Chapter 20
617 Words
Chapter Twenty
The drive to the airstrip was silent. Tension thickened the air inside the car, pressing down on Sophie like an unseen weight. Lucas sat behind the wheel, his grip tight on the steering wheel, his jaw set like stone.
Damon had already sent a team ahead, but Sophie knew this wasn’t just about stopping Lane from running. It was about sending a message—to Calloway, to whoever thought they could play games with Lucas Blackwell’s empire.
Lucas wasn’t just protecting his business anymore.
He was protecting her.
Sophie’s fingers curled into fists on her lap. “We’re walking into a trap.”
Lucas’s gaze flicked to her, sharp but steady. “We already knew that.”
“Then why are we still going?”
A smirk tugged at his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Because I don’t run.”
Sophie exhaled sharply, looking away. She wasn’t sure if his confidence reassured her or terrified her.
They reached the airstrip in under twenty minutes. The runway stretched into the darkness, floodlights illuminating the private jet parked at the far end. Two black SUVs sat near it, men in dark suits moving around them.
Lane stood near the jet, arguing with a taller man—one of Calloway’s people.
Lucas cut the engine. “Stay in the car.”
Sophie bristled. “No.”
His gaze snapped to her. “This isn’t your fight, Sophie.”
Her pulse pounded, but she didn’t back down. “Like hell it isn’t. I started this.”
Lucas studied her for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh. “Fine. But you stay behind me.”
She nodded, swallowing hard.
Lucas stepped out, and Sophie followed, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
As they approached the jet, Lane turned, his face going pale.
“Lucas—”
“Shut up.” Lucas’s voice was calm, controlled—but there was an edge of steel underneath.
The man next to Lane—Calloway’s enforcer—stepped forward. His expression was blank, unreadable. “You shouldn’t be here, Blackwell.”
Lucas smirked. “Neither should you.”
Sophie’s stomach twisted. The air felt charged, like a storm about to break.
Lane looked between them, sweat beading on his forehead. “Listen, this—this isn’t what it looks like. I—”
Lucas’s voice cut through the night. “You sold me out.”
Lane swallowed hard. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
The enforcer took another step forward. “This doesn’t have to get messy, Blackwell.”
Lucas tilted his head, eyes flashing. “You already made it messy when you threatened her.”
Sophie barely had time to react before everything exploded.
A gunshot rang out.
Sophie gasped as Lane stumbled back, a red stain blooming across his shirt.
Chaos erupted.
Lucas grabbed Sophie, yanking her behind him as more gunfire tore through the night. Damon’s men fired back, taking cover behind one of the SUVs.
Sophie’s pulse pounded in her ears. This wasn’t just a warning anymore.
This was war.
Lucas pulled her toward cover, his voice low and sharp. “Stay down.”
Sophie pressed against the SUV, her heart racing. “Lucas—”
“I’ve got this.” His eyes met hers for the briefest second—steady, unshaken.
And then he was gone, moving with lethal precision, a gun in his hand.
Sophie barely had time to process it before another shot rang out, closer this time.
She sucked in a breath.
Because she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
By the time this night was over—someone wouldn’t be walking away.
- Writer
