Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 309

CHAPTER 173-2

Claim

The vault was not something we visited casually, and the thick steel door had enough security around it that I knew the case would be safer there than anywhere else.

Jace unlocked the door, and Ethan carried the case inside and I followed him.

The case looked strangely small sitting on the heavy steel shelf, especially considering how much attention it had already caused.

Ethan placed it down carefully.

“Do you want me to keep working on the lock?” Ethan asked and I shook my head.

“Not yet.” I said.

He looked disappointed, but he nodded.

“I can search for another key or check Uncle Will’s records for anything mentioning the case.” He said.

“That’s what I want.” I said as Jace closed the vault door.

“We’ll figure it out, Paige, but we don’t have to solve everything tonight.” He said.

I knew he was right. The problem was that my mind didn’t seem interested in listening.

I kept thinking about the symbol. I kept thinking about the message. I kept thinking about Mr. Black.

Most of all, I kept wondering whether Uncle Will had known exactly what kind of danger could come from whatever he had discovered years ago.

Then I remembered something else. He had still chosen to keep living his life.

He had worked. He had built motorcycles. He had taught me. He had laughed. He had created Lawson

Customs.

Whatever secrets he had carried, they had never stopped him from enjoying the life he had.

I decided I could do the same. The mystery could wait. Lawson Customs could not.

The next morning, I opened the garage at seven, and the familiar sound of the shutters rolling upward immediately settled something inside me.

The day moved quickly because customers arrived early, Ben had two motorcycles waiting for repairs, and Aiden was already helping him diagnose a problem with an older engine.

Mia came through the office carrying a stack of paperwork.

“You have three customers waiting, two estimates to approve, and someone wants to know whether we can fit them in this afternoon.” Mia said as I smiled.

“Tell them we can.” I said and Mia raised an eyebrow.

“You know we are becoming a real business, right?” She asked.

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CHAPTER 173

“noticed.” I said.

You say that like you’re surprised.” She said.

“I am a little surprised” I said and she laughed and walked away.

Charlotte arrived shortly afterward, and for the first time, I noticed that she tro longer looked nervous when she stepped through the garage doors.

Clairy

She had started volunteering several days a week, and although nobody had forgotten what she had done, she had stopped trying to prove herself with words.

Instead, she worked.

She sorted parts. She cleaned shelves. She helped Mia organize invoices. She followed instructions.

Most importantly, she had not lied.

That mattered more than any apology and I watched her for a moment before returning to the motorcycle

in front of me.

My life was moving forward, and I refused to let an old locked box pull me backward.

By lunchtime, I had almost managed to forget about the case. Almost.

Jace stopped by the garage with lunch, and we ate together in the small office while Diesel rested beneath

the desk.

“You have been thinking about it.” Jace said as I looked at him.

“About what?” I asked.

“The case.” He said and I sighed.

“Maybe a little.” I said.

“We’ll figure it out.” He said.

“I know.” I said.

“You don’t have to solve everything today.” He said.

“I know that too.” I said and he smiled.

“You’re getting better at saying it.” He said and I laughed.

“I’m trying.” I said.

For the first time since finding the key, I felt the tension ease.

Whatever Uncle Will had hidden could stay hidden for another day.

That afternoon, I returned to work, and the garage became loud again with engines, tools, voices, and music.

It felt normal. It felt safe and it felt like my life.

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CHAPTER 1394-

Across town, however, Victor Kane was sitting ita dark room when his phone rang.

He answered without looking at the screen.

“What?” He snapped and the voice on the other end was quiet.

“We found out where Paige has been.” The man said as Victor sat forward.

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