Chapter 277 21

Chapter 277 21
Reyna POV

Luca throws me down, his body covering mine as another shot cracks through the room. My chest slams against the floor and the air leaves my lungs, but I don't scream. His hand is hard on my back, holding me flat.

"Stay down," he growls, and he's already up, gun raised.

Another round tears into the wall. Plaster rains over us. He doesn't flinch, doesn't give them the chance. He fires back, two sharp shots, then grabs my wrist and yanks me to my feet.

We run. Fast

Through the kitchen, past the table that splinters under a bullet, and then out the back door where the night air hits my face only to be met by more gunfire.

"Down!" Luca shoves me behind the wall, his body pressed against mine as bullets rip across the yard. His arm is steady, firing back with calm precision.

My pulse hammers in my ears, loud enough I almost miss it, the sound of tires screeching fills my ears. Headlights flood the yard and a  black SUV jerks to a stop, doors flung open.

"Luca!"

Dante's men.

Relief crashes over me, sharp and fast.

"Move!" Luca pulls me, dragging me from cover. We sprint, bullets snapping past us, one close enough to burn across my arm. I stumble but his grip never loosens.

We dive into the SUV, the door slamming shut behind us as the engine roars.

I sit there, pressed against the seat, my chest heaving. Luca still has his arm across me, keeping me shielded even now. His jaw is tight, his eyes forward, gun still in his hand.

No words leave our mouths, just the sound of the engine tearing down the Vegas streets, carrying us away from the rain of bullets.

The SUV tears down the strip, weaving through traffic like the laws don't apply. I grip the seatbelt across my chest, forcing myself to breathe, the sound of gunfire still ringing in my ears.

Dante's man at the wheel doesn't look back. "We got word the safe house was hit. The boss sent us to sweep the block."

Luca just nods, silent, jaw tight. He hasn't let go of his gun, hasn't looked at me once since we jumped in. His hand rests against the door, but his body is angled toward me, protective even without meaning to be.

I can still feel the heat of him pressed against me when the glass shattered. The weight of his body pinning mine to the ground. My pulse hasn't slowed since.

The SUV jerks hard around a corner, throwing me closer to him. His arm comes up, steadying me against the movement. The smallest touch, but it sends a shock through me all the same.

I turn to look at him. His eyes are locked forward, cold and calculating. Like he's already five steps ahead, already thinking about the next attack, the next move.

I want to ask if he's okay. If he's hurt. If he's scared. But the words halt in my throat because deep down I know what his answer would be. He'd say it doesn't matter. He'd say the only thing that matters is keeping me alive.

Dante's men take us across town, away from the strip's glow, until the SUV slows in front of another low, anonymous building. theres no lights or name. Just another hiding place.

"We'll secure the perimeter," one of them says as Luca pulls me out of the car. His hand lingers on my arm a second too long before he lets go.

Inside, the air smells stale, like dust and old wood. Luca checks every room before he lets me move further than the doorway. When he's finally sure we're alone, he shuts the blinds and turns to me.

"You're bleeding."

I look down. There's a thin line across my arm where the bullet grazed me. I hadn't even noticed in the rush.

"It's nothing," I mutter.

But Luca doesn't buy it. He grabs a towel from the counter, presses it gently against the cut. His touch is firm but careful. Too careful.

"Next time, you stay down," he says, voice low.

"I did stay down. You're the one who pulled me up."

His eyes flick to mine, sharp. "Because they weren't stopping, Reyna. They would've burned the whole place to the ground with us in it."

I swallow hard. His hand is still against my arm, warm even through the towel. The air between us feels too tight, too heavy.

Before I can answer, his phone buzzes.

He pulls it out, frowning, and for a split second the screen lights up bright enough for me to catch the words. Unknown number. A single text.

Dock 27. Midnight.

The same words that started all of this.

Luca's thumb hovers over the screen before he kills it black and shoves the phone back into his pocket, his is jaw set hard.

He looks at me, eyes unreadable. "Get some rest. We will move again soon."

But I can't look away from the place where the phone had glowed in the dark, those words burned into my mind.

Whoever is pulling these strings hasn't let go.

They're still dragging us toward Dock 27.