Adeline’s Pov

‘I shouldn’t be drinking this much’

That is my first thought as I walk down the hallway,one hand against the wall to steady myself.

I’m not drunk.

I’m just tipsy. I tell myself

maybe more than tipsy.

The music from the club becomes quieter with every step I take and I glance over my shoulder to make sure no creep is following me.

Good.

I just need to find the restroom.

There are several identical doors along the hallway. I reach for the first one I see and push it open.

“Please be the bathroom” I whisper

Darkness.

I almost close it immediately.

But then I hear voices.

Men.

My fingers tighten around the door.

I can’t make out what they’re saying, but their voices are low and tense.

Maybe this is some kind of private room in the club

I take a small step inside. Then another.

A faint line of light comes from a doorway at the other end of the room,and I move toward it,trying to see what’s happening.

Thats when i see a bald headed man on his knees,fear plastered all over his face.

And there’s someone standing in front of him.

A man.

Tall.

He has his back to me.

For a moment,neither of them moves.

I should leave.

I know I should.

But my body remains frozen

Just then,the man on his knees says something.

His voice is low so I can’t make out the words.

The other man leans slightly closer.

He says something but I don’t hear it

My blood begins to run cold and I don’t know why.

Something about his voice makes the room feel smaller.

My stomach drops.

What the hell?

The bald man says something.

“You need to believe me”

I need to leave this room.

Before I process anything again,a loud bang fills the room.

I jump.

The bald man falls forward

For a second,I don’t understand what I’m looking at.

My brain refuses to put the pieces together.

Then I see the blood,then the hole in his head

My hand flies over my mouth.

A terrified gasp leaves my throat

I stumble backward and hit something.

The noise attracts attention to me and my soul leaves my body at that moment

The man turns.

And then I see his face.

My entire body goes cold.

I know him.

Callan Quinn

The billionaire whose family has been feuding with mine for years.

And right now,he’s standing in front of a dead man with a gun in his hand.

His eyes lock onto mine but he doesn’t look surprised.

He looks calm.Too calm.

One of the men behind him steps forward.

“Sir”

Callan doesn’t take his eyes off me.

“Bring her.”

My heart stops and i immediately run for it

I throw the door open and sprint down the hallway,my heels nearly sending me flying.

I hear footsteps behind me.

They’re coming after me but I don’t look back.

I push through the doors and into the crowded club.

Music blasts through the speakers.

People are laughing.

Dancing.Drinking.

Nobody knows what just happened.

Nobody knows there’s a dead man behind that door.

I push through the crowd.

Someone grabs my arm and I scream and yank myself free.

“Sorry”

I don’t even know who I’m apologizing to.

I just keep running.

The footsteps disappear in the music.

I reach the exit and burst outside.

Cold air hits my face.

I run to my car,fumbling with my keys.

Any dizziness the alcohol made me feel cleared.

“Come on” I pant

My hands are shaking so badly I drop them.

I pick them up,unlock the door and throw myself inside.

The moment I lock the doors,I sit there frozen.

My breathing is too fast and my hands won’t stop shaking.

I stare at the windshield.

I just watched someone die.

And Callan Quinn saw me.

He’ll kill me.

Without wasting another second,I start the car and drive.

I don’t look back.

I should never have opened that door.

That night, I barely sleep.

Every time I close my eyes, I see the same thing.

The man on his knees.

The gun.

The blood spilling on the floor

And Callan Quinn turning around.

By morning, I feel like I haven’t slept at all.

I reach for my phone before I even get out of bed.

There are dozens of notifications.

News alerts,messages and miissed calls.

My stomach tightens.

I open the first news notification.

The headline makes my entire body go still.

BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN RICHARD BALE FOUND DEAD IN HIS CAR.

I read it twice.

Richard Bale.

The name means something. Not to me personally,but I’ve heard it enough times at home.My father’s business circle. Financial news.Business magazines.

Bale International.

One of London’s most powerful businessmen.

And last night, I watched him die.

I see blogs on how they’re ruling it out as a hit and run,because valuable items were missing from the car.

But I know it wasn’t a hit and run.

I drop my phone onto the bed.

“No”My voice comes out barely more than a whisper.

I walk to the bathroom and splash cold water onto my face.

This isn’t happening.

Maybe I didn’t see clearly.

Maybe it wasn’t him

I look at myself in the mirror.

I know exactly what I saw.

And worse,I know who was standing over him.

Callan Quinn.

His name is already appearing across the blogs.

Not as a suspect. Not yet.

But there are photographs of him everywhere.

One article mentions that Quinn and Vale had been involved in a business dispute for months. Another says several influential businessmen were at the club last night.

I stop reading.

My hands are shaking.

If Callan saw me,then he knows I can identify him.

I don’t want to think about what comes next.

I consider calling my father. I see his text message asking me if i’m okay. He clearly saw the news

My thumb hovers over his name.

Dad would know what to do.

He always does.

But something stops me.

I lower the phone.

I can’t tell anyone.Not yet.

I get dressed for work, mostly because sitting alone in my apartment feels worse.

Maybe if I follow my normal routine,everything will feel normal again.

It doesn’t.

At work, I stare at my computer screen for almost ten minutes without reading a single word.

I type the wrong figures into a report.

Send an email to the wrong person.

Drop my pen twice.

By noon, my boss is standing beside my desk.

“Adeline”

I look up.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah”

The lie comes too quickly.

He studies me for a moment.

“You don’t look okay”

“I didn’t sleep well”

“That much is obvious”

I force a small smile.

He sighs.

“Go home.Get some rest.Its already the weekend ”

Normally,I’d argue but today, I’m relieved.

I gather my things and leave.

But the moment I step outside, I notice it.

A black sedan parked across the street.

My steps slow.

I stare at it.

The windows are tinted too dark for me to see inside.

Maybe it’s nothing.

I get in my car and start driving

The car doesn’t move.

I turn down another street and afew seconds later,I see the car from my rear view mirror

My heart begins to pound.

I drive faster.

So does the car.

I tell myself I’m being paranoid.

London is full of black cars.

It could be anyone.

But when I turn again,it’s still there.

Following me.

My apartment suddenly feels very far away.

I finally reach my building and hurry inside.

The doors close behind me.

I lean against them,breathing heavily.

Nothing.

The street outside is quiet.

I take the elevator upstairs.

The doors open.

I walk toward my apartment.

Everything looks normal.

I take out my keys.

Then I stop.

My door is slightly open.

My blood turns cold.

I know I locked it this morning.

I stare at the gap.

For a while,I don’t move.

Maybe I forgot.

Maybe the lock didn’t catch.

I should call the police,I know I should.

Instead,I push the door open.

“Hello?”

Silence.I step inside.

My apartment looks exactly the way I left it.

Nothing is out of place.

I close the door behind me.

My heart is still pounding.

I take one step forward.

Then another.

“Is anyone here?”

Nothing.

I slowly put my bag down.

Maybe I’m imagining things again.

Maybe the stress is finally getting to me.

I turn toward the hallway.

A shadow moves.

I freeze.

Before I can react, something wraps around my throat.

A large hand.

My back slams against the wall.

I gasp, clawing at the arm around my neck.

A man stands in front of me.

I don’t recognize him.

His face is partially covered by the darkness.

The pressure around my throat tightens.

I can’t breathe.

I kick but hee doesn’t move.

Panic fills me.

I scratch at his hand,trying desperately to pull it away.

Nothing.

My vision begins to blur.

And just before everything disappears,one thought runs through my mind.

Callan found me.