Page 113 of Broken Pact

“Jagger, my man,” Hawke croons.

“You wanna tell me why you’re sending sexy selfies to my girl, Hawke?” Jasper growls.

My brows hit my hairline, and Hawke whistles.

“Damn, bro. So you think I’m sexy?” Hawke taunts.

“That’s what you got out of this?” He grunts.

My brows rise even higher as curiosity lashes across my brow like an itch.

Hawke just laughs. “How’d you get Carter’s phone? Shit, how was Sunday dinner? You comin’ to the clubhouse now or what?”

My brows rise a little bit with every rambled question. I haven’t known Hawke all that long, but I’ve never heard him so amped up before. I fold my lips inward to stifle the laugh.

“Nah, we’ve got other plans,” Jasper says.

I glance at him in surprise. That’s news to me. “We do?” I mouth.

His lips tilt into one of his sinfully delicious smirks. “We’re going to The Alley.”

“Oh hell yeah, man. I’ll meet you there,” Hawke says before hanging up.

Jasper chuckles and drops my phone into my waiting palm. “Feel like going on an adventure, baby?”

With him? “Always.”

52

CORALINE

The truck jostles as Jasper turns off the main road, the smooth pavement giving way to a bumpy dirt path. I let my hand dangle out the open window, enjoying the way the warm evening breeze dances between my fingers. It lifts strands of my hair, making them flutter around my face.

I turn my head, watching the scenery pass by. The sun hangs low on the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant streaks of orange and pink. It bathes everything in a dreamy, ethereal light. Towering evergreens and sprawling oaks line the edge of a wooded area.

Anticipation sizzles through my veins as we venture further down the secluded path, the truck bouncing over the uneven terrain. I steal a glance at Jasper, his chiseled profile illuminated by the fading sunlight streaming through the windshield. He catches my gaze, those mesmerizing eyes glinting with mischief and wicked promise.

“Almost there, baby,” he says.

I flash him a sidelong glance. “It’s in the woods?”

“Just wait.”

I nod, biting my lip and reserving judgment. The trees thin out as we round a bend, and my breath catches in my throat. Jasper slows the truck to a stop, and I lean forward, my eyes widening at the sight before us.

Nestled in the heart of the forest is a massive clearing, bathed in the golden hour from the quickly sinking sun. In the center sits an old race track, its weathered asphalt cracked and faded with age. Towering bleachers flank either side, the metal rusted but still standing strong. An announcer’s booth rises above it all on the far side, paint chipped but windows intact.

It’s enchanting, like some kind of time capsule. A haunting reminder of days past.

I sit forward and look out the windshield. “I can’t believe I never knew about this.”

Engines roar, people laugh and cheer, music pulsates from several speakers. It’s loud, loud enough that I’m genuinely surprised no one can hear this from the road. Maybe the woods muffle the sound somehow?

A slow smile spreads across my face as I take it all in, wonder and excitement mingling in my chest. “This is incredible.”

He grins, that roguish smirk that makes my heart skip a beat. “Welcome to The Alley, baby.”

I hop out of the truck, my sneakers crunching on the gravel as I take it all in. Jasper rounds the hood and tosses his arm over my shoulder. I let him lead us toward the entrance.

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