"What’s going on over there?"
Gustav furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes at the strange movement through the rear windshield.
Lucian intuitively looked back as well, just in time, a voice rang through the radio.
"Car at the rear—take formation."
That order, heard over the radio, often meant one thing: someone was trying to break through their formation. Following protocol, the escort cars quickly moved to surround Lucian’s vehicle for protection.
"An attack?" Gustav blurted out. "Right in Dominion’s territory?"
His face twisted as a vein in his forehead protruded, momentarily forgetting Nolan was still on the line. Surely, some people had grown bolder by the day—rushing straight toward death’s door.
"Master, fasten your seatbelt," Gustav said as he settled into his seat, pulling out a rifle from his side, ready to engage. But just as the weapon clacked into place, another voice came through the radio.
"Wait—they’re from Dominion."
"Confirm their identity first."
"Call the residence."
Hearing these rapid reports, Lucian, Gustav, and the driver all stared at the radio. From those alone, several possibilities came to mind, one of which was that the residence was under attack.
But then again, Nolan had just called, and it didn’t sound like that at all.
Before they could jump to conclusions, another car—one not part of the convoy—appeared, swerving between lanes. It was driving fast—far too fast—and nearly collided with the surrounding vehicles, forcing them out of formation.
"Prepare to engage!" voices echoed from the radios as the car broke through their formation, slamming into some escort vehicles and sending them veering aside before rapidly closing the distance to Lucian’s car.
Gustav’s heart pounded as he watched it approach.
Then Lucian spoke.
"Don’t shoot," he ordered, his gaze fixed on the incoming vehicle.
Gustav whipped his head toward him. "Master, but —"
"Don’t shoot," Lucian repeated, brows knitted. "Tell everyone not to engage."
"Why—" Gustav’s breath hitched as he recognized the car that belonged to Dominion. Despite his hesitation, he grabbed the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Do not shoot!"
TAK!
The moment those words rang through every radio, Gustav jolted as the car sped past them, clipping their side mirror and shattering it. Their vehicle screeched as the driver swerved to avoid collision, slamming on the brakes. The tires shrieked, smoke rising from the asphalt.
The sudden stop sent everyone lurching forward, even as they braced themselves.
Meanwhile, the other vehicles slowed down in shock.
Once Gustav, the driver, and Lucian recovered, they lifted their heads. The first thing they saw was the rogue car spinning ahead, its tires smoking before it finally came to a halt.
Silence fell over every vehicle. Guns remained tightly in their grip, just in case.
What they didn’t know was that they weren’t the only ones in shock. Even those inside the speeding car were in utter disbelief, clutching onto whatever they could. Mentally, they were hanging onto the last threads of their souls, as if they might leave their bodies at any moment.
After what felt like a full minute of frozen time, the driver’s door of the car ahead suddenly flew open.
Everyone tensed, bracing for the worst.
Who knew? It could be someone about to detonate a bomb.
Idiot?
"Does she think she has nine lives?!" one of the guards gasped, only to pause when he saw Red and the others crawling out of her car. "Red?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Ugh..." Red looked up at the men, his vision spinning. "...fuck me."
Meanwhile, Ashley huffed, staring Lucian straight in the eye as his pupils slowly dilated.
"You—you don’t get to run off like that! Not after what you did last night!" she shouted, her eyes reddening with overwhelming emotion. "You have to ask for my forgiveness and make it up to me until I forgive you! You haven’t even bought me dinner like you promised, you jerk!"
She bit her lip, glaring at him. "Don’t go! Don’t go! Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go! I haven’t forgiven you yet, so how dare you disappear on me without my permission?!"
Those watching couldn’t help their jaws from going slack. Their noses scrunched, and even some of the guards with her couldn’t suppress their reactions.
"That psycho... when did the boss ever need anyone’s permission—ugh, I feel like I’m going to throw up—blergh!"
But Ashley didn’t care. Everything had already spiraled into a full-blown tantrum.
As for Lucian, he could only stare at her in brief shock, listening to her whiny, "Don’t go! Idiot! Jerk! Hooligan!"
But despite all the names she threw at him, he still reached for the hand gripping his collar as if she refused to let go no matter what.
He knew he shouldn’t, but somehow, his heart softened. His muscles relaxed, and even his headache began to fade. After everything, he shouldn’t even dare to touch her—shouldn’t even think about it.
But hearing her scream, "don’t go," made something in him turn greedy. She had no idea how much he craved to hear those words from her. Lucian reached out and cupped her cheeks, stopping her mid-rant.
For a brief second, she fell silent.
His eyes softened as his thumb brushed the corner of hers. Then, in a low voice, he said,
"Okay," he nodded, eyes locked on hers. "I won’t."

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