Chapter 37 Chapter 37
My heart stopped. I was still in the library and those footsteps were coming from the direction of my bedroom. Someone thought I was there. Someone was looking for me. I pressed myself against the wall and tried to control my breathing. The flash drive felt heavy against my skin and I knew if they found me now, everything would be over.
The footsteps stopped. I heard the sound of a door handle turning. Then voices. Muffled. Angry. They had discovered my room was empty. I had maybe seconds before they started searching the rest of the mansion. I needed to move. Needed to get back before they realized where I had gone.
I felt my way through the darkness until I found the library door. I opened it slowly and listened. The hallway was silent now. Empty. I slipped out and moved as quietly as I could toward my bedroom. Every shadow felt like a threat and every sound made my pulse spike. I was almost there when I heard footsteps again. Coming fast. Coming toward me.
I ran. I did not think. I just ran. I reached my bedroom door and threw myself inside. I locked it behind me and stood there gasping for air. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely function. I needed to hide the flash drive. Needed to put it somewhere they would never think to look.
I moved to the window and pried loose one of the decorative stones on the ledge. Behind it was a small gap in the wall. I slipped the flash drive inside and replaced the stone. It looked perfect. Undisturbed. Like it had never been touched.
Then someone tried to break into my room. The door handle rattled violently. Someone was throwing their weight against the wood. The lock would not hold much longer. I grabbed the lamp from my bedside table and held it like a weapon. My whole body was tense and ready to fight.
The door burst open and I raised the lamp. But it was Damien who entered and he looked furious. His shirt was torn and there was blood on his collar. His eyes found mine in the darkness and something dangerous flashed across his face. "Why was this door locked?" he demanded.
"I was scared. I heard footsteps."
"So you locked yourself in here instead of calling for help?" He crossed the room in three strides and grabbed my wrist. "What are you hiding, Lisa?"
"Nothing. I am not hiding anything."
"Do not lie to me. Not now. Not after everything." His grip tightened. "I know you were not in this room five minutes ago. I know you were somewhere else in this house. So tell me. What have you been doing?"
"I went to check on Elena. But she was gone. Marcus said you sent her away."
"I did. She was compromised. Victor got to her weeks ago and she has been feeding him information ever since." He released my wrist and ran a hand through his hair. "Everyone in this house is suspect. Everyone except you and me."
"What about Marcus?"
"What about him?"
I wanted to tell him what I had found on the flash drive. Wanted to show him the evidence of Marcus's betrayal. But something held me back. Some instinct that told me to wait. To be careful. "Nothing. I just wondered if you trust him."
"I trust him with my life. He has been with me since the beginning. Before any of this started." Damien moved to the window and looked out at the dark grounds. "Victor made another move tonight. He hit three of my safe houses simultaneously. Killed everyone inside. Men. Women. It did not matter to him."
My stomach turned. "How many people?"
"Seventeen. Seventeen people dead because I could not protect them." His voice broke. "Because I was too focused on keeping you safe to see what Victor was planning."
"This is not your fault."
"Yes it is. Everything that happens in this war is my fault. Every death. Every loss. Every broken promise." He turned back to me and his eyes were wet. "I should have let you go two years ago. Should have stayed away when you came back. But I was selfish. I wanted you near me even knowing what it would cost."
"Damien, stop."
"Why? It is the truth. You were better off without me. Safer. Happier. But I dragged you back into this nightmare because I could not stand the thought of living without you." He moved closer. "And now Victor knows how much you mean to me. He knows that hurting you is the one thing that will destroy me completely."
"Then let me help you. Let me be part of this fight instead of just a piece you move around the board."
"You do not understand what you are asking for."
"I understand perfectly. I understand that you have been treating me like I am fragile. Like I am something that needs to be protected and hidden away. But I am stronger than you think." I stepped toward him. "I survived two years without you. I built a life. I moved on. And I can survive whatever Victor throws at us if you just let me."
Damien stared at me for a long moment. Then he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. It was not gentle. It was desperate and raw and full of everything we had been holding back. I kissed him back and let myself fall into the feeling. Let myself forget about the flash drive and the lies and the danger closing in around us.
When he pulled away his forehead rested against mine. "I cannot lose you," he whispered. "I have lost too many people already. Maria. My sister. My parents. Everyone I have ever cared about has been taken from me. I cannot survive losing you too."
"You will not lose me."
"You do not know that. You cannot promise that."
"Then neither can you. But we can fight. We can stand together and face whatever comes." I held his face in my hands. "I am not asking you to protect me from the world, Damien. I am asking you to trust me enough to let me stand beside you."
He closed his eyes. "Victor is planning something big. Something that will end this war one way or another. My sources say he is moving weapons into the city. Enough firepower to level entire blocks."
"When?"
"Soon. Maybe days. Maybe hours. I do not know." He opened his eyes and looked at me. "Which is why I need to get you out of here. Need to put you somewhere safe until this is over."
"No. I am not running."
"This is not a discussion."
"You are right. It is not. Because I am not going anywhere." I crossed my arms. "You want me to trust you? Then trust me. Let me help you stop Victor instead of hiding me away like some damsel who needs rescuing."
Damien's jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists at his sides. For a moment I thought he was going to argue. Thought he was going to pull rank and force me to leave. But then his shoulders sagged. "You are impossible," he said quietly.
"I learned from the best."
He almost smiled. Almost. But then his phone rang and whatever softness had been in his expression vanished. He answered it and his face went pale. "When?" A pause. "How many?" Another pause. "Get everyone to the safe room. I am on my way."
He hung up and looked at me with something close to fear. "Victor's men just breached the perimeter. They are inside the grounds. We have maybe minutes before they reach the house."
"What do we do?"
"We run." He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. "It is no longer safe for you to stay in the mansion."