Lost Without You (I Thought You Loved Me)

CHAPTER 3

Into the Fire

"I don't have time to tell it all, Sophie. But I promise, you need to believe me now. The danger's already here."

I feel the intensity in his words like a hot current coursing through my veins, compelling me to move. The words don’t make sense, but his hold on my wrist is unyielding. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. Every instinct begs me to escape, to get free from him and this maelstrom he’s pulled me back into. But instead, I follow him, my heart thumping in my chest.

I’ve spent the last year creating walls—walls that are now breaking with every step I take beside him. Every touch, every word, is drawing me back into a life I said I’d left behind.

But I’m not sure I want to flee this world anymore.

The sound of hammering footsteps outside the door sends a shudder down my spine. Alexander doesn’t seem to notice the panic seeping into my chest as he walks me through a maze of halls in his apartment. There’s a resolve in his motions that both frightens and delights me. He’s back. The guy I once believed I could never have again—he’s back, and I have no clue why.

“Where are we going?” I insist, my voice steady yet strained.

“Don’t ask questions, Sophie,” he shouts, peering over his shoulder. “Just keep moving.”

I want to argue, to demand answers, but something in his gaze tells me that now is not the time. I’m not sure what I’m heading into, but I know it’s something hazardous.

We reach the elevator, and Alexander hits the button for the garage. The tension in the air is thick, and I feel it crushing on my chest like a weight I can’t escape. My heart is pumping, and my mind is racing. Why now? Why is everything occurring so fast?

“Talk to me, Alexander,” I murmur, attempting to quiet the increasing terror inside of me. “What’s going on? Why are we running?”

He doesn’t answer immediately, his eyes fixated on the decreasing floor numbers as if he’s ready for something he can’t escape. When he finally speaks, his voice is low, nearly too faint for me to hear.

“There are people after me, Sophie. People who want what I’ve achieved, and they’ll use anything—anyone—to get it.”

I halt dead in my tracks. “People? After you?” I can’t prevent the bitter chuckle that leaves my lips. “You’ve always been the one who controlled everything. You’re telling me now that you can’t control this?”

His expression darkens, and he moves closer, his stare meeting with mine. “I don’t control anything anymore. Not since they discovered us.”

My pulse rises, and I step back instinctively. “Us? What are you talking about?”

He takes my arm, bringing me toward him. “They know about the deal, Sophie. And if you believe that’s all they know, you’re incorrect. They know about you. About how I feel about you.” His words hang in the air, thick with the insinuation that something worse is hiding underneath his well-built appearance.

I swallow hard, attempting to keep my emotions in check. I know he’s trying to protect me, but all of this is going too quickly. I need answers.

“You’re telling me you’ve been keeping secrets from me? That we are part of whatever this is?” My voice breaks, fury growing as the elevator doors glide open.

“Yes.” His voice is unwavering. “I never wanted you to be involved in this, Sophie. But now you’re already in it. And there’s no way out.”

I don’t know whether to feel outraged or terrified. The man who once made me feel like I was the most important person in his life is now telling me that I’m trapped—caught in a game I don’t comprehend. And yet... I can’t stop the part of me that still feels pulled to him, the part that wants to believe all he says.

We enter the garage, and the familiar sound of the automobile engine starting fills the stillness. Alexander opens the door, and I get into the passenger seat. The engine roars to life, and the car races down the driveway, the tires screaming as he takes the turns too quickly.

“I need to know everything, Alexander,” I insist, my voice stern. “I can’t keep running without understanding what the hell is going on. What is it that you’re involved in? What have you done?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he takes a deep breath, his knuckles hardening over the driving wheel. The tension is tangible, dense with things left unsaid. Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, he speaks.

“I’m not just the CEO of Knight Enterprises, Sophie. I’ve been running a private network of power, connections, and influence. It’s bigger than anything you can conceive. I’ve created enemies—dangerous ones—and I’m not the only target. You are too.”

I settle back in my seat, attempting to digest his remarks, but everything feels too overwhelming. Enemies? My head races with questions I don’t have answers to. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

He stares at me, his countenance anguished, but there’s also a glint of regret. “Because I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you to be part of this. But I failed, Sophie. I believed I could keep you safe by keeping you in the dark. I was wrong.”

The vehicle bends quickly, and we approach a dark, hidden alley. I feel the discomfort developing inside of me, the sense of being out of control, out of my depth. What type of universe am I going into?

“Where are we going?” I inquire, my voice barely above a whisper. “What’s the next step in your plan?”

“Out of here,” he replies coldly. “You can’t stay at the penthouse anymore. It’s too hazardous. And you sure as heck can’t go back to your apartment.”

I gaze at him, the weight of his words soaking in. “What do you mean?”

“You’re going to stay with me. We’ll work this out together. You have no choice.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. “Stay with you? You mean, live with you?” The notion sends a bolt of astonishment through me. What are we even doing? We’re not a couple anymore. We never were. And now, he wants to take me back into his world—his hazardous world.

“Yes,” he says forcefully, his jaw hardening. “This is the only way we can protect you. And the only way I can keep you safe.”

I gaze at him, trying to read his expression, to discover any indication of doubt. But there’s none. He’s certain. And I despise the way it makes me feel. Part of me wants to reject this, to turn away and flee as far as I can. But another part of me... another part of me is yearning to understand why he’s doing this, why he’s providing me a shot at atonement when I’ve given up on him.

The automobile slows to a stop, and Alexander switches off the engine. He doesn’t look at me as he opens the door and walks out, but when he glances back, his eyes are filled with something I can’t place—determination, desperation, or maybe both.

“Get out,” he instructs gently, his voice low and powerful.

I pause for a second, but then, without thinking, I follow him. We go into the dimly lit alleyway, and I can’t resist the sense that everything I know about Alexander—the guy I once loved—is slipping away.

Just as I stride toward him, I hear a noise—footsteps, reverberating in the distance. I freeze.

“Get down,” Alexander hisses, grasping my arm and yanking me toward the shadow of a neighboring structure.

Before I can respond, the sound of tires screaming and a voice crying out my name sends a shudder up my spine. I turn to look at Alexander, but he’s already removing a revolver from his jacket, his face gloomy.

“We’re not alone,” he mutters, his voice scarcely a whisper.

And I know, therefore, that this is just the beginning.