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Julian watches with sharp eyes, then steps forward with a subtle nod that signals it's time for his turn. "Let me," he says, and there's something chilling about his calm. Daniel's eyes flicker with a hint of real fear creeping in.
"Gonna sing like a bird now, Danny boy?" Julian taunts as he pulls something from his pocket.
The next minutes are a blur of sound and motion, and the atmosphere is thick with a sadistic kind of tension that even I’m not comfortable with. Then, when Julian’s methods start to bear fruit, the room drops to a hush.
"Alright! Alright," Daniel gasps, the veneer of defiance cracked and broken. "It's Edward Frost... He's working with the Nightingales."
The name is like a punch to the gut. The Nightingales are vipers in human clothing. I let loose a string of curses, each a venomous expulsion of contempt for that name. The Nightingales are notorious, infamous in the worst ways, for dealing in the darkest corners of the criminal trade. Human trafficking. Souls are bartered and sold like cattle. Julian and I run our operations clean of such filth. As long as they kept their hands out of our territories, we turned blind eyes to their cancerous existence. Now, they've reached into my life. Out for Isabella. At that moment, our tacit truce crumbles to dust.
I grab him by the collar with an iron grip. "How does Jackson fit into all this?"
I demand, trying to piece together this treacherous puzzle. Daniel grimaces with pain stamped on his features, but his words tumble out now in a rushed bid for relief.
"Edward got his hands on a will. Old legal papers. Isabella's due for a fortune on her twenty-fifth. A massive one. But see, Ed's been bleeding chips," Daniel reveals with a bitter chuckle. "Owed sharks like Jackson more than he could ever pay back."
I release him slightly as my mind races. "And the deal? Spell it out."
Daniel coughs, and spittle of blood and desperation mix together. "It was all a set-up. Jackson marries Isabella for access, right? Edward, that snake, he planned to double-cross everyone from the get-go. He figured if Isabella... if she were out of the picture, he'd get it all. No intention of splitting anything. Look, Damien, he's the one who had your brother done in. I'll bet my life on it. Edward wants the cash, and with Isabella gone, it falls right into his lap."
A cold dread washes over me. So this is the game. Money. The root of betrayal and corruption. If Isabella dies, everything unravels, and the vultures swoop in. "And if she lives, they get nothing. Is that it?"
He nods, almost frantic now. "Exactly. Ed never wanted to share. Still doesn't. It's all for him. It's always been. And your wife has no idea about any of it."
The revelation hits me like a tidal wave of corroding acid. Her own father is the architect of her misery. I can feel the sting of betrayal as if I've been bitten by a snake. The animal rage in my blood simmers with each passing second over the greediness of that man. The man who should have protected her above all has marred her life in the worst way imaginable, and for what? Filthy money.
Julian's observation hauls me back from my thoughts. "Go, Damien. I'll handle things here. Go home to your wife. I'll make sure Daniel gets back home."
His tone is stringent, a taut line of certainty against the disorder I'm trying to contain. I hesitate as my instincts scream to stay, to make sure Julian doesn’t bring another war in the middle of the shit we have going on.
Julian looks at me and sighs, his voice as cold as the steel in his eyes. "He'll be aliveandin one piece."
Victor and I exchange a glance. We turn, heading for the door with the weight of every step pulsating with unspent fury.
Julian's voice stops me just as we cross the threshold. "Congratulations on your marriage, Damien."
I simply nod as I walk out the door. Outside, I pull Victor aside. "Scour the streets. I want every man available looking for Isabella’s father. Keep eyes on the Nightingales. Sharp eyes." My orders come out clipped like shards of glass wrapped in iron. Victor nods, already moving to execute the command.
As I settle into the car, the leather of the seat feels cold and alien. The window rolls down with a smooth hum, and I catch Victor's attention one last time.
"Not a word of this, Victor. Not to anyone." My eyes lock with his, an unbreakable seal on my command. "Isabella can't find out. Especially not now," the words come heavy, laden with fear I can't show. "She's pregnant, and I can't have her stressed, understand?"
Understanding flickers in his eyes, and I see the promise there before I roll up the window, sealing myself away from the world I'm about to turn upside down.
As the cityscape blurs past, I can't shake the image of Isabella from my mind. Her smile, the curves of her body, the life we're building. My hands grip the steering wheel until my knuckles whiten as every fiber of my being is taut with the importance of keeping her safe. I grind my teeth, and the taste of my own frustration is bitter on my tongue. It's been a while since I've felt this cornered, this wrathful. They dare to target my wife, my unborn child? My jaw clenches as the cold determination sets in. There’ll be no more games.
They've awakened a beast they had forgotten lay dormant. I'm Damien fucking Blackhart, and the streets whisper my name with a mix of fear and respect. It's high time these would-be criminals remember why that is. I feel the darkness stir within me. The lethal calm that precedes the storm. They've chosen their fate the moment they crossed into my world. As the night folds around me, I become the shadow they should fear. My time has come to remind them.
24
CHAPTER 24
Damien
The Nightingale's have overstepped and trespassed into my domain. They've dared to lay hands on my wife. To shadow her with their vile intentions. It's a declaration of war, a signal that they are either foolishly brave or ignorantly seeking their demise. My mind is clear, laser-focused on the retribution that awaits. I know there's a storm on the horizon. It’s dark and inevitable. The city's underworld will tremble. The ground will soak with the consequences of their audacity. I'll be ready. I have to be.
When the war descends upon us, as it surely will, I will stand unshaken. I’ll erase them from our streets and from our lives with the cold finality of death itself. They've mistaken my patience for weakness, my silence for apathy. Soon, they'll understand the depth of their error. There will be no hesitation, no mercy. The Nightingales will fall, and peace will be bought with their blood. It's just a matter of when.
The moment I step through the doors of our home, the weight on my shoulders eases ever so slightly. Here, with Isabella, I can breathe. The soft light envelopes her like a halo, and for a fleeting moment, all is right in the world. I watch her, admiring her strength and the quiet way she moves about, unaware of the darkness her name is wrapped in. Despite that tension-filled day when I left her side to confront Daniel, I've been her constant shadow, ensuring she's alright.
