Chapter 69 The Jet Awaits
THIRD PERSON’S POV.
Damian held her with one arm, his other hand already reaching behind his seat, fingers working the hidden latch of the secret compartment. It clicked open. He pulled out the gun and cocked it in one smooth motion.
“Whatever happens, just trust me, okay?”
He whispered the words into her ear, then pressed a brief, steady kiss to her forehead.
“Lazarus.”
“Yes, sir,” Lazarus replied sharply.
“You are going to step on it,” Damian said slowly, voice dropping into something dangerously calm, “and I’m going to shoot. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The man gave a tight, silent nod.
“What are you doing?” Serena asked, her eyes darting between the two men, unease already curling in her chest.
“I might have to neutralize the threat the old-fashioned way,” Damian said.
“No!” She grabbed his shirt, tugging him back. “Let the security details handle it, please, Damian.”
“Baby…” He cupped her face, his thumb brushing softly along her chin despite the tension coiled through his body. “Trust me,” he whispered.
She blinked, hesitated but then nodded gently.
“Step on it, Lazarus!” Damian roared.
The engine revved, the car came alive, and Lazarus sped past the other four cars that had waited behind with theirs.
Before the other security teams could even process what was happening, they were already choking on the dust Lazarus’s exhaust left behind.
“What’s going on there?” Jake’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.
“What are the exact coordinates?” Damian screamed into the radio.
“God damn it, Damian, I asked you to stay put.” Jake sounded furious; the strain in his voice was unmistakable.
“Just give me the fucking coordinates,” Damian snapped.
The car growled louder beneath them. Lazarus’s left hand tightened on the wheel while his right worked the gearshift with controlled expertise.
“Damian we have this handled, stand down.”
“The coordinates, or I shoot everything on sight,” Damian said coldly.
The car closed in on the T-junction where the bomber’s vehicle tore down the open road, already boxed in by three of Damian’s convoy cars. If Damian fired blindly, he could take out more than six of his own men.
And the truth, the one he would never say out loud, was painfully clear.
He was only acting this erratically because Serena was in the car.
Otherwise, he would have stayed put. Calculated. Controlled.
Jake’s voice dropped a moment later, resignation finally bleeding through.
“Alright… listen carefully. The driver’s side is exposed for a brief window.”
Lazarus leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on the road. Serena bent lower, shielding her head. She did a quick sign of the cross.
“Wait for it…” Jake continued, his voice measured and calm.
A beat.
Another.
“There,” Jake snapped. “You’ve got a clean line. Take it.”
Inside the car, the air went thin. The sound was causing a deafening silence. Serena’s vision blurred for a few seconds. Their car came to a stop, while the bomber's car kept rolling down the open road before it finally came to a stop after crashing into a tree.
A bomb squad rushed to where the car had parked and started to deactivate the bomb.
It was now that the cars from the convoy met up with them. Trisha and Oscar rushed out immediately, running towards them.
“Damian who the fuck asked you to do that?” Oscar demanded.
“Do you realize how much danger you put Serena in?” Trisha asked him, disappointment laced in her voice.
“I didn’t mean to endanger her, but this had to be done. And there was no time to stop the car for her to get down.” Damian replied.
He didn’t tell anyone that he had intentionally kept Serena in the car, that he wanted her to see him go the full mile to remove the threat from her path. He couldn’t tell them that, that like a reckless teenager, he had used the moment to try and impress her, to show her exactly what he was capable of.
The conversation around her carried on, Trisha feeling and scanning her for wounds and broken bones, but Serena’s mind wasn’t there at all.
Instead, it replayed the last thirty minutes on an endless loop: Damian pulling the gun, commanding Lazarus to ram the bomber’s car, the way his muscles tensed when his finger wrapped around the trigger as he took the shot that ended the bomber's life.
She had never been more turned on in her life. The thought that Damian belonged to a dark world, one where taking a life came so easily , sent a dangerous heat curling through her. But she couldn’t tell anyone. She couldn’t say it out loud. It felt impossible, almost disgusting, to be reacting this way in a moment like this.
“I'm fine,Trisha,” Serena finally said, shaking her head as if to keep away thoughts of Damian. “What about you? She asked. “Are you okay? That was so scary.”
“I thought I was going to die,” Trisha breathed. "I thought I was going to die wearing this ugly Versace belt,” she said, already loosening the belt buckle.
Serena laughed, “That was your biggest concern?”
“Well maybe not highest but definitely up there,” she replied
“I see.”
After a while, when the medical team was done checking them right there in the middle of the private road, they were declared healthy and cleared for travel.
“Sir,” Jake called out from behind them.
“Ah Jake,” Damian sighed, “let’s get the security lecture over with already.” Damian said, preparing himself for Jake to reprimand him after the stunt he pulled earlier.
You acted out of instinct sir, and that’s admirable but next time please let me and my men do the job you are paying us for. Please.”
“I hear you Jake. But if I ever suspect that my beautiful wife or anyone I care about is in danger, I’ll go in there gun ablazing.
Jake nodded, understanding a man’s need to protect his woman. “Well,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him. “I just came to tell you that I’ve fulfilled my promise. The jet awaits you, sir.”
Damian smiled and didn't waste time in declaring, “Right then, we still have thirty minutes to take off,” he said out loud to his traveling companions, “let's head out.”
Before entering his vehicle, Damian paused where Jake stood. In one swift movement, he reached for Jake’s hand, clasping it firmly in his.
“You did good, Jake. Thank you. I want an update on everything you find out about who the attacker is first thing tomorrow morning.”
Jake gave a short nod, already understanding the weight behind the order, then turned and walked away to rejoin the men gathered nearby.
Within seconds, everyone returned to their assigned vehicles, and in less than a minute the convoy was already tearing down the private road toward the airport. Unaware just how narrowly they had escaped a drastic end.