The Damned Path: Chronicles of Damien

The next morning, the city felt different. Maybe it was just me. Maybe it was the weight of everything I'd set in motion. Either way, I knew there was no turning back now.

Ghost was already at the table when I walked into the kitchen, maps and files spread out like we were planning a military operation. Maybe we were.

"Coffee?" he asked without looking up.

"Yeah," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. My eyes fell on a blueprint in front of him. One of Kross's known fronts—a posh nightclub on the surface, but I knew what it really was. A money-laundering hub.

Ghost pushed a mug toward me. "If you wanna bleed him, this is the place to start."

I sat down, studying the layout. "Security?"

"Heavy. But nothing we can't handle." His smirk was sharp, dangerous. "Especially if we hit them when they least expect it."

I sipped the coffee, letting the bitter taste ground me. "Tonight?"

Ghost nodded. "Tonight."

Before we could say more, Leo shuffled into the room. He looked better, but there were still shadows under his eyes. "You're going after Kross again, aren't you?" His voice was quiet, but there was something hard in it too. Like he was ready to fight, whether I wanted him to or not.

"Yeah," I said. "We are."

Leo took a breath. "Then I'm coming with you."

Ghost raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn't answer him. My eyes were locked on Leo. "You sure about that?"

Leo met my gaze, steel in his eyes. "I'm tired of hiding. I want to help bring him down."

For a long moment, I didn't say anything. Then I nodded. "Alright. But you do exactly what I say. No hero moves, no getting yourself killed."

Leo smirked, and for a second, I saw the old him, the one before Kross broke him. "Deal."

Nightfall.

The nightclub glowed like a beacon—neon lights, pulsing music, lines of people waiting to get in. If they only knew what kind of poison ran beneath their feet.

Ghost, Leo, and I watched from a nearby alley. Ghost was loading his silenced pistol, calm as ever. Leo was fidgeting, but I could see the determination in his face.

"You both ready?" I asked.

Ghost grinned. "Born ready."

Leo nodded. "Let's do this."

We slipped around to the back, where the real business was done. Two guards stood at the entrance, laughing, smoking—just like the ones at the warehouse.

Ghost raised his gun, two quiet pops, and they were down before they could blink.

"Clean," I muttered. We moved inside.

The back rooms were filled with cash. Stacks of it—dirty money that Kross used to buy loyalty and power. There were also ledgers, records of every deal, every bribe. Evidence. The kind that could burn Kross in ways bullets couldn't.

Ghost whistled low. "Looks like Christmas came early."

I moved to the safe in the corner. Big, heavy, but not impossible. "Leo, watch the door. Ghost, help me with this."

Leo took position, gun in hand, while Ghost and I cracked the safe. It didn't take long before it clicked open, revealing more cash—and a hard drive.

"Jackpot," Ghost said, pulling the drive free. "This'll have everything."

Suddenly, Leo hissed, "Someone's coming."

I spun, gun raised, as a group of Kross's men rounded the corner. At least five. Heavily armed.

"Down!" I barked, pulling Leo behind cover as bullets tore through the room.

Ghost was already firing back, dropping one of them before they even realized we weren't easy prey.

I leaned out, taking two more shots—one straight to the head, another in the chest. Two down.

But they kept coming.

Leo, to his credit, wasn't frozen. He fired alongside us, his hands shaking but his aim steady enough to graze one of them.

The last thug tried to run, but I was faster, catching him with a bullet to the leg. He dropped, screaming.

I walked over, gun aimed at his head. "Tell Kross who did this," I said, voice cold as ice. "Tell him we're coming for everything he has."

The man whimpered, nodding frantically.

Ghost smirked. "Let's go before the cops show up."

We grabbed the cash we could carry, plus the hard drive, and slipped back out into the night.

Back at the apartment.

Ghost dumped the money on the table, laughing. "That's gonna hurt Kross."

I was already plugging the hard drive into my laptop, files opening up—names, numbers, locations. Everything.

Leo sat down, rubbing his face. "We really did it, huh?"

I looked at him, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah, we did."

But as I scrolled through the files, one name caught my eye—a name I didn't expect to see.

Victor.

Ghost saw the look on my face. "What?"

I turned the screen to him, showing the file.

Victor wasn't just helping us to get Kross out of the way. He was working with Kross the entire time.

My jaw clenched. "That double-crossing bastard."

Ghost chuckled darkly. "Guess we know who's next on our list."

Leo looked between us, confused. "What do you mean?"

I stood, rolling my shoulders, feeling that old fire burn again. "It means this war just got a lot bigger."