The Devil's Last Promise

The Devil's Safehouse

The sniper's finger tightened around the trigger.

One breath.

One heartbeat.

One bullet.

Damien's instincts screamed before the shot was fired.

"Down!"

He tackled Elena to the rooftop just as the rifle cracked through the morning air.

The bullet sliced through the space where her head had been a fraction of a second earlier before burying itself in a concrete wall.

Elena gasped, her heartbeat pounding so loudly she could barely hear anything else.

"You've got to be kidding me..." she whispered.

"No."

Damien's gray eyes swept across the neighboring buildings.

"They're better than I expected."

"You can tell that from one shot?"

"He wasn't aiming to kill you."

She frowned.

"What?"

"He was testing me."

Another shot echoed.

This time the bullet struck the concrete inches from Damien's foot.

The sniper wasn't missing.

He was measuring distance...

Reaction speed...

Movement patterns.

Someone was studying Damien Blackwood.

Damien slowly stood, ignoring the danger.

"What are you doing?" Elena hissed.

"Giving him what he wants."

"What?"

"A target."

She stared at him as though he had completely lost his mind.

Before she could stop him, Damien stepped into the open.

The city skyline stretched behind him.

He stood perfectly still.

Confident.

Unshaken.

Seconds passed.

Nothing happened.

Then...

A red laser appeared on Damien's chest.

Another joined it.

Then another.

Within moments, more than a dozen laser sights covered his body.

Elena's breathing became shallow.

"Oh my God..."

Damien smiled.

"So."

"There you are."

His words weren't directed at Elena.

They were for the sniper.

The lasers vanished all at once.

Silence returned.

"They've withdrawn," Damien said.

"You can tell?"

"They've seen enough."

She looked at him in disbelief.

"You treat this like a game."

"No."

His expression darkened.

"I treat it like survival."

---

Five minutes later...

A black SUV screeched into the alley behind the building.

The driver's door opened before the vehicle had completely stopped.

Victor climbed out first.

He was enormous.

Well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a face carved from stone.

Behind him came three more men dressed in dark suits.

Not bodyguards.

Professionals.

Each moved with quiet discipline.

Victor looked Damien over.

"You're bleeding."

"I've been worse."

Victor's gaze shifted to Elena.

"So..."

"This is Miss Brooks."

Elena folded her arms.

"And are you?"

"Victor."

"Victor...?"

"Just Victor."

She rolled her eyes.

"Of course."

One of the other men opened the SUV door.

"We need to leave."

Damien nodded.

"No arguments there."

Elena didn't move.

Damien noticed immediately.

"What?"

"I'm not getting into a stranger's car."

Victor blinked.

"Smart."

Damien looked almost amused.

"You'd rather stay here?"

"I'd rather know where you're taking me."

"You don't have a choice."

She stepped backward.

"I always have a choice."

Damien walked toward her slowly.

For the first time...

There was no arrogance in his expression.

Only sincerity.

"If you stay..."

He glanced toward the rooftops.

"...you'll be dead before sunrise."

His words weren't dramatic.

They were factual.

That frightened Elena more than anything.

She looked toward the street below.

Police cars.

Ambulances.

Reporters.

Everyone was searching for Damien Blackwood.

And now...

Probably her too.

She sighed.

"I hate this."

"I know."

"I hate you too."

Victor coughed to hide a laugh.

Damien ignored him.

"Get in."

After a long hesitation...

Elena climbed into the SUV.

The drive was silent.

Blackridge slowly disappeared behind them.

Towering skyscrapers gave way to forests.

Busy highways became narrow mountain roads.

Nearly two hours passed.

Finally...

The SUV stopped before enormous iron gates hidden deep within a pine forest.

Elena frowned.

"This isn't on any map."

"It isn't supposed to be," Victor replied.

The gates opened automatically.

Beyond them stood a breathtaking estate.

It wasn't a mansion.

It was a fortress.

Stone walls surrounded acres of woodland.

Security cameras tracked every movement.

Drones quietly patrolled overhead.

The main house overlooked a crystal-clear lake, its dark stone exterior blending into the surrounding forest.

Elena stared.

"This is where you live?"

Damien looked out the window.

"For now."

"For now?"

"I don't stay anywhere long."

The SUV rolled to a stop beneath the covered entrance.

Staff members immediately appeared.

They bowed respectfully as Damien stepped out.

"Welcome back, sir."

One maid noticed blood soaking through Damien's jacket.

Her face paled.

"Sir, you're injured."

"It's nothing."

"It needs stitches."

Damien sighed.

"So I've been told."

He turned toward Elena.

"You'll have a room prepared."

She laughed.

"You think I'm staying?"

"Yes."

"I don't."

He met her gaze.

"The Covenant knows your apartment."

"I'll stay at a hotel."

"They'll find you."

"I'll stay with Sofia."

"They already know who she is."

Elena froze.

"What did you say?"

Damien's expression hardened.

"The moment they couldn't reach you..."

He paused.

"...your friend became their next target."

The color drained from Elena's face.

"Sofia..."

Without another word, she pulled out her phone.

She dialed Sofia's number.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

No answer.

Her heart sank.

"Sofia..."

Damien quietly reached into his pocket and handed her another phone.

She looked at it.

"What is this?"

"A secure line."

"I don't want your phone."

"You'll need it."

She ignored the device and called again.

Still nothing.

Then...

A message appeared on her screen.

Unknown Number

"You're already too late."

Elena's hand began to shake.

Below the message...

Was a photograph.

Sofia's apartment.

The front door was hanging open.

And a single black rose lying on the floor.

The photograph slipped from Elena's trembling fingers.

It landed face down on the polished wooden floor.

For a moment, the world around her disappeared.

She could hear nothing except the frantic rhythm of her own heartbeat.

"Sofia..." she whispered.

Damien picked up the phone and studied the image. His expression didn't change, but Victor noticed the subtle tightening of his jaw.

"When did this arrive?" Damien asked.

"Just now."

"Who sent it?"

"I don't know."

Damien handed the phone to Victor.

"Trace the number."

Victor looked at the screen for less than three seconds before shaking his head.

"It's encrypted."

"I expected as much."

Elena snatched the phone back.

"We have to go."

Damien turned toward her.

"No."

"No?" she repeated, her voice rising. "My best friend could be dying!"

"And walking into a trap won't save her."

"You don't know it's a trap!"

"I know the Covenant."

His calm voice only fueled her anger.

"You keep saying their name, but you haven't told me who they are!"

"I will."

"When?"

"When you stop trying to get yourself killed."

Without another word, Elena pushed past him.

"I'm leaving."

She marched toward the entrance.

Victor stepped into her path.

"I'm sorry, Miss Brooks."

"Move."

"I can't."

"I wasn't asking."

She tried to walk around him.

He blocked her again.

"I'm under orders."

Her patience snapped.

She slapped him across the face.

The sharp c***k echoed through the entrance hall.

Everyone froze.

Victor didn't even blink.

He slowly turned his head back toward her.

"Feel better?"

She clenched her fists.

"No."

"I figured."

Damien sighed.

"Victor."

"Yes, Boss?"

"Let her pass."

Victor stepped aside immediately.

Elena didn't hesitate.

She stormed out of the mansion.

Rain had started falling again.

She barely reached the driveway before headlights cut through the darkness.

A black sedan accelerated toward the gates.

Too fast.

Much too fast.

The guards shouted.

"Stop that vehicle!"

Instead of slowing down, the driver pressed harder on the accelerator.

The sedan smashed through the outer barrier.

Gunfire erupted.

The estate's security team took cover behind stone pillars.

The sedan skidded sideways before stopping in the middle of the courtyard.

Its doors flew open.

Six armed men poured out, firing automatic weapons in every direction.

"Take the girl!"

Everything happened at once.

Damien appeared beside Elena as if he had materialized from the rain itself.

He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Get down!"

A burst of bullets shattered the marble fountain behind them.

Water exploded into the air.

Victor drew two pistols from beneath his jacket.

"Protect the Boss!"

The guards returned fire.

The peaceful estate transformed into a battlefield.

One attacker rushed toward Elena.

She stumbled backward.

The man raised his rifle.

Before he could pull the trigger, a silver knife spun through the rain.

It buried itself in his shoulder.

He cried out in pain.

Elena looked toward Damien.

He hadn't moved.

Another knife rested between his fingers.

"You carry knives too?" she asked in disbelief.

"They're quieter."

He threw the second blade.

Another attacker collapsed.

Victor fought like a machine, advancing through the gunfire with frightening precision.

Within seconds, two more attackers lay on the ground.

The remaining gunmen retreated behind the wrecked sedan.

Then...

Everything went silent.

Too silent.

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"Everyone back!"

No one questioned him.

They rushed toward the mansion.

A split second later—

BOOM!

The sedan erupted in a massive explosion.

The blast wave shattered windows across the estate.

Flames climbed into the night sky.

Elena was thrown backward.

Before she hit the ground, Damien caught her.

The force of the explosion sent both of them crashing against a stone pillar.

Her ears rang.

Smoke filled the air.

She coughed, struggling to breathe.

When her vision finally cleared...

She looked up.

Damien's body shielded hers from flying debris.

A deep cut ran across his forehead.

Blood trickled down the side of his face.

"You..." she whispered.

"You protected me."

He glanced at the burning wreckage.

"It wasn't personal."

She almost smiled.

"You're a terrible liar."

For the first time, he didn't answer.

Instead, he looked toward Victor.

"Report."

Victor spoke into his earpiece before replying.

"Four dead."

"Two escaped."

"They won't get far."

Damien shook his head.

"They weren't trying to win."

Victor frowned.

"Then why attack?"

Damien looked toward the burning car.

"They wanted to test our defenses."

He crouched beside one of the dead attackers.

Carefully, he rolled the body over.

Tattooed on the man's wrist...

A black rose.

Elena stared at it.

"The same symbol..."

Damien nodded.

"The Covenant doesn't recruit followers."

"What do you mean?"

"They own them."

He reached into the dead man's pocket and pulled out a folded card.

At the front was a single sentence.

"The Devil cannot protect what belongs to us."

Elena felt another chill run through her.

"Belongs to us?"

Damien folded the card and slipped it into his pocket.

"They think you belong to them."

"But why?"

Before Damien could answer, Victor's phone rang.

He listened for a few seconds.

His face changed completely.

"Boss..."

"What is it?"

Victor swallowed.

"Our team just reached Sofia Kane's apartment."

Elena held her breath.

Victor looked at her.

"The apartment was empty."

Relief flooded through her.

Then Victor continued.

"There were signs of a struggle."

Her relief vanished.

"And..."

He hesitated.

"They found blood."

Elena's knees nearly gave way.

Damien caught her before she fell.

Victor lowered his voice.

"But there was nobody."

The rain continued to fall as everyone stood in silence.

Somewhere out there...

Sofia was alive...

Or running out of time.