Chapter 230

Logan

The race track loomed in front of me, a hulking mass of metal and concrete that felt more like a prison than a place of thrill. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would wind up here, running from what felt like all of the cops in the city while simultaneously trying to hunt down the person that had stolen my mate. But, what was done was done.

I slammed down on the brakes of my car, the tires screeching in protest as I skidded to a halt. My heart was pounding, every beat echoing my desperation to find Ella. I didn’t care whether my car was destroyed, whether I was walking straight into a trap, or whether the police would continue their chase.

All that mattered was Ella’s safety in this moment.

But as soon as I killed the engine and jumped out of the car so I could begin my wild search for the woman I loved, the world around me erupted into chaos. The police, who had been hot on my tail, were right there before I could even take three steps, their guns drawn and pointed at me as they climbed out of their own vehicles.

“Get on the ground! Now!” one of the officers barked, his voice loud over the sound of his colleagues’ shouting and the engines of their cars. “Get down, or we’ll shoot!”

For a moment, I hesitated, my gaze fixed on the entrance of the race track, my mind solely on Ella. I wanted to run to her, wanted to risk my own life just for the chance to try and save her.

But then my wolf’s voice bled through the chaos, a voice of reason in a world that felt devoid of all logic.

“You’ve got the police here, Logan,” he said. “Let them arrest you; they’ll find Ella now that they’re here. This could work in your favor, especially if this is a setup.”

I hated to admit it, but my wolf was right. I had practically just brought the entire precinct with me, and the race track only had so many sheds and garages to be searched. I knew that, if I told them that the daughter of the billionaire and CEO of WereCorp Edrick Morgan was being held hostage, they would act in a heartbeat.

For all I knew, their paychecks were partially funded by Edrick and the Golden Wolf. They’d have no choice but to hunt Ella and her kidnapper down.

And besides, the threat of gunfire was too real, too immediate. If I tried to run, they’d likely just shoot me dead. To them, I was nothing but a conniving mobster. They didn’t care if I lived or not; and I certainly couldn’t help Ella if I was bleeding out on the ground with multiple bullet holes in my body.

And so, reluctantly, I raised my hands and got down on my knees, the rough asphalt biting into my skin.

The world tilted into chaos again, a cacophony of shoes clicking on asphalt, guns cocking, and voices shouting. But I didn’t budge, and let them detain me without a fuss. And yet, as one of the officers cuffed me, I tried to explain the situation. I had to make them understand that Ella was in danger, that I needed to find her.

“She’s here, I know it,” I said, my voice urgent. “Please, you have to believe me. My mate, Ella Morgan, she’s in danger! She’s being held hostage here!”

But it seemed like my words were falling on deaf ears, lost amidst the chaos of the situation. The officers were too focused on securing the area, too intent on apprehending the man who had led them on a high-speed chase through the city for reasons unbeknownst to them.

“Yeah, yeah, buddy,” the officer who was cuffing me said. “Everyone always has some sort of valiant reason for breaking the law. Anything to try and get out of the consequences, right?”

“No, please, you need to listen to me,” I said. “This is Ella Morgan we’re talking about. Daughter to Edrick Morgan. She’s being held hostage by a member of the mafia. There could be snipers, bombs, who knows what all over this place.”

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it—a car speeding off into the desert. My heart skipped a beat as I caught a glimpse of Ella, banging on the window, her face a mask of fear and desperation.

“There! That car! She’s in that car!” I yelled, straining against the cuffs, my voice raw with panic.

For a moment, the officers seemed unsure, but then, recognition dawned in one of their eyes. “Wait, did you say Ella Morgan?” he asked, his tone shifting. “As in, the heiress?”

“Yes, yes, that’s her!” I exclaimed, my gaze locked on the disappearing car. “Please, you have to go after her. She’s in danger. Didn’t you receive a call earlier?”

The officer furrowed his brow and said something into his walkie-talkie, and a moment later, a voice crackled through.

“He’s telling the truth,” I heard him murmur to one of the other officers. “There was a call about a potential kidnapping just twenty minutes ago. This must be it.”

“Yes,” I interrupted, “that was it. Please, she’s in danger, and you know how influential her family is. Are you just gonna let someone take her off into the desert?”

Without a word, the officer nodded to his colleagues, and within seconds, two of the police cars peeled off, their sirens wailing as they chased after the car carrying Ella.

But even as they sent a car after her, I was still cuffed, still helpless. If Jet really was the one driving that car, and I was certain by now that he was, then those cops wouldn’t catch him. He was my rival, the one driver who could almost outdrive me. My heart was racing, my mind reeling with the thought of Ella being taken away from me. I couldn’t just sit here, letting them detain me.

“Please, let me go too,” I said. “You can arrest me after, but… I’m a racer, okay? I can catch him before it’s too late!”

The officers, of course, ignored me. They weren’t about to let a criminal on the loose. I felt helpless as I cursed under my breath, having gotten stuck at a dead end.

But then, something unexpected happened. One of the officers, a younger guy with a kind face, stepped forward. “Wait, I know you,” he said, his voice carrying a note of realization as he approached. “You’re Logan Barrett, the guy who saved our apartment building.”

I turned to him, surprised at the mention of the apartment case that felt like it had happened so long ago. “You… you lived there?” I asked.

He nodded, a grateful smile on his face. “Yeah. My wife was pregnant at the time, and thanks to you, we didn’t end up homeless. You decided to fund the apartments, let everyone stay. You and Ella both saved us, actually.”

For a moment, I was speechless. I had almost forgotten about that, about the time I had first decided to help people rather than hindering them. It seemed like a lifetime ago, like a different version of myself.

“Please,” I said, my voice soft, my plea genuine. “I need this one favor. Let me go, just for now, so I can save the woman I love. You can arrest me after, and I promise I won’t put up a fight.”

The officer hesitated, his gaze flickering between me and his colleagues. His colleagues shot him a wary look, but said nothing. Then, slowly, he nodded.

“Alright,” he said, turning to the others. “Uncuff him.”