Chapter 10: The Reunion

The Safehouse

9:00 p.m. – Abandoned Warehouse, Brooklyn

The safehouse was in a different league from the comfort of Harrington's mansion. In a dilapidated Brooklyn warehouse on the edge of town, it was a place where shadows played on the walls and the stench of rust and rot hung heavy in the air. Olivia was huddled in a shaky wooden chair, her hands wrapped tightly around a shattered mug of coffee that was having little effect in warming her. The past two days had run her down, but sleep was out of the question.

Damien Cross paced back and forth in the room, his tread sharp and disturbed. He was a man of contradictions—his rugged appearance contrasted with the sharp intelligence of his eyes. His black hair was tousled, his face beset by stubble and his leather jacket evidencing the aftermath of countless close shaves. But it was the eyes that captured Olivia's attention. They were still as blindingly blue as she remembered them, but the years had worn down what made them nearly warm, reducing them to a harder and colder look now.

"We can't stay here much longer," Damien answered, his voice low and urgent. "The syndicate has eyes everywhere, and they won't rest until they find us."

Olivia set the mug down, her hands trembling slightly. "What do we do, then? We can't keep running forever."

Damien stopped his pacing and faced her, his expression grim. "We find out who killed Victor and why. If we get to the truth ahead of them, we might have a chance."

Olivia's heart tightened. "And what happens if the truth kills us?"

Damien's lips curved into a smile, but it held no humor. "Then we go down fighting."

The Plan

9:30 p.m. – Abandoned Warehouse, Brooklyn

Olivia spread out the documents she had pulled from Victor's safe on a rough table—ledgers of accounts, coded documents, and one photograph of Damien. The pieces of the puzzle were present but not quite fitting.

"Victor was in the syndicate," Olivia said to herself aloud, speaking in a low tone despite the terror gnawing at her. "But I don't think he was doing it for them. I think he was blackmailing them."

Damien went for the picture, his jaw tightening as he gazed at it. "This was a few years back," he explained to her, his tone unforgiving. "When Victor and I were still partners. Victor must have been digging through your past, searching for a way to manipulate you." Olivia nodded, a fierce glint in her green eyes. "And he did find it. But someone else found out about what he had done, and they killed him for it.".

Damien set the photograph down, his gaze meeting hers. "We need to find that flash drive. If Victor was blackmailing the syndicate, the evidence is on there."

"And if the syndicate already found it? The last time I went to retrieve it from the place I hid it, I couldn't find it." Olivia said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Damien's expression hardened. "Then we're already dead."

The Break-In

11:00 p.m. – Syndicate Headquarters, Lower Manhattan

The syndicate's headquarters was a nondescript office tower in Lower Manhattan. The exterior was such that it looked like just another corporate tower, but Damien and Olivia saw otherwise.

They were in the back alleys across from the building, fixed on the front entrance. Security was no-holds-barred—guards carrying rifles walked the perimeter, cameras covered every and all sides.

"This is a suicide mission," Olivia muttered to herself, panting.

Damien's lips curled up in a grin. "Have a better suggestion?"

She did not, but it didn't put her into a more favorable mood.

They slid through quietly, unseen through the blackness and into the parking garage under the building. Cold and damp air greeted them, echoing through the sound of their footsteps from the concrete walls.

Damien led them, his movements measured and deliberate. They reached a service elevator, and he unlocked the control panel with a small device, his fingers moving rapidly to shut down the security system.

The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside, the air so charged with tension that it seemed as if it could be cut with a blade.

"Stay close," Damien told her, his voice low. "And don't do anything stupid."

Olivia nodded; her fists clenched at her sides.

The Confrontation

11:30 p.m. – Syndicate Headquarters, Upper Floor

The elevator opened into a poorly lit corridor, the walls lined with expensive artwork and the floor covered in heavy, plush carpet. Cigar smoke and expensive cologne hung in the air, a far different sight from the cold, clinical atmosphere of the lower floors.

Olivia and Damien moved cautiously; their footsteps silent on the carpet. The corridor opened up into a large office, its floor-to-ceiling windows providing a breathtaking view of the city skyline.

The room was empty, but the desk in the center was littered with papers and files. Olivia's eyes scanned the room, her heart pounding as she searched for the flash drive.

"Over here," Damien whispered, his voice tense.

She turned to see him standing by a safe, his fingers working quickly to crack the code. The safe door clicked open, and he reached inside, pulling out a small, encrypted flash drive.

"Got it," he said, his voice filled with triumph.

But before they could celebrate, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

"We've got company," Olivia whispered, her chest tightening.

Damien's expression hardened. "Stay behind me."

The door burst open, and three armed men stepped inside, their guns trained on Olivia and Damien.

"Hand over the flash drive," one of them said, his voice cold and emotionless.

Damien stepped in front of Olivia, his body shielding hers. "If you're going to shoot, then shoot," he said, his voice steady.

The man had leveled his gun, but before he could fire, Olivia had grabbed a heavy flower vase from the desk and hurled it at him.

The vase struck him on the head, and he stumbled, his gun dropping on the floor.

Damien rushed at the second man and took his gun away from him with a sharp, vicious kick. Olivia leapt aside as the third man fired, the bullet whizzing past the side of her head.

She picked up a shard of flying glass on the floor and bludgeoned the man's head, making his fly from his hand. Damien reached him in an instant, giving him one swift punch that dazed and slammed him to the floor.

The room was silent, the only sound Olivia and Damien's labored breathing.

"We have to get out of here," Damien said, his tone somber.

Olivia nodded, her hands continuing to shake as they exited the office and into the night.

The Aftermath

The safehouse was welcome relief after the chaos of the night. Olivia perched on the edge of the bed; her fists clenched in her lap. Damien leaned against the window, his eyes scanning the street below.

"We did it," Olivia said, her voice filled with amazement. "We actually did it."

Damien glanced at her; his expression set. "We're not in the clear yet. The syndicate will never give up until they get their flash drive back."

Olivia's breasts knotted, but she nodded. "Then we make them an offer they can't refuse."

Damien's eyes softened for a moment, a fleeting vulnerability before he clamped down. "You've changed, Olivia. You're tougher than I remember."

She looked up at him, her green eyes full of fear and determination. "I had to be."