DANTE'S POV
"Two weeks Adeline. Give me two weeks and I'll be back in town to save you from your evil parents. Can you stall them until I get back?"
I speak into my phone's mic while simultaneously typing out codes into my computer. I'm close to finding out middle man but he sure knows how to hide himself and I can't go back to New York without finding him. If I abandon this now, I'll never get the chance again and it'll be back to square one for me. I need to find him and get the necessary information I need before going back to Adeline.
I still hate myself so much for what I did to her and I can't wait to get back home so I can hold her in my arms and tell her how much I miss her.
I hear her breathing quietly on the other side of the phone and I can almost visualize the frown on her face as she says her next words.
"My parents are very persuasive Dante. But yeah, I'll try to keep them from making me sign any marriage contracts until you're back." She says and I furrow my brows in irritation. What kind of parents does she have exactly? Whenever she talks about her parents, it's with sadness and unease.
She looks like the type of girl who had everything controlled for her, who was never able to make her own decisions and even now, at fucking twenty-four years old, with an accomplished job, her parents are still trying to control her and it's pissing me the fuck off. She looks so confident and decisive but it seems like all those qualities get hidden in a dark shell every time she talks about her parents.
It's almost as if she's scared of them.
"I really want to understand the kind of relationship you have with your parents. Why are you so afraid of then Adeline? Why can't you just tell them 'No'?" I ask and she goes quiet for a few seconds.
"Because I've never told denied them everything before. I'm where I am today because of them Dante. I always did what they expected of me." She explains and I think it's fucking stupid. She's not living her life the way she wants to because she's being held back b her parents' unreasonable constraints.
"No Adeline. You're where you are today because you worked hard for it and you're good at what you do. You're named the best therapist in the city by hard work and dedication alone. Your parents had nothing to do with that. Besides, you've had a boyfriend before so having another one now shouldn't be that much of a shock to them."
I look at my computer screen and a precise location of where my middle man was last spotted pops up and I smirk triumphantly as I await Adeline's response. Still on the phone, I stand from my chair and put on a black t-shirt, getting ready to go to the address I just found as soon as possible.
"Dain was different. My parents used to talk about contract marriages but they let me go out with Dain because they hadn't found me a suitable match yet, but now they have so you can see how everything becomes more complicated." She explains.
"No, it's not complicated actually. I think you just need to put on your bad girl shoes and stand up to your parents. They can't live your life for you Adeline and if they loved you, they would understand you are your own person, a grown woman and you can make your own decisions."
I grab my keys and head towards my car, ready to find my next victim and get information out of him.
"It's not that easy Dante. Just… will you hep me or not?" She asks pleadingly and I stop in my tracks. If I ever meet her parents and they piss me off, I swear I'm going to give them a piece of my mind in the most respectable way possible.
I need to get back to New York in a week and not two. She sounds like she's really serious about this and I need to take her more seriously. So I need to get over with what I have to do and go back to her.
"If everything goes well over here, I'll be back in a week." I say getting into my car and slamming the door shut.
"Really?" She asks excitedly, but there's a small hint of doubt in her voice. I guess because I've let her down twice already so my word pretty much means shit to her right now, but I couldn't be more serious.
"Yes princess. Give me another chance and count on it. I won't let you down again." I say and start my car engine.
"Okay Mr. Russo." She says in a seductive voice and I feel shiver rush to my groin. God, I miss her.
"I have to go. I have a patient coming in soon. Call me later?" I could listen to her voice all day.
"Of course." I reply and she hangs up. As soon as I'm off the phone, I enter the address into my car's GPS and my eyes widen a bit when I realize it's about a four-hour ride from where I am. I'll be very annoyed if this is just a dead end.
I let out a deep sight and start driving. If I find this man, I'll be one step closer to everything. I'll find answers about the organization and then one by one, I'll kill everyone associated with it.
As I drive, I start thinking about the girl I saved yesterday. Before taking my flight this morning, I took her somewhere safe but I can't help but think of all what she went through before I got to her. Before I could save her she must have gone through hell.
If I don't kill these people, more young girls like her will suffer and probably die and every time I think about it, it kills me a little bit inside. Because I know I can do something about it. I can do what the system if justice has failed to do. I can save all those girls and even more.
But I have to be quick. Every second I waste is time for them to kidnap another girl. So for four hour, I drive to my destination, using my anger and hatred for these people to fuel to my strength and when I finally get to the address, I notice it's in a pretty sketchy part of town.
The buildings and apartments here look abandoned, but there are people roaming the streets at every corner. I watch the GPS device in my car and it's indicating to the building right in front of me. The building looks forgotten, it hasn't been painted in years and there are some weeds growing along the walls of the structure, giving it a creepy look.
Broken windows stare back at me as I look up at the structure. I lock my car and leave it as the side of the road. Even if someone tries to break in, they won't succeed. My car is made of almost indestructible material. I approach the building keeping in mind that this could very much be a trap and he wants me to find him so he can easily kill me.
I've thought of all the possible outcomes of this man hunt and I always come out the winner but I need to try as much as possible not to get hurt because I still have a bullet wound on my arm. I go up to the third floor and walk to the door where my target is.
As I stand directly in front of the door, I listen silently to know if he might be in there with someone but I can only hear the sound of a TV playing.
A very dangerous instinct creeps up my back telling me he knows I'm here and as soon as I walk through this door, I have to be prepared to shoot someone, but not so much that I hurt him. I have to take him back with me alive.
I seriously didn't think I was going to find him today, but if I do and I get what I need from him, then I'll be able to get to Adeline in time. So without wasting any more time, I barge into the apartment.