CHAPTER 12: A DANGEROUS GAMBIT

 Surrender was not an option.

Damien had devoted his life to dismantling men like Antonov — heartless, power-hungry bastards who thought fear bought them dominance.

But Antonov had erred in a critical way.

He'd threatened someone Damien wouldn't allow paying the price.

Now, standing in the gloomy penthouse, with Isla and Nathaniel studying him intently, he was already scheming.

Nathaniel had just stopped talking when Damien faced away from him, retrieving his phone from the desk. With one text, he communicated with his most trusted enforcer.

Lock it down. Full blackout.

In seconds, Cross Enterprises' security systems would go dark. All evidence of their whereabouts would vanish. 

If Antonov believed he could astray them, he was in for a rude awakening.

Nathaniel crossed his arms. "What's the next move, Cross?"

Damien met his gaze. "We don't run."

A crawl of a smirk lifted Nathaniel's lips. "Didn't think so."

But Isla wasn't so sure. "Damien, Antonov plays another game. He's not only coming for you — he's coming for me."

Damien's jaw tightened. "Let him try."

Nathaniel exhaled. "I get it. You want to strike first. But Antonov is not simply a businessman with a grudge — he is a warlord."

"You push too hard, and then he'll burn all around you."

Damien didn't even flinch. "Then we control the fire."

Isla moved in and put a hand on his arm. "And if he goes after Ethan?"

That stopped him cold.

She was right.

Damien had to have anticipated Antonov's retaliation, but he hadn't counted on Isla's brother. The one person she would give her life to save.

His mind raced. He needed to get Ethan out before Antonov understood his leverage.

Nathaniel studied him closely. "You have a plan."

Damien nodded. "But first get Ethan somewhere safe."

Isla straightened. "Then I'm coming with you."

His grip on her tightened. "No. It's too dangerous."

"Damien, he's my brother."

"And if Antonov reaches you before we do?" His voice was sharp, cutting. 

"If he takes you instead?"

The air in the room became thick with silence.

Damien watched the war in Isla's eyes, the tug of her allegiance versus the familiar truth of their demise.

She hated when someone told her what to do. But at the same time, she knew that he was right.

Finally, she exhaled. "Then we move fast."

Nathaniel nodded. "I'll handle the extraction. But if we're going to do this, we have to be smart." His gaze flicked to Damien. 

"I am guessing you have a plan for Antonov?"

A slow, wicked smile curled on Damien's lips.

"I will make him regret ever touching what's mine."

***

 Fear was not something Isla ever allowed herself.

But tonight, it was there, lurking beneath the surface, squeezing against her ribs.

Antonov was not a businessman like her father. 

He wasn't an Uber-villain that brought down people through contracts and loopholes. 

He was the type that made people disappear — who didn't give a shit about collateral damage.

And Ethan had become a vulnerability she could not risk.

She resented that Damien had considered it before she had. Hated that he was right.

They had to get Ethan out.

"I think I will choose Nathaniel," she replied at last. 

"I can get to Ethan faster."

Damien's gaze darkened. "You're not going without protection."

"Damien—"

"I'm not negotiating on this, Isla."

She gritted her teeth, but before she could get any words out, Nathaniel interrupted, "She'll be safe."

"I'll make sure of it."

Damien didn't seem convinced, but he nodded tightly. 

"Get in, get him out and get back. No detours."

Isla swallowed hard. She had a bad feeling about this.

But there was no going back for her at that point.

Because if Antonov reached Ethan first …

She could not live with the consequences of doing nothing.

***

 Time was seeping through his fingers, like sand.

Antonov was not the kind of enemy who allowed second chances. The moment Damien laid his hand open, the clock had also started running.

There was no going back now.

He went to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the cityscape below. 

New York throbbed with life, blissfully unaware of the war brewing beneath it.

And Nathaniel was right, Antonov didn't follow corporate rules. This wasn't about hostile takeovers or power plays. It was blood for blood.

Damien had been preparing for war for years.

But now, the stakes felt different.

This time, Isla found herself in the crossfire.

A loud knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. His head turned in time to see Gabriel, his chief assassin, walk in, clad in his trademark fitted black suit. 

There was only one thing his presence meant — news.

"Talk," Damien ordered.

Gabriel didn't waste time. 

"Antonov's men are monitoring all known Lancaster properties. They're not moving yet, but they're watching for an opportunity."

Damien's grip tightened. "And Ethan?"

"Still at the clinic. Unharmed, for now. But if Antonov realized how important he is…" Gabriel let his threat trail off.

Damien's jaw clenched.

He wasn't going to sit back and let Antonov act first.

He turned to face Gabriel's eyes. "I want every property in Lancaster cleared of anyone we cannot trust. No loose ends."

Gabriel nodded. "And Ethan?"

"Isla and Nathaniel will take care of the extraction."

Gabriel arched his brow. "She's going?"

Damien's gaze darkened. "If I forced her, she wouldn't stay behind."

A smirk quirked the corner of Gabriel's mouth. 

"She's stubborn. I like her."

Damien exhaled sharply. "That makes her one of us."

Since right now, he hated the thought of Isla anywhere near the line of fire.

But she'd been right — Ethan wasn't some loose end in this war. He was her brother. And Damien knew what it felt like to care for someone you'd torch the world for, too.

So he had to let her go.

But that did not mean he would not be watching.

***

 As soon as Isla got into the black SUV with Nathaniel, the full burden of what they were doing settled down on her.

It was not a routine extraction.

It was a contest against a ghost they couldn't see.

Nathaniel was silent as he drove, his face more unreadable than before, his hands steady on the wheel.

"I don't like this," she finally admitted.

He glanced at her in the rear view mirror. 

"Because it's dangerous?"

She exhaled. "Because I don't know how far Antonov is going to go."

Nathaniel laughed quietly. "Trust me, sweetheart. He'll go all the way."

Her stomach tightened.

She knew that. But when I heard it out loud, it felt real.

"What did my father do to him?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Nathaniel paused for a beat of silence. Then, finally—

"Something unforgivable."

"Those words gave her chills,"

Because the stuff she thought was unforgivable? Her father had done such things without thinking twice.

Which meant Antonov's grievance was not purely personal.

No, it was far, far worse than that.

***

 As soon as the SUV drove away, Damien looked at Gabriel.

"Follow them."

Gabriel's smirk deepened. "Didn't expect you to let her off the leash."

Damien shot him a sharp look. "This isn't about control. It's about survival."

Gabriel inclined his head. "I'll keep her breathing."

Damien watched him leave, his brain already jumping to the next step.

He had let Isla handle Ethan.

But that didn't mean he was standing by.

Because Antonov thought he controlled the board…

Damien was about to turn the whole game upside down.