Chapter 9 - The Safe Haven
When the biometric lock on the safe room finally hissed open, Clara looked up to see Damian standing in the doorway.
He had a shallow graze across his left cheek and a smear of soot on his black sweater, but he was standing tall, completely unharmed.
Maya gasped, breaking away from Clara and running straight into her father's arms. "Papa! Were those the bad guys?"
"Just noisy neighbors, angel," Damian murmured, lifting her up and kissing the top of her head. He looked over Maya’s shoulder at Clara, who was slowly rising to her feet, her legs trembling from the adrenaline crash.
"Is everyone safe?" Clara asked, her voice shaking.
"Everyone is safe," Damian said, stepping into the room and closing the heavy steel door behind him. He set Maya down gently. "Maya, sweetheart, go to your room with Julian. I need to talk to Clara alone for a moment."
Maya nodded sleepily, holding her stuffed rabbit, and took Julian's outstretched hand as the head of security escorted her out.
The heavy door clicked shut, leaving just the two of them in the quiet sanctuary of the library.
Clara looked up, meeting Damian's intense gaze. "You didn't have to fight them alone."
"I fight for what matters to me," Damian said, closing the distance between them until he was standing right in front of her.
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"Mr. Vance..." Clara started, her breath catching in her throat as he reached out, his warm, calloused fingers gently touching the side of her face where the cut had begun to heal.
"Call me Damian," he whispered.
