Blackwood Empire

The Game

The lock clicked.

The sound was small.

It still felt deafening.

Damien stood between me and the exit.

It was Damien. I thought most of them left, but he didn’t. “You think I wouldn’t get notified when someone enters this place?”

I didn’t know what to say, but I had to say something if I didn’t want to get fired. I forced myself to breathe. “Why are you here?”

His eyebrow lifted. “That’s my question.”

I turned toward the computer. The screen was still open.

Project Nightfall.

Rhodes.

I closed the file. But it was too late.

Damien had already seen it. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“I was curious.”

“Curiosity gets people fired.”

Then fire me. I wanted to say but I didn’t if I did, I would be fired in seconds and all our plans would be ruined.

He was staring at me, waiting for an answer,

Neither of us moved. Finally, he walked toward the computer. He didn’t look at the screen.

He looked at me. “Why are you investigating Veyron?”

“I’m not.”

“You just spent twenty minutes inside a restricted archive looking through files connected to it.”

“I wasn’t looking for anything, I was really just curious, since it said staff only I thought I’d just look around.”

“What?”

I said nothing.

He smiled without humor. “Exactly.”He came closer.

I took one step backward.

His eyes dropped to the movement. Then returned to mine.

“You know what I find interesting about you?”

“I can’t imagine.”

“You don’t scare easily.”

“I’ve been here for only few hours so what do you know?” I smiled awkwardly.

“Most people do.”

I’m not most people, you bastard, again I wanted to say but I didn’t. I simply stared at him till his attention turned to the computer behind me.

“No.” His voice lowered. He walked past me and pulled the file back up. His expression changed when he saw the Rhodes name.

Not surprise.

Recognition.

My stomach tightened.

“You know my family.”

It wasn’t a question.

He didn’t answer.

“Damien.”

His eyes snapped toward me. It was the first time I’d used his first name. Something shifted in the air.

Silence.

The words had escaped before I could stop them. His jaw tightened.

I looked away. Damn it.

He closed the file. “You need to leave.”

“You’re not firing me?”

“Not yet.”

“How reassuring.”

He stepped closer. “Seraphina.”

I looked at him.

“If you’re playing a game with me, understand one thing.”

His hand came down on the desk beside me. Not touching me. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him. “I don’t lose.”

My pulse raced. Neither do I, you loser. I didn’t say anything but just nodded. For several seconds, neither of us moved. His eyes were on mine. Then my lips. My breath caught. He noticed. Of course, he did. His expression became almost unreadable.

“You should go. I will take care of you later.” His jaw tightened.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“What does that mean?”

“It means…”

He stopped.

His gaze moved over my face.

“You SHOULD LEAVE.”

I stepped around him, I reached the door.

His voice stopped me.

“Seraphina.”

I turned.

He was watching me with an expression I’d never seen before.

“Don’t go into the archives again.”

I nodded.

“Because next time…”

He paused.

“…I might not be in the mood to let you walk away.”

I should have been frightened.

Instead, heat spread through me.

I opened the door.

“Then maybe you should lock them better.”

His eyes darkened. I walked away before I could see his reaction.

I didn’t sleep that night, not because of Damien.

Because of the file. Project Nightfall. Rhodes.

My family had spent years believing Blackwood Holdings had destroyed us.

But if that file was connected to my father.

Then perhaps we had been wrong about Damien, or perhaps he was much better at hiding the truth than I’d imagined.

At two in the morning, I opened my laptop. The encrypted message I’d been waiting for appeared. Just what I thought but it wasn't the message I was waiting for.

You’re getting close.

I typed back.

To what?

Three dots appeared.

Then disappeared.

Then appeared again.

Ask Damien Blackwood what happened the night your father died.

My fingers went cold.

I stared at the message.

My father hadn’t died in an accident.

At least, that’s what I’d been told.

I’d spent two years believing Blackwood was responsible.

But I’d never known the whole story.

I typed

Who are you?

The response came immediately.

Someone who knows what Damien did.

I stared at the screen.

Then another message appeared.

And if you trust him, Seraphina, you’ll die just like your father did.

I stopped breathing.

Because nobody outside my investigation knew my real identity.

Nobody.

Except the people I had trusted.

And one of them had just sent me a message.

I closed the laptop.