Chapter 225

Ella

The dimly lit garage was thick with the smell of rubber and gasoline, and my head pounded fiercely, an uncomfortable reminder of the drug that had subdued both me and my wolf. I was weak and useless here, and I felt powerless against the forces of evil that had taken control of me.

But I wasn’t worried about myself; I was worried about my poor, sweet little sister. She didn’t deserve any pain or suffering. She had never been involved in any of this.

Struggling against my restraints, I looked up at the figure that was finally emerging from the shadows—Jet, Logan’s car racing rival.

“Jet?” I gasped, my voice full of disbelief as I took in his appearance: his bandana, his hat, and his oddly familiar eyes peering out at me from the shadows. “What are you doing here? Are you working for Marina?”

Jet, just as stoic as ever, stood in front of me with a strange glint in his eyes. For a moment, I swore I could see something flicker through his gaze, but it was gone before I could put my finger on it.

“It’s almost over, Ella,” he said cryptically, his voice flat.

“I don’t understand. How are you involved in this?” I pressed, still struggling against my bindings in vain. “Is this anything to do with Marina, or are you working alone?”

But Jet didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out a phone.

With a few taps, he turned the screen toward me, taking a few steps closer. I could smell the scent of gasoline coming off of his clothes, further adding to my dizziness.

And then, a few moments later, Marina’s face appeared on the screen. I felt my blood boil. “Marina,” I hissed, taking in her casual appearance; she was lounging on a beach with a tropical paradise as her backdrop, a pair of designer sunglasses shading her eyes. The stark contrast between her relaxed demeanor and my distressing situation only fueled my growing despair.

“Hello, Ella,” Marina cooed. “I see you’ve met my friend, Jet.”

“What the fuck is all of this for, Marina?” I asked, still struggling against the ropes tying me to the chair. “What do you want from me? I swear, if you put a finger on my sister—

Marina’s laugh, sharp and mocking, filled the garage and cut me off. “Oh, Ella, you look so pathetic,” she taunted. “How the mighty have fallen. Miss Ella Morgan, heiress to the Morgan fortune, tied up in a filthy garage.”

“What do you want, Marina?” I hissed, choosing to ignore her jabs. “I did everything you asked.” That was a lie, of course, and a huge part of me knew that she knew it was a lie; but I would be damned if I gave that information up right off the bat.

“Do you take me for a fool, Ella?” Marina purred. “I know what you’ve been up to with Logan. I’ve known from the beginning.”

I swallowed, realizing that it was true; of course she knew that I had been working as a double agent with Logan. Maybe I was the fool for ever thinking that I could have pulled the wool over her eyes so easily.

“But,” she said, taking a sip of a tropical cocktail with one of those stupid tiny umbrellas sticking out of it, “that’s not what I’m speaking with you about. Let me enlighten you while we wait.”

“Wait for what? What is happening, Marina?” I demanded, my heart pounding in my chest.

“You see, darling,” Marina began with a sinister smile, “this was all a setup. We never planned on going to court. You and Logan played right into our hands, the morons that you are.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. “A-A setup?” I stammered. “To do what?”

“To get Logan here, of course,” she said, her smile widening. “Well… there, rather. And while you two were busy with your petty little drama and silly little ‘romance’, we had plenty of time to execute our real plan.”

“Which was?” I asked, although I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to know the answer or not.

Marina’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Killing Leonard. Taking his money. And now, Harry and I are off to the tropics. Did you really think we would believe your ruse? That you wouldn’t tell Logan everything? We knew, Ella. And that’s why we let you think you were fooling us.”

My mind reeled. “Leonard is... dead?”

Her laugh was cold and unfeeling. “Yes. His heart attack was just the perfect timing, wasn’t it? We showed up after it happened, finished the job, and it all looked like natural causes. And thanks to Logan’s recent little outburst, Leonard trusted Harry more than ever.”

I struggled to process her words. “You... you killed him?” I whispered. “You’d kill a sick old man?”

“Oh, don’t act like you didn’t want to kill that son of a bitch. And besides, I didn’t kill him. Harry did,” she corrected, her tone casual. “Put a pillow over his face right after he signed the fortune over to Harry. It was so easy.”

Revulsion and horror washed over me. “You’re a murderer,” I spat, the taste of the word bitter in my mouth.

Marina shrugged. “Perhaps. But a rich one. And soon, you and Logan, the last two witnesses, will be gone as well.”

I felt a wave of panic wash over me as I continued to struggle against my restraints, all to no avail. I called out for my wolf in my mind, but it was no use; she was still fast asleep. “You’re disgusting, Marina,” I hissed. “If you put a finger on Daisy, I’ll—”

Marina clicked her tongue, shaking her head. I couldn’t see her beady eyes through her dark sunglasses, but I was almost certain she was rolling them. “Everything is always Daisy this, Daisy that with you,” she chided. “Don’t worry; I won’t harm your precious sister. Not physically, at least.”

“What are you saying?” I whispered.

“Well, isn’t the death of her big heroine sister enough pain?” she asked with a malicious giggle. “And besides, I never intended on hurting her. I just liked seeing you squirm. And now, you’ll squirm for just a little while longer. Your man is on his way now.”

Despite my impending doom, and Logan’s, I couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh of relief at the promise of Daisy’s safety. But that didn’t mean that I wasn’t still furious.

“You’re a monster, Marina,” I growled through my teeth.

Marina just chuckled and took another sip of her drink. “I won’t deny that,” she said. “But at least I can enjoy this beautiful beach while you’re there, like a sheep led to slaughter.”

Marina’s words struck me to my core, like a viper had just struck. I tried desperately to reach my wolf once again, but the drug in my system still kept her dormant, unresponsive to my pleas. I knew, if Marina was telling the truth and that Logan was on his way, that my wolf wouldn’t wake up before it was too late.

As I struggled, Marina lifted her sunglasses off of her face, and it was now that I could see the glint of her malicious eyes. There was nothing but cold mirth in their depths, and in that moment, I was certain that she was—and always had been—devoid of all empathy.

“You know, the sunset here really is beautiful, Ella,” she cooed, turning the phone so that I could see the vibrant red and orange hues cast across the white sand. “It’s really such a pity you’ll never get to see one again.”

With those chilling words, she ended the call with a click, leaving me in the suffocating darkness of the garage.

Now, nothing was left except for the burning sensation of the ropes around my body, the salty tears streaming down my cheeks, and the feeling of Jet’s strangely familiar eyes peering out at me from beneath the brim of his hat.