Chapter 21 - Jamie

It had been a lovely evening, and I didn’t want to go back to the den. But it was getting late, and everyone had their lives. We were some of the last ones to leave. Ashan and I drove back home after thanking Leo and Evelina for a lovely evening.

“Jamie,” Ashan said, seemingly a bit distracted. He was glancing from one mirror to the next at short intervals as if looking for something. Before I could reply or ask what was wrong, he continued. “Leo has found a couple of excellent hacking tools and given me access to them. I would like to share this with you as well. That way, you can find the real culprit who messed up your life.”

Overwhelmed with emotions, I was speechless. Feeling my eyes starting to burn, I turned away as they teared up. “Thank you,” I replied, taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump forming in my throat. Blinking a couple of times, I focused on the buildings passing us by.

“Also,” Ashan resumed, giving my leg a quick squeeze. “I’ve bought a mansion.” I heard him taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry for keeping you cooped up at the gambling den. You deserve a proper home.” Glancing at him, I saw him smiling at me. “That is if you want one?”

I laughed as overwhelming feelings of gratitude flooded through me. He was finally opening up to me. My heart filled with flutters of joy. He was so kind and caring, A side of him I had barely seen. I was sure that I was falling in love. My mind filled with images of us in a mansion I had not even seen. But my mind could paint pictures of its own.

As we pulled into the parking area, Ashan’s phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and mentioned it was his head bodyguard. Getting out of the car, he answered it as he moved to my side and opened the door. Ashan’s face fell as I stepped out. The guard was seemingly shouting at him. He was so loud that I could make out some of what he was saying.

He was warning us of trouble at the den. But it was too late as we had already parked and were walking towards the entrance. Ashan dropped his phone. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the back of the den. We moved quickly and stayed low as we neared the building.

It was dark at the back. I heard myself swallowing hard as I tried to keep my breathing even. I was afraid of what we might encounter. Pulling his gun, Ashan assisted me to enter through a secret door. He opened what appeared to be a large storage closet on the outside. We stepped into it, and Ashan pushed a button, making the closet turn.

Opening the doors again, we walked into the kitchen. I would never have believed it if I hadn’t just seen it. I had passed both the closets inside and outside a million times. I had not even noticed that they had identical items inside.

Entering the darkest corner of the kitchen, we saw that the place was a mess, and we slowly moved into the den. Trays of food lay scattered across the floor. Strolling, I almost slipped. Ashan had to turn and grab me to prevent me from falling.

The floor was sticky and oily. In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly. This was all my fault, I thought. Ashan was only trying to keep me safe, and now look at his place. It was destroyed and it was all because of me. I felt guilty and scared at the same time. I didn’t know how I would ever be able to make it up to him.

From the kitchen, we went to the bar area. I moved with Ashan to the booth where we met with the client.

Ashan peeked through the curtains before turning to me. He held my shoulders as he spoke. “Jamie, behind that chair,” He pointed to the one he sat on that evening. “There is another passage in the wall like the one in the suite. Take it and go up to the suite.”

I saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes as he continued. “Hide in the hidden trap room until the coast is clear, I will come to get you.” Ashan pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. “Please be safe,” he added as he turned back to the lounge and bar area. I was frightened not only for me and the baby but also for Ashan.

What would I do if something happened to him because of me? Where would I go, would his family blame me?

Reaching out for him, I stopped myself from pulling him back. I wanted to go with him but knew that he was right. Getting to the secret room was surely my best option. The attack on the den was my fault, these other groups came looking for me. Ashan wanted me and the baby growing in me safe.

My throat felt like it was closing in on me as my breathing became labored. My heart pounded not only in my chest anymore, but I could also feel it in my feet, my head, and everywhere. It is terror, I told myself, get a grip, you have a baby depending on you. My guilt was eating at my mind. Why had I dragged all of these lovely people into my problems? I should have stayed away. If I hadn’t listened to Pedro, none of this would have happened.

Shaking my head I looked back once more before heading up. Ashan was still looking through the curtain, I was sure he was waiting for me to leave before he went out there.

Opening the curtain against the wall behind the chair, I carefully took the now narrow passage. Even though I had not taken this one before, I was sure it had shrunk. Grinning at myself as I knew I had grown, I exited into Ashan’s office. My heart was racing as there were gunshots from downstairs.

Instinctively, I wanted to run down and make sure Ashan was safe. The office door was closed, but I could hear voices coming from outside. Breathing slowly and softly, I quickly entered the other passage and headed up to the suite.

Stepping out of the passage, I saw our suite was empty. The bedroom and bathroom doors were open. Clothing and other items decorated the floor, and I knew whoever was out there had already been in there.

Moving toward the bedroom, I thought of rather staying in there as it would be more comfortable. But what if they came back or if a stray bullet came through the walls? Deciding against it, I crept to the door and peeked out. The hallway was quiet; it was kind of creepy, and I saw no one out there.

It was usually lit up and had people moving this way and that at all times. Now, it was dimly lit and was empty of any life.

Closing the door quietly again, I leaned against it, trying to relax my breathing. I hurried to the hidden trap door in the wall but noticed the computer also lying on the floor. Maybe they weren’t looking for me, it could be that whoever started this fight was after the Morozov family.

There were surely turf wars and such things. Rubbing my cheek, I felt it was cold. Deciding that the mess outside wasn’t about me, I decided to change into something warmer first. I didn’t dare get sick while I was pregnant, I thought as I entered the bathroom. Plus, I would still hide as Ashan had asked but I would do it once I was warmer.

Sifting through the mess, I finally found a warm tracksuit I could change into. Once I felt warmer and comfortable, I moved back to the hidden compartment in the wall.

Pulling open the life-size mirror that hid the secret room, I gasped. Someone was already inside. I stepped back and tried to focus on the dark figure sitting in the chair. But before I could see who it was, I felt an immense pain traveling through my head. Grabbing my head, I tried to turn around. My eyes teared up, and my vision blurred as I felt my legs give way.

The floor was coming at me very quickly. Leaving my pounding head, I pushed my hands out, stopping my head just in time before knocking it against the floor. I slammed into the ground hard, though. My lungs felt as if they had been crushed as I exhaled sharply. Pushing up, I tried to look around but only saw darkness as I lost consciousness.