Chapter 77 Chapter 77
LISA'S POV
The kiss lasted for about a minute or two; it was hard to tell. With Damien, the world always seemed to disappear, especially when we were not fighting each other or arguing about who was trustworthy or who was not between the two of us.
He let me go with a peck on my nose. I took in air sharply, as my lungs finally regained their own function. In those couple of seconds, I had come to depend on Damien as my only source of oxygen.
"I hate it when we argue. I hate forgetting how much I felt helpless when I thought I was going to lose you forever. I can't lose you, Lisa. We have come so far, and in these final moments we can only trust each other."
Trust, he threw the word around as if it didn't hold the very life that was the foundation of a strong relationship. Our love was built on secrets, past secrets that no matter how far we went, they always somehow found a way to hunt us down.
How was I supposed to suddenly let that go and trust? How was I supposed to pretend that all those secrets did not really matter to the basis of this relationship?
And then I took one look at him, and my heart skipped. Those intense eyes that looked at me as if I held his life in my hands was everything I needed to keep going.
Damien Paulo loved me. He cared about me and, in spite of his past, he worried about my safety more than he did about his.
"We have to make a plan tonight. We have to expose him, and we have to make sure only trustworthy people are left." He said to me, and for the first time since we reunited, I agreed with him.
Damien and I returned to the base, which, as he suspected, had not been attacked, and given my freedom, there was no need for the crew to intercept Alexander's supplies even though they had been sent out.
Damien gathered all his inner circle leaders, including Marcus, to discuss the mole.
"I know that talks have been going round, doubts amongst the boys about whether or not I am still fit to run this syndicate. And I also know that my so-called leaders have not been doing much to help those assertions." Damien spoke.
Silence rang throughout the room. Faces of his leaders were stiff and guilty. Not a single one of them looked remorseful towards his accusation
"Well, there have been hiccups in the road so far. The men want answers. We have lost so much in this war, and every day the stakes seem to increase. We don't fight back, and we keep losing good men every single day. They just needed assurance that the syndicate that swore to protect them was not throwing them under the bus as well." One of the men spoke up confidently.
I saw Damien's eyes darken with fury. His eyes stayed on the gug kike a predator's on its prey. The last time I had seen him this upset was when he found out his father was the head of the syndicate.
"When they decided to become a part of this group, did we force them? Did we not carefully align what they were getting into? What part of being part of the mafia is safe? We do dangerous things, people die, people lose their families."
"Or perhaps you would like for me to align all the things I have lost, leading and protecting what I call my family! Do you understand that this is meant to be a family! And when one member of this family chooses to betray the code of the family, everyone becomes at risk!"
Damien's voice roared out like that of a wounded lion ready to devour his enemy. Someone had infiltrated his Pride and hurt it. Even I felt scared for what he was going to do.
"Somebody in this room has been feeding Alexander with information about our every move. Every single move, our drops, our goods, every single thing that goes on in here, he has it calculated and placed in his palms.
I looked at Marcus to see if he would react, show any sign that he thought Damien was talking about him. But to my surprise, he seemed awfully calm for a man who was clearly betraying his friend.
"What?" A murmur broke out through the room. Marcus looked at the men just the same way they all looked at each other, surprised, unaffected. Wondering who this person was.
"Marcus," Damien called, and the room seemed to freeze.
He turned to Damien, calm and unperturbed. "You were the one who introduced Carlos into our family. You were responsible for him. How come he has been working with Alexander all this while and you didn't know?" Damien asked.
Any normal person would have felt caught, but not Marcus; he stared at Damien as if the said accusation did not apply to him.
"Are you suspecting me?" Marcus asked calmly, and I frowned. What did he mean by that? Obviously, he had prints everywhere, so why was he so calm? I thought to myself.
"Check everything, security footage, go ahead. What evidence do you have that I have been communicating with Alexander? Carlos is a grown boy, and as much as he was my responsibility, I have other responsibilities." Marcus replied.
"That is true, but you are the only person he reports to. But you're right, there are no evidences pointing you to it just yet, but I will find it, and when I do, you will not want to be on the receiving end of my fury." Damien threatened.
Marcus swallowed, but still, he remained calm. "You have my word," Damien added.
"If I am guilty, you can do whatever you want, Damien. I wouldn't take such a risk knowing the consequences. I gave you my loyalty, and if saving you was not enough, then I don't know what is."
His confidence was unsettling, and it made me wonder if there was somebody else other than him and Carlos.