Ella“Open your eyes, Ella.”I hadn’t even realized it, but at some point during my panic, I had squeezed my eyes shut.Slowly, I cracked my eyes open one at a time. I was still sitting in the passenger seat with Logan beside me. The air still smelled like leather and gasoline, and the engine was gen
EllaWhen I finally tore my gaze away from the brilliant sky that hung over us, I was met with Logan’s blue-eyed gaze in the dim light of the car.My eyes widened slightly, and for what felt like the longest time, we just looked at each other. I felt as though he was searching me, searching my gaze for any hint of insincerity in my words.But it was the truth. Everything I had told him, everything from Marina’s threats to the hitman who she said she had hired to watch my every move, was the cold, hard truth. And honestly, I was terrified—terrified that, when I returned to my phone on the bleachers, there would be a missed call from Marina.Somehow, I suspected that she had heard everything. Somehow, despite Logan’s attempts to get us out of her range of sight—or rather, hearing—I felt as though she was still here, watching and listening to my every move.But it was too late now. The truth was out and it was up to Logan to
EllaI was still trying to process everything that had happened as Logan drove us back to his mansion in silence.The night sky had darkened, and the desert landscape was a vast expanse of shadows and quiet. It should have been peaceful, but my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions—and I couldn’t help but wonder how I had ended up here, in this surreal situation.
EllaThe morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a warm golden glow across the room. As sleep released its grip on me, however, I became acutely aware of the fact that I was…Not in my own bed.Slowly, the memories of last night began to return.
Ella“Morning, Ella.”“Morning, Sarah.”I was standing in the breakroom, pouring my morning coffee. It was strange, coming to work today after everything that had happened; I knew that I needed to continue building my ‘secret dossier’ against Logan, but it somehow felt even more con
EllaA few more days passed, and much to my surprise, there were no incidents. No calls or visits from Marina, no more calls from Mr. Lawrence, and all the while, Daisy was home with my parents, safe and sound as ever.I was beginning to think that things were looking up. Logan seemed to have everything under control, and my job was to keep the charade up, to make it appear as though I was still working for Marina.
EllaAs I watched Marina leave, I couldn’t deny the way my hands trembled beneath my desk. It was just out of Marina’s sight, saving me from any further scrutiny, but I had felt it the whole time.“This isn’t good,” Ema’s voice echoed in my mind. “Ella, this is really, really not good.”
EllaWe spent the rest of the ride back to the mansion in silence. I kept grinding my teeth over my frustration with Logan; I hated feeling this way, like I was spiraling out of control. I had thought that telling him would have made me feel better, but after today, I wasn’t so sure.Here I was, having to fight off Marina’s advances, and all the while Logan wouldn’t even tell me what his plan was. He kept assuring me that I was safe, and I believed him, but I hated not