Samir grunts and gives me a betrayed look. I narrow my eyes in warning, and he huffs, rubbing his side. “Not for me,” he says after a moment. “But one of my friends has a crush on Daniela. At least now I can tell him it’s a lost cause.”

Mia sits up straighter. “Which friend?” she asks almost too pleasantly.

“Don’t tell her,” Ace says from my side, a faint grin tugging at his mouth. “She’s not above homicide.”

Samir turns to Ace, and a far worse smile spreads across his face. “Speaking of dating—” he starts to say, and I pinch his wrist, my heart already racing. He yelps in surprise, clutching his arm. “Jesus Christ. Never mind. My sister is a tyrant.”

“I’ll make Mia turn this car around right now,” I warn him.

Samir sighs, leaning his head against the back of Mia’s seat. “All right, Darth Vader.”

“Darth Vader isn’t that bad,” Ace says, nudging my shoulder, a comforting warmth at my side. Some of my nerves settle. “But your sister is Rey Skywalker.”

Samir’s eyes light up, and he launches into a Star Wars rant about Rey’s lineage. I shake my head, leaning back in my seat as Ace indulges him.

Thankfully, the rest of the ride is uneventful, and we don’t die miserably in a car crash.

When we arrive, Ace gestures for Mia to get out. “I’m not letting you parallel park my car.”

Mia scowls. “I can do it.”

Ace snorts and looks at Daniela.

Daniela’s eyes widen and she hastily exits the car. “Don’t bring me into this.”

Mia gapes after her girlfriend. “The betrayal,” she says, clutching her chest. “You win this time, Alistair.”

“Thanks, Cosmia,” Ace says, rolling his eyes as his sister leaves. “Karina, Rafiq? Do you want to go with them?”

Samir pushes open the door. “I can’t sit in the same car as an Anakin Skywalker apologist.”

“I’m not an apologist. I just think that the Jedi Council alienated Anakin—”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Samir says, hopping out, but there’s laughter in his voice. Ace looks similarly amused. The interaction makes my stomach twist with sudden awareness.

Not for the first time, it hits me.

Even knowing I shouldn’t, I have feelings for Ace. Feelings that are nearly brimming over the edges.

“Karina, if you want to go with them you can,” Ace says, holding open the door for me.

I shake my head. “I’ll come with you.”

The smile I receive in return causes my heartbeat to stutter.

Ace parks the car a few blocks away. Before we walk back, he takes off his coat and tosses it in the back seat. For the first time, I see the dark shape on his wrist clearly.

“Is that a tattoo?” I ask, reaching for him without thinking.