Chapter 24 - Sky
Damien had been gone for a bit before that familiar queasiness returned, almost like it was mocking me for trying to get something done.
It was maddening, and I just wanted it to stop, but the longer it persisted, the less I could be bothered to keep working.
Sighing after deciding I had done enough for the day after all, I put everything away, tidying up my office and grabbing my things before I eventually left.
I popped another ginger candy in my mouth while I took the elevator down to the parking garage and pulled my phone out to arrange a ride. All the while, I couldn’t help but worry about Damien and the incident.
I felt somewhat helpless, knowing that something was going on despite not being able to do anything about it. It was completely out of my hands, regardless of how annoying it seemed. Regardless of that sudden urge to help in any way I could.
But I knew that if I tried anything, Damien would lose his mind over it. He wouldn’t want me anywhere near that kind of thing, and quite frankly, I had no business trying. Our worlds were too different, and I wasn’t trained on how to be of any help to him or the Levovs at that moment.
Instead, I could only hope he and the others were safe.
It sounded serious given how abruptly Damien had left, and I had a bad feeling about it. Still, I had to sit and wait until I heard more.
Ignoring the twist in my gut at the thought of him going head-first into another dangerous situation was harder than I thought it would be, and it gnawed at me all the while I stepped off the elevator and wandered around the parking garage while I waited for a cab to pull up and take me home.
Given how everyone else had cleared out at least an hour prior, it was incredibly quiet, and only the sound of my heels tapping against the concrete ground beneath me seemed to fill the space. It was eerie—even more so given how tense I was about Damien going to back up the Levovs.
A part of me wished I had been selfish and asked him to stay back just to give me peace of mind. But I knew it would’ve been wrong for multiple reasons.
With the Levovs being in trouble, their wives didn’t have a choice in the matter either. Regardless of their feelings, they also had to sit back and wait, wondering when they might be home…if they came home at all.
If Damien being there could help save the life of at least one of their husbands, then it would be worth it for him to go. But I just hoped that meant he wouldn’t be any more in danger than the others.
He was determined and did his job well, and even if I tried to get him to stay back, I knew he never would have. He had a duty to protect his family and associates, and I also knew Damien would never forgive himself if he weren’t there to help especially if something went wrong in his absence.
So, I had no choice either way. I had to wait.
Moving aimlessly as I grew more restless, I went further down the main path of the parking garage until I heard a car door closing, followed by the shuffle of feet.
Looking up, I stopped in my place, surprised to see Raf approaching.
“Raf…you’re still here,” I pointed out, confused as I considered the thought.
But that couldn’t be right…he should’ve been gone at least an hour before like everyone else. He should’ve been long gone.
“Are you having car trouble or something?” I questioned again, keeping my eyes on him.
Raf chuckled and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, glancing between me and the red car of his nearby. “Yeah…something like that.”
“Are you waiting for someone?”
Watching him, I couldn’t help but notice how he seemed a bit…off.
Normally, he was outwardly friendly and warm, and perhaps more on the anxious and reserved side. But at that moment, he didn’t look as docile. As kind.
I didn’t know what it was, but something in his eyes just didn’t look right to me, especially how he seemed to be avoiding my gaze at times. That usually wasn’t a problem for him, which made me even more concerned.
Something wasn’t right.
“Yeah, I was…it seemed they took their time,” he mumbled, lacking more of that friendly demeanor.
When his words didn’t seem quite right, my brows furrowed slightly. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else while you wait?”
The moment he looked at me fully and showed me that almost smug expression on his face, my stomach clenched.
“Yes, actually…you.”
A chill moved down my spine, and instinctively, I took a step back, feeling more and more alarmed as he spoke. “…what are you talking about?”
“More specifically, you’re exactly what my boss needs to bring the damn Levovs and Novikovs to their knees once and for all,” Raf uttered, grinning almost triumphantly.
At first, I tried to process what he was saying…assuming he meant Gemma at first before it all clicked into place.
The mention of both families was the catalyst that helped it all make sense, and at once, that clarity was startling enough to knock the wind from my chest. Him waiting around…the rat…the attacks on the Levovs.
With wide eyes on him, my expression slowly shifted into a confused mess of realization, fear, and anger. “You…you’ve been the spy the whole time.”
Raf scoffed. “Unfortunately…yes. I’ve been parading around as an eager journalist in this godforsaken place…but at least now I don’t have to keep the charade up. Thanks, by the way.”
My brows furrowed again, all the while I stared at him in disbelief, tense while I tried to come up with what I should do…with how I would get away from him.
He chuckled at my obliviousness. “For getting knocked up by that meathead. Now, we have the perfect leverage.”
The perfect leverage…
As the words seemed to stain my mind, I couldn’t help but briefly think back to what Damien had said before about wanting to keep me safe. How he was watching me because things at work weren’t as squeaky-clean as they seemed. Followed by him admitting to seeking out a spy, and him wanting to shield me from the dangers that could arise.
Damien made it clear from the day I told him about my pregnancy that he would safeguard me from any danger…from the opportunistic actors in the organized crime syndicate who would jump at the opportunity to use me in whatever way they might see fit.
It all hit me at once, and that fear made me feel unsteady on my feet.
I was the package deal at that moment. Me and the growing baby were something to be used against Damien and his family, as well as the Levovs.
I was what Raf and the Pesci family needed, and I walked right into his trap.
“Don’t look so bummed…where’d that ‘girl-boss’ energy go, hm? I thought you could handle it all.”
Within the span of a few seconds, I considered my options. I could try to run and call Damien, but I likely wouldn’t make it far enough, and my heels would only slow me down more. I could scream, but we were in the parking garage after hours…by the time anyone might get to me, the chances of Raf catching me anyway were too high to risk it.
I didn’t have options. I didn’t have time. I was on my own, and I didn’t know what to do. How to save myself…
Before I could do anything, Raf was on me in a blur, wrapping an arm around my neck as he tried to hold me in place.
Eyes wide with fear but unwilling to just let it happen, I flailed and squirmed, trying my hardest to fight him off. I even sucked in a deep breath, prepared to scream, but his opposite hand clamped over my mouth before I could.
The shock of it nearly made me choke on my breath, and I was forced to breathe deeply through my nose while I thrashed in his grasp.
Despite how I tried to pull against him, using what I could of my elbows and knees to hurt him in return, he was too strong for me.
He didn’t look like he would have it in him, but the crook of his elbow clenched tightly around my throat as I tried to suck in those breaths. As I tried so hard to get free.
I didn’t want to be caught like that…forced to admit that I missed all of the signs and misstepped. Forced to admit that I wasn’t as careful as I thought, and I let my guard down.
I didn’t want to know what might happen to me after being caught and taken away.
All the while, I struggled, trying to cry out despite his hand covering my mouth, my face began to burn from the emotions that welled up in me, and I could only think about them.
Damien, our baby, Gemma, and the others…
I had too many people I cared about, and who cared about me in return, and despite how much I wanted to stand my ground and fight Raf off, everything started to slip.
Piece by piece, that darkness bordered my vision, and I could feel myself shaking from a lack of air. That restriction made my head feel like it was prepared to explode.
The pressure and pain mounted and mounted until it suddenly eased at once. It all just…stopped.
Everything ebbed away into a state of clear, calm nothingness.