Chapter 45 Chapter 45
The fake credentials felt heavy in my pocket as we approached the warehouse entrance. Damien had gotten us IDs that said we worked for Victor's organization, and I prayed they would hold up under scrutiny. My hair was pulled back tight, and I wore clothes that made me look harder than I felt. Damien walked beside me with his hand on the small of my back, and to anyone watching, we looked like just another pair of Victor's people.
Two guards stood at the door. They checked our IDs and ran them through a scanner. My heart pounded so loud I was sure they could hear it. The scanner beeped green, and the taller guard waved us through. We were in.
The warehouse was bigger than I expected. Metal containers stacked high created a maze of shadows and hiding spots. People moved through the space in small groups, and their voices echoed off the concrete walls. I recognized some faces from the flash drive photos. Syndicate members. The people who had orchestrated everything.
"Stay close," Damien whispered in my ear. His hand stayed on my back, and the warmth of his touch kept me grounded. "Act like you belong here."
We moved deeper into the warehouse, and I forced my breathing to stay steady. A man in an expensive suit stood on a raised platform addressing the crowd. His voice was smooth and confident, and it made my skin crawl.
"Our plan is working perfectly," he said. "Damien Kane and Victor Russo are so focused on destroying each other that they cannot see us expanding right under their noses. By the time they realize what has happened, we will control every major route in the city."
People nodded, and some even clapped. I felt sick. These people were celebrating the deaths of innocent men. Celebrating a war they started for profit.
Damien's hand tightened on my back, but his face stayed neutral. We had to blend in. Had to act like we agreed with every word.
The man in the suit continued talking about territories and shipments and timelines. I tried to memorize everything, but my mind kept racing. We needed proof. Something concrete we could use against them.
"I need to get closer," I whispered to Damien. "I want to hear what they are saying about the next shipment."
"Too dangerous."
"Please. This is why I came. Let me do this."
He looked at me for a long moment, and I saw the battle in his eyes. Finally, he nodded. "Five minutes. Then you come right back to me."
I slipped away from him and moved through the crowd. People talked in clusters, and I positioned myself near a group of three men who looked important. They wore nice watches and had the kind of confidence that came from power.
"The shipment arrives Tuesday," one of them said. "Twenty containers of weapons and product. Once we have it distributed, we will own the entire eastern sector."
"What about Kane and Russo?" another asked.
"Let them kill each other. By Wednesday, neither of them will matter anymore."
Tuesday. Eastern sector. Twenty containers. I burned the information into my memory and started backing away. But as I turned, I walked straight into someone solid.
"Watch it," a rough voice said.
I looked up, and my blood went cold. The man staring down at me was one of Victor's enforcers. I had seen him at the party weeks ago. He had been standing guard outside the room where I found the flash drive.
Recognition flickered in his eyes. "Wait. I know you."
"I do not think so." I tried to step around him, but he grabbed my arm.
"You were at Victor's party. You are the girl who ran." His grip tightened, and he raised his voice. "Hey! We have got an intruder!"
Everything happened at once. Heads turned toward us. Hands moved toward weapons. Damien appeared out of the crowd and punched the man square in the jaw. He went down hard, but the damage was done. People were shouting. Guns were coming out.
"Run!" Damien yelled.
We sprinted toward the exit, but gunfire erupted behind us. Bullets pinged off metal containers and sparked against concrete. Damien fired back while pulling me along, and my legs pumped as fast as they could go. The warehouse turned into chaos. People scattered. More shots fired. Someone screamed.
We rounded a corner, and Damien pushed me toward a gap between two containers. "Go! Get to the south exit!"
"Not without you!"
"I will be right behind you. Go now!"
Another burst of gunfire made the decision for me. I squeezed through the gap and ran. My lungs burned, and my feet slipped on the slick floor, but I did not stop. Behind me, I heard Damien shooting. Heard men yelling. Heard footsteps getting closer.
The south exit appeared ahead. A red door with an emergency sign glowing above it. I was almost there. Almost safe. Then someone tackled me from the side.
I hit the ground hard, and the air rushed out of my lungs. A man in a black mask pinned me down and raised his fist. I twisted, and his punch grazed my cheek instead of breaking my nose. Pain exploded across my face, but adrenaline kept me moving. I kneed him in the stomach, and when he doubled over, I shoved him off.
I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door again. This time I made it. I burst through into an alley, and cold air hit my face. Behind me, the gunfire continued. Louder now. More intense.
"Damien!" I screamed his name, but my voice was lost in the noise.
I wanted to go back. Wanted to find him and make sure he was okay. But he had told me to run, and going back would only put us both in more danger. So I ran down the alley with tears streaming down my face and my heart breaking with every step that took me farther away from him.
The alley opened onto a street. Cars passed by, and normal people walked on sidewalks, and nobody knew that a war was happening just behind that warehouse wall. I pressed myself against a building and tried to catch my breath. Tried to think. Tried to figure out what to do next.
My phone buzzed. I pulled it out with shaking hands. A text from an unknown number. Not Damien's.
"We have him."