BLOOD SILK SYNDICATE

Chapter 3

I couldn’t stay on that couch forever.. After Damien disappeared into his office for another call, I waited a bit. My heart was still beating fast from everything that happened. I sat there for almost ten minutes, listening to his low voice behind the closed door. He sounded angry, like he was giving orders to someone.

My legs were still shaky, but I needed to move. I needed to understand where I really was and who this man actually was.

I stood up quietly. My bare feet touched the cold floor as I walked down the long hallway. The penthouse was massive, it felt endless. I passed the bathroom where I had showered earlier, then I saw another room... it looked like a gym with weights and punching bags. I kept going.

At the end of the hallway, there was a door that was slightly open. I looked behind me first to check if anyone was there.. no one. I pushed the door gently and stepped inside.

It was an office. A very big, very intimidating office. Dark wood desk in the middle, three large computer screens on the desk. One of the screens showed different camera feeds - the building lobby, the elevator, the street outside, even inside the penthouse hallway. There were armed men everywhere on those screens.. not just two or three, I counted at least ten. Some had guns visible. They looked serious and very dangerous.

My stomach dropped so hard I felt sick. This wasn't some rich guy's fancy apartment. This was a fortress. A control center. Damien wasn't just some random man who saved me, he was someone important and someone very powerful.

I stepped closer to the desk even though my legs felt weak. Some papers were scattered around, so I picked one up quickly. It had lists of names I didn't recognize and huge numbers next to them. Millions. Transfers. Dates. It looked like money moving between accounts. A lot of money.

I put the paper down with shaking hands and picked up another one. This one had the word "Moretti" written at the top. There were notes underneath... "Watch movements", "Possible threat", "Eliminate if necessary".

Moretti.

I stored that name in my head. My mind was spinning so fast. Mafia? Gang? Or something much worse? I felt like I had walked into something I could never walk out of.

Then I heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

Shit.

I dropped the paper fast and rushed out of the office. I almost ran back to the living room and threw myself on the couch, trying to look like I had just woken up. My heart was pounding so loud I was scared he would hear it.

Damien came out a few seconds later. He stopped when he saw me.

"You were moving around," he said. His voice was flat and suspicious.

"I was just stretching my legs," I replied quickly, trying to sound normal. My voice came out higher than I wanted.

He stared at me for a long second. Those dark eyes didn't miss anything, I felt like he could see through me.

Then his phone rang. He looked at the screen and his face changed a little. He answered it while still watching me.

"What?... When?... Keep them downstairs. I'm coming down."

He hung up.

"Get changed. We're leaving."

"Leaving?" I asked, surprised. "Where are we going?"

"You ask too many questions," he said codly.

He went into his room and came back a minute later with a black hoodie. He tossed it at me.

"Put it on. Pull the hood up. Don't talk to anyone.. not a single word."

I pulled the hoodie over my head. It was big on me and smelled like him - dark, expensive, and slightly woody. I hated that I noticed the smell. I hated that it made me feel something I couldn't name.

Two of his men were already waiting by the elevator when we got there. They were tall and dressed in black. They didn't even glance at me. They just nodded at Damien like soldiers waiting for orders.

The elevator ride down was completely silent. The tension was so thick I could barely breathe. When the doors opened into the underground garage, my eyes widened. There were even more armed men. At least fifteen. Black cars lined up like they were ready for war. Guns. Earpieces.. serious looking faces.

Damien put his hand on my lower back and guided me toward one of the SUVs.

"Get in."

I got inside the back seat. He got in after me. The doors locked with that heavy sound again. The car started moving fast, leaving the garage and entering the city streets.

I kept looking out the tinted window, trying to remember the route. Buildings passed by. People walking normally on the streets like nothing was wrong. I felt so far away from that normal life now.

After about twenty-five minutes, we entered another underground parking lot under what looked like a very expensive hotel. More men were waiting. They surrounded the car as soon as we stopped.

One of them opened the door for Damien and spoke quietly.

"They're waiting in the private suite, boss. The Morettis sent someone."

Morettis again.

Damien's jaw tightened. He got out and pulled me with him, his hand back on my lower back.

We took a private elevator up. When the doors opened, we stepped into a luxurious suite. There were several men in suits standing around. A woman in a tight red dress leaned against the bar, sipping wine. She looked at me like I was dirt under her shoe.

Damien kept me close as we walked through the room. His body felt tense beside me. Then an older man stood up from the big couch in the center. He had gray hair, an expensive watch, and a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"So this is the girl," he said, looking me up and down slowly. "The one causing all this noise in the family."

Damien's fingers pressed harder into my back, it was almost painful.

"Careful, Uncle," he said. "She's under my protection."

The older man *his uncle* laughed. But it wasn't a nice laugh. "For now, nephew. For now. The Morettis are already asking questions. They want to know who she is and why you're hiding her. Word travels fast in our world Damien, and you know that."

I felt my blood run cold. I stood there frozen, not knowing what to say or do. The whole room was watching me. I felt small, exposed, like a rabbit in a room full of wolves.

Damien's uncle stepped closer. "You know the rules, Damien. Loose ends get tied or eliminated. Which one is she?"

Damien's voice went even colder. "She stays alive. That's final."

The tension in the room was suffocating. No one spoke for a few seconds, I could feel my hands shaking inside the hoodie pockets.

The uncle smiled again. "You're playing a dangerous game, boy. The Syndicate doesn't like complications. Especially not the pretty ones."

He looked at me again. "What's your name, girl?"

I didn't answer. Damien's hand tightened on my back like a warning.

His uncle chuckled. "Doesn't matter. We'll find out soon enough."

Damien suddenly pulled me closer to his side. "This meeting is over. Tell the Morettis if they make any move toward her, they'll answer to me directly."

He turned and started guiding me back toward the elevator. But before we left, his uncle called out one last time.

"Be careful, Damien. Blood is thicker than obsession."

The elevator doors closed. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My legs felt weak again.

Damien didn't say anything during the ride down. His jaw was tight, his hand was still on my back. When we got back into the SUV, I finally spoke.

"Who was that? And what the hell is going on?"

He looked at me and replied.

"Someone you don't want to know," he said quietly. "And this world you're in now... it's not one you can leave easily."

I turned away and looked out the window. The city lights blurred past. I felt very small, very scared and very trapped.

We didn't go back to the penthouse.

Instead, the car kept driving for almost forty minutes. I stayed quiet the whole time. My mind wouldn't stop racing. *Moretti family. Syndicate. Protection. Elimination.* The words kept repeating.

When the car finally stopped, we were at another building. Taller than the previous one, darker and even more guarded.

Damien got out first and pulled me with him. More men surrounded us immediately. They formed a wall around us as we entered the building.

This time we took the elevator up to the top floor. When the doors opened, it was another luxurious space, but smaller and more private.

Damien finally let go of my back.

"Stay inside," he said. "Don't try anything stupid."

Then he left with two of his men, locking the door behind him.

I was alone again.

I walked to the window and looked down at the city far below. It looked so beautiful from up here. But I knew the truth now.

I was in the middle of something deadly, and Damien De Luca was right at the center of it.

I sat on the couch and pulled my knees to my chest again.

For the third time that day, I realized that *Damien De Luca* wasn't protecting me from the Syndicate.

He was protecting me from the people inside it.