Chapter 130 *
Scarlett’s POV
Damon looked at him. Then at the other four guys.
His expression didn't change. Still completely calm.
"You want money?" His voice was conversational.
"Damn right I want money!" The leader stepped forward. Got right in Damon's face. "And an apology. For that mouth."
Damon tilted his head slightly. "No."
The leader's face turned even redder. "What?"
"I said no." Damon's tone didn't rise. Didn't change at all. "Now get out of my way."
He turned to get back in the car.
The leader grabbed his shoulder.
I saw it happen in slow motion. His hand closing on Damon's suit.
Damon went completely still.
"We run this town, asshole." The leader's voice was shaking with rage now. "You don't just—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Damon moved.
His hand shot up. Caught the guy's wrist. Twisted.
The leader's face went white.
Then Damon's foot came up. A brutal kick straight to the side of the knee.
The crack echoed down the street.
The leader went down hard. Hit the pavement with his kneecap at a wrong angle.
He screamed. The sound made my teeth hurt.
"Holy shit!" One of the others yelled.
They all rushed forward at once.
I reached for my door handle. Ready to jump out and help.
But I didn't need to.
The guy with the bat swung first. A wild overhead strike.
Damon sidestepped. The bat whistled past his head.
Then his elbow came up. Drove into the guy's ribs.
I heard the air leave his lungs. Heard him wheeze.
The bat clattered to the ground.
Another one came from the left. Threw a punch.
Damon caught his arm. Used the momentum to spin him around.
Drove his knee into the small of the guy's back.
The man dropped like a puppet with cut strings.
The one with the chain tried next. Wrapped it around his fist. Charged.
Damon moved like water.
One second he was there. The next he wasn't.
The chain guy stumbled past. Off balance.
Damon's hand came down on the back of his neck. Hard.
Shoved him face-first into the hood of a motorcycle.
Metal crunched. The bike tipped over.
The last guy standing looked at his friends on the ground.
Looked at Damon.
Just turned and bolted down the street.
The whole thing took maybe fifteen seconds.
Damon straightened his tie. Brushed some imaginary dust off his sleeve.
Walked back to the car like nothing had happened.
I was still frozen in my seat.
My brain was trying to process what I'd just seen.
That wasn't just self-defense. That was professional.
Those movements I'd seen it before.
My chest went tight.
Damon opened his door. Glanced at me.
"You getting in or what?"
I blinked. Shook myself out of my stupor.
"Right. Yeah."
He started the engine. Put the car in drive.
Went around the groaning bodies on the street like they were potholes.
We drove in silence for a full minute.
My mind was racing.
Those kicks. The way he moved. The efficiency of every strike.
It was too familiar.
The memory hit me like a physical blow.
Two years ago. Pacific Basin.
That isolated island in the middle of nowhere. The illegal research facility.
I'd gone in to steal a sample. Something related to Cosmos-1.
But Ronin had gotten there first.
We'd fought in that sterile hallway. I'd used everything I knew. Every technique I'd learned.
And he'd still beaten me.
Those same kicks. That same precision.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought Damon might hear it.
I turned my head slowly. Looked at him.
He was focused on the road. His hands relaxed on the wheel.
"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" The question came out before I could stop it.
He glanced at me. "Like what?"
"Like... that." I gestured vaguely toward the road behind us. "You moved so fast I could barely see it."
A small smile touched his lips. "You've seen too many movies."
"That wasn't movie fighting." My voice was sharper than I meant it to be.
His smile faded. "Close quarters combat. Standard training."
"Standard for who?"
He didn't answer right away.
"For people in my line of work," he said finally.
I wanted to push. Wanted to ask more questions.
But something in his tone told me the conversation was over.
I turned away. Looked out the window.
Then the most absurd thought popped into my head.
What if Damon is Ronin?
My entire body went cold.
Oh my God. What if—
No. No no no no no.
I shook my head so hard my neck cracked. That's insane. That's the dumbest thing I've ever thought.
They're completely different people. Totally different.
I started mentally listing the differences. Like I was presenting evidence in court.
Exhibit A: Ronin was a cold-blooded killer. A machine. Zero humanity in those dead eyes.
Damon was... well, Damon. Surprisingly patient with me. Good temper most of the time. Actually kind of sweet when he wanted to be.
Exhibit B: Ronin moved like death itself. Clinical. Efficient. Scary as hell.
Damon was a crime boss, sure. But he also bought me cupcakes when I was sad. He let me flick his forehead as punishment. He kneeled between my legs without complaint.
Totally different energy.
Exhibit C: Of course Damon knows how to fight. He runs the biggest criminal empire on the East Coast. Fighting is literally part of his job description.
That doesn't make him some legendary assassin.
I felt my panic settling down. My heart rate returning to normal.
See? Completely ridiculous. I was overthinking everything.
Damon and Ronin were two entirely separate people who just happened to both be good at violence.
Totally normal. Nothing weird about that.
I took a deep breath. Let it out slowly.
"What are you thinking about?"
Damon's voice made me jump. I'd been so lost in my internal freakout I'd forgotten he was right there.
I turned to look at him. His eyebrows were furrowed. Like he could tell something was off.
"Nothing." The word came out too fast. "Just... thinking."
"About what?"
My brain completely short-circuited. Instead of saying literally anything else, my mouth decided to be honest.
"Just thinking about the guy who saved me at Dr. Patterson's office."
The words hung in the air.
Oh no. Oh shit. Why did I say that?
The temperature in the car dropped about twenty degrees.
I watched Damon's hands tighten on the steering wheel. Watched his jaw clench.
"The guy who saved you?" His voice had that dangerous tone.