Chapter 475
Chapter 475:
“You can stop pretending, darling,” Lucian said, his voice smooth and amused. “I saw your heart rate spike on the monitor p>
He gestured vaguely to a medical readout on the wall behind her.
Skye opened her eyes fully. She sat up, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of nausea rolling through her stomach. The sedatives were still heavy in her blood.
“Where are you taking me?” she rasped. Her throat felt like sandpaper.
Lucian took a sip of his drink. “Somewhere the weather suits your temperament. Hot. Dry. Unforgiving p>
Just then, the intercom crackled. “Sir, we are beginning our descent into Las Vegas. ETA twenty minutes p>
Skye’s heart sank like a stone.
Las Vegas. Lucian’s stronghold. His territory. In Seaview City, Alistair had eyes everywhere. In Vegas, Lucian was God. The desert surrounding the city was a graveyard of secrets, and the casinos were fortresses where the law stopped at the front door.
“Vegas,” Skye said, her voice dripping with disdain. “How cliché. Are you going to tie me to a roulette wheel p>
Lucian chuckled. He stood and walked over to her. He loomed over her, blocking out the light, his presence suffocating. He pulled a small silver pocketknife from his jacket.
Skye flinched instinctively, pressing herself back into the leather seat.
Lucian smiled. He reached down and sliced the zip ties on her wrists with a quick, precise movement. The blade grazed her skin—a calculated warning.
“Welcome to my kingdom, Skye,” he whispered, his breath smelling of expensive scotch and mint.
The plane banked sharply. Through the window, Skye saw the horizon. It wasn’t the ocean of Seaview. It was an endless expanse of black desert, punctuated by the glittering, artificial scar of the Strip in the distance.
The landing gear deployed with a mechanical groan. The plane touched down on a private airstrip far from the commercial airport. The tarmac was surrounded by nothing but darkness and scrub brush.
Lucian grabbed her elbow, his grip like iron.
“Move p>
He marched her down the stairs into the night.
𝖱𝗲com𝘮𝖾n𝗱 be.𝖼𝘰m to 𝗒𝗼u𝗋 𝗳𝗋𝗂𝖾𝘯𝗱𝗌
The heat hit her instantly. It was a physical wall—dry, dusty, and oppressive, sucking the moisture from her skin. It was well past midnight, yet the air felt like an open oven.
A convoy of three black SUVs waited on the tarmac, engines idling. Men in dark suits and earpieces stood by the doors, their postures rigid. Skye was shoved into the middle vehicle. Lucian slid in next to her, and a massive guard took the front passenger seat.
As the convoy began to move, Skye looked out the window. The lights of the Strip were a distant, taunting glow. She calculated the distance. Ten miles? Fifteen? Too far to run in heels. Too far to run in this heat.
Lucian saw her looking. He reached over and engaged the child-safety lock on her door.
“Don’t bother doing the math,” he said, reading her mind. “The desert kills anyone on foot within three hours p>
The SUV sped up, leaving the city lights behind, heading toward the dark silhouette of the mountains. They turned off the main highway onto a private road that wound up into the hills.
After twenty minutes, a massive gate loomed in the headlights. It was wrought iron, twenty feet high, topped with spikes.
The convoy entered a compound that looked less like a home and more like a fortress. High walls. Cameras every ten feet. Patrol dogs pacing the perimeter. The car stopped in front of a sprawling Mediterranean-style villa.
Lucian opened the door and dragged Skye out. Her legs were shaky, but she forced them to hold her weight. She stumbled on the marbled driveway but righted herself immediately, shaking off his hand.