Under His Protection

Chapter 5: Into the Shadows

The city streets blurred together as Travis drove through the night. Taylor sat beside him in the passenger seat, her heart racing. She didn't know exactly where they were going, but the weight of his words from earlier still hung heavy in the air: Once you're in, there's no walking away.

Travis had barely spoken since they left the safe house, his face set in hard lines, his grip on the steering wheel firm. There was a tension radiating off him, something darker than anything she had seen before. It was as if, now that she had crossed the line, he had to show her everything—the full depth of his world.

They finally pulled up to an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. The building loomed in the darkness, barely lit by a few flickering streetlights. Travis cut the engine and sat in silence for a moment, staring ahead as if deciding whether or not to go through with whatever came next.

Taylor's pulse quickened as she glanced around. This wasn't just about their relationship anymore. This was about trust—and danger. She could feel it in the air, thick and palpable.

"What is this place?" she asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Travis turned to her, his dark eyes intense. "This is where the real work happens. The deals. The meetings. The things I've kept hidden from you." He paused, his voice dropping lower. "You said you wanted to be part of this. I'm giving you a choice—one last time."

Taylor's heart pounded. She knew there was no easy way out of this now. She had made her decision back at the safe house when she'd said she was all in. But hearing it now, with the danger so close, it felt more real than ever.

"I'm ready," she said, her voice steady despite the anxiety curling in her stomach.

Travis's eyes lingered on her, as if searching for any sign of doubt. When he found none, he nodded and pushed open the car door. "Stay close to me."

She followed him out of the car and into the shadows of the warehouse. The air was cool, and the sound of distant traffic was the only noise breaking the silence. Travis led her through a side entrance, where two men stood guard, both of them nodding in recognition as they stepped aside to let them through.

Inside, the warehouse was dimly lit, the air thick with the smell of cigarettes and something else she couldn't quite place—something industrial and metallic. It was a stark contrast to the polished exterior of Travis's world that she had glimpsed before. This was raw, unfiltered, the underbelly of his empire.

As they walked deeper into the building, Taylor's nerves tightened. She could hear voices now—low, tense conversations coming from behind heavy steel doors. Travis kept his hand lightly on her back, guiding her through the maze of corridors until they reached a large room at the center of the building.

When the door swung open, Taylor's breath caught in her throat.

Patrick Mahomes and Ross Travis were already there, standing around a long table covered in documents, phones, and what looked like blueprints. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension. Both men glanced up when Travis entered, their eyes shifting to Taylor with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"Kelce," Patrick said, his voice sharp. "This isn't exactly the place for outsiders."

"She's not an outsider," Travis replied, his voice firm as he led Taylor into the room. "Not anymore."

Patrick raised an eyebrow but didn't argue, though his gaze lingered on Taylor for a moment longer than she was comfortable with. Ross, on the other hand, gave her a subtle nod, his expression unreadable.

Travis guided her to a chair, and as she sat down, she couldn't help but feel the weight of everyone's eyes on her. This was Travis's world, and now, for better or worse, she was part of it.

The conversation quickly shifted back to business, but Taylor barely registered what they were saying at first. Her mind was racing, taking in the details of the room, the people around her. There were a few other men standing off to the side, men she didn't recognize, but their presence felt threatening. Everything here screamed danger.

And yet, Travis was calm. In control. As if this chaos was nothing new to him.

"Mahomes, what's the status on the shipment?" Travis asked, his tone all business now.

Patrick leaned over the table, tapping one of the documents. "It's delayed. We're looking at a potential hit from Santino's men. They've been sniffing around the docks for the last few days."

A flicker of frustration crossed Travis's face, and his jaw clenched. "Santino's been stepping on our toes for too long. It's time we dealt with him."

Taylor's stomach twisted at the mention of Santino—a name she had heard before in passing. One of Travis's rivals, she assumed, though she hadn't known the extent of it until now. This wasn't just business. This was war.

Ross, who had been silent until now, spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "We could set up a trap. Let him think he's got the upper hand, then hit him where it hurts."

Travis nodded thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. "It's risky. But it might be our best option."

The conversation continued, with Patrick and Ross throwing ideas back and forth, but Taylor's mind was elsewhere. She wasn't naive; she had known that being with Travis meant being part of something dangerous. But hearing them plan an attack, talking about people's lives like it was just another day at work—it was more real than she had ever imagined.

Suddenly, Travis's hand was on hers, grounding her. She hadn't even realized how tense she was until she felt the warmth of his touch. He glanced at her, a silent reassurance in his eyes.

I've got you.

The meeting went on for what felt like hours, but eventually, Patrick and Ross wrapped things up, their plan set in motion. Taylor watched as they gathered their things, Patrick giving her one last unreadable glance before nodding to Travis.

"We'll get it done," Patrick said.

"I know you will," Travis replied.

With that, they left, and the room fell into silence. For a long moment, neither Taylor nor Travis spoke. The weight of everything that had happened hung in the air between them.

Finally, Taylor broke the silence. "Is this...is this what your life is like? Every day?"

Travis sighed, leaning against the edge of the table. "It's not glamorous. And it's not easy. But it's my life."

She swallowed, her heart still racing. "I don't know if I'm ready for all of this. But I do know one thing." She stepped closer to him, her voice soft but steady. "I'm not going anywhere."

Travis's eyes darkened, but there was something softer beneath the intensity, something that told her he had been waiting to hear those words.

He reached out, cupping her face in his hands. "I'll protect you, Taylor. No matter what."

She nodded, leaning into his touch, the weight of his words sinking in. "I know."

And in that moment, standing there in the heart of his empire, Taylor knew that her life had changed forever. She had stepped into Travis's world, into the shadows—and now there was no turning back.