Chapter 287 31

Chapter 287 31
Luca POV

The warehouse is chaotic the second I step inside, the air is already heavy with smoke and the smell of gunpowder, men shout and fire but I don't hesitate, I raise my gun and drop the first one before he can even lift his rifle.

"Reyna," I bark her name as I move, my eyes locking on her in the chair across the room, the laptop still glowing in front of her, fear in her face but steady, stubborn and alive.

Another man rushes from the left, I shoot twice, he goes down hard, and I push forward.

The masked suited one shouts orders, his voice sharp and angry, "Kill him, keep the girl."

Not happening.

A spray of bullets cuts across the floor near me, I dive behind a steel crate, glass shatters overhead, sparks fly as a bullet clips the metal near my head, and I grit my teeth. My focus doesn't waver, every move I make is toward her.

I come up from cover, fire three rounds, another man drops, the next clutches his shoulder screaming, and I keep moving.

Reyna is still in the chair, her hands tight on the laptop, she doesn't scream, she doesn't cry, she just watches me, her eyes wide, trusting me to get to her.

And I will.

One last guard charges, too close and too fast, I slam into him, the gun between us, we struggle and I twist his arm hard until the bone cracks, his weapon clatters to the floor, and I finish it clean, quick.

"Luca," she calls out, her voice breaking this time.

"I'm here," I growl, crossing the last stretch, grabbing her arm, pulling her up and against me.

Her body trembles, but she's on her feet, alive and finally in my hands.

But the fight isn't over yet.

I cut the ties off her wrists fast and shove the laptop to the ground, it crashes and sparks but I don't care, I grab her hand tight and pull her behind me as more footsteps pound toward us.

Gunfire explodes down the hall, Dante's men storm in, but the warehouse is still crawling with soldiers and I don't trust anyone to keep her safe but me.

"Stay with me," I tell her, pulling her close as we move, my gun clearing the way.

We sprint past stacked crates and broken glass, my arm locked around her as bullets bounce off steel, I drop another man coming out of the shadows and shove Reyna toward the exit.

The night air hits us and for a second it feels like we've made it, like we can breathe again, but she grabs my shirt and I turn back to her, her eyes wide, tears threatening but she doesn't let them fall.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she says, her voice shaking, "and I hated it because....because I care, Luca, I care more than I should."

The words punch straight through me harder than any bullet could, my hand cups her face before I can stop it and I kiss her, hard and desperate, like I need to prove to her that she's mine and no one will ever take her from me again.

When I pull back her breath is fast, her cheeks flushed, her lips still parted like she's ready to tell me more, but then-

A slow clap echoes from the shadows of the dockyard, smooth, mocking.

We both turn.

The leader steps out, a mask over his head and his voice muffled, untouched, his suit clean, his eyes sharp with victory even in defeat. Two others in Suits eight behind him. They look familiar but he doesn't run, he doesn't even hide, he just smiles like this is all a game.

"See you in New York," he says, his voice calm, too calm, before all three of them disappear into the black SUVs waiting at the far end.

I raise my gun but Reyna grabs my arm, her voice urgent, "Luca, no-it's a trap."

And in the next breath the vehicles are gone, swallowed by the dark night, leaving only the echo of his words hanging over us like some curse.