Chapter 8

JENNA’S POV

Tell me why I had been trying to start this stupid car for almost thirty minutes and it still wouldn’t budge.

Did Dad seriously give me one of his beat-down cars just to get me to shut up and leave him alone?

I groaned and leaned back in the seat before grabbing my phone from my purse. Scrolling through my contacts, I found his number and dialed.

He picked up after the second ring.

“Hello?” His deep voice came through the speaker.

Oh thank God.

“What’s wrong, Jenna?” His tone turned stern almost immediately.

“The car isn’t working.”

“Which car did you take?”

“The one you gave me the keys for.”

Duh.

“What color is it?”

“Red?” I replied, leaning my head out of the window to double-check the color like an idiot.

“Oh,” he said after a short pause. “I gave you the wrong one.”

Of course he did.

“I’ll send someone to deal with it. For now, look for your brother or call him. He’ll take you home. I have to go, I’m in a meeting.”

The line went dead before I could even respond.

Seriously?

I didn’t even have Alec’s phone number.

With an irritated huff, I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car, slamming the door hard enough to echo through the nearly empty parking lot.

I scanned the area for any sign of Alec or his stupid bike.

For a moment I thought he might have left after the scene we caused earlier.

But then I saw him.

He was leaning casually against his bike a few rows away, talking to two guys standing in front of him. All three of them were dressed almost the same—black leather jackets, black jeans, the whole brooding bad-boy uniform.

Of course.

I swung my bag over my shoulder and walked toward them.

“Alec!” I called out.

His back was turned to me, but I saw his shoulders stiffen the moment he heard my voice.

The two guys looked over immediately, curiosity lighting their faces.

“Alec!” I called again.

“Fuck off!” he growled without even turning around.

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

I walked around until I stood directly in front of him so he had no choice but to look at my very real, very present face.

“Dad said you should take me home,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

His eyes finally met mine… before dropping briefly to my chest thanks to the way my arms pushed it up.

He quickly looked away, swallowing.

I couldn’t help the small smirk that formed on my lips.

He turned back to the guys. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Sure, bro,” one of them said before glancing at me with open interest. “You sure you’re good though? Your arm—”

“It’s fine,” Alec cut him off. “At least one arm still works.”

The other guy chuckled before nodding toward me.

“So… is she coming with us tonight?” he asked, his eyes slowly dragging over me in a way that made my skin crawl.

Before I could even react, Alec stepped slightly in front of me.

“No.”

The word came out sharp.

“She’s not part of that. She’s my sister”

The two guys exchanged amused looks.

“Relax, man,” the first one laughed. “We were just asking.”

“Yeah,” the other added with a grin. “Didn’t know you had a sister this hot.”

Alec’s jaw tightened.

“Leave it,” he said flatly.

They raised their hands in mock surrender before bumping fists with him.

“Alright, alright. See you tonight.”

As they walked past me, one of them glanced back with a wolfish grin. “Later, sweetheart.”

Alec watched them leave before finally turning back to me, irritation practically radiating off him. “What do you want?” he snapped.

“Like I said,” I replied calmly, “you’re taking me home.”

“And why the hell would I take you home on my bike after what you did to it?”

“Because Dad said so.”

He scoffed.

“I don’t take orders from anybody. Not your dad, and definitely not you. I’m a grown man. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want.”

“Oh, thanks for sharing,” I said dryly. “Cos I was wondering.”

He pushed himself off the bike and grabbed one helmet, slipping it over his head while holding the other in his left hand.

“You almost killed me,” he muttered, glancing down at the bike before lifting his eyes slowly to mine.

“You’re insane. Do you know that?”

I shrugged.

His mouth curved slowly. “I’ll get you for that, little vixen.”

I rolled my eyes and snatched the helmet from his hand. “Good luck with that, big bro. Now take me home. I’m starving.”

Without waiting for permission, I swung my leg over the back of the bike and sat down.

Then I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you getting on or would you like me to drive instead?”

He sighed heavily and climbed onto the bike in front of me.

The engine roared to life beneath us a second later.

I grabbed the sides of the seat as he pulled out of the parking lot, the bike speeding onto the road with a sharp burst of acceleration.

Cold wind whipped against my face as buildings blurred past us.

At first I thought we were heading home.

Then five minutes passed.

Then ten.

And the roads started looking unfamiliar.

“Alec,” I shouted over the sound of the engine, leaning forward slightly. “This isn’t the way home.”

He didn’t answer.

The bike slowed a few minutes later as we pulled up in front of a small rugged building. It looked like the kind of place people came to do things they didn’t want anyone asking questions about.

I climbed off the bike slowly, staring at the building.

“What is this place?” I asked.

Alec removed his helmet and ran a hand through his hair.

“Stay here,” he said simply.

I blinked.

“What?”

“Stay. Here.” He pointed at the ground beside the bike. “Don’t move. Don’t follow me.”

I stared at him like he had just told me to stop breathing. “As if I’m going to listen to you.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m serious, Jenna.”

“And I’m serious too,” I replied sweetly. “You’re not my father.”

For a moment it looked like he was debating whether to argue.

Then he sighed. “Just… don’t cause trouble.”

He turned and walked toward the entrance.

I waited exactly three seconds before following him.Because if he thought he could bring me to some sketchy building in the middle of nowhere and expect me to sit outside like an obedient little puppy…

He clearly didn’t know me at all.