~Mel~
The compound was louder than I remembered. The hum of engines blended with the clang of tools and the steady rhythm of laughter.
Music drifted through the open bay doors, something rough and steady that matched the heartbeat of the place. Sunlight spilled across cracked asphalt, gleaming off rows of chrome and black steel. The scent of oil, leather, and coffee wrapped around everything.
I hadn’t planned on coming. I’d told myself three different times to turn around, to go home, to stay where I belonged. But something stronger kept me driving forward. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was the ache that had been sitting in my chest since the last time I saw Rouger.
I parked by the outer fence, my nerves sparking, and stepped out. My boots crunched on gravel, too clean against the
