Chapter 40

Chapter 40

“We are currently tracking the individuals responsible for this breach.”

Damon’s name.

Clear.

Unmistakable.

Followed by

“Luca Raines.”

The room went silent.

Not the kind of silence that settles.

The kind that presses.

That closes in.

On the screen, Hale stood composed. Controlled. Untouchable.

And now

Public.

Legitimate.

Framed as the solution.

While Damon and Luca

Were the problem.

Seraphine spoke first.

Quiet.

Tight.

“…he just handed you to the world.”

Damon didn’t look away from the screen.

“I noticed.”

Luca’s jaw clenched.

“That means warrants.”

“Worse,” Seraphine added. “International.”

Damon finally lowered the phone.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Like any sudden movement might make this more real.

But it was already real.

Already happening.

Already too late to undo.

“They’ll come fast,” Luca said.

Damon nodded.

“Yeah.”

No panic.

No denial.

Just fact.

Luca shifted, forcing himself further upright despite the pain.

Damon noticed immediately.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Luca ignored that.

“We don’t have time to stay.”

Damon stepped closer.

“You can barely”

“I said we don’t have time.”

The tension snapped between them.

Sharp.

Immediate.

Because this wasn’t about pride.

Or stubbornness.

It was survival.

Damon held his gaze.

Long.

Hard.

Then exhaled.

“…fine.”

Luca didn’t smile.

Didn’t soften.

But something in his eyes settled.

Agreement.

Seraphine moved quickly now.

“I can get you out through a restricted access corridor,” she said. “But after that you’re on your own.”

Damon nodded once.

“That’s all we need.”

Luca swung his legs off the bed.

The moment his feet touched the floor

His body betrayed him.

A sharp inhale.

A flicker of pain he couldn’t hide.

Damon caught him instantly.

Hand gripping his arm.

Steady.

“You’re not fine.”

Luca didn’t pull away.

Didn’t argue.

But his voice stayed firm.

“I don’t need to be fine.”

Damon’s jaw tightened.

“I need you alive.”

A beat.

Luca met his eyes.

“…same thing.”

Damon almost laughed.

Almost.

But there wasn’t time.

There wasn’t room for anything that wasn’t necessary.

Sirens were louder now.

Closer.

Too close.

Seraphine turned toward the door.

“That’s not hospital security.”

Damon’s pulse dropped.

“Then we move.”

Now.

They moved fast.

As fast as Luca could manage.

Which wasn’t fast enough.

But it had to be.

Seraphine led.

Through a side corridor.

Dim.

Quiet.

Empty.

Too empty.

Damon stayed close to Luca.

Not hovering.

But there.

Ready.

Every step Luca took was controlled.

Measured.

Forced.

But he didn’t stop.

Wouldn’t stop.

“Where are we going?” Damon asked.

Seraphine didn’t look back.

“Parking level. There’s an exit that bypasses main surveillance.”

Luca spoke quietly.

“‘Bypasses’ doesn’t mean ‘invisible.’”

Seraphine nodded.

“It means less predictable.”

Damon exhaled slowly.

“I’ll take that.”

They turned a corner

And froze.

Two armed officers at the far end of the hall.

Not hospital security.

Government.

Weapons ready.

Searching.

Damon’s grip tightened instinctively.

Luca’s voice dropped.

“…too late.”

Seraphine cursed under her breath.

“They shouldn’t be here yet.”

Damon’s mind moved fast.

Too fast.

Too many variables.

Too few options.

“Back?” Seraphine whispered.

“No,” Luca said immediately.

Damon looked at him.

“You sure?”

Luca’s gaze stayed locked on the officers.

Calculating.

Timing.

Distance.

“…we go through.”

Damon’s pulse spiked.

“You’re not in condition”

“I don’t need to be,” Luca said again.

And this time

There was no argument in his voice.

Just certainty.

Damon saw it.

Felt it.

And made the call.

“…fine.”

They moved.

Not rushing.

Not running.

Walking.

Like they belonged.

Like they weren’t being hunted across international lines.

Like they weren’t the center of a global manhunt.

The officers noticed.

Of course they did.

One raised a hand.

“Stop right there.”

Damon didn’t stop.

Neither did Luca.

“Sir, I said stop”

The moment stretched.

Tension tightening.

Breaking point

And then

Luca moved.

Fast.

Too fast for someone in his condition.

A precise strike

The officer’s weapon shifted

Damon stepped in

Grabbed

Twisted

Gun down

Second officer lunged

Seraphine ducked aside

Another shot

Echoing through the corridor

Then silence.

Again.

Heavy.

Final.

Both officers down.

Alive.

But not getting up anytime soon.

Damon’s chest rose sharply.

He turned immediately to Luca.

“You good?”

Luca nodded once.

But his breathing

Too fast.

Too shallow.

Damon’s jaw tightened.

“We’re moving.”

Now.

No more stops.

They reached the parking level.

Dim.

Echoing.

Empty.

Too quiet.

Damon didn’t like it.

Didn’t trust it.

“You have a car?” he asked.

Seraphine nodded.

“Black sedan. Row C.”

They moved toward it

Step by step

Every sound amplified

Every shadow suspect

Until

A voice cut through the space.

Calm.

Familiar.

“I was hoping you’d choose this route.”

They stopped.

Slowly.

Turned.

Hale stood across the parking level.

Alone.

Again.

Like always.

Like he didn’t need anyone else.

Damon’s jaw clenched.

“You’re persistent.”

Hale’s gaze flicked briefly to Luca.

Then back.

“I’m efficient.”

Luca stepped slightly forward.

Instinct.

Even now.

Even injured.

Damon noticed.

Didn’t stop him.

But didn’t let him go alone either.

They stood together.

Facing him.

Again.

“You’ve made this unnecessarily difficult,” Hale said.

Damon scoffed.

“You tried to ruin our lives.”

Hale tilted his head.

“You were already doing that yourselves.”

Damon’s patience snapped.

“What do you want?”

Hale’s answer came immediately.

“The drive.”

Damon laughed once.

“You’re not getting it.”

Hale’s expression didn’t change.

“Then we’re at an impasse.”

Luca’s voice came low.

“No.”

Hale looked at him.

“No?”

Luca’s eyes sharpened.

“You think this is still about the drive.”

A pause.

Then

“It’s not.”

Hale studied him.

Interested now.

“Explain.”

Luca didn’t hesitate.

“You lost control the moment the data went public.”

Damon’s pulse slowed.

Understanding clicking into place.

Hale’s gaze narrowed slightly.

“Control isn’t lost,” he said. “It shifts.”

Luca nodded once.

“Exactly.”

A beat.

“And now it’s ours.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Damon stepped forward slightly.

Matching Luca.

“We have the full truth,” Damon said. “You don’t.”

Hale’s eyes flicked between them.

Calculating.

Reassessing.

“You won’t release it,” he said.

Damon met his gaze.

“You don’t know that.”

Hale’s voice lowered.

“If you do, the consequences”

“Stop,” Damon cut in.

Sharp.

Final.

“No more threats.”

Hale paused.

Just a second.

Then

“Not threats,” he said. “Facts.”

Damon’s voice dropped.

“So is this one.”

A beat.

“I’m not you.”

Silence.

Hale studied him.

Long.

Carefully.

Then

“…no,” he said quietly.

“You’re not.”

And for the first time

There was no mockery in it.

No dismissal.

Just recognition.

Damon reached into his jacket slowly.

Pulled out the drive.

Held it up.

Small.

Simple.

World-changing.

Hale’s gaze locked onto it instantly.

“There it is,” he said softly.

Damon’s grip tightened.

“This ends now.”

Hale’s eyes lifted to his.

“How?”

Damon didn’t hesitate.

“I choose what happens next.”

Luca didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t guide.

Just stood there.

With him.

Trusting him.

Completely.

Damon felt it.

And made the choice.

Not as a CEO.

Not as a son.

Not as a man chasing control.

But as someone who finally understood what mattered.

He looked at Hale.

Then

He dropped the drive.

Let it hit the concrete.

The sound echoed.

Sharp.

Final.

And before Hale could react

Damon crushed it under his heel.

Hard.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

Metal cracked.

Split.

Destroyed.

Silence slammed into the space.

Hale stared.

For the first time

Truly caught off guard.

“…you just destroyed your leverage.”

Damon met his gaze.

“No.”

A beat.

“I ended yours.”

Luca’s breath hitched slightly beside him.

Not in surprise.

In understanding.

In agreement.

Hale’s expression shifted.

Something colder now.

More dangerous.

“You think this is over?”

Damon shook his head.

“No.”

A pause.

“But it’s mine now.”

Sirens echoed again.

Closer.

Louder.

Surrounding.

Hale glanced toward the sound.

Then back at Damon.

And for the first time

He didn’t look in control.

Not completely.

Not anymore.

“…this isn’t finished,” Hale said quietly.

Damon held his gaze.

“No.”

A beat.

“But neither am I."