War Games
976 Words
Chapter 27 — War Games
(Dual POV — Damian & Aria)
---
Damian’s POV
I stood at the edge of the glass balcony, overlooking the glowing skyline of Los Angeles. The city stretched endlessly beneath me — unaware, untouched, oblivious to the chaos about to unfold in its shadows.
Victor thought he could take her.
He thought he could rip her away from me and vanish.
He was wrong.
“Status,” I demanded without turning around.
Lucas’s voice was steady despite the tension.
“We’ve tracked Victor’s movements through the east docks. He switched vehicles twice, but our drones picked him up near the industrial sector. My guess? He’s using the abandoned Ravensteel warehouse.”
“Seal the perimeter,” I ordered coldly, my voice sharp like a blade.
“I want eyes on every possible exit.”
Lucas hesitated.
“You know he’s expecting you to come, right? This reeks of a trap.”
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
“I know.”
I turned, finally facing him. My gaze was steel, unshaken.
“And that’s exactly why I’m going.”
---
Aria’s POV
I counted every second.
Every breath.
Every flicker of that swaying bulb above me.
The ropes burned into my wrists, and my body ached from the cold, damp floor beneath me. But none of that mattered. My mind was elsewhere — with Damian.
Was he okay?
Was he coming?
No. I shook my head sharply.
I couldn’t just sit here, waiting to be rescued like some damsel in distress.
If Damian was coming for me, then I had to do my part.
I scanned the room carefully. A single locked steel door. Concrete walls. No windows. A table nearby with tools — pliers, wire cutters, duct tape — and a small glass bottle with some chemical label I couldn’t read.
Footsteps echoed outside.
I closed my eyes, forcing my breathing to steady. Whoever was guarding me, I’d need to wait for the right moment. One mistake, and I was dead.
---
Damian’s POV
“Teams Alpha and Bravo, move into positions,” I ordered through my earpiece.
“No one fires unless I give the order.”
Through the tinted windows of the SUV, the Ravensteel warehouse loomed ahead — a dark skeleton against the night sky.
Lucas checked his weapon beside me.
“You know this isn’t just about Aria anymore, right? Victor’s making a statement.”
I loaded the last round into my gun, my jaw clenched tight.
“I don’t care about his statements.”
“This is war, Damian.”
I looked at him coldly.
“No, Lucas. This is personal.”
---
Aria’s POV
The door creaked open.
A tall man stepped inside — one of Victor’s guards, judging by the black tactical vest and sidearm.
He didn’t bother looking at me as he walked past, setting down a tray of food on the table.
This was my chance.
My fingers flexed slowly behind my back, testing the ropes again. The knot was tight, but there was a small sliver of space near my left wrist. If I twisted just right…
The guard turned to leave.
I moved.
“Wait,” I whispered, my voice soft, trembling.
He paused, glancing back at me suspiciously.
“Please… water,” I said weakly, letting my head droop.
The hesitation in his step was all I needed to confirm it — he wasn’t fully loyal. Probably a hired gun, not one of Victor’s inner circle.
If I played this right, I might just survive tonight.
---
Damian’s POV
We moved silently through the shadows, the team splitting off into coordinated positions.
The closer we got, the more my instincts screamed at me. Something wasn’t right.
“Lucas,” I whispered.
“Thermal scans?”
“Empty on this level,” he murmured.
“Too empty.”
That’s when I saw it — a tiny red glimmer under the corner of a crate.
A tripwire.
I signaled my team to halt immediately.
Victor wanted me inside badly enough to rig explosives. That meant Aria was here… or at least he wanted me to believe she was.
I crouched low, carefully disabling the wire. My voice was steady when I whispered into the comms.
“Victor wants a war? Fine. Give him one.”
---
Aria’s POV
The guard set the cup of water near me.
I waited until he turned, reaching for the door handle — then lunged forward, swinging the heavy glass bottle from the table with all my strength.
It shattered against his temple.
He groaned, stumbling, and I grabbed his dropped knife, sawing desperately at my ropes until my wrists were free.
His radio crackled to life, Victor’s voice sharp and furious:
“Unit three, report. Status!”
The guard groaned again, dazed, and I grabbed his gun, shoving it into the waistband of my jeans.
I didn’t answer the radio.
Not yet.
I slipped out of the room, every step silent. My heart thundered, but my mind was razor-sharp now.
I wasn’t just surviving anymore.
I was fighting back.
---
Damian’s POV
Through the comms, Lucas’s voice came urgent and low:
“Contact, second floor — three guards, moving fast!”
“Take them quietly,” I ordered.
“No alarms.”
But just as I reached the staircase, a single sound tore through the warehouse — a loud, sharp gunshot.
Not from my team.
My blood ran cold.
“Aria.”
---
Cliffhanger Ending
Somewhere above me, chaos erupted.
Shouts. Boots pounding.
And then Victor’s voice, cold and mocking, echoed through the warehouse speakers:
“Welcome to my game, Damian.”
I froze, scanning every direction.
“If you want her back,” Victor’s voice purred, “you’ll have to play by my rules.”
The lights cut out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
- Writer
