Into the Fire
1098 Words
The Flames of the Past
Sophia gripped the letter tightly, squashing the edges.
They burned it down.
The place where she had almost died.
The place where her nightmares had been born.
A calculated move.
A message.
They weren’t just watching.
They were close.
And they wanted her to know it.
Matteo closes his phone shut. “The fire is out of control. The estate is gone.”
Luca's jaw tightened, his anger barely contained. He turned to her, his eyes filled with danger.
“How long have you known they were still after you?”
Sophia met his eyes. “I wasn’t sure until tonight.”
Wrong answer.
Luca moved so fast she barely had time to react before his hand hit against the desk beside her, caging her in.
“You should have told me.” His voice was low, controlled—too controlled. “You think you can handle this alone?”
Her pulse pounded, but she refused to back down. “I handled it for three years.”
His other hand came up, fingers brushing her jaw in a touch that was both possessive and punishing.
“You were running,” he said darkly. “That’s not handling it.”
Sophia swallowed hard. “And what do you call this?”
His lips twisted. “War.”
The Plan
Luca turned sharply, pacing the room like a caged predator. “Matteo, I want names. I want locations. I want to know who the hell is behind this.”
Matteo nodded, already dialing.
Sophia crossed her arms. “You’re not going after them.”
Luca froze mid-step. Then he laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You think you can stop me?”
She stood her ground. “You don’t understand—”
“I understand that someone tried to take you from me.” His voice was raw, edged with something dangerous. “And I’m not letting that go unanswered.”
Sophia breaths sharply. “Luca, this isn’t some rival gang. These people—” She hesitated, then forced herself to say it. “They trained me.”
Silence.
Then—
Matteo swore under his breath. “The Order?”
Luca’s eyes snapped to her.
Sophia nodded. “They raised me. Shape me. And when I tried to leave…” She looked down at the letter still in her hand. “They made sure I never would.”
Luca stepped closer, his body radiating fury. “So they want you back.”
A humorless smile touched her lips. “No, Luca. They want me dead.”
A Dangerous Proposition
Luca was quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
Then, suddenly, he grabbed a gun from the desk drawer and pressed it into her hand.
Sophia blinked. “What—”
“You want to handle this your way?” His voice was like ice. “Then prove it.”
She stared at the weapon, the weight of it familiar, yet foreign.
“I don’t need a gun.”
Luca smiled, but there was no amusement in his eyes. “Still afraid of getting your hands dirty?”
Her grip tightened. “I’ve killed before.”
His looks darkened. “Then you know hesitation gets you killed.”
Matteo cleared his throat. “Boss, if the Order is involved, we need to be careful. They don’t play by normal rules.”
Luca didn’t take his eyes off Sophia. “Neither do I.”
Something in his tone sent a shiver down her spine.
This wasn’t just about revenge for him.
This was about possession.
She had been his before.
And now that he had her again, he wasn’t letting go.
A Test of Trust
Luca picked another gun into his holster. “We’re going to the estate.”
Sophia tensed. “That’s a mistake.”
His smirk was sharp. “Scared?”
She narrowed her eyes. “No. But if we go, they’ll be expecting us.”
Luca’s expression didn’t change. “Good.”
Matteo muttered a curse. “Boss, maybe we should—”
Luca cut him off. “Stay if you want. I’m going.”
Sophia clenched her jaw. “Then I’m coming with you.”
Luca’s gaze swept over her, slow and deliberate. “Fine. But if you run again—”
She lifted her chin. “I won’t.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Then let’s go.”
The Trap is Set
The ride to the estate was silent.
Sophia stared out the window, her thoughts racing.
Luca was reckless.
But she had to admit—so was she.
And deep down, a part of her knew this was inevitable.
She could run forever.
Or she could face them.
She turned to Luca, watching him drive. His hands were steady on the wheel, his face a mask of control.
But she knew better.
Beneath the surface, he was on the edge of something dangerous.
And if she wasn’t careful, she’d be dragged down with him.
A Ghost from the Past
When they arrived, the estate was still smoking.
The air was thick with smoke, the charred remains of the building standing like a skeletal monument to what once was.
Luca stepped out first, gun drawn.
Sophia followed her own instincts on high alert.
Then—
A rustle.
A shadow moving through the ruins.
Luca turned sharply, gun raised. “Who’s there?”
Silence.
Then, a voice.
Cold. Familiar.
“You should have stayed gone, Sophia.”
Her breath caught.
No.
It couldn’t be.
From the darkness, a figure emerged.
Tall. Ruthless.
And very much alive.
Luca shifted beside her. “Who the hell is this?”
Sophia’s throat tightened.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to say the name she never thought she’d have to speak again.
“…Adrian.”
The man she had once trusted.
The man who had betrayed her.
And now, the man who had come to finish what he started.
Luca’s grip on his gun tightened. “You know him?”
Adrian smirked. “Oh, she knows me very well.” His eyes locked onto Sophia. “Don’t you, darling?”
Luca stepped in front of her, his body a wall of fury. “Touch her, and you die.”
Adrian laughed. “Oh, Luca.” He looked between them. “You really don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you?”
Sophia’s heart pounded.
Because Adrian wasn’t alone.
Behind him, more figures emerged from the shadows.
Armed. Ready.
Surrounding them.
The trap had been set.
And they had walked straight into it
- Writer
