Chapter 4 - The Safe House
A primal scream ripped from my throat as I stared at the empty nursery.
Damian did not hesitate for a single second.
He grabbed his radio and ordered a complete lockdown of the estate, demanding that nobody leave the grounds alive.
He pulled me toward the shattered window, looking down at the chaotic courtyard below.
His security forces were engaged in a massive firefight with the mercenaries near the front gates.
Damian spotted a black van speeding toward the rear service exit of the property.
He grabbed my waist and practically carried me down the back stairwell, his gun drawn and ready.
We burst through the kitchen doors and sprinted toward his reinforced sports car hidden in the secondary garage.
The engine roared to life, and Damian smashed the car through the closed garage doors.
We tore through the manicured lawns, violently intercepting the black van just as it reached the iron fence.
Damian slammed his car directly into the side of the van, sending it crashing into a stone pillar.
He leaped out of the car before it even fully stopped, firing his weapon into the van's front tires.
I scrambled out behind him, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst from my chest.
Two men stumbled out of the wrecked van, but Damian incapacitated them with ruthless, terrifying efficiency.
I ripped the sliding door of the van open, praying to a God I had almost stopped believing in.
Leo, Max, and Lily were huddled together in a stolen car seat, crying hysterically but completely unharmed.
I unbuckled them with shaking hands and pulled all three of them tightly against my chest.
Damian quickly loaded us into a backup security vehicle that his men had just brought around.
He drove us far away from the city, navigating winding dirt roads until we reached a secluded cabin hidden deep in the mountains.
The safe house was small, heavily fortified, and completely off the grid.
After I finally managed to put the exhausted toddlers to sleep in the bedroom, I walked out to the living room.
Damian was sitting by the fireplace, cleaning his weapon in silence.
I sat across from him, thanking him for saving our lives.
He looked up, his dark eyes softening in a way that made my breath catch in my throat.
He told me he would burn the entire world to ashes to keep us safe.
I went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water, opening a random cabinet to find a cup.
Instead of dishes, I found a thick manila folder completely filled with photographs.
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Every single photo was of me, working at the diner, walking home, and sleeping on the bus.
The dates printed on the photos proved Damian had been watching me for over six months.
