Chapter 23 - Damien
After Daniil left to get back to his work, I spent the rest of the afternoon feeling even more excited about the baby and everything that was going on. But of course, I had to push that aside while I focused on my investigation.
I spent those hours monitoring and doing as many extensive background checks as I could, hoping for something to jump out at me and give me the confirmation I needed.
My two most likely suspects were still at the forefront of my mind, and having to watch them closely made me feel coiled up and ready to strike at the first chance I could.
While I still had a bad feeling about Raf, I didn’t want to cloud my mind with preconceived notions. I couldn’t go in guns blazing and point the blame at him without knowing for sure—regardless of how badly I wanted to.
To remain unbiased, I continued monitoring Sarah with the same level of scrutiny. Like before, she kept getting up at her usual times, either acting like she was going to grab something like printouts or coffee refills, but in the end, she always ended up back at the washroom.
After getting far too curious to ignore it, I followed at a distance during one of her laps through the hallway. Even from that far back, I noticed something peeking out from beneath the short sleeve of her blouse—almost like a sticker.
I furrowed my brows at that and continued, wondering what she could possibly be doing heading there so frequently.
She glanced over her shoulder, but I was quick to avert my gaze while maintaining a casual air to my steps, pretending like I was just on my way somewhere else. Then, she slipped into the washroom as the door closed behind her.
Seeing my chance, I picked up the pace until I stood right out front, silently listening.
I had to shake off how weird it felt to be spying on her, silently praying she wasn’t actually using the bathroom.
Soon enough, I heard a deep inhale, followed by a calmer exhale.
Standing there for another moment, listening to a quiet crackling sound, a sweet scent seeped through the closed door, and I grew more confused as I registered it. It smelled like grape-flavored candy or something, and it had me stumped before the realization clicked into place.
The sticker on her arm wasn’t anything suspicious…but a nicotine patch.
With her deep inhales, the faint crackling sound, and the sweet smell, it all made sense when put together. She was hooked on nicotine and sneaking off to the bathroom to get another fix from vaping.
Somewhat relieved and dumbfounded about it, I sighed and shook my head before I left the grape-smelling room behind and continued.
It seemed one of my suspects was just chronic, and not up to nefarious dealings in the office washroom. As annoying as it was, at least I could cross her off the list. That left Raf as one of the top contenders, and even if it felt unfounded still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that nobody knew him as well as they assumed.
As five o’clock came around and the building started to clear out, I got up from my place and moved through the floor until I reached Sky’s office.
I found her sitting at her desk, working hard on her assignment. Smiling, I gave a small knock against the wall before entering.
Sky mirrored my expression upon seeing me, and it was enough to make something in my chest stir. “Hi…how’s your day been?”
“Not too bad. Not very eventful…a bit underwhelming,” I returned gently, approaching her desk before leaning back against it on her side, “I have been itching to see you, at least.”
“Fortunately, I’m not too far away.”
Warmed from the mere sight of her, I reached forward and tucked her hair behind her ear, then gently traced the back of my finger against her cheek. At the sight of her faint shiver, I grinned. “Fortunate indeed.”
She hummed her amusement, features soft all the while she looked so compliant. “Did you come over here just to flirt with me?”
“Maybe I did,” I returned somewhat smugly, focused on feeling her smooth skin beneath my touch. “In fact…I definitely did.”
Sky’s smile didn’t fade as she leaned into my touch the moment I cupped her cheek, making my smirk turn into a more genuine expression. “I won’t complain.”
After a beat of soothing silence lingered between us, my thumb caressed her skin as I spoke up, “How have you been feeling?”
“Better. I felt nauseous earlier, but it passed,” she reassured me.
Even if it was true, she still looked exhausted, and I could tell being at work and managing her symptoms was wearing her down, regardless of how she insisted otherwise.
“I’m glad you feel better at least. How much longer will you be at it?”
Sky let go of a gentle breath. “Likely another hour or so? I want to make up for what I couldn’t do earlier.”
As much as I wanted to tell her to go home and get some rest, I didn’t want to overstep or tell her how to navigate the experience. Not just saying things as I saw them was something I had been working on, especially for her sake, and it took extra care for me to keep it up. In trying to be deserving of her, it was in my best interest to be less controlling and demanding of her.
Nodding, I gently brushed my thumb against her chin before dropping my hand back to my lap while I leaned back against the desk. “Alright. I can stick around until you’re ready to go.”
She gave me an appreciative smile and nodded with her faintly sleepy expression.
I appreciated that small moment between us, glad for the chance to see her and to be able to push aside my search for the spy for at least a short time. She had been an overwhelming distraction before, but after finding a better stride with her, she became a more relieving, welcomed one.
Regardless of what kind of day I was having, being able to check in on her and visit always made it feel that much easier on me. Even if I managed to find a way to tell her just how much that meant to me, I knew I’d never be able to express the full extent of it.
“I just hope the little one doesn’t keep you up too much before they’re even born,” I said gently, watching as she leaned against her armrest. “Or else I might need to have a stern talk with them.”
Sky chuckled at that, and her smile did so much to me without her even realizing it. “You and me both. I’ll need all the rest I can get before then.”
“But, if they’re anything like me, we’ll both have our hands full,” I murmured while gently reaching out and feeling the barely noticeable swell of her belly. My palm moved back and forth rhythmically as I thought about how impossibly perfect she was going to look once her pregnancy was more noticeable. The thought was enough to send a thrill down my spine.
“I’m already preparing myself for twice the trouble,” Sky returned with a grin as she placed her hand on top of mine.
Losing myself in the moment while I took her in completely, half tempted by the lewd thoughts that seemed to consume me at once, it all shattered the moment my phone went off in my pocket. Then again. I forced out a breath, closing my eyes briefly in a silent apology before I pulled my hand away and grabbed it.
Glancing down at the screen, Ari’s name popped up, along with two texts. One claimed there was an emergency at one of their warehouses, and the other was a location pin to the one in question.
My brows furrowed, and I straightened up.
“What’s going on?” Sky asked, growing concerned at my sudden change in demeanor.
“There’s been another accident with the Levovs…something went wrong with a trade and they’re asking for backup,” I said, growing more concerned at the likelihood of it being another Pesci hit. I met her gaze. “I’m sorry, I know I said I’d stay, but this sounds bad.”
Sky put a gentle hand on my forearm as she wore an understanding look. “It’s alright, I’ll get a cab or something. Go help.”
Relieved to hear it wasn’t a problem, even though I already knew she wouldn’t have any objections to me doing my job, I nodded and leaned in to give her a kiss with my hand resting gently at the back of her head. “I’ll be home as soon as I can be.”
She kissed me back softly, letting me feel another wave of warmth before we pulled back. She gave me a reassuring smile. “Be safe, okay?”
“Of course. I always am,” I returned sincerely, giving her cheek a final caress before filling with a greater sense of urgency and heading for the door.
We hurriedly exchanged our final parting words while I left the office, moving quickly to get there as soon as possible.
Assuming my brothers received the same text, I focused only on getting to the car and heading out, following the coordinates I was given.
For Ari to send out a text like that even though I was across the city, it had to be big. The Levov forces were influential enough in size, and if that was any indication of how much stronger the Pesci family had become, then I hated to think about what else they might be able to accomplish.
I could only hope I wasn’t too late.
Speeding down the highway after breaking away from traffic, adrenaline flooded my system, and I knew I had to get there before anything too devastating could happen. If they managed to hit one of the warehouses, especially with any of the Levovs inside it, I hated to think of how much damage they could cause.
If they managed to bring down the Levovs of all people, then it would only be a matter of time before they came for my family, too. If removing the most notorious family in New York from the map was possible, then I hated to think about what they could do to us.
I wasn’t one to crack under pressure like that, but it was enough of a cause for concern to make me drive a bit faster, not paying too much attention to my speed.
All the while that concern lingered within me, I drew closer and closer to the warehouse, and to my confusion, I couldn’t hear any commotion in the distance, and I couldn’t see anything just up ahead either.
Brows furrowing, I kept driving until I reached the front gates.
The security guards were just standing there like usual, not too overly concerned as they opened the gates for me.
I didn’t have any words at first, far too confused as I looked at the property and didn’t see anything wrong. Nothing looked mowed down or blown in, there wasn’t any gunfire, and everything seemed far too still.
The text said there was an emergency. They needed backup urgently.
But from what I could see, the place wasn’t under attack. It was perfectly fine.
I had half the mind to double-check that I went to the right warehouse, but I knew I had. I was familiar enough with their properties by then to know which place was which.
Slowly rolling up to the guards, I stopped just outside of their booth and put my window down.
“What’s going on?”
Both guards dressed in their usual uniforms kept their eyes on me, lifting their brows curiously.
“What do you mean?” one asked, looking at me through his sunglasses.
Blinking back at them, that moment of confused quiet between us sounded so loud that I began to wonder if I was going crazy.
“I got a text from Ari saying this place was being attacked…that he needed backup,” I said, growing more baffled and more eager to figure out what was going on.
The guards exchanged a glance before looking at me again. They seemed at a loss.
“I’m not sure what to tell you, but as you can see, this place is doing just fine. No attacks happening here.”
“You’re sure that text was from Ari?” The other asked.
I wanted to snap at him, confirming it was from Ari and that there was some kind of misunderstanding, or somebody must’ve made a mistake.
But that was when it hit me. I didn’t know for sure. Not really.
Grabbing my phone, I unlocked it and clicked on the message again. Tapping the contact’s name, I watched as the number was revealed to me, and my stomach dropped at once.
The number wasn’t Ari’s. It wasn’t even close.
Dread crept down the back of my neck as the realization sank in, and it became incredibly clear that someone had tricked me. Somehow, some way, someone managed to pull a fast one on me.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I sighed.
“Shit…”