Chapter 320: Careful, She Bites

In the pitch-black darkness of the bedroom, trapped flush against his chest by his immovable, muscled arms, she simply opened her mouth, turned her head, and clamped her teeth down hard right on his bicep.

"Fuck!"

Damien flinched, his grip instantly loosening as he yanked his arm back.

Aria didn’t wait for him to recover. She scrambled across the mattress, her bare feet hitting the plush carpet. She darted over to the closet and blindly shoved her feet into a pair of sneakers.

"Did you just bite me?" Damien asked, his voice rough with stunned disbelief. He was sitting up in the dark, rubbing his arm.

"I gave you a warning," Aria reasoned, quickly tying her laces. "Now, go back to sleep. I’ll be back in ten minutes."

She turned toward the bedroom door.

"Aria, stop," Damien sighed, the sound of defeat echoing in the room.

The bedside lamp clicked on, flooding the room with a warm, golden glow. Aria paused, looking back over her shoulder.

Damien was already out of bed, grabbing a dark t-shirt from a drawer and pulling it over his head. His hair was messy from the pillows, but his jaw was locked tight. He reached into the nightstand, grabbing his Glock and smoothly tucking it into the waistband of his sweatpants.

"If you are going to be this stubborn," Damien muttered, walking toward her, "then I am coming with you. But I walk in front."

Aria felt a tiny, victorious smile pull at her lips, but she quickly hid it. "Fine by me."

The walk to the elevator was silent. Damien tapped his phone against the scanner, overriding the system to drop them straight down to the sixty-fifth floor.

The hallway was dead quiet. The thick carpet absorbed the sound of their footsteps as Damien led the way, his hand resting casually near his waistband. They stopped in front of Suite 6504.

Damien pulled his phone out, tapping it against the electronic lock.

Click.

He pushed the door open, stepping inside first. He flicked the main light switch.

Aria stepped in behind him.

The breath vanished from her lungs.

"Oh my god," Aria whispered, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

The glass coffee table in the center of the living area was shattered, jagged shards of glass sprayed across the carpet. A velvet armchair had been overturned. The floor lamp lay in pieces against the baseboard, and a framed painting on the wall hung sideways, the canvas slashed.

But what made Aria’s blood run cold was the dark, smeared stain of blood soaking into the beige rug near the entryway.

"Damien," Aria choked out, panic flooding her chest as she stepped around a piece of broken glass.

Damien’s golden eyes swept the wreckage. He moved through the suite, checking the bedroom and the bathroom before stepping back into the living room. He locked the suite door behind them, throwing the deadbolt.

Aria pulled her phone out of her pocket with trembling hands. "We have to call the police. Something obviously happened!"

"Aria, put the phone away."

Damien crossed the room, stopping right in front of her. He gently but firmly wrapped his hands over hers, lowering the phone.

"We are not calling the police," Damien stated.

"Why?!" Aria yelled, baffled. "What if something happened to Leo? He’s only nineteen!"

Damien let out a long exhale. He looked around the destroyed room, his jaw tightening, before bringing his eyes back to hers.

"Because Leo and Jade are not innocent bystanders," Damien said softly.

Aria froze.

She stared at him, her brow furrowing in deep confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I just pulled the hallway security footage," Damien stated. "Forty-five minutes before we arrived, four men with viper tattoos came into this room. A few minutes later, Jade ran out with her things and shortly after that they left with Leo."

"They aren’t who they pretend to be," Damien continued, holding her hands tightly. "Their entire backstory and personality are fabricated—it’s a cover."

"A cover for what?" Aria whispered.

"They are sleeper agents," Damien revealed. "They belong to the Orpheus Syndicate."

Aria stared at him, desperately trying to process the information. "Orpheus? But... why?"

"To watch you," Damien said. "And to watch me. Leo was sent to get close to you on the movie set. He played the sweet, harmless kid to earn your trust. Jade was sent to get close to me. They were embedded in our lives to monitor our movements and report back."

"No," Aria shook her head, pulling her hands out of his grip. She stepped backward, bumping into the kitchen island. "No, that doesn’t make any sense. Even if they are spies, they’re just kids, Damien! If they work for a syndicate, they were probably groomed or forced into it."

"They are loyal to their bloodline, Aria. And speaking of blood..." Damien’s voice trailed off into a gentle, careful tone. He closed the distance again, his expression grave. "Geneviève Orpheus had a twin sister," Damien started, deciding to rip the band-aid off. "The woman who kidnapped you..."

Damien paused.

"...that was your aunt."

Aria stared at the shattered glass on the floor, her mind spinning wildly. She wasn’t sure how to feel about all this other than very confused. This "aunt" was a stranger to her, but then again, technically so was her mother. Her mother had fabricated her entire existence. She had lied about everything.

"But why?" Aria asked, looking up at Damien, her brow furrowing in frustration. "I know what the Vipers want with me. They want The Key my mother stole. But what does the Orpheus family want? If my aunt is running the Syndicate, and they sent Jade and Leo to watch me, what is their motive?"

"I don’t know," Damien admitted honestly. "They are playing a very long and very quiet game."

"Then we have to find out," Aria stated, her voice hardening with sudden resolve. She pushed herself off the counter. "We have to find Jade."

"I agree," Damien said softly, stepping closer to wrap a comforting arm around her waist. "Whatever you want to do, I’ll help you."

"She’s our only link," Aria continued, leaning into his warmth. "If we find Jade, she can take us to the Orpheus family in France. It’s the only way we’re going to figure out what my mother was really involved in. And it’s the only way we can figure out how to save Leo."

"There’s still a massive missing piece to all of this," Aria sighed, rubbing her temples. "The Vipers believe I have The Key."

"Do you?" Damien asked quietly.

Aria dropped her hands, letting out a frustrated groan. "No! I have no idea what they’re talking about! I don’t know where it is, and I don’t even know what The Key looks like. My mother left me all sorts of things; she definitely didn’t leave me a map to a stolen cartel artifact."

"We’ll figure it out..." Damien promised. "...in the morning."

Aria blinked, pulling back slightly.

She grabbed his hand, her grip surprisingly strong, and began pulling him toward the suite door.

"No! We need to find Jade as soon as possible!" Aria said, her eyes wide with urgency. "She already has a head start! She could literally be out of the country by morning! We have to go now!"