Chapter 43 Chapter 43
The man grabbed my arm before I could run. His grip was iron, and when I tried to pull away, he twisted my wrist until pain shot up to my shoulder. I dropped my phone, and the light went out. Darkness swallowed everything.
"Let me go!" I screamed, but he covered my mouth with his other hand. His palm smelled like cigarettes and metal.
"Quiet," he hissed in my ear. "Or I will make this hurt more than it has to."
He dragged me deeper into the factory. I kicked and fought, but he was too strong. Two more figures appeared from the shadows. They wore masks and black clothes and moved like soldiers. One of them zip-tied my hands behind my back while the other one grabbed my hair and forced my head up.
"Lisa Chen," the first man said. He took off his mask, and I saw his dead eyes up close. "We have been waiting for you."
"Where is Claudia?" My voice came out rough and scared. "The message said she was here."
"There is no Claudia." He smiled, and it made my skin crawl. "Just bait. And you bit down hard."
My stomach dropped. This whole thing was a setup. The coded message, the location, everything. They used Claudia's phone to lure me here, and I walked right into their hands like an idiot.
They pushed me into a chair, and one of them shone a bright light in my face. I could not see anything beyond the glare. Just shapes moving in the darkness and the sound of footsteps on concrete.
"Where is the flash drive?" the dead-eyed man asked.
"I do not know what you are talking about."
He slapped me hard across the face. The sting brought tears to my eyes, but I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out. "Do not lie to me. We know you took it from Victor's office. We know you gave it to Damien Kane. What we want to know is what you found on it."
"Nothing," I said. "Files I could not read. Names I did not recognize."
"Did you see our name? The Syndicate?"
I stayed quiet. My silence was answer enough.
He leaned closer, and his breath was hot on my face. "You stumbled into something much bigger than your little war between Damien and Victor. We have been orchestrating this conflict for months. Feeding information to both sides. Pushing them to destroy each other while we collect the pieces."
"Why?" The word came out as a whisper.
"Because chaos is profitable." He stood up straight, and I heard the smile in his voice even though I could not see his face. "While Damien and Victor fight over territory and pride, we move shipments through their blind spots. While they lose men and resources, we grow stronger. They are pawns on a board, and they do not even know they are playing our game."
My mind raced. Everything made sense now. The leaked information. The third party at the warehouse. The way Victor and Damien kept striking at each other but never landing killing blows. The Syndicate was controlling both of them. Using their hate to fuel a war that only The Syndicate would win.
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
"Information. Damien Kane trusts you. He lets you close in ways he never lets anyone else. We want you to tell us his plans. His weaknesses. His next move."
"I will never betray him."
The man laughed. "You already did. You left his safe house alone and walked into our trap. You put yourself in danger because you thought you could be a hero. But heroes die in this world, Lisa. Only survivors make it out alive."
One of the masked figures stepped forward with something in his hand. A syringe. The needle gleamed in the harsh light, and my heart started racing so fast I thought it would explode.
"This will make you more cooperative," the dead-eyed man said. "You will tell us everything you know about Damien Kane. His operations, his contacts, his plans. And when we are done with you, we will use that information to destroy him."
"No." I pulled against the zip-ties until my wrists bled. "Please. Do not do this."
The masked figure grabbed my arm, and I felt the cold alcohol swab against my skin. The needle came closer. I closed my eyes and prayed for anything to stop this. For someone to save me. For a miracle.
Gunfire exploded through the factory. The sound was deafening, and the bright light went out. Darkness fell, and chaos erupted. Voices shouted commands. Boots thundered on concrete. More shots were fired, and I heard bodies hitting the ground.
Someone cut the zip-ties and pulled me to my feet. Strong arms wrapped around me, and I knew that touch. That smell. That presence.
"I have got you," Damien said against my hair. "You are safe now."
He half-carried me through the darkness while his men covered our exit. Bullets pinged off metal, and sparks lit up the shadows. We burst through a side door and into the cold night air. Three black cars waited with engines running. Damien shoved me into the back seat of the middle one and climbed in after me.
"Drive," he barked at the driver. "Now."
The car peeled out, and the factory disappeared behind us. My whole body shook, and I could not stop the tears from coming. Damien pulled me against his chest and held me tight while I sobbed into his shirt.
"You are okay," he kept saying. "You are okay. I have got you."
But I was not okay. Nothing was okay. The Syndicate was real, and they were controlling everything, and I had almost died because I thought I could save Claudia on my own. I had been stupid and reckless, and now Damien knew it.
We drove for twenty minutes before pulling into an underground garage. Damien helped me out of the car and led me to an elevator. We rode up in silence. His jaw was tight, and his eyes looked straight ahead. When we reached the penthouse, he took me inside and locked the door behind us.
Then he turned to face me and the anger in his eyes made me take a step back.
"Why did you leave the safe house?" His voice was deadly calm. "And what are you hiding from me?"