Chapter 217 Chapter 0216

Chapter 217 Chapter 0216
The moment Adam stepped inside Clark’s apartment, he knew something was off.
At a glance, it was the kind of place you’d expect a high-end lawyer to own—modern, sleek, expensive. But underneath the surface, there was something else. Something… wrong.
Boxes. Unpacked, shoved haphazardly against the walls. Some stacked near the hallway, some left forgotten by the bookshelf.
There was an expensive bottle of whiskey sitting on the coffee table—half empty. Another on the kitchen counter. Glasses left behind, like someone had drunk just enough to forget whatever the hell was bothering them, but not enough to pass out.
The air had that lingering scent of cologne and something else. Something faintly human, like the remnants of someone who had been here and left in a hurry.
Clark’s place was polished, sure. But it wasn’t lived in. It was a man’s house, not a man’s home.
Adam brushed past it all.
Not his business.
Clark stood by the entrance, watching him carefully. His suit was perfectly tailored, his posture straight, but his fingers tapped an anxious rhythm against the edge of his pocket.
"Are you coming in, or are you just gonna stand there judging my interior design?" Clark’s voice was smooth, refined—but dry as hell.
Adam smirked. "I’m tryin’ to figure out how a guy like you got this messy."
Clark narrowed his eyes. "Messy?"
Adam nodded toward the whiskey. The boxes. The barely touched living space.
Clark scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "It’s called having a job, MacDougall. Maybe you should try it sometime."
Adam’s smirk didn’t fade.
Same old Clark.
Still sharp. Still too fucking arrogant for his own good.
Adam let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as he stepped fully inside.
"Alright," he muttered, settling into the space like he owned it. "Let’s get to business."
Clark arched a brow, waving toward the couch.
Adam didn’t sit.
Clark, of course, noticed.
"Suit yourself," he muttered, dropping onto the couch, crossing one leg over the other with that expensive-ass lawyer energy that Adam already wanted to punch out of him.
"Alright, let’s talk about the contract."

Clark perked up slightly. Business mode activated.
He reached for a folder on the table, flipping it open with the kind of precision only a lawyer could pull off.
"You’ll be providing full-time security services," Clark started, already in full legal mode. "That includes surveillance, risk assessment, personal protection—"
Adam cut him off. "Nah. That ain’t how this works."
Clark stared at him. "Excuse me?"
Adam stepped closer, towering over the coffee table.
"You don’t tell me what my job is, lawyer boy," he said easily. "I decide how I keep your ass alive."
Clark’s jaw tightened. "That’s not how contracts work, MacDougall."
Adam smirked. "Then rewrite it."
Clark exhaled sharply, gripping his pen a little too tightly.
"Fine," he muttered, making a note. "What do you propose?"
Adam leaned in slightly. "I go where you go. No exceptions. If you step outta this apartment, I’m there. IfIf you decide to have another one of your little ‘casual encounters’—"
Clark snapped his head up. "That is none of your business."
Adam’s smirk widened. "You hire me, it is."
Clark’s nostrils flared. "Jesus Christ, Matthew really found the most insufferable person for this job."
Adam chuckled, grabbing a pen from the table.
He signed, then slid it toward Clark.
Clark sighed.
Then, he clicked his pen, signing his name with a quick, fluid motion.
"There," he muttered. "You’re officially my bodyguard."
Adam smirked, folding his arms. "Guess I better keep you alive, then."
Clark scoffed, adjusting his tie.
"Yeah," he muttered. "You better."
Adam rested his elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely, watching Clark like he was trying to figure out how this guy had survived this long.
"You’re really draggin’ me into some shit, huh, lawyer boy?"
Clark didn’t look up immediately. Instead, he flipped through his notes, adjusting his cuffs with that same lawyerly precision that made Adam want to roll his eyes.
"If you’re supposed to keep me alive, you need to know what I’m dealing with," Clark said flatly. "That means you need to know, too."
Adam sighed, stretching out his neck. "Alright. So what are we dealin’ with?"
Clark exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "I’m defending a guy who murdered six people."
Adam didn’t blink. Didn’t move.
\`Six bodies? That was supposed to be impressive? ´
Clark frowned at his lack of reaction. “Did you hear me?”
Adam tilted his head slightly. “Yeah. And?"
Clark stared at him. "And? He killed six men."
Adam let out a slow breath, unimpressed. “That ain’t even a busy afternoon.”
Clark scoffed, shaking his head. "For a lawyer, murder usually means something."
Adam let out a low chuckle. "Yeah? You new to criminal defense, lawyer boy?"
Clark shot him a flat look. "It wasn’t just murder. It was a rescue mission. He killed six guys involved in human trafficking."
Adam paused. Just briefly.
\`Alright. That changed things. ´
Clark leaned forward, voice more controlled now. "And apparently, my client isn’t just any criminal. He’s high-ranking."
Adam’s brow lifted slightly. "High-ranking?"
Clark nodded, flipping through a few notes before muttering, "They say… a capo."
Adam exhaled slowly, taking his time.
\`Alright. Now we are getting somewhere. ´
Capo meant one of them.
Clark had no idea what he’d stepped into.
And Adam? He wasn’t about to start explaining it.
Instead, he just played it off, scratching his jaw. "Which one?"
Clark frowned. "What?"
Adam shrugged, leaning back slightly. "There’s eight capos in this city, lawyer boy. You said your client’s one of ‘em. So which one?"
Clark hesitated, then sighed. "Cassidy Hills."
Adam’s brow twitched slightly.
Cassidy?
Now that was unexpected.
Cassidy was careful. Clean. Smart.
Not the type to pull something reckless.
Adam didn’t react beyond a slow nod.
“Didn’t think Hills was the type to get his hands dirty,” he said lazily. "Always kept things clean."
Clark let out a humorless laugh. "Well, I guess even clean criminals have their moments."
Adam shrugged, keeping his expression neutral.
If Cassidy had killed six men, it meant something serious had gone down.
Clark kept flipping through notes. "Seems he stepped on another mafia boss’s business. He rescued someone who had been kidnapped by this boss."
Adam’s jaw tightened slightly.
Rescuing people wasn’t standard business. That wasn’t business at all. That was personal.
"You got a name?" Adam asked, voice casual.
Clark glanced down at his file. "They say his name is Houston."
Adam didn’t react.
Not visibly.
But in his head?
\`Jesus fucking Christ, Cassidy.´
Houston.
Of all the people to fuck with.
Houston wasn’t just another boss. Houston was a goddamn nightmare.
Clark kept talking, clueless about how deep this really was.
Adam ran his tongue over his teeth, rolling his shoulders.
"Bad fuckin’ move," he muttered.
Clark looked up. "What?"
Adam shrugged. "Nothin’. Just thinkin’ your client’s either got a death wish or he’s a dumbass."
Clark rolled his eyes. "If he was a dumbass, he wouldn’t be in charge of anything, would he?"
Adam chuckled, shaking his head.
"Lawyer boy," he muttered, pushing up from the chair, "You got no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into."
Clark didn’t argue.
Because for the first time tonight?
He knew Adam was probably right.