25. Chapter 21
Zoe
Before I change my mind, I hit ‘send’.
Zoe I miss you
DamienNot as much as I miss you. Thank goodness I’m home now. My frustration lasted for the entire trip.
ZoeThat’s part of the job. Get some rest, then.
DamienIt has nothing to do with work, but with the distance between us. I don’t need rest. I need to see you. Tonight?
ZoeAre you sure you don’t need to take a break? We can put it off until tomorrow.
DamienI’m hungry for your sight and hungry for your lips. Have mercy! 7 p.m.?
ZoeWill wait :*
I’ve had a few days to think about my next move. Damien had left on business, as he put it. Was it about Veirix? Probably. But I couldn’t ask him directly.
What was he doing? What was he plotting? Does this have anything to do with the Pact? What’s the actual story with Aisling?
The questions kept piling up.
Still no answers.
The tension was gripping my body.
I was here with a specific mission, and I’d failed everyone.
Damien, meanwhile, had always been cautious in my presence. He never engaged in conversation, and none of his people came anywhere near. They were somewhere nearby, hiding in the crowd or the shadows, but still…
That left me with one option.
If Eli knew what I was planning, he would kill me on the spot.
I have to get into Damien’s apartment. No matter the cost. It’s the only way to find out more. That way, the Pact can gain the upper hand and be sure about Aisling.
That’s why I wrote that damn message. Now we have a date, and there’s no way I’m going to miss this opportunity.
The dumbest and most risky thing? I’m not letting either Ryker or Eli find out what’s been brewing in my head. They’re meeting at Feather tonight. This is my chance. I’ll deal with the consequences later.
For the first time since meeting him, I throw my arms around his neck, pretending how much I missed him while he was gone.
I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to speed things up yet.
It makes me feel lighter, though, because I don’t have a clue what I would have done if he had.
It seems like he’s trying to take things slowly, almost like he really cares about me.
He doesn’t want to screw it up or scare me off.
My reaction to his presence is how I expected. With a dazzling smile, he pulls me into a hug when I throw my arms around him and snuggle up.
“My love,” he says with a laugh. “It’s so good to finally be home. How is it possible that you’re even prettier than the last time?”
My head pulls away from the crook of his neck, and I smile too. “It must be because you missed me.”
“Yes, I missed you… But it’s not just my imagination.”
“You say that a lot,” I tease him.
“Still, it’s the truth.”
I predict he’s going to want to kiss me. He always does. So I get ahead of him by pressing my lips against his. He responds with obvious hunger. Our tongues begin to dance, and I let him lead.
Eli pops back into my head.
I force him out of there.
Now isn’t the time to think about him. My performance has to be convincing.
And yet, a pang of regret remains in my heart.
Damien’s hands travel down my back, pressing me closer to him. It’s a signal for me; it’s time to end this. So I pull my head back, looking at him from under half-closed eyelids.
“If you greet me this way every time I come home, these trips will become much more bearable.”
“I doubt a brief break would affect you that much.”
“Quiet down, woman, you don’t have a clue. I was unbearable, moody, mean, and miserable. Now, let’s go to dinner. I want to hear about everything you’ve been up to these past few days.”
I laugh aloud, but we move. “Can we go dancing later?”
We step into the elevator, and Damien doesn’t stop touching me.
His hand’s on my waist. He raises his eyebrows in a suggestive way.
“Are you asking if we can go to a place where I can touch your tempting body freely, where your ass will rub against me? To a place like that? Oh, you’re killing me here, baby… ”
I can’t stop smiling. “You’re more playful than usual.”
“Who could blame me when I’m such a cheerful man?”
This date is different. I can feel it. We relax and start talking like we’re friends.
You aren’t, I remind myself. You never will be.
“Where are we going?” I ask once we’re in the car.
“I know a great seafood restaurant. Damn, I should’ve asked first if you’re allergic,” he says with a contrite look, his brown eyes apologetic.
“Damien, you realize we don’t have to eat at the most expensive restaurants in the city every time, right?”
My question obviously throws him off balance. “We... don’t have to?”
I shake my head. “We don’t. Gosh, I don’t want this to sound weird, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. I mean, you don’t have to go to all this trouble just to impress me.”
Damien blinks once, then twice. He’s at a loss for words.
Shit. That wasn’t smart of me.
“I’m sorry, don’t listen to me,” I say quickly, trying to fix things. “I don’t know what came over me.” My hands are sweating.
Damien frowns.
I didn’t mean to make him feel less of a man or anything like that. Nor did I mean to suggest it was fake. Jesus, I don’t even grasp what I was trying to do.
“Lily,” he says, cutting through my mounting panic. “Look at me.” Only when I do so does he continue. “You’re an amazing woman, you know that?”
“I’m not aware of that,” I joke.
“You are.” Damien takes my hand. “You really are. I’m a damn lucky guy. Now tell me, do you fancy seafood or something completely different?”
“You’ve already made a reservation, so it’d be a waste if we don’t go if you’re in the mood for that.”
The corner of his mouth turns up. “That’s not what I asked, my love. I’m not that hungry—at least not for this. What do you feel like?”
“Honestly?” I ask, and when he nods, I say, “Ice cream.”
Sparks of amusement dance in Damien’s surprised eyes. He tries to hold it in, and I can see it until he finally bursts into loud laughter. “You—you want ice cream. I know the perfect place.” Chuckling, he presses the intercom. “Change of plans. Take us to Don Pedro.”
The driver changes direction, and Damien pulls me close to his side. “In that case, we’ll have ice cream. You never cease to surprise me, Lily.” He kisses the top of my head.
And you don’t even know the half of it. You’d be truly surprised then.
We visit an ice cream shop, and though the dessert is delicious, I can’t wait to dance. When Damien asks if Maximus is a good choice, I answer with a wide smile.
We walk right in without waiting in line—this time, thanks to Damien himself, whom the bouncer greets and lets through right away.
“Are you a regular here?” My curiosity is piqued.
“I used to come more often; I haven’t been here in a while.” Damien’s arm wraps around my waist.
“He seemed to know you pretty well.”
“He knows about me, but he doesn’t know me. Sometimes I wonder if anyone knows me. The real me,” he says cryptically.
I see an opportunity and seize it without hesitation. Bridging the distance between us, I bring my lips close to his ear. “If you let me, I’ll be the first person to discover the real you.”
Damien’s lips brush my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips. A fleeting touch.
“You have no idea how close you are to achieving that right now,” he whispers.
There’s a promise in his eyes. And desire.
My fingers trace the line of his jaw. Smoothly shaved. Soft. “Let’s have a drink,” I suggest.
“Let’s meet at the bar in a minute. I need to use the restroom.”
I give him a peck on the cheek and disappear into the crowd.
The bass echoes; I can feel it under my feet. My insides bounce to the beat of the music.
The atmosphere is addictive.
I squeeze between two men and stand at the bar. When the bartender’s eyes fall on me, a gleam comes into them.
He tilts his head back and smiles widely.
“Hello, beautiful,” he says, standing in front of me. “Haven’t seen you here in a while.”
“I’m surprised you recognized me at all. Jack?”
“Jax,” he corrects me.
“Sorry,” I say. “I’m terrible with names. I’m Lily.”
“Lily… a beautiful name. And it’s okay. We didn’t get a chance to introduce ourselves last time. You never came back to see me the other day.”
I shrug, though I keep smiling. “Something important cut my evening short.”
“The most important thing is that you’re back.” His gaze drifts down to my dress. “That’s something new… If you’re not coming back from a funeral, I guess you need something daring tonight. Even so, you look beautiful.”
Laughter escapes me. I don’t sense anyone behind me, so when a man’s hand slams down on the bar, I jump, frightened. My laughter is abruptly cut.
“It’ll be your funeral if you don’t do what you’re paid to do.”
That single sentence contains a threat. And the low tone of his voice sends chills down my spine.
I stare, numb. A hand without a tattoo. A black shirt. The presence of a man behind me. Damien’s hard, cold gaze. His murderous stare doesn’t leave Jax.
The same face he had in the picture Ryker showed me. It’s the face of a killer. A man who is dangerous through and through.
Memories come flooding back…
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.” Jax raises his hands in a defensive gesture.
The change in the bartender is obvious. He, too, can read the room. He knows when a customer is bringing trouble to the club’s doorstep.
And yet he glances at me out of the corner of his eye.
“She’s off limits. You get me? Unless you want to find out what the name Estrada means.”
Jax’s eyes widen a little, and one eyelid twitches madly. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down while he swallows hard.
He knows that name. And it stirs in him…
Fear.
“My apologies, Mr. Estrada. I wasn’t aware Lily was here with you.”
My intuition tells me what’s going to happen before I even see the first move. Damien’s hand shoots forward, and I grab it and pull it to my waist. If I hadn’t done that…
He’d be holding the bartender by the throat right now.
“Forget you know her name,” the man behind me snaps at him.
Now, I can clearly see Damien’s other side. The one the guys were talking about.
An eerie chill runs through me. It also sobers me up.
“I don’t want that drink anymore. Let’s go dance.” Holding his hand, we walk away from the bar. I have no intention of letting some poor guy get hurt just because he was talking to me.
At first, I feel my partner’s resistance. Only after a while does it melt away. We blend into the crowd. Turning to him I wrap my arms around his shoulders.
The tension in his body eases.
The rhythm of the music creeps under his skin.
“I’m sorry, Lily,” he says, leaning. “I got carried away.”
I pull my head back, gazing. “He did nothing. He was just being polite. It’s his job.”
“He was flirting with you.”
“Again, it’s his job. It’s how he makes his tips.”
“Not with you. His life depends on you.”
I pretend to take it as a joke. In reality, I’m far from it. “Don’t talk nonsense. What’s gotten into you?”
Damien pulls me closer. “I’m being jealous and possessive of you. It’s something new for me, I admit. But it also says a lot about how important you are to me.”
I have no idea if I should discourage him or let him be. It’s a tightrope walk. A dangerous game.
“I’m here with you. Not with him.” My fingers stroke his neck. “I missed you. That says something, doesn’t it?”
The last traces of Damien’s anger leave him. “You’re right, Lily. Forgive me.”
Once again, he leans in and starts kissing me. And I let him. Though with each passing second, I feel worse and worse.
A sense of betrayal weighs heavily on my heart.
No doubt about it.
And Damien is back to normal. If you can call it that. It’s magical how he flips a switch and changes his personality, becoming tender and kind. Charming and attentive.
We dance to a few more songs without stopping for a drink or a rest on the couches. I needed this. As much as I can, I push the fact that I’m here with him right now and not with someone else out of my mind.
I think we’re pretending that what happened just a moment ago never happened at all.
When we’re both sweaty from all the dancing, we slowly get ready to leave. A car is already waiting for us at the exit.
When we sit in the back, Damien immediately wraps his arms around me. I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.
“Tired?” he asks in a hushed voice.
“Hmm.”
Now it’s time for the harder part of the plan.
Just the thought of it sends a shiver through my body. Luckily, Damien senses that I’m cold and rubs my arm.
How on earth am I supposed to do this?
I’m about to ask him if we can go to his place, but he beats me to it.
“I’d suggest we go to my place…” The air gets stuck in my lungs. “But I have to be at the office at dawn. Another time?” The sadness in his voice is obvious.
Fuck.
This wasn’t supposed to happen!
What now? Zoe, think.
My mind is blank. The rhythm of my heart quickens. I’m about to lose him. My plan is going to fall apart!
But I guess I have no choice but to give in. Pressuring him might set off his suspicions. And I don’t need that.
“Too bad. Another time, then,” I say, disappointed.
Damien gives the driver instructions while stroking my back.
We drive in silence. I keep my eyes closed, keeping silence.
“Are you asleep?” he asks at one point, but I don’t answer.
A coincidence. This is the moment I needed yet didn’t foresee. Damien moves, and I realize I did the right thing.
“Yes?” he whispers into the phone. “We have a moment… I can’t speak any louder. Lily’s asleep.” For a while, he listens to whoever’s on the other end. “Is everything ready?” He listens again.
I can hear my heart pounding. I hope he doesn’t notice.
No. If that were the case, he wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm sure of it. He never talks on the phone when I'm around.
“Transport confirmed. Friday at 10 p.m.”
His words are so quiet I’m not sure I heard correctly. But I can’t be wrong.
Friday, 10:00 p.m.
What’s going to happen on Friday? What kind of transport is this?
A quiet growl escapes his throat. He’s unhappy. “No fucking way. Prepare Terminal Four.” He pauses and listens for a moment. “Because I said so. The container has to be seized before the ship sails.”
Terminal Four.
Container.
Ship.
Transport.
“Don’t ask questions that could get you killed. I said, get everything ready. Now get to work.”
I’m breathing deeply to keep myself from being discovered. Damien can’t suspect I heard that call. He can’t know.
Silence reigns. He has hung up.
With his other hand, he strokes my head.
I’m trying with all my might not to give myself away. I think I’m managing it.
A short while later, we pull up in front of my building.
“Lily… my love. We’re here,” he says. His thumb runs down my cheek. He gives me a gentle shake.
I wake up and rub my eyes. I’m sleepy. For his sake. And for my safety.
My gut tells me this is something big.
Whatever that means.