Chapter 4
Ethan didn’t flinch as Aria recoiled from him. He simply flipped his phone face down onto the leather seat, as if hiding the name could erase what she had already seen.
“You know her,” Aria whispered, her voice trembling.
Behind them, the SUV flashed its high beams twice in rapid succession. The driver glanced at the rearview mirror. “Sir, they are signaling us to pull over.”
Aria’s hand scrambled blindly for the door latch, but Ethan caught her wrist before she could pull it. He didn’t squeeze. He didn’t hurt her. Somehow, that calculated gentleness made it worse.
“If you jump out now, they’ll have you in thirty seconds,” he said evenly.
“And if I stay with you?”
For the first time, his mask of calm fractured, revealing a razor-sharp edge. “Then you might live long enough to find out why your stepmother has been calling me all week.” Aria stared at him, rain streaking down the tinted glass beside her. The car took a sharp, aggressive turn, veering toward a cluster of old industrial warehouses far from the city limits—far from any prying eyes.
Ethan opened the console compartment between the seats and pulled out a sealed manila envelope. Printed clearly across the front was her name: Aria Montgomery.
May you like
Her breath caught. “What is that?”
Ethan looked down at the document as if it carried a weight far heavier than mere money, secrets, or guilt. “Something your father left behind before he died.”
