Chapter 276

Reyna POV

Luca doesn't waste a second. The moment the laptop dies in his hand, he's moving. His chair scrapes back hard, his body snapping into motion like a switch flipped.

"Stay here," he says, already crossing the room.

I don't listen. I trail after him as he starts ripping through the corners of the safe house, dragging his fingers along vents, pulling the cushions off the couch, flipping the rug with one sharp motion.

"What are you even looking for?" My voice cracks.

"Eyes," he mutters. "Ears. Every place they could hide one."

He moves like he's done this a hundred times before, efficient, fast, brutal. The curtain rods come down with a crash. He splits one open at the seam and tosses it aside, exposing a tiny black cylinder lodged inside. A camera.

My stomach flips.

He crushes it in his hand and keeps moving.

I press a hand against the wall, forcing myself to breathe as he pulls the smoke alarm down and smashes it under his boot. Wires spark out of the plastic and die. Another device.

Every corner of this place feels deadly now. I can't look anywhere without wondering who else has been looking back.

"Luca-" I call out

"Not now," he snaps, tossing the pieces of the alarm onto the table before striding toward the bookshelf. He yanks every volume off the shelf, one by one, shaking them out until a small mic falls onto the floorboards. He crushes that too.

I wrap my arms around myself, shivering even though the air is heavy and warm. The walls feel like they're closing in, the safe house shrinking smaller with every device he finds.

"This was supposed to be safe," I whisper.

He doesn't look at me and doesn't stop moving. "There's no such thing."

The words hit harder than they should.

Another crash. Another hidden camera torn loose from the corner above the door. He rips it down and tosses it onto the pile of broken parts stacking up on the table.

My chest is tight. "How many-"

"Enough." He cuts me off again, voice hard, clipped. But when he finally turns, his eyes lock on mine and I see the truth in the. He's angry, yes, but underneath that, he's scared too and its not for himself but for me.

I don't know what to do with that.

The pile of broken devices stares back at me from the table, wires sparking faintly like dying nerves. My throat feels tight. My skin itches like there are still cameras crawling over me even though he's ripped them all out.

"Reyna."

I flinch at the sound of my name. He says it softer this time, steady. Not the sharp command he used a minute ago.

"I can't.." My voice catches. I shake my head, pressing my hands against my arms. "It means they've been here. Watching everything, listening on every word, every-"

"I know." He steps closer. His gun hand finally drops, and the other reaches out slow, careful, like he's approaching a wild animal that might bolt. His palm brushes my arm, grounding me.

I don't pull back.

"Hey." His voice is low now, rough but quiet. "Breathe. Look at me."

I drag my gaze up, my chest still rising and falling too fast. His eyes catch mine and hold, steady, unblinking. Like if I just stay there, locked with him, nothing else can touch me.

"They don't win unless you let them scare you," he says, his thumb brushing once against my arm. "And you don't scare easy. I've seen that."

A shaky laugh slips out of me. "You've also seen me throw a laptop at you."

That cracks the edge of his mouth, a faint curve. "Exactly. Stubborn as hell."

The corner of the room fades. The broken cameras fade. It's just him in front of me, the heat of his hand, the way he looks at me like he's not just promising to protect me, he's daring the world to try him.

I should step back but I  don't.

Instead, I tilt up, just enough that our faces hover a breath apart. His jaw ticks like he's fighting himself, his chest rising hard under his shirt. His hand tightens slightly on my arm, then slides higher, curling around the back of my neck.

And then he kisses me.

It isn't soft at first touch, but he's not hesitant either. It's hot and desperate, his mouth crushing against mine like he's been holding it back too long. The fear, the tension, the adrenaline, it all pours into the kiss, stealing my breath and giving it back all at once.

My fingers fist into his shirt, pulling him closer. His hand anchors me at my neck, the other braced on the wall beside me. For a second, the world shrinks to nothing but the press of his mouth and the taste of him, the fire racing through my chest.

It should terrify me. Instead, it feels like the first thing that's made sense since all of this began.

When he finally breaks away, his breath is ragged, his forehead resting against mine, neither of us say a word. We don't need to.

Then...CRACK.

The window explodes.

Glass rains down in shards, the bullet embedding into the wall an inch from Luca's head.