DAMIR
I had prepared for everything. Or so I thought.
Lan was already rounding up our men outside the abandoned warehouse, issuing commands through his comms. I gave him clear signals, two men to the left flank, two at the rear, one on the roof. I moved like a man possessed, every second without Eli tearing deeper into my sanity.
But even in my haze, I kept Lian by my side. He was trying to keep up, panting beside me as I shoved a loaded pistol into his shaking hand. He looked up at me, startled.
"You might need this. Just stay close," I said.
His face was pale, glassy-eyed. I knew he was terrified. He had every right to be. I didn't even trust my own hands to be steady. Not now. Not when the person I loved more than anything could be dying inside.
The warehouse was disturbingly quiet. Too quiet. First floor: empty. Just boxes, wires, rats scuttling in corners. But something told me this wasn't over. I could feel the presence of something upstairs. Someone.
We began to ascend the staircase, my boots creaking against rusted iron. At the top, that's when I heard it.
Philip's voice.
Smooth. Mocking. So very familiar.
I halted, signaling with two fingers. My men stopped behind me, silent, guns raised.
Then I saw Eli.
Laid out like a discarded doll on the cracked concrete floor, limbs limp, face pale as milk. His uniform was torn to shreds. His legs curled to his chest like he was trying to hide from the world. He wasn't unconscious… no. His eyes were open barely….
My knees almost gave out.
And then Philip turned around.
"Damir! Baby! You came."
The sound of his voice turned my blood to ice.
Before I could react, he ran to me, those irritating perfectly glossed lips curling as he threw himself into my arms. And right in front of everyone, he kissed me. Full-on. Deep.
My body went rigid.
The shock. The disbelief. I couldn't breathe.
Behind him, I saw Lian rush toward Eli, falling to his knees, shouting his name. But then Philip, smiling like the devil himself, raised his arm.
Gun. Straight towards Eli's head.
"One more step, princess, and he dies," Philip growled.
Lian froze. My men froze.
Philip's men emerged from the shadows. Five of them. All armed.
"Drop your weapons," Philip purred, still holding onto my wrist. "Now. Or Eli gets his head blown off, and you can go collect what's left."
I had no choice. I gave the signal. One by one, the weapons clattered to the ground.
"Good boy," Philip whispered, tracing a nail down my cheek.
He walked back toward Eli, who blinked slowly, trying to speak but his lips only trembled. No words.
Philip crouched beside him.
"Cute thing, isn't he? Too bad he's mute now. Acid'll do that."
I stepped forward, fists clenched.
"You really fed him acid?"
Philip looked at me, amused. "Wasn't supposed to. But one of my boys mixed up the aphrodisiac. I wanted to humiliate him. Make him a slut on camera. But fate has a sense of humor."
My vision went red. I wanted to kill him. Right then.
But Eli's life hung on Philip's finger.
Then, like the twisted snake he was, Philip turned to the room, addressing all of them like an actor on stage.
"Let me tell you all something! I was Damir's first boyfriend. His real lover. Three years. Three damn years. And do you know where I lived? Some shithole apartment downtown. I was never allowed near this precious estate. Never introduced. Always hidden."
He laughed bitterly, pacing.
"But guess what? After two years of disappearing like a coward, I return to Russia and what do I see? He's got himself a sweet little twink. With a mansion. A full closet. Cars. And he calls him his official boyfriend?"
He turned to me, his eyes wild.
"Why, Damir? Why wasn't I enough? You fucked me like I was the center of your world and then you threw me away like trash."
I stared him down, jaw tight. "Philip. Let him go. This isn't about him."
Philip laughed.
"Oh, it's about everything. Everything I never got. Everything he stole."
He turned to Lian, narrowing his eyes.
"And you. Pretty little thing. What are you? Damir's side toy? Is he grooming you too?"
One of Philip's men grabbed Lian roughly by the hair, dragging him to the wall and pinning him hard.
"GET OFF ME!" Lian screamed. "You're sick! YOU'RE SICK!"
Philip strutted back toward me, breathing heavy.
"Strip."
My eyes widened. "What?"
"Strip," he repeated. "Right now. In front of all of them. If not, the acid boy gets a bullet between the eyes."
I stood there, fists shaking.
Philip smiled.
"Come on. You've always been so obedient in bed. Don't act shy now."
My pride cracked. But Eli was groaning now, clearly in agony. His fingers weakly reached out for me.
I lowered my hands to my shirt.
Philip grinned.
Piece by piece, I took it all off. Every stitch. Until I stood there, humiliated, bare. My men looked away. Lian couldn't stop crying.
Philip sauntered closer, running a hand down my chest. "This is how it should've been, Damir. You. Me. And our world. But no. You chose him."
His eyes sparkled with hatred.
"And now… I'll ruin you both."