Chapter five: The Beast
1062 Words
The air stood still.
A single gunshot echoed across the warehouse, Everyone froze.
For a moment, Serena couldn’t breathe. Her ears rang, her vision blurred but then, she saw it. Blood. Thick, red, and dripping. It wasn’t hers.
Her gaze snapped to Damian, and her heart beat faster than normal. The bullet had grazed his arm.
Blood soaked through the sleeve of his suit, staining the expensive fabric a deep. But he didn’t flinch.
His eyes never left her. “Are you hurt?” he asked, inspecting her with frantic hands.
She couldn’t speak, her throat tightened.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Y-You’re bleeding " Damian shook his head. “I’m fine.
You’re all that matters.”
Before either of them could process what had just happened, Alex lunged at Benita, landing a swift kick to her legs.
Benita yelped in pain, her gun dropping to the floor.
She stumbled, trying to regain her balance, but Alex pinned her down.
Within moments, sirens wailed outside the warehouse. Red and blue lights flashed through the broken windows.
The police stormed in, guns drawn. Benita and Ruspy were quickly surrounded, handcuffed, and dragged away.
Benita thrashed wildly in their grip. “It’s not over!” she screamed. “Do you hear me, Damian? Serena? I’m coming for you both! You’ll pay!”
But her words faded into the background as Serena collapsed.
Her body slumped forward, unconscious.
Damian didn’t hesitate. With his injured arm bleeding, he scooped her into his arms, holding her like something sacred.
He didn’t care about the pain.
The only thing that mattered was that she was still breathing. Hours later, Serena stirred in her hospital bed.
Her eyes open slowly, her body sore and weak.
The sterile smell, the beeping machines, the white ceiling, it all told her where she was. Again.
She turned her head and found Damian sitting beside her. His bandaged arm rested in his lap, but his eyes tired and bloodshot were still filled with worry. Relief washed over his face as he saw her awake.
“Hey…” he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You’re safe now.” Serena blinked, confused. “Your arm, it was bleeding ” “I’ve had worse,” he lied with a soft smile. “You were unconscious for hours.
The doctor said you’d be okay, but I couldn’t leave your side.” As if on cue, the doctor walked in, clipboard in hand.
“Good to see you awake, Miss Moore,” he said. “You’re lucky.
No internal injuries, just fatigue and some trauma. You’ll need rest. Physically, you’ll recover soon. But mentally, well, take it slow.” Serena nodded weakly, still overwhelmed.
The doctor left, and silence settled between them.
She turned to Damian, her eyes cloudy with emotion. “I think… you should stay away from me.” His brows knitted together. “What?”
Serena looked away, ashamed. “I’ve brought nothing but chaos into your life. Since I started working for you, it’s been nonstop problems.
First Benita, then the kidnapping, now you’re hurt. If I hadn’t been in your life, none of this would’ve happened.”
Damian stood, the raw emotion in his eyes making her breath hitch.
“I can’t,” he said.
“I can’t stay away from you, Serena. I realized it the moment I saw you in that pool of blood, and again when I saw your hospital bed empty.
My heart stopped. I’ve never prayed for anyone before, but I prayed for you. I’ve never needed anyone, but I need you.”
Her eyes widened.
“I love you, Serena Moore,” he whispered, his voice cracking with sincerity. “I don’t care how messy this gets. You’re worth it.”
Serena’s heart fluttered, overwhelmed. His confession was like a balm on her bruised soul.
No one had ever chosen her before not like this. Not after seeing the worst parts of her.
She opened her mouth to respond, but a loud knock interrupted them.
Alex burst in, his expression grim. "Damian. We’ve got a problem.” Damian turned, tension immediately tightening his shoulders. “What now?” Alex took a breath. “They escaped.”
Damian’s face hardened. “What do you mean they escaped?”
“The police couldn’t reach you. I just got the call, Benita and Ruspy broke out during transfer.
They’re gone.”
Before Damian could respond, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Serena’s room.
They raced back inside. Serena’s face was pale, her entire body trembling as she clutched the hospital sheets like a lifeline. Her phone was on the floor.
The screen still showed an active call.
Damian picked it up, his blood running cold.
“Hello, sweet little Serena…” a man’s voice rasped through the speaker. “I miss the way you taste. I wasn’t enough, was I? I’m coming for you.”
Serena let out another scream, curling into herself as she sobbed uncontrollably. Damian’s jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
The voice. It was deep, Foreign, Italian. Serena gasped for air between sobs. “It’s him… It’s him…” “Who?” Damian knelt beside her, panic rising.
Serena trembled as she whispered, “The man who r***d me. He found me.” Everything inside Damian shattered. He turned to Alex, voice low and lethal. “I want him. I don’t care what it takes.
Track that number. Trace the voice. Find out everything about him.” Alex nodded and ran out, already dialing someone.
Damian turned back to Serena and gently held her hand. “You’re not alone anymore. I swear on everything I am, I’ll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again.”
But Serena’s eyes were still distant, filled with ghosts she thought she’d buried long ago.
“I thought I left him in Italy,” she whispered. “I thought I was free.”
Damian leaned in closer, brushing his thumb against her cheek. “You will be.
I won’t let him touch you again.” Yet even as the words left his mouth, a dark feeling settled in his gut. Because now, it wasn’t just Benita or Ruspy.
A ghost from Serena’s past had returned, and he was hunting her.
And Damian knew one thing for sure:
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
- Writer
