I'm In Love With My Bestfriend's Billionaire Fiance!
Chapter 106: In The Belly Of The Plaza...

Chapter 106: In The Belly Of The Plaza...

(Jace’s POV)

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As Ethan maneuvered the SUV down the ramp and into the gaping mouth of the underground garage, a shiver crawled down my spine. It was the kind of place that swallowed daylight whole. The moment we dipped below ground level, it felt like stepping into another world—a concrete underbelly humming with fluorescent lights, echoing tires, and quiet, creeping shadows.

I twisted in my seat and turned my gaze through the rear windshield. My fingers gripped the seatbelt across my chest as I narrowed my eyes, squinting hard in hopes of sharpening my vision. There was something I thought I saw. A vehicle. It had been parked under the merciless sunlight just before the garage. It was a high-end car. Familiar. Too familiar.

Beside me, Ethan caught the movement. He glanced up at the rearview mirror and asked casually, "What’s it?"

I hesitated. My throat was dry. "Nothing, I guess." I leaned back in my seat, the leather suddenly cold beneath me. "For a minute there, I thought I saw a car I recognized."

His eyes flicked toward me, then back to the road. "A car you recognized? Like whose car?"

I shrugged, trying not to sound as unsettled as I felt. "Just a sedan. Sleek. Expensive. A number of people I know drive one like it. It could be anyone."

Ethan didn’t immediately reply. The tires rolled over a metal grate with a dull clang that echoed into the cavernous stillness. Then, casually, he asked, "Well, did you see the owner?"

I shook my head. "No. We passed it too fast. It was tucked between two other vehicles, so I couldn’t make much of it. Just the boot and taillights, really. A shadow near the driver’s side, but... I couldn’t make anything out."

"Maybe it is someone you know," he suggested, his tone light, but I caught the flicker of caution behind his words. His hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

"Yeah," I muttered, glancing back one more time. "Maybe."

But I didn’t believe that. Not really. There was something about the way the car had just sat there. Still. Watching. Almost like it was waiting. Not idling, not coming or going. Just there.

We continued further into the garage, the SUV descending like a beast into its lair. Above us, the world buzzed with life—plaza shoppers bustling between boutiques and cafes, sunlight bouncing off glass facades—but down here, the atmosphere thickened. The air was cooler, heavier. The kind of cool that didn’t come from ventilation, but from isolation. The further we drove, the more the natural light disappeared, eaten away by the dim fluorescence of the overhead bulbs that flickered every few feet like reluctant guardians.

This wasn’t the typical parking lot. It was deeper, more secluded—the long-term section of the garage meant for those who’d be leaving their cars for hours or even days. The kind of place few people ventured unless they had to.

And yet... that car. That feeling.

"You okay?" Ethan asked as we passed another row of vehicles, most of them covered in a thin veil of dust and silence.

I nodded, but it was a lie. I wasn’t okay. I couldn’t shake the gnawing sensation that we were being watched. And until the Maven issue was taken care of, I didn’t think I would be able to feel anyway else.

I tried to push the thought away. Told myself it was just paranoia, just my nerves fraying at the edges from everything that had been happening lately. But the tension wouldn’t leave. It clung to my skin like static.

"You’re tense," Ethan added, more softly this time, glancing at me again. "If something’s bothering you, say it."

I turned to him, and for a second, I considered brushing it off again. But instead, I whispered, "Nah... let’s just get this done with. Getting to the Abbey now is our utmost concern. Getting to The Abbey and finding Vic Morano."

He glanced at the rearview mirror as he nodded. "Sure thing. As you wish, boss."

Ethan didn’t push. But I could tell from the way his posture changed, from the way his eyes darted a little quicker, that he wasn’t buying the excuse. But I wasn’t going to get into all that at the moment, not when I had so many things going on right now.

We turned another corner, the lights casting our shadows long and distorted against the gray walls. The garage grew quieter as we moved deeper, the hum of the city above now just a distant throb. I tried to focus on the logic of it all—on the logistics, the facts. Hundreds of people pass through this plaza every day. High-end cars weren’t uncommon. There were at least three others parked down here already.

But none of the others had made my skin crawl. And that was the scary thing about it. I had to look more into this car, see what I can find out about it.

Ethan finally eased the SUV into a narrow, dim corner tucked far from the main path, where the overhead lights barely reached and shadows stretched like fingers along the concrete walls. The shadows clung to the black vehicle like camouflage, rendering it nearly invisible in the half-light. It was a place most people wouldn’t glance at twice—secluded, still, silent. A place meant to be forgotten.

"I guess this will do," Ethan said, his voice low, his tone unreadable.

He cut the engine, and with a soft click, the rumbling ceased. The silence that followed was unnerving—so complete it almost buzzed in my ears. We sat there for a moment, listening to the groaning quiet of the underground.

Then, without exchanging another word, we both opened our doors in sync and stepped out. The solid clunk of metal closing behind us echoed down the concrete corridor. Ethan locked the SUV, the chirp of the alarm sounding far too loud in the hush, and we began the long walk toward the exit.

It felt longer than it should have.

Ethan had driven deep into the bowels of the garage in search of privacy and protection for the SUV, and now every footstep reverberated around us, bouncing off pillars and dim walls like we were being followed by an invisible crowd. I kept glancing over my shoulder, expecting to catch movement out of the corner of my eye. But each time, there was only darkness—and the low, constant hum of fluorescent lights flickering far above.

"Seriously?" I muttered after a while, "Did you really have to park the car so far away?"

"Sorry, boss." He replied with a grim smile. "I had to do what I believed was best for us and the SUV."

I only pursed my lips as I kept walking. The air smelled of oil, rubber, and something older. Something metallic and sour. It clung to my hoodie and made me feel like I’d been walking through a vault sealed off from the sun for decades.

"I’ve got to register the parking spot," Ethan said suddenly, breaking the uneasy quiet. "If I don’t, they’ll probably tow the SUV."

"Yeah," I murmured, not slowing down.

He peeled off toward a small booth stationed near the garage’s entrance. Its windows were tinted, its doorway narrow, and it stood like a lonely sentry to the outside world. I watched him disappear through the door with a nod and then continued forward, my pace quickening slightly.

I just wanted out of there.

When I finally stepped into the daylight, it felt like surfacing from deep water. The change was so stark it made me blink against the brightness. The sky above was a violent blue, the sun blazing at its peak. Its rays poured down in sheets, fierce and merciless. Heat shimmered off the pavement in waves, distorting the world into something half-real, half-hallucinated.

Still, despite the furnace of midday, I tugged my hoodie tighter around me. The fabric clung to my skin, damp with sweat, but I didn’t care. I pulled the hood low over my forehead, shielding as much of my face as possible, and zipped my jacket all the way up, determined to stay unseen. Every second in public was a risk I couldn’t afford to take.

And I definitely didn’t feel safe.

I stopped by the tall building of the plaza that offered a sliver of shade and scanned the area. I turned slowly, letting my gaze sweep across the crowded park of the plaza. It was still filled with all sorts of vehicles and people who were fighting to get in and out of the plaza. My eyes settled near the far end of the park, the direction we had come from. Maybe I would finally know what exactly had been so familiar about the car. However, almost immediately, I felt a dull thud in my chest. It was a thud of disappointment.

The car was gone.

"Nah... it’s gone," I said softly under my breath. "Fucking hell!"

My voice was at its normal volume, but it was stolen away by the noise and bustle of the plaza. A gust of hot air swept across the place, yet it did nothing to ease the sweltering heat. It was like dying from perspiration but being blown hot air. I stood there for a moment, motionless, my breath tight in my chest. Watching. Listening. It was annoying as fuck.

There was no sign of the sedan I’d glimpsed before in the garage. No notable figure beside the driver’s side. No license plate to confirm my suspicions. No proof that it was ever really there at all.

But the unease remained. I had no idea why, but the unease was there. It was as if there was more for me to know about it, but I just couldn’t get it. There was more to figure out, but it kept sneaking out of the grips of my mind.

However, as I stood there, I was convinced that the owner of the vehicle was someone I knew very well.

I just had to figure out who the person was. And I was gonna do that!

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