“No.” The word came out before Ethan could say anything.
Sophie’s voice was steady. Unshaken. “You’re not going alone.”
Ethan looked at her, calm but firm. “It’s a trap.”
“I know.”
“Then you understand why you can’t come.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I understand why you shouldn’t go at all.”
“That’s not an option.”
“It is if you stop playing his game.”
“I don’t play games I don’t intend to win.”
“And what if that’s exactly what he’s counting on?” Sophie shot back.
Silence filled the room. Tense and Sharp.
Ethan slipped the phone into his pocket. “He wants control,” he said. “That means he needs me there.”
“And that means you’re walking straight into whatever he’s planned.”
“Yes.”
Her breath caught. “You’re actually considering this.”
“I already decided.”
Of course h
