Chapter 286

Chapter 286 Lone Wolf

Ella

The streets had settled into that dusky, purplish hue that heralded the onset of evening when I

recognized the low purr of an engine behind me. The sleek black car pulled up to the curb, and from it

emerged Logan, his tall frame poised with that unmistakable confident swagger. “You’ve gotta be

kidding me,” I whispered to myself, whipping around and picking up my pace.

“Ella!” Logan called, followed by the sound of his footsteps pounding on the pavement as he jogged

after me. Without so much as giving him a glance, I quickened my steps, hoping to put distance.

between us.

But, with each step I took, I heard the rhythmic footfalls of Logan’s shoes against the pavement

growing louder. He jogged after me, his long-legged strides easily bridging the gap I had worked so

hard to put between us.

“Did you get my flowers?” he asked. I had to resist the urge to growl. “Yes,” I replied, not looking at him,

“and I threw them away.” “Threw them away? I thought you would like them, or are you not a ‘rose’

girl?”

“I’m not a ‘taking bribes from my client to feel better about his shady dealings kind of girl.”1 hissed.

Logan stopped for a moment, but I kept going. I heard him chuckling behind me, followed by the sound

of him jogging after me again. “What, are you playing hard to get, Ella?” Logan called out playfully,

maneuvering in front of me with at smirk.

I stopped abruptly, facing him with a fiery glare. “Hard to get? Logan, I’ve never been ‘easy’ to get, and

you?” I scoffed. “You’ll never ‘get’ me, especially if you’re just a double-dealing criminal.” He chuckled,

though there was a hint of exasperation in his eyes. “You always have a way with words.”

I rolled my eyes and attempted to walk past him, but he shifted, walking alongside me. His tall form

towered over me, his scent assaulting my senses like a half-enticing, half-sickening love potion that

took all of my energy to resist.

“Go away, Logan,” I growled, ignoring my wolf’s urges to be closer to him. “Come on, don’t be like this,”

he implored. “I’m sorry about earlier, okay? It had to be done.”

His voice, that velvety tone that once was endearing, was now grating on my nerves. “So, you’re trying

to make up for it by taking me out? That’s your grand plan?”

Logan, looking a bit put off, shook his head. “I’m not trying to do anything shady here, Ella,” he said. “I

just want to talk a bit. And yeah, maybe I do want to make it up to you, at least a little. My bar-it’s cozy,

low-key. Great drinks. Really, it’s perfect for you.”

A strange cocktail of emotions swirled within me. There was anger, of course, but also curiosity and an

inexplicable pull towards him. I hated to admit it, but for a split second, I almost considered it.

But the moment passed, and I set my jaw hard with conviction. “No. We’re working together, that’s it.

Nothing more.”

He ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. “Ella, we completed our first case together. I thought,

you know, maybe we could celebrate that.”

“Celebrate?” I echoed. “Logan, there’s nothing to celebrate. You might have conveniently forgotten, but

you broke your word. Not much of a cause for champagne, don’t you think? Besides, you handled the

whole case without me today.”

Logan cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

I huffed angrily, appalled by his stupidity. “What do you mean? If I hadn’t practically forced you to talk to

me earlier, you would have taken the Ideal in an instant. What was I even there for? To look pretty while

you handle everything? I’m not that type of woman, Logan.”

At my words, Logan’s face blanched. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.” He sighed, looking both

defeated and hopeful at the same time. “Look, I’m sorry. Let’s just have a fresh start tonight. You, me, a

drink.”

In the recesses of my mind, I pondered over the stark change in Logan’s demeanor. Just last night, his

fury over a mere question about his mother had been palpable. Yet now, he seemed almost desperate

for my company.

The inconsistency troubled me, though I chose to hold my tongue on the subject for the time being

Finally, I softened a touch. “Logan, we’re colleagues. And for the remainder of our arrangement, that’s

where I want to draw the line. I can’t mix business with whatever this is.”

The two of us paused, standing face-to-face in the middle of the sidewalk. The distant hum of the city

surrounded us. As I turned to leave, Logan’s voice, more earnest than ever, rang out.

“Just one drink?” he pleaded.

“Just screw off, Logan!” I snapped without turning to face him.

Yet, he trailed behind, ever persistent. “Can’t you at least let me explain?” he asked, still walking behind

me. “Come on. I’ll buy you a drink, even dinner if you want. And we can talk.”

“No.” I frowned deeply, knitting my brows together. “Leave me alone, Logan.”

Behind me, I heard Logan stop along with a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “Why do you hate me so

much?” he asked.

Stopping, I whirled on him. “You were not only immature today but blatantly stupid! If you want to

continue dipping your toes in illegal dealings, you shouldn’t have paraded around claiming otherwise.”

“It’s not my illegal business. It’s my tenant’s,” he defended. “Don’t play games with me, Logan. All of

that could easily be pinned on you. Why would you willingly tangle yourself with someone like that? You

had every power to sever ties with that tenant.”

Logan exhaled heavily, raking his fingers. through his hair. “Ella, it’s not as simple as your make it out

to be. This isn’t about one guy, one tenant. There’s a web, a hierarchy. This tenant might be small, but

he’s linked to bigger sharks. If I cut him off, I’d antagonize people who can make life very unpleasant

for me.”

“So what?!” My voice rose, echoing off the surrounding buildings. “You just turn the other cheek,

become a puppet?”

“It’s about keeping the peace, Ella,” he murmured, almost pleadingly. I laughed bitterly. “You mean

being a coward.”

Logan’s jaw tightened. “Was I a coward when I jumped in front of that falling billboard for you?” He lifted

his shirt sleeve slightly, exposing the still raw, healing scar, marked with stitches. “This hasn’t healed,

Ella.”

I took a step closer, anger flaring in me. “Thank you for that, truly. But one heroic act doesn’t make up

for a pattern of cowardice. Your bravery then doesn’t grant you a free pass to bow to every thug with a

threat.”

His eyes widened, a mixture of hurt and disbelief. “You think I enjoy this? Living in this limbo? It’s not

just about me. There are other people involved, people I care about.”

“And what about me, Logan?” My voice trembled with emotion. “Where do I fit in this grand scheme of

yours? Or am I still just a trophy to you, a way to one-up your brute of a brother?”

For a moment, he was silent, gazing at me with those deep, conflicted eyes. “Ella, I-”

“Save it.” With a final, scathing look, I turned on my heel, leaving him standing there, a lone figure

against the backdrop of the dimming city.