Midnight came quiet. No rain this time—just thick, still air and the faint buzz of crickets outside the open bay doors. The Mustang sat gleaming under the single bulb, keys already in the ignition, ready to roll out of here for good.
Lena didn’t knock. She walked straight in wearing the same cropped tank and shorts from day two, hair loose, no makeup, no pretense. Her eyes found Jax immediately. He was leaning against the workbench, arms crossed, watching her like he’d been waiting all day for this exact moment.
No hello. No small talk.
He pushed off the bench, crossed the garage in long strides, took her by the wrist, and pulled her toward the back room—a cramped space he’d never bothered to show her before. Just a narrow cot against the wall, a thin mattress, a bare bulb dangling from
