𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 | 𝟏𝟖+

39

The phone just keeps ringing and ringing. I can see the confusion on Damien's face morphing into fear. "He's not picking up," he says, barely controlling the panic in his voice. "Why the fuck isn't he picking up?"

"Damien..." I start, my voice cracking on his name. "Rome..."

He looks at me sharply, his eyes desperately searching my face for answers. "What about him, Catherine?"

I take a deep, shuddering breath, preparing myself for the words I know will break him. "I watched his car crash, we were running from the cops and the Ramirez, I think...he's...gone Damien."

For a long, terrible moment, Damien just stares at me. Uncomprehending, disbelieving. Like the words aren't quite registering, like his brain is rejecting the very concept. And then, all at once, it hits him. I see the exact moment it sinks in, the grief and the rage and the shattering realization all crashing over him.

"No," he chokes out, shaking his head as he stumbles to his feet. "No, that's not... that's not fucking possible. Rome's not dead, he can't be dead."

He's pacing now, tearing at his hair as he frantically puts on his shoes. "Why didn't you tell me?!" he demands, rounding on me with wild, accusatory eyes. "Why the fuck would you keep this from me, Catherine?!"

I flinch at the anger in his voice, "I'm sorry," I whisper, feeling my own tears threatening to spill over. "I just...I was so happy to see you awake."

Damien scoffs, a harsh, ugly sound that cuts me to the bone. He grabs Luis's car keys from the table, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. I follow after him immediately, "Damien, where are you going?"

He doesn't even look at me, just keeps moving towards the door with single-minded determination. "I'm going to find him," he grits out, "I'm going to find out if he's been taken, if he's locked up somewhere or bleeding out in a fucking ditch!"

I grab his arm, trying to hold him back. "Damien, stop! You can't go out there, not like this. You're hurt, you're in no condition to—"

He turns to me, his eyes blazing with a fury that I've never seen before. "Get the fuck off me, Catherine," he snarls, wrenching out of my grip. "I mean it, don't fucking try to stop me."

I reel back like he's hit me, tears blurring my vision. I look at Luis, silently begging him to intervene. But he just shakes his head, a pained grimace twisting his features. "Let him go, kid," he says softly, "He needs this. Needs to see for himself, or he'll never accept it."

My hands ball into fists at my sides. How can he say that? How can he just sit there and watch his son self-destruct?

Damien storms out of the house. I chase after him, my bare feet slapping against the pavement as I race towards the car.

"Damien, please!" I shout, my voice raw and ragged. "Please, don't do this."

But it's too late. He's already behind the wheel, the engine roaring to life as I reach for the door, my fingers scrambling uselessly against the handle. He peels out of the driveway in a spray of gravel and burning rubber, leaving me choking on exhaust fumes and my own tears.

I run back into the house before the dust from Damien's tires even has a chance to settle. "Luis!" I shout, bursting into the living room. "We have to go after him, we have to make sure he doesn't do something stupid!"

But Luis just looks at me, "He'll be back, kid. Once he gets it through his thick skull what happened to Rome, he'll come home."

I stare at him in disbelief, "Are you fucking kidding me?! He's out of his mind, he's in no condition to be behind the wheel! We need to find him before he gets himself killed!"