Chapter Twelve: The Stranger Who Knew Where I Was Going

Elena's POV

“I think it’s strange that someone knows I was hurt and left a note at a hotel without explaining who they are.” I touched the edge of the sling without meaning to. “Dad said I have a habit of underestimating how much attention I draw when I’m hurting. Maybe this is that.”

Samantha’s hands stayed steady on the wheel. “Be careful, okay? Curiosity is fine. Walking into something you can’t walk out of is not.”

“I’m only asking questions.”

“Famous last words.”

I almost smiled. The card sat in my bag like a weight I could feel through the fabric.

Then the car made a strange grinding sound.

Samantha frowned.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know.”

The sound came again, louder this time.

She eased off the accelerator.

“Okay. That definitely wasn't normal.”

A few seconds later, the engine sputtered.

Once.

Twice.

Then the car lost power.

Samantha guided it toward the shoulder, managing to get us far enough off the road before the engine finally died.

She sat there for a moment with both hands still on the steering wheel.

Then she exhaled.

“Perfect.”

I looked at her.

“Is it bad?”

“I have absolutely no idea.”

She tried the ignition.

The engine turned over once, then gave a weak click.

She tried again.

Nothing.

A faint smell of something hot drifted through the vents.

Samantha frowned.

“Stay here.”

She unfastened her seat belt and stepped out.

I watched her lift the hood.

After a moment, she leaned farther over the engine, then straightened and wiped her hands against her jeans.

“Do you know what you're looking at?”

She glanced at me.

“Do I look like a mechanic?”

I smiled faintly.

“No.”

“Exactly.”

She pulled out her phone and tried calling for roadside assistance

She pulled out her phone and tried calling for roadside assistance.

The call failed.

She tried again.

Nothing.

“My phone has one bar.”

I checked mine.

One bar.

Then it disappeared.

“Mine too.”

Samantha stared at her screen.

“You've got to be kidding me.”

I looked down the road.

There were only a few cars passing, none slowing down.

“We could wait for someone to stop.”

“Or we could stand here for the next three hours and become part of the scenery.”

She shut the hood and leaned against the car.

I followed her out more carefully, the sling making every movement deliberate. The light wind caught the hem of my dress.

Samantha looked at the road again.

“We need a mechanic.”

“I know.”

“And preferably one who can actually reach us.”

Before I could answer, a dark vehicle appeared farther down the road.

It slowed as it approached.

I barely noticed it at first.

Then the vehicle pulled onto the shoulder a short distance ahead of us.

My stomach tightened.

The driver's door opened.

A man stepped out.

I looked up.

And froze.

It was him.

The man from the plane.

The one whose jacket I had slept in.

The one who had closed his hand around my wrist during the turbulence and spoken about Damien’s people like he knew exactly who they were.

The one who had disappeared into a black car at the airport.

For a moment, I wondered if exhaustion had finally caught up with me.

But he was real.

He shut his door and looked toward our car.

Then his eyes found me.

His gaze dropped briefly to my sling.

Something changed in his expression.

It was subtle.

Almost impossible to catch.

Then his face returned to that same calm, unreadable look I'd seen on the plane.

He walked toward us.

Not hurried.

Not cautious.

Just calm.

“Any trouble?”

Samantha answered before I could.

“The car died. We need a mechanic, but neither of our phones is getting a signal.”

He glanced toward the car.

“Did it make any noise before it stopped?”

“Grinding. Then the engine started sputtering.”

He nodded once.

“Probably better not to keep trying the ignition.”

Samantha folded her arms.

“Do you know anything about cars?”

“A little.”

He looked under the hood.

I stayed where I was, watching him.

She glanced at the car, then back at him.

“ I was about five minutes away from hitting the engine and hoping that would fix it.”

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“That usually doesn't work.”

“I figured.”

He looked under the hood again.

I watched his hands move over a few things before he stepped back.

Then he looked back at us.

“You won't find a mechanic nearby. There aren't many services along this stretch.”

Samantha sighed.

“Of course.”

I finally found my voice.

“What are you doing here?”

His eyes settled on me.

“Driving.”

I stared at him.

“That doesn't answer my question.”

A faint amusement touched his expression.

“Passing through.”

It was the same kind of answer he'd given me before.

It explained nothing.

The coincidence felt wrong.

He noticed me staring.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“Careful, miss.”

I frowned.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I might start thinking you missed me.”

Heat rushed up my neck.

“I was not…”

“You were.”

His voice remained calm, almost amused.

“It’s fine. I've been told I have that effect.”

Samantha made a small sound beside me.

I glanced at her.

She was trying not to smile.

I gave her a warning look before turning back toward the road.

“Don't flatter yourself.”

“I wasn't.”

His answer came so easily that it irritated me even more.

Samantha cleared her throat.

“Do you know where we can get a tow or a mechanic?”

He glanced down the road.

“Not close.”

Then he looked back at us.

“I can take you where you need to go.”

Silence settled between us.

My father's voice returned to my mind.

Carter doesn't take commercial flights for fun.

I barely knew this man.

I didn't know his name.

I didn't know why he'd been on our flight.

I didn't know why he'd been watching me.

And now he was offering us a ride.

Everything about it should have made me say no.

Samantha looked at me.

She didn't answer for me.

She waited.

I opened my mouth.

“No, thank you. We'll…”

“You were going to the Fairmont, weren't you?”

The words stopped me cold.

Samantha's face changed.

Slowly, I turned toward him.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

He simply watched me.

My heartbeat started pounding.

“How do you know that?”

He said nothing.

I stared at him.

I had never told him where we were going.

Not once.