words written in red ink across the bottom. "Kill her. Keep him broken." My chest tightened and I could not breathe. Victor was not just trying to destroy Damien's empire. He was trying to destroy Damien himself. And I was the weapon.
I shoved the documents back into the envelope and hid it under my mattress. My hands would not stop shaking. The young guard's words echoed in my head. Victor has more people inside Damien's operation. How many more? Who else had been bought? Who else was waiting to strike?
I paced the room like a caged animal. The walls felt closer than before. The lock on the door was a constant reminder that I was trapped. Again. Damien said it was for my safety but it felt like punishment. Like I was being punished for caring about Mia. For trying to save an innocent life.
Hours crawled by. The sun climbed higher and painted golden light across the floor. I heard footsteps in the hallway multiple times but no one came in. Guards changed shifts outside my door. Voices murmured. Life continued while I sat trapped in silence.
Then the lock clicked. The door opened. Damien stood there looking exhausted and furious. His shirt was wrinkled and bloodstained. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "We need to talk," he said.
"About how you locked me in here like a prisoner?"
"About how you almost died last night." His voice was sharp. Cold. "About how you snuck out of this mansion and walked straight into a trap."
"I was saving Mia."
"You were being reckless." He moved closer and his presence filled the room. "You think throwing yourself at Victor's feet would save her? All you did was give him exactly what he wanted. Leverage over me."
"I did not have a choice."
"There is always a choice, Lisa. You chose not to trust me. You chose to handle it yourself. And you almost got both of you killed because of it."
I turned away from him because I could not face the truth in his eyes. He was right. Part of me knew he was right. But the other part, the part that still remembered Maria's body and the warehouse fire, could not forget what trusting Damien's methods had cost. "I could not risk it," I whispered. "I could not risk him using Mia the way he used Maria."
Damien grabbed my arm and spun me around. His grip was firm but not painful. "You keep comparing yourself to her. Keep thinking you are going to end up the same way. But you are not her, Lisa. You are not dispensable. You are not collateral damage."
"Then what am I?"
The question hung between us. Damien's expression shifted and something vulnerable flickered across his face. "You are the one thing in this war that I cannot afford to lose," he said quietly. "And you keep trying to throw yourself away."
My heart hammered against my ribs. His hand was still on my arm and I could feel the heat of his touch through my sleeve. "You do not get to care about me," I said. My voice trembled. "You rejected me, remember? You threw me away first."
"I know." The words came out rough. Broken. "I know what I did. And I have regretted it every single day since."
"Regret does not change anything."
"No. But maybe this does." He pulled me closer and his other hand cupped my face. "I was wrong, Lisa. Wrong to push you away. Wrong to think I could keep you at a distance."
"Damien, I cannot do this."
"Neither can I. But I am done pretending." He kissed me. Hard and desperate and full of everything we had been holding back. I should have pushed him away. Should have slapped him. Should have remembered all the reasons this was a terrible idea. But instead I kissed him back and let myself feel everything I had been trying to deny.
His hands tangled in my hair. Mine gripped his shirt. The kiss deepened and the world narrowed to just us. Just this moment. When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. "I cannot keep pretending you do not matter," Damien whispered against my lips. "Cannot keep acting like losing you would not destroy me."
My throat tightened. "You do not mean that."
"I have never meant anything more in my life." He pressed his forehead against mine. "Everything I have done since you came back has been about keeping you alive. Even locking you in this room."
"I am not a child who needs protecting."
"No. You are a woman who runs headfirst into danger." His voice hardened. "A woman who would rather die than ask for help."
"Because asking for help from you comes with strings attached. Control. Possession. You want to own me, Damien."
He pulled back and looked at me with pain in his eyes. "Is that what you think? That I see you as property?"
"I do not know what to think anymore." My voice cracked. "One minute you are pushing me away and the next you are kissing me. One minute you are my captor and the next you are my savior. I cannot keep up."
"I am a man trying not to fall apart," he said simply. "A man who knows he does not deserve you but cannot let you go anyway."
Tears burned behind my eyes. "This is not fair."
"No. It is not." He stepped back and the distance between us felt like miles. "But Victor wants you dead. My own men are betraying me. And you keep putting yourself in danger because you think you are alone."
"I am alone."
"You are not. You have me. Whether you want me or not, you have me."
"Until when? Until you decide I am too much trouble?"
"Until I stop breathing. That is when this ends, Lisa. When one of us is dead. Not before."
The intensity in his eyes scared me and thrilled me. Made me want to run and stay at the same time. "I do not know if I can trust you," I whispered.
"Then do not trust me. But stay alive long enough to figure it out." He moved to the door and then stopped. Turned back. "There is something else we need to discuss. The flash drive. I know you took it from my office. I know you have been hiding it. And I need it back."
The blood drained from my face. "I do not know what you are talking about."
"Do not lie to me. Not now. Not after everything." He walked back toward me slowly. "That flash drive contains information that could end this war. Information Victor would kill for."
"How did you know I had it?"
"Because I know you, Lisa. I am not angry. But I need it back. Now."
"And if I refuse?"
His jaw tightened. "Then I will tear this room apart until I find it. That flash drive is the only thing keeping us both alive right now."
"You mean it is the only thing keeping your empire intact."
"They are the same thing." He reached past me and flipped my mattress up. The envelope tumbled out. He grabbed it and pulled out the flash drive. Then he saw the photographs. The documents. His expression darkened. "What is this?"
"Evidence that Victor has more people inside your operation. One of your men gave it to me. He planted the bomb. Said Victor is planning something big."
Damien flipped through the papers and his face went pale. He stared at the image of us together. At the red ink threatening my life. Something protective and terrifying shifted in his expression. "He is not going to touch you. I will burn this entire city to the ground before I let Victor hurt you."
Before I could respond, his phone rang. He answered without looking away from me. "What?" His expression changed. Hardened. "When? How many?" A pause. "Lock down the mansion. No one in or out."
He hung up and looked at me with real fear in his eyes. "Victor knows you are here and he is coming for you tonight."