In Damien's Keeping

Chapter 29

As I tiptoed across the corridor, my heartbeats got faster with the anticipation of knowing the hidden. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants and said to myself, "Come on, Lia. You can do it."

Proceeding into the darkness, I didn't know if the end of the tunnel was near, but the sudden gush of air told me that it was not far away. There was a window through which moonlight entered. I saw stairs and proceeded down with measured steps. 

The idea of taking out my phone to and turning on the flashlight was tempting but it could also expose me if someone was to come. Therefore I walked down the stairs in dark and kept my phone in my pocket. As the stairs ended, I saw my way. There was a turn to left and it was well lit.

If it was lit, it meant that someone was there. I took a peek inside and saw someone's back. Standing still I looked towards the other turning to see if anyone was coming. After ensuring that no one was coming, I paid attention to the voices coming from the room.

"--- think of Lia?" I heard a female voice say which sounded familiar. 

She must be Irene... I thought.

"Don't involve her in this shit." Damien bellowed. I felt a bit triumphant at his protectiveness for me.

"Bene... ma ti vendicherai di Salazar."

"si... I will." Damien said. I was confused because I couldn't understand the Italian phrase Irene said and Damien affirmed it. What I heard next had me leaning on the wall for support.

"But signore, Lia is unaware of her father's existence." A man said. Damien and Irene weren't alone in here.

So it's true...

Unwanted tears flooded my eyes. My father, my family was alive and was searching for me. Leandro was right and Damien knew it but he didn't confirm it to me.

"E se lei mentisse e pianificasse come suo padre?" Irene said.

"Enough! Lia cannot do that. She doesn't know her father." Damien said and rendered me curious about what I could not do.

"But she went to the marketplace today and had a nice chat with someone," the other man said.

"With who?" Damien asked.

"See, I told you she cannot be trusted," Irene said, making me want to scratch her face.

"She met a man and as her guards told me they were very secretive about it. They could not hear a word. She met the same man when she went to the market the other day... There can be coincidences but a sequence is not to be ignored..." The man said.

"Damien, you cannot trust her," Irene said and made me scowl. I had no idea what I had done to make her hate me this much.

"Keep following her and we will find it out soon. This discussion is over for today. I will see you two tomorrow."

Noticing that their meeting was adjourned, I stepped back into the darkness. I was leaning on the wall which ended and I slipped a foot, quickly taking the support of wall to stand straight.

Oh god... I needed to be careful. I saw to my right a passage leading to god knows where.

To hide myself, I walked with quiet and slow steps through the passage.   There was a lone door at the end and I took in the almost broken knob.

My hand slowly lifted to it and twisted the knob. The door fell open to my surprise and I heaved out a breath.

There was no sound coming from the room but as I opened the door wider, the room lit up. There was someone, how else could the room lit up on its own. But soon, I realized it was automatic as the light switched off when the door began to close.