Page 82 of Reclaiming Adelaide

“Thank you.” She grunted as she struggled to snap the safety off the lid, then took a sip.

I groaned, watching her lips touch the bottle, her head tipped back, and her throat bobbing up and down, and she drank. My mind shouldn’t be so sexual towards something so innocent as drinking, but it was. I cleared my throat, bringing my tight fist to my mouth as I did. “So tell me, what were you looking for in my parents’ file?”

“Jake, when I hacked into the police station, I had Holeo’s help. Believe me when I tell you, the first time I’d heard about your parents was the timeyoutold me about them.”

I clenched my jaw, pulsing my muscle as I contemplated the possibility.

“What’s that?” she said as I drove through the private airport’s opened security gate with my fist squeezing the steering wheel.

A plume of fiery black smoke, like ink in blue waters, rose to the sky, casting shadows across the land.

“Shit.”

Two big red fire trucks sat parked next to my hangar, spraying their foamy fire retardant onto my plane, and another sprayed the building beside it, preventing the fire from spreading.

I’d bought that plane when I’d made my first legit million, and now it’d gone up in flames.

I pulled the car to a stop and put it in park. “Stay here.”

Her eyes went wide, her fingers gripping the drink between her legs. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find out what happened. Just stay in the car.”

She nodded, and I wondered if she’d listen this time or if we’d end up in another race against the clock type situation.

I stepped out of the car, locking it behind me for good measure, and found a firefighter.

“What’s going on?”

“Are you the owner?” he asked, opening a metal drawer on the side of his truck.

“Yes.”

“Some type of explosion. We won’t know yet until we get the fire put out.”Fuck. “If you want to talk to the officers in charge over there,” he pointed to a group of officers in black short-sleeved uniforms standing around gawking. “They can help you.”

“Thanks.”

An explosion… it had to be them.

I glanced back at the car, unable to see inside from the tinted windows. It made my heart skip a beat and my stomach sink with unease, which had me marching back to the vehicle and ripping open the door, only to find her exactly where I’d left her.

“What’s happening? Is that your plane?”

My stomach settled when my gaze clashed with her alert and focused eyes.

“Yes.” I slid into the car, slammed the door shut, and drove toward Charity’s home. “We need some place to lie low for a moment until I figure things out.”

“It was them, wasn’t it?” She shoved her drink onto the floor. “I told you they were at the hospital. How did they find us?”

It’d make sense they’d follow around their leverage. How else did they ensure I’d keep to the deal? My question is, why, though? It’s not like anything had changed. Why would they not only come after her in the hospital but also blow up my plane?

What changed for them?

And how did I tell Adelaide I made a deal with not only the devil but his entire entourage?

“I don’t know.” Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I made my way onto the freeway, checking the vehicles moving behind me. “Shit.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Adelaide turned in her seat and watched the white car moving across lanes in sync with me.

---