Chapter 2 - The Getaway
The deafening roar of bullets echoed through the alley as debris rained down on my shoulders.
Damian shielded my body with his own, keeping the little girl securely tucked against his chest.
His bodyguards instantly returned fire, their weapons flashing brightly in the stormy darkness.
"Get to the armored car now," Damian roared, grabbing my arm with an iron grip.
I stumbled blindly through the rain, terrified but fueled by pure adrenaline.
One of his men threw open the heavy steel door of a sleek black sedan waiting near the exit.
I dove into the backseat just as another volley of bullets shattered the diner's back window.
Damian slid in right beside me and slammed the reinforced door shut, sealing us in safety.
The two little boys were already strapped into car seats, crying hysterically from the terrifying noise.
Without even thinking, I reached over and placed a comforting hand on each of their tiny knees.
"It's okay, I'm right here," I whispered, and miraculously, their sobs faded into soft sniffles.
Damian watched this interaction with a heavy, calculating stare as the car sped away into the night.
"Whoever is shooting at us clearly followed you, not me," Damian finally said, wiping rainwater from his face.
I shook my head in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend why anyone would want me dead.
"I am just a waitress trying to survive, I don't have any enemies," I pleaded.
Damian pulled a sleek encrypted phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
He ordered his tech team to completely bypass the hospital's security system and pull my medical files from fourteen months ago.
We sat in tense silence for ten agonizing minutes as the car navigated through hidden backroads.
When his phone finally buzzed, Damian read the message and his expression turned to pure ice.
"Your medical files don't exist anymore," he announced, his eyes locked on mine.
"My hacker says the records were completely wiped from the server less than an hour ago."
May you like
Before I could process the horror of that statement, his phone buzzed again with a secure photo attachment.
"And it looks like the person who deleted them just wired a million dollars into your diner manager's bank account."
