Blood in the Water.
946 Words
Chapter 14.
The air inside the warehouse was thick with tension, the scent of blood clinging to the walls like a shadow that refused to fade.
Serena’s hands trembled at her sides, her heartbeat a relentless drum inside her chest.
Damian’s words still echoed in her mind.
"We go to war."
Her gaze flickered to the man still tied to the chair, his breathing ragged, his swollen face barely able to lift itself from his blood.
The Santiago family.
Serena had heard the name before, whispered in dark alleys, murmured in cautionary tales.
They weren’t just criminals.
They were rulers in the underworld.
And now, they wanted her dead.
She turned to Damian, her throat dry. “Damian, if they’re this powerful—”
“They’re not untouchable,” he cut in smoothly, his voice laced with steel. “They think they are, but they bleed like the rest of us.”
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only cold, calculated rage.
Serena shivered.
Damian Blackwood wasn’t just a businessman.
He was a hunter.
And the Santiagos had just painted a target on their backs.
No Loose Ends
Damian turned his attention back to the broken man in the chair.
“Where is Santiago now?”
The man coughed, the sound wet, labored. “You think I’d tell you?” He gave a bloody grin. “He already knows you’re coming.”
Damian’s expression didn’t change.
Serena could feel the shift in the air, like the calm before a deadly storm.
Then—
Without a flicker of hesitation—
Damian pulled the trigger.
The gunshot shattered the silence.
Serena gasped as the man slumped forward, lifeless.
Her stomach twisted.
Damian tucked the gun away, his expression unreadable. “No loose ends.”
Serena swallowed hard.
She should have been horrified.
Should have screamed.
But deep down, she knew—
This was survival.
And Damian had no mercy for those who threatened what was his.
The Escape
They left the warehouse swiftly, the weight of what had just happened pressing against Serena’s chest.
The streets outside were empty, but the tension crackled in the air.
Damian led her back to the car, opening the passenger door for her.
Serena hesitated. “Are we safe?”
Damian’s lips pressed into a thin line. “No.”
The honesty sent a chill down her spine.
Serena slid into the seat, and Damian followed, gripping the steering wheel with the kind of precision that made her feel both terrified and protected at the same time.
The engine roared to life, and they peeled away from the warehouse, disappearing into the darkened city streets.
A City of Shadows
The drive back was silent.
Damian’s fingers drummed lightly against the wheel, his mind elsewhere.
Serena couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
Every streetlight felt like an exposed nerve, every shadow a lurking danger.
Finally, she spoke.
“What happens now?”
Damian didn’t look at her, his gaze fixed ahead.
“We prepare.”
Serena exhaled. “For what?”
His jaw clenched.
“For war.”
Serena’s hands tightened in her lap.
She had seen Damian’s ruthlessness before.
But this?
This was something else.
Something darker.
And the scariest part?
She wasn’t sure she wanted to stop him.
A Dangerous Proposition
By the time they arrived back at Damian’s penthouse, Serena’s exhaustion was bone-deep.
But sleep wasn’t an option.
Not when the world was closing in around them.
Damian locked the door behind them, his movements sharp, and controlled.
Then, he turned to her.
“You need to leave the city.”
Serena’s breath caught.
“What?”
Damian’s gray eyes were unforgiving. “You’re not safe here. The Santiagos won’t stop until they’ve buried you six feet under.”
A storm raged in Serena’s chest.
“No.”
Damian’s gaze darkened. “Serena—”
“I’m not running.” Her voice was firm, unshaken. “You said we go to war? Then I stay.”
Something flickered in Damian’s expression.
Something dangerous.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
Serena stepped closer, her pulse hammering. “Then teach me.”
Damian’s breath hitched.
Serena met his gaze, her chin lifted defiantly.
“I won’t be weak, Damian. I won’t let them take me.”
For the first time that night, something in Damian shifted.
A slow, dark smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“You might just be more dangerous than I thought.”
Serena’s heart pounded.
Because she wasn’t sure if that was a warning—
Or a promise.
The First Lesson
Damian led her to a hidden room in his penthouse.
The moment he flipped the light switch, Serena’s breath caught.
It wasn’t a room.
It was an armory.
Guns. Knives. Weapons of every kind lined the walls in neat, terrifying rows.
Serena swallowed hard. “What is this?”
Damian smirked.
“Your first lesson.”
He picked up a gun and handed it to her.
Serena hesitated, the cold metal foreign in her grasp.
Damian moved behind her, his warmth pressing against her back.
His hands covered hers, his voice a murmur against her ear.
“You need to learn how to fight, Serena.”
Her breath hitched.
Because as much as the idea of taking a life terrified her—
The thought of being powerless scared her even more.
She tightened her grip on the gun.
And for the first time—
She wasn’t afraid.
She was ready.
Because the Santiagos had just made a grave mistake.
They had underestimated her.
And with Damian by her side—
She was going to make them regret it
- Writer
