Chapter 167

Ella

“And there he was,” Miles said, gesturing dramatically with his arms. “Coming up on the final stretch, neck and neck with his rival, and out of nowhere, he pulled off this insane drift. I’m telling you, Ella, it was like watching a scene from a Fast and Furious movie. The crowd went wild!”

“Oh, come on, Miles,” Logan said, waving his hand dismissively as he rolled his eyes. “You’re exaggerating. It wasn’t that insane.”

“He’s just playing coy,” Rickie chimed in with a chuckle. “Ella, it was like the air turned into smoke and rubber. And there I was, cringing because I could just envision all of the work Miles and I would have to put into that poor car once the race was over.”

“Hey, I helped!” Logan exclaimed. “I stayed for hours replacing those tires with you guys!”

Now, Miles was the one who rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. You were so preoccupied with raving about your big win that you tightened all of the lug nuts too hard. Rickie and I had to replace ‘em all.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the banter between the three friends, my eyes momentarily finding Logan’s from across the fire.

It was both strange and beautiful at the same time, hearing these stories. All along, I had pictured Logan as nothing but a spoiled mobster with a car collection, but hearing about him taking part in all of these races filled me with a newfound admiration.

Our gazes locked, and for a moment, it felt like there was no one else around us. It was just him and me, sharing an unspoken connection that transcended the chaos of the party.

“I think you’re falling,” Ema purred, clearly teasing me. “Don’t you feel it, Ella?”

“Hush,” I scolded her. “Can we just enjoy one night without you trying to play matchmaker?”

I tore my gaze away from Logan, feeling a flush of heat rise to my cheeks, and cleared my throat, turning to Rickie.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I asked.

Rickie nodded her head toward a run down outhouse over by the side of the warehouse. “It’s over there,” she said. “Need me to come with you, newbie?”

I shook my head. “I’m good. Thanks.”

With a soft sigh, I slipped away from the heat of the fire. The outhouse was a short walk away from the group, nestled in the darkness of the desert night.

As I made my way toward it, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of vulnerability in the dimly lit surroundings. The party was still raging on, music blaring and people talking, but it felt like a trek across miles when the dark desert was between me and my destination.

I kept thinking back on Logan’s speech earlier about the desert. It was still cloudy, no stars to be seen in the sky; and it was a new moon, too, so it was even darker without that pale white orb to illuminate the landscape.

“Geez,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself as I made my way to the bathroom. “It’s cold out here at night.”

But then, just as I was about to reach the outhouse, a hand suddenly clamped down on my arm, causing me to jump in surprise. I whipped around to see Jet standing there, his face still shrouded in shadow beneath his hat.

“Oh my god,” I whispered, my heart caught in my throat. “J-Jet. You scared me.”

Jet said nothing. Figuring that maybe he had too much to drink and maybe didn’t realize what he was doing, or maybe he thought I was someone else, I let out a nervous laugh and tried to pull away.

But his grip remained steadfast.

“U-Um… Did you need something?” I asked, my voice shaking now.

Jet stared at me for a moment—or at least, I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn’t make them out beneath the shadow of his hat. It was unsettling, to say the least.

“Jet?”

“Get away from him,” he muttered urgently, his voice low and filled with an unsettling intensity.

“Get away from who?” I tried to pull my arm away, but his grip was surprisingly strong, and my wolf felt too fuzzy from the alcohol to react as quickly as I needed her to.

It was then that panic began to creep in as I realized that I was alone with this mysterious and unsettling man, and in the darkness out here, I wasn’t sure if anyone could see or hear me over the blaze of the fire and the roar of the loud music.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” I stammered, my heart racing. “Let go of me!”

Jet's dark eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, I could see a glimmer of something in them—fear, maybe, or desperation. He leaned closer, his breath hot across my skin. “You need to get away from Logan,” he whispered urgently. “Before it’s too late.”

My confusion and fear surged, and I opened my mouth to scream for help, but before I could, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

“Jet, back off!”

It was Rickie, her voice sharp and commanding. She appeared at my side, her piercing eyes fixed on Jet. “Quit being weird with the new girl, or I’ll personally see to it that you get kicked out of here,” she hissed.

Jet finally released his grip on my arm and stepped back, his gaze still locked on me for a moment before he turned and walked away. I watched him go, holding my arm, shaken by the encounter and the cryptic warning he had given me.

Rickie turned to me, her expression concerned. “Are you okay? What did he say, Ella?” she asked.

I shook my head, my voice trembling as I tried to downplay the strange encounter. “It was nothing, just nonsense. Maybe he’s had too much to drink.”

But deep down, a nagging feeling gnawed at me. There was something about Jet, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was as if I had seen those eyes before, hidden beneath that shadowy hat. But in the darkness, I couldn’t fully make them out.

Rickie didn’t press the matter further, but her eyes held a hint of suspicion as she glanced back in the direction Jet had gone. “Just be careful, okay?” she said gently. “Some of these guys can be a bit unpredictable. Especially that one.”

I nodded, grateful for her intervention and the reassurance of her presence. “Lesson learned. Thank you, Rickie.”

“No problem,” she said, gently wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “Come on, I’ll come with you to the bathroom. Unless he scared it out of you,” she added with a chuckle.

I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a bit more at ease now. “Thankfully, no,” I said as we closed the rest of the distance to the dark outhouse.

As the night wore on, I couldn’t help but steal occasional glances at Jet from across the fire. His enigmatic presence and cryptic warning continued to haunt me.

There was more to him than met the eye, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that our paths had crossed before, even if I couldn’t remember where or when.