BLOOD SILK SYNDICATE

Chapter 4

The new place was quieter than the last one. Damien had left me here almost two hours ago with only two guards outside the door. He said he had “business” to handle. He didn’t explain what kind of business, he never explained anything.

I was tired of sitting on the couch staring at the wall. I stood up and started walking around the apartment slowly. This one was smaller than the penthouse but still expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city lights sparkling far below. Everything was dark colors; black, gray, deep wood. It felt cold, like no one really lived here.

I walked down a short hallway and pushed open the first door.

It was a bedroom. Big bed, clean sheets. Nothing personal. I opened the closet. Only black shirts and suits. All Damien’s size. I closed it quickly.

The next room was locked. I tried the handle twice. Definitely locked.

I moved to the last door at the end of the hallway. This one opened easily.

It looked like a small study. One desk, one chair, a few shelves with books that looked like they had never been read. I stepped inside carefully, my heart beating a little faster.

On the desk was a single framed photo.

I picked it up.

It was an old picture. A man and a woman. The man looked a bit like Damien; same sharp jaw, same dark eyes but younger. The woman was beautiful, with long dark hair. She was smiling, but her eyes looked sad. Something about her face felt... familiar. Like I had seen her in a dream.

I stared at the photo for a long time.

Who were they?

I turned the frame over. There was a handwriting on the back.

*For the ones we lost. — E.*

E?

I put the photo back exactly how I found it, my hands shaking a little. Damien had told me he was just protecting me because I saw too much. But this felt like more, it felt like there was history here, like I was connected to something I didn’t understand.

I was about to leave the room when I heard voices.

I froze.

The sound was coming from the living room. Damien must have come back, but he wasn’t alone.

I moved closer to the hallway and listened.

“…the girl is becoming a problem,” a man’s voice said. He sounded older. “The Morettis are pushing hard. They want to know why you’re keeping her so close.”

Damien’s voice was low and cold. “She stays with me. That’s not up for discussion.”

The other man laughed quietly. “You’re playing with fire, Damien. First you were supposed to eliminate her. Now you’re hiding her? People are starting to talk. They think you’re getting soft.”

“I’m not soft,” Damien said. “I’m handling it.”

There was a pause.

Then the other man spoke again. “Just remember… your father made mistakes with women too. It cost him everything. Don’t repeat them.”

My heart stopped.

*Eliminate her.*

Damien was supposed to kill me?

I pressed my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t make any sound. My eyes were burning. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream, but I stayed frozen, listening.

“I know what I’m doing,” Damien said. His voice was harder now. “She’s useful. For now.”

*Useful.*

The word felt like a slap.

I quietly moved back into the study and sat on the floor behind the desk, trying to breathe quietly. My mind was spinning so fast it hurt.

He lied.

He didn’t save me out of nowhere. He was supposed to kill me, and now he was keeping me here for some reason I still didn’t understand.

I stayed there for a long time, knees pulled to my chest, trying not to cry.. then I heard the front door open and close. The other man left, then footsteps came down the hallway.

“Seraphina?” Damien called.

I quickly wiped my eyes and stood up. I walked out of the study like nothing happened.

He was standing in the living room. His jacket was off. He looked tired but still dangerous.

“You were moving around again,” he said, watching me.

“I was just looking for water,” I lied.

He stared at me for a moment.. he knew I was lying, but he didn’t push it.

“Come eat,” he said. “Food arrived while you were sleeping earlier.”

I followed him to the kitchen island. There were containers of pasta and salad. It smelled good, but I had no appetite.

I sat down and picked at the food. Damien stood across from me, arms crossed, watching me eat.

After a few minutes, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Why did you really save me?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t answer right away.

“Because killing you would cause more problems than keeping you alive,” he said finally.

That wasn’t a full answer, but it was something. I looked down at my plate. The photo kept flashing in my mind. The woman’s sad eyes. The words on the back.

“Who was she?” I asked before I could stop myself. “The woman in the photo in the study?”

Damien’s whole body went still.

For the first time, I saw something crack in his calm face.. just for a second.

“You shouldn’t have gone in there,” he said,

He didn’t deny it. He didn’t explain, he just turned and walked away.

I sat there alone with the food getting cold.

I had more questions now than before, and every answer I got only made me more scared.