Page 30

CHAPTER 30

ARIELLA

M y fingers uncurled from their fists, one joint at a time, as the familiar rage ebbed away. Damn Zaiden. Damn him for destroying my life, and damn me for the unwanted sympathy that crept in whenever I saw that haunted look in his eyes. He'd thrown blame around like weapons, desperate to make someone—anyone—responsible for Kacie's death. Only to end up cutting himself deepest when he learned the truth: she'd left the party that night because of him.

But that didn't change the fact that he wasn't responsible for her death.

I had a gut feeling that someone else was, but I had to figure out who, and I wasn't even sure where to start.

"What are you talking about?" Zaiden's voice cut through the humid gym air. He dragged the towel across his face, but his eyes never left mine, sharp, predatory.

My jaw ached from clenching, a physical reminder to keep my mouth shut. Looking at him now made my stomach twist—part disgust, part that old, traitorous pull that refused to die. Getting involved with Zaiden again would be like reaching into a tiger's cage, especially after everything he'd done to me.

"Nothing." The lie tasted bitter as I turned toward the door, measuring each step like I was walking on glass. "I have to go."

I'd almost made it to the door when a strong arm hooked around my waist, jerking me back. I winced when the door slammed shut.

His arm tightened, molding me against the hard planes of his body. Sweat dampened his shirt where it pressed to mine, and the heat of him seeped through the thin fabric, a phantom caress that sent electricity dancing across my skin.

"Let me go." I meant it. I did. But my body remembered other times he'd held me like this–times when his touch had been welcomed, addictive. Dangerous. The slight tremor in my voice gave me away, and his knowing smirk told me he hadn't missed it.

"If you know something, start talking." His hands lingered a heartbeat too long before he released me. I spun to face him, hating how my skin burned where he'd touched me, hating more how much I wanted him to do it again. "Do you want to do this the hard way?" I stepped back. "I like the hard way."

The wall hit my back, knocking the air from my lungs, the truth about Kacie's brakes burned in my throat, demanding to be spoken. But working with Zaiden meant letting him back in, and after everything he'd done to me, I didn't want him anywhere near me.

"Ariella." The way he said my name—low, rough, almost a growl, sent heat curling in my stomach. His hands bracketed my head, his body forming a cage of muscle and barely-leashed control. "What are you hiding from me?"

Slowly shaking my head, I made the mistake of meeting his eyes, wide with something that wasn't just anger. My breath caught, drawing in the scent of him—clean sweat and pure male. His gaze dropped to my lips as I pressed them together, and the temperature between us spiked. The smallest movement would bring us together or could shatter everything.

"Liar." He moved closer, each inch between us crackling with electricity. His breath fanned across my lips, and memory flooded my senses—the taste of him, the way he'd once made me forget everything but his touch. "Your pulse is racing, baby. Is that fear—" His fingers ghosted over my throat. "Or something else?"

I shoved my hands into his hard chest as I averted my gaze. "No, I'm not lying."

He grabbed my wrists, slamming them into the wall above my head. "Yes, you are." His grip tightened around my wrist as he pushed his pointer finger into my palm. "You want to know how I know?" I bit down on my bottom lip but didn't answer. "Because you chew the corner of your lip when you lie."

A chill crawled down my spine as recognition hit. He was right, and the fact that he still knew me made my skin prickle. I forced my teeth to release my lip, tasting the faint impression they'd left behind. "It's a nervous tick."

He shook his head. "No, when you're nervous, your hands fidget."

I met those infuriatingly knowing blue eyes, trying to forge my unease into something sharper, safer, like annoyance. But my racing pulse betrayed me. A year apart, and he could still read me like a book he'd memorized.

"You don't know me." I breathed. Heat bloomed where his chest nearly touched mine.

"You're wrong, baby." His voice roughened as he traced his nose along my jawline. "I've made you my life's study. Every reaction—" His lips brushed mine, making me shiver. "Every emotion—" His eyes darkened as they tracked the movement. "If they'd offered a degree in Ariella Ledger, I would've written the textbook." My breath hitched. "So I know when you're lying, and right now you are lying."

"I think someone tampered with Kacie's brakes." The words came out in a rush.

Zaiden went still, the deadly stillness of a predator processing a threat. His fingers tightened on my wrists for one burning moment before he released me and stepped back.

"Explain." The command was barely more than a whisper, but it filled the space between us.

I gulped in air, my lungs finally remembering how to work. "A walk." My hand trembled as I gestured toward the door. "I can't, I need air."

"If you try to run—" The threat coiled beneath his words.

"I won't." We both knew the truth—he was faster, stronger, and far more ruthless. Running was just another way to lose.

I followed him out of our home gym, through the house, to the backyard. "Now talk."

"Mila's brother was there that night. He was doing a ride-along when they found Kacie. She wasn't drunk, Zaiden. Before she—" The word 'died' lodged in my throat. "She told them her brakes failed."

"No." Zaiden's face drained of color. "The police report—" His fingers curled into fists. "The official report said?—"

"The official report lied." I wrapped my arms around myself as a cool gust of wind swirled around me. "Which makes me think something is off. I think someone might have been trying to kill her."

He shook his head again. "Who would want my sister dead?"

"I don't know, but that morning, she told me she'd found something out and needed to talk to me, but she didn't say what. She wanted to talk in person." My gaze darted around as I tried to piece everything together. "Your dad is a powerful man. Maybe someone killed her to get to your dad."

Zaiden's eyes widened. "She was driving my mom's car that night. Maybe it was my mom who was the target."

Zaiden's mom and sister drove the same car, right down to the interior and exterior colors. So it would be hard to tell the difference if you didn't know. "Why?"

"It was a last-minute change. Kacie went out to her car, and it wouldn't start, so my mom tossed her the keys to her car."

"But if your mom was the target, then why did they never go after her again?”

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"It's too bad we don't have the car so we could check the brake line to see if it was cut."

"We do." Something dangerous flickered in Zaiden's eyes. "Dad 'inherited' a junkyard a few years back."

"Inherited?"

"Trust me." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Some questions are better left unasked."

I swallowed hard, remembering exactly who I was dealing with—not just Zaiden, but the entire Knight family and their empire of carefully buried secrets.

"Do you know how to tell if a brake line's been cut?"

"No, but I know someone who would. I'll call him and see if he can meet us there."

"Zaiden." My voice cracked on his name, and I hated myself for it. "This changes nothing between us. We find out who hurt Kacie, and then—" I forced steel into my spine, ice into my words. "I don't want to be your friend. We will work together this one time, but after that, I don't ever want to talk to you again."

His eyes softened in that dangerous way I remembered—the calm before the storm. "We can discuss that when this is over."

I shook my head. "There's nothing to discuss. You did exactly what you wanted to do. You wanted to humiliate me, to isolate me from not only my school but my friends and team, and you did. All for something I didn't do. I want nothing to do with you after this."

Holding my gaze for a long moment, he finally nodded. "Okay."