Chapter 107 Adeline
Adeline's POV
I was a little bit surprised that Percy hadn't noticed that I was out of office when I was on my way to the lab. He had to be very busy if he hadn't noticed, and I wasn't going to draw attention to myself.
The private genetics laboratory that I found in Midtown Manhattan promised absolute discretion for its high-profile clients. I paid the exorbitant expedited testing fee entirely in cash, using a heavily forged alias. I couldn't let this get back to Percy, not yet.
"Seventy-two hours, Ms. Vance," the lab technician told me, sliding the receipt across the counter. "We will call the burner number you provided when the results are ready."
Seventy-two hours meant three days, and I could certainly work with that. It made me feel a little bit lighter as I walked out of the clinic and into the bustling New York afternoon, pulling the collar of my trench coat up against the chill. Every shadow in the alleyways felt like it was watching me. Every black sedan that drove past made my pulse spike.
"I see you," Ilya had texted. I no longer saw him as my father, not after everything he had done, but I guess it would be harder to erase him as part of my childhood.
I shrugged off the thought of my childhood and focused on the reality that was now. He was out there, and for the next seventy-two hours, I was completely paralyzed and trapped in a limbo. I was investigating a lie, yet I didn't have the complete truth either. It was annoying.
By the time I returned to Percy’s penthouse that night, my nerves were completely frayed. His apartment, the place that had finally started to feel like a sanctuary, suddenly felt like a glass box. I felt like a fish in a bowl.
I dropped my keys on the foyer table. The penthouse was quiet, save for the low hum of the city below. I walked straight to the windows overlooking the skyline, not to admire the view but to pull the blackout curtains shut.
Then, I walked over to the digital security panel on the wall, bypassed the standard alarm, and manually engaged the secondary perimeter lockdown. It was a protocol Percy usually only used when the syndicate was actively at war. To me, this was a personal war, and I would treat it as such.
"You're checking the deadbolts on a biometric door, Adeline." My heart almost gave way when I heard his voice behind me. I wondered how he even got behind me without me noticing.
Percy was leaning against the archway of the kitchen, dressed in dark sweatpants and a black t-shirt, holding a glass of scotch. He looked incredibly relaxed, but his dark eyes were sharp and assessing.
He didn't get this far, neither in the corporate world nor as a mob boss, without being sharp as a tack. Of course, he would notice that something was wrong.
"Just... just making sure," I breathed, forcing my hand to drop away from the security panel. "You can never be too careful."
He set his scotch down on the counter and slowly closed the distance between us. His massive presence usually grounded me, but tonight, it only made the guilt of what I was handling alone heavier.
"You haven't slept more than two hours a night since the weekend," Percy stated, his voice a low, steady rumble that demanded the truth. He stopped right in front of me, and his hands gently gripped my upper arms. "You flinch every time your phone vibrates. You canceled your lunch with Zara today, and now you're locking down my penthouse like we're under siege. " I couldn't tell him that I eventually went to see Zara, not just to have lunch.
"I'm just stressed, Percy." I lied, unable to look him in the eye. I stared at the center of his chest. "The Miller-Hayes merger took a lot out of me and the race from this weekend... I think it just brought up some bad memories from Queens. I have a headache."
Percy’s grip on my arms tightened as he stepped closer, forcing me to look up at him. His gaze was terrifyingly protective.
"Do not lie to me, Adeline," Percy commanded softly. "Not after everything we've been through. I know what stress from work looks like, and this is not it. I know what fear looks like. You look like a woman who is being hunted."
"I'm not. I'm not being hunted, Percy." I choked out. "I'm not being..."
"If someone at the firm threatened you, tell me," Percy pushed, his voice dropping into that dangerous octave. "I don't care if it's Eric Weeks or someone from the racing circuit; give me a name. I will end them before the sun comes up."
Ilya Kozlov. The name burned on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell him so badly. I wanted to collapse against his chest, let him wrap his big arms around me, and let him handle the monster who had stolen my life.
But if I said Ilya's name, Percy would mobilize his men. It would be a bloodbath, and Ilya would retaliate by going after the easiest targets to break me: Evelyn and Zara.
I couldn't risk her life for my own peace of mind. My peace was a small price to pay if it meant that Zara could remain safe and oblivious.
"There is no name." I insisted, pulling back and forcing myself to step out of his protective hold. The physical distance between us felt like a chasm. "Nobody is threatening me, Percy. You're overreacting."
Percy’s jaw locked. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he looked at me for a long, heavy moment, letting the silence stretch until it became suffocating.
"I see," he said finally.
"Percy, what..."
"Two weeks ago, you stood in my closet, put my ring back on your finger, and told me you were done hiding in fear. You told me there were no more secrets." The hurt in his voice was subtle, but it was there, and it completely broke my heart.
"Percy, please," I whispered, tears pricking the back of my eyes. "Just let it go. Please."
"I will let it go tonight," Percy replied, his tone entirely unyielding as he turned away from me. "But whatever battle you are trying to fight by yourself, Adeline, I can promise you that you are going to lose if you don't let me in. I won't ask again."
"Percy..." He didn't spare me another glance. He walked back into the bedroom and left me alone in the foyer.
I leaned back against the cold wall, squeezing my eyes shut as a single tear slipped down my cheek. I had successfully pushed him away. I had protected the Whitmores, but I had broken the trust of the man I loved to do it.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at the time on the screen.
"Only sixty-eight hours left now, Adeline," I told myself.