Chapter 207

Ella

It had been a long day at the office, but a fulfilling one nonetheless. After working out our plans and splitting up the cases based on our interests and areas of expertise, Sarah and I planned for another meeting in the morning.

I was excited to work with her, although I knew that working too closely together could throw a wrench into our budding friendship if we weren’t careful. Still, I trusted Sarah deeply, and I sorely needed the help—and she needed the cases if she was going to move up in the firm and get Mr. Henderson’s attention for the upcoming promotions.

By the end of the day, though, I was exhausted and ready to go home. I went through my usual rigamarole of packing up my files, my laptop, and my tapped phone, even though the thought of taking it anywhere with me anymore made me sick.

I almost considered leaving it here again. Another ‘accident’. Another night of not being listened to, if that was even possible.

But Logan had made his point very clear already; appearances were of the utmost importance right now, and I didn’t need Marina getting even more suspicious than she already was. I needed to do my part in all of this; I needed to keep my head down, make sure everything appeared as it should, and make no mistakes.

In essence, I needed to make Marina believe that I was still her terrified little puppet, and that she could still crush me at any moment.

Not that I was entirely safe, of course.

I didn’t know what Logan was planning exactly, but whatever it was, I just hoped that it would come to fruition sooner rather than later. I was tired of this rat race, and I was tired of being under Marina’s thumb. I wanted complete freedom again, not just for myself, but for my sister.

Once I was all packed up, I made my way outside to see one of Logan’s black cars waiting for me. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Logan, and maybe, just maybe, of having the discussion with him that was just waiting to be had. But as I approached, I could see that it wasn’t Logan who was sitting inside.

It was his driver.

Not that it was particularly odd, but still; Logan usually picked me up himself, and if he wasn’t going to pick me up, then he would have let me know. I furrowed my brow as I climbed into the black car, wondering where he could have gone.

“Evening, miss,” the driver said, giving me a polite nod.

“Evening,” I said as I buckled my seatbelt. “If you don’t mind me asking, where’s Logan?”

The driver, a middle-aged man with a stoic expression, glanced at me as he put the car into gear. “He said to let you know he’s at the racetrack tonight,” he said. “Working on his car.”

A pang of regret pierced my chest. I had once promised to be his lucky charm at the racetrack, and he had seemed so delighted by the idea.

But yesterday, I had lost my nerve to confess my true feelings, and now I couldn’t help but wonder if that had something to do with his absence today.

Maybe he couldn’t bear to look at me, just like how I couldn’t bear to look at him. Hell, maybe my window of opportunity had finally closed, once and for all.

The rest of the drive was filled with silence, but my mind was anything but quiet. I kept replaying yesterday’s events over and over again in my head, chastising myself for letting fear hold me back more than once.

What if it really was too late now? What if he was going to be the one to reject our matehood after all was said and done?

My wolf, who had been unusually quiet since my loss of confidence yesterday, finally spoke up, her voice filled with determination. “You should try again,” she urged. “You can’t let fear rule your heart, Ella.”

But the fear was still there, gnawing at me relentlessly in the back of my mind. I knew that Ema was right; I needed to confront it, to find the courage to be honest with Logan about my feelings, but the uncertainty was paralyzing.

As we neared Logan’s mansion, however, I made a sudden decision, surprising even myself. “I’m sorry, but could you please turn around and take me to the racetrack instead?” I asked the driver.

He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. “You’re sure?” he asked.

I nodded. “If you don’t mind, I mean.”

The driver hesitated for a moment, but finally shrugged and turned the car around. “No problem,” he said. The mansion slowly disappeared in the rearview mirror as we circled around and drove back down the winding road.

When we arrived at the racetrack a little while later, the driver pulled into a space in the parking lot, and I stepped out of the car. “Should I wait for you, Miss Ella?” he asked, turning to me,

I shook my head, offering a grateful smile. “No, there’s no need; you’ve done enough. I’ll go home with Logan. Thank you for going out of your way for me.”

He nodded and checked his watch. “I’ll stick around for ten minutes just in case anything happens. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

I thanked him again and closed the door, making my way across the amber-lit parking lot and toward the garage. As I came closer, I could hear the sound of music getting louder—heavy metal, a genre that I was only recently beginning to discover that Logan seemed to have a soft spot for.

With one last deep breath, I stepped into the open door of the garage.

Logan was there, working on his car by himself. He was laying on a wheeled contraption that he could use to slide around under the car, and half of his body was hidden, although I could tell from his physique that it was him right away. The blaring music masked the sound of my approach, and I stood a few feet away, hidden from his view, watching him intently.

He looked handsome as ever, his muscles flexing beneath the tight white t-shirt he wore. I couldn’t stop myself from admiring the way he moved, the easy confidence in his gestures as he tinkered with the engine. If I strained my ears, I could even make out the sound of him whistling.

It was strange, seeing him like this. He seemed so natural, so in his element. The way he worked gave the air of a person who had been working with cars ever since he could remember, and his skills showed.

At one point, he reached for a tool that was just out of his reach, and I saw my chance to be useful. I picked it up and walked closer, silently offering it to him.

But as I extended the tool, Logan’s hand suddenly shot out and took it from me. He must have sensed my presence because he emerged from beneath the car, his hair tousled, a spot of grease on his nose, and his clear blue eyes widening in surprise as he saw me.

“Ella? What are you doing here?”