395 Identity 8

Earlier…

Damien and Felix, along with three other men, were on their way to the north outside of Harbor City where the construction site was located. Damien had been feeling quite anxious since he found out Katherine's abduction. Not knowing where to find her was one of the worse things on top of being clueless as to whether she was okay.

When they were five minutes away from the site, his smartphone rang and he answered without checking who it was. "Damien," he said.

"Where are you? Styles told me what happened." Amelia's voice sounded from the other end of the line and he recognized his mother's voice right away.

"We're heading north."

"I'm going with you. I'll catch up."

Damien heard some shuffling sounds from the other line and he could guess that she was already preparing to leave. "No, don't. Don't come. Just stay there."

"Why? Katherine's in danger. I want to help."

"I know that. But I don't know what to expect once we arrive there. This is Shadow we're talking about. It's dangerous for you to be seen there. They're already targeting me and Katherine. We can't let them know of your presence." Damien's voice was low and authoritative at the same time. He knew that she was capable of taking care of herself, but he didn't want to take any risk.

Amelia paused as she thought about what her son was telling her. He was right. She had spent so much effort to hide and stay away from Shadow's radar. As far as Parker knows, she's already dead. If by any chance she would be seen there, it wouldn't only be Katherine and Damien who would be the walking targets. It was indeed best if she would stay hidden. 

However, the thought of her son facing Shadow right now was making her heart heavy. These people were ruthless. As long as an order was given, they wouldn't hesitate to kill. She didn't know who Agent Gus was but if he was Katherine's friend back in Shadow like Styles told her, she could just hope that he wouldn't harm a hair on her head for old time's sake.

"Fine. I won't go there. But keep your lines open with Styles. The moment I sense that you're in danger, you cannot stop me. I'll drive towards the north but I'll stay a few minutes away," she said.

Damien could only agree to what she said. When their phone call ended, they were almost at the location. They could already see the construction site several meters away, and everything looked quiet. It was dark and there weren't any vehicles in sight. Just as they had come to a stop, Damien received a phone call from Noah.

"Boss, we've searched the area. Everything's clear here in the northeast."

They all strapped on a bulletproof vest and each had their weapons in hand. A submachine gun for Felix, while Damien opted for a handgun. With hand signals, Damien gave his instructions to search the perimeter. They all had earpieces on, all connected with each other while Damien was also connected to Styles who was getting anxious at the moment.

"Be careful, my King. This agent is very skilled. I'm crossing my fingers that he didn't harm Katherine," Styles reminded over the comms.

"I don't care if he's skilled. He better not touch her or he's going down today." Damien's icy tone sent shivers down Styles's back.

"I'm going in." Damien carefully surveyed the area, his hand gripping the handle of his gun while the other supported the base. Raindrops kept falling over his head, drenching his hair and clothes but he kept going. The site wasn't huge. It was less than a thousand square meters and soon after his men had searched the perimeter, they met deeper into the location.

A clatter sounded from the side and he ordered Felix to check it out. The latter hurriedly went to the direction where the sound came from and it led him back out and into the woods.

"Katherine!" Damien called a few times and to his surprise, a faint cry was heard from the room where they were headed to. "I'm over here!" she responded. And as soon as she did, he hastened his steps until he entered the darkened room and found her all tied up.

"Katherine, oh thank god." He managed to get to her just before she fainted. Without any delay, he cut the tapes that tied her to the pole and carried her out safely.

…

Golden Phoenix Residences

In the middle of the bed laid Katherine Young with an IV attached to the back of her hand. There were bruises around her wrists from being tied up tightly earlier. Amelia had changed her clothes into comfortable loungewear after they cleaned her up. It was already eight o'clock in the evening and she had been unconscious since Damien rescued her.

Damien had been debating with himself whether he should inform Katherine's grandfather about her getting kidnapped, but just as he was about to make the call, she groaned from the bed, catching his attention.

"Ah… Damn it. My head," she mumbled as she raised her hand to massage her temple only to find a tube attached to her. "What—"

"Baby, are you okay?" Damien sat on the bed, concern written all over his face. He had been waiting for hours and seeing her awake was such a relief.

"Damien... What's going on? Why am I…" A flash of images appeared in her mind, reminding her of what happened. She realized that it wasn't a dream and now she was home. "Oh…" she sighed and tried to sit up on the bed with Damien's help. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, thankful that he found her just like what she believed he would. "You came for me."

"Of course, I would." He naturally returned her embrace, careful not to squeeze her too tight. "I was so worried… I thought I wouldn't find you."

"I believed you would. I could have tried to get out of there, but wait—" She pulled away and knitted her brows. "What happened? Where's Gus? Did you find him?"

Damien looked at her and couldn't help but feel bitter. "Are you talking about the one who kidnapped you? Why? Are you worried about him?" He was still pissed that they lost the guy and wasn't able to capture him.

"Of course not! I was just wondering where he went because he was just suddenly gone. I thought he was going to face you. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" She quickly scanned his physique, her hands stroking his arms and chest but didn't find any wounds on him.

He softened his expression. He could not believe that she was the one who got kidnapped but here she was, worried that he was hurt. His heart throbbed at the thought.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He caught her hand and held it, pressing a kiss on her fingers before he gave her a reassuring smile.

When she relaxed, he looked into her eyes and told her, "Felix found something while he ran after him. I want you to tell me the truth."

"What is it?"

Damien reached for the video recorder on the nightstand and gripped it tightly. With a serious expression, he probed, "Did he touch you?"

Katherine eyed the recorder in his hand, and it took her a few seconds before she understood what he was asking and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god, no! No-no-no. He didn't!"

Seeing the truth in her eyes, he could finally relax. His mind had been reeling from just thinking about possibilities while she was in captivity. He almost lost his shit.

"As long as you're okay," he whispered as he pulled her against him.