Under His Protection

Chapter 25: A Trap Unfolded

Taylor's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she studied the man standing before her. He looked like Travis—same build, same sharp jawline, even the same confident stance. But his eyes lacked the warmth she knew, the barely restrained chaos that made Travis uniquely him.

The realization made her blood run cold.

If this man wasn't Travis, then where was he?

"So," she said, forcing her voice to remain steady as she moved toward the kitchen. "What happened out there? You said the shipment was gone?"

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. "It went smoothly, like I said. Patrick and Ross are handling cleanup."

Taylor nodded, pretending to accept the answer. "And Santino? Was he there?"

"No. Just his men," the imposter replied casually, leaning against the doorway.

Her fingers brushed the knife on the counter as she turned to face him, gripping it behind her back. "Sounds like things got intense."

"They did," he said, taking a step closer.

The air between them crackled with tension, and Taylor knew she had only moments to act. But before she could make her move, the sound of tires screeching outside made her freeze.

The imposter's head snapped toward the window, his calm demeanor shifting into something sharper.

Taylor seized the moment. With a swift motion, she raised the knife and slashed at his arm. He let out a grunt of surprise, stumbling back as she bolted for the door.

"Taylor!" he barked, his voice colder now, the pretense fully dropped.

She didn't look back. Her hand fumbled with the lock, but before she could open the door, the man grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.

The knife clattered to the ground as Taylor struggled against his grip, adrenaline fueling her movements.

"Let me go!" she yelled, kicking at his shin.

He cursed under his breath, his grip tightening. "You shouldn't have done that."

Before he could say anything else, the front door burst open, and the real Travis stormed in, flanked by Patrick and Ross.

"Get your hands off her!" Travis roared, his voice like a thunderclap.

The imposter barely had time to react before Travis closed the distance, his fist connecting with the man's jaw in a brutal punch that sent him sprawling.

Patrick was on him in an instant, pinning him to the ground while Ross secured his hands behind his back.

"Are you okay?" Travis asked, his voice softer now as he turned to Taylor.

She nodded, tears threatening to spill as she clung to him. "I'm fine. But he—he was pretending to be you. I didn't know what to do."

"You did everything right," Travis said, holding her close. "You're safe now. I've got you."

The imposter groaned from the floor, his face twisted in pain. "You're too late, Kelce," he spat. "Santino's already moving. This was just the distraction."

Travis's jaw clenched, his eyes darkening. "Where is he?"

The man smirked through the pain. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Ross pressed a knee into the man's back, eliciting a sharp grunt. "You better start talking if you want to leave here alive."

But the man only laughed, his defiance unwavering.

Travis glanced at Patrick. "Get him out of here. I don't care how you do it, but I want answers."

Patrick nodded, hauling the man to his feet with Ross's help.

Once they were gone, Travis turned back to Taylor, his hands gently cupping her face. "Angel, I'm so sorry. I should've been here. I never should've left you alone."

"You didn't know this would happen," Taylor said, her voice trembling. "But Travis, he said this was a distraction. What if Santino's planning something worse?"

Travis's expression hardened. "Then we stop him. But first, I need to make sure you're safe."

"I'm not leaving you," Taylor said firmly. "Whatever comes next, we face it together."

His eyes softened, and he pulled her into a fierce hug. "You're incredible, you know that? But I can't risk losing you. Not when we've come this far."

"You won't lose me," she whispered, her voice steady now. "I'm not going anywhere."

Travis pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling back. "Alright. Let's figure out our next move."

As they sat down to plan, Taylor couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. Santino was playing a dangerous game, and they were right in the middle of it.

But for the first time, she felt ready to face whatever came their way.