CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CADE HARLOW
Ellen is running behind me, trying to keep up. For once, I don’t care that I am outstripping a lady in my stride. I don’t care about anything but getting to Adam’s office and tearing him to shreds.
How dare he come into Ellen’s apartment unannounced and then leave in a fit of rage when he finds us in proof of a relationship? I’m seething. No, it’s more than that. I am livid and I am more than ready to tear him to pieces. I curl my hands into fists and stare straight ahead. I probably should have taken a cab, this way works better.
I’m burning off energy that is thudding through my body, calming my pounding heart a little and settling my mind. I need to think clearly. I need to find out what proof he has and find a way to dispute it.
I will not let my whole world crumble to the ground just because he has jealously issues. My body and mind are on fire and I hear Ellen calling out, “Cade, wait! Be reasonable.”
I can’t be reasonable. I can’t stop until this is sorted out. I slam my hand into the elevator, the button blinking dully as I wait for it. Ellen catches up with me, sounding and looking breathless. I should be feeling guilty, but I don’t have it in me at the moment.
I know I should be calm, be reassuring Ellen, but right now, I just need to get this sorted. I need to tell Adam exactly what a bastard he is, in no uncertain terms. We step into the elevator and it closes behind us. Ellen turns to me. “Cade, you need to think about this,” she implores me.
“I have.” I answer shortly, “I’ve thought about how I am going to teach Adam Jones a lesson.”
She frowns and I can see the worry in her eyes. “Please don’t do anything rash.”
I shrug, “I’m not promising anything.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but the doors open quicker and I am out before she can say anything. I don’t knock on Adam’s door. I don’t wait. He sure as hell didn’t announce himself and I am not going to extend the courtesy to someone who just doesn’t deserve it. There is no chance of that happening.
I open the door and march straight in. He’s at his desk and for a moment, I feel my heart clench. He looks miserable. He looks downtrodden and dispirited in a way I have never seen him before. I almost reconsider myself. I almost stop myself long enough to ask if he is okay.
Then he is on his feet and the look has disappeared completely. Instead, he’s glaring at me angrily, “My office is not welcoming visitors.”
The way he says it, so professional and removed, stirs something within me, “Yeah? Well neither was Ellen’s apartment.”
I cross the space between us, nothing but the strip of desk wood keeping us apart.
“You need to get out, Cade.” He says, his voice shaking with barely contained rage.
“Yeah? Well that’s not going to happen.” I feel the tension race through me, making me feel almost sick. I relish it, slamming my hands onto his desk, “What proof were you talking about?” I grind the words out.
He smirks and it looks ugly and unfeeling, “Proof is proof.”
“What proof is it!?” I barely register the way I am raising my voice, the way my hands are absolutely itching to grab him by his tie and make him stop being so composed, so settled even as he tears my world apart.
I narrow my eyes, but he doesn’t so much as flinch, “That is between me and my client.”
“The trust fund that hired you to dig up dirt, right?” I tighten my jaw.
“I’m not at liberty to say.” He shrugs with indifference.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I stare at him. “Why do you enjoy tearing people down, huh? What did we do to you?”
“You’re a liar, Cade.” He says the words as he looks straight at me, “You deceive your family, you lie about your life. It’s not my fault your lie is crumbling around you.”
“A liar?” Something ugly rises inside of me, “I’m pretty sure you just saw damn good proof that me and Ellen are together.” I ask, “Are you just a sore loser?”
That strikes a chord with him. “Regardless of anything I did or didn’t see, you’ve been lying about this from the beginning. That’s all I need.”
We stare each other down for a long moment, “I don’t believe you.” I murmur.
“No?” Anger ignites in his eyes and he grips his desk tightly. “Then I suppose you also don’t believe that I was sent emails of the whole thing?”
I go pale. There is no way that he could have gotten his hands on those.
“Ellen sent them to me.” He stares at me darkly, “Probably a mistake, but who cares? I got my hands on it and I’ve already sent it all off.”
I hear a gasp behind me and realize that I’ve forgotten all about Ellen following me in. From the way Adam looks up, it’s clear he didn’t notice her either. There’s a moment when his eyes widen and I see Ellen’s hands fly to her mouth.
Her eyes fill with tears and she looks horrified.
“Ellen—” Adam calls out, but she’s already turned and ran down the hall, away from the room, away from the both of us.
I hear the elevator rush down and I know that I will never catch her. Anger spikes through me and I lean over the desk. The next thing I know, I have Adam’s shirt in my hands.
I push myself over the desk and we slam into his neat little filing cabinet. There’s a crash as everything tumbles down around us and I hear Adam gasp. It’s a satisfying sound and I tighten my hands on his shirt.
“How dare you?!” My voice is low, “What the hell has Ellen ever done to you, huh?” I can’t think straight.
For a moment, Adam just stares at me with wide eyes. He’s so close that I can see the pulse fluttering in his neck. Then his hands find my arms and rip me away from him. I refuse to let go and we’re thrown onto the floor.
I grapple hard with him as he lands on top of me with a force that leaves me winded. He’s a solid guy beneath those suits. I grab his tie and relish at the way it makes him react, his hands leaving mine and grabbing the fabric around his neck instead.
Still, I don’t let go. I didn’t happen to put my tie back on at Ellen’s. Lucky me. I pull harder and his body tenses against mine, “Listen here.” His eyes flicker to mine.
“Ellen hasn’t done anything but work hard every day of her life.” I tighten my grip, “Understand?! She’s done nothing to deserve this, even if I have. You didn’t need to do it like that.”
My grip slackens for a second, and that’s all that Adam needs. His knee finds my stomach and I try not to throw up, feeling winded. He pushes his knee firmly into my chest now, and I’m left gasping.
“Well, if you hadn’t enlisted her help, she wouldn’t be caught up in your lie!” His words are harsh and I can see the flush rising to his skin.
“She needed the money and who else was I supposed to ask?!” I want my words to be harsh, but instead they sound pathetic and I glare at him, daring him to challenge me.
I can smell his scent. It invades my senses and overwhelms them. It’s a good scent, I can’t deny it, unlike the softly feminine ones that I am used to. I can feel his heart beating, see the beads of sweat on his brow.
The pressure on my chest lessens and I take in a deep breath, but I don’t move. Neither does Adam. For the longest time, the world seems to stop, to slow down. Nothing else exists but the rumpled front of his shirt and the scent of his sweat and cologne.
Then he pushes himself off me and slumps back against the wall. He sighs and rubs his face, and I move to sit beside him. Everything aches and I’m sure he feels the same way. We sit in silence for a moment, before he speaks.
“I’ve been an idiot.” He doesn’t look at me.
“Yes.” I sigh and glance at the door, “But you’re not the only one acting stupid. I started this mess.”
Adam shakes his head slowly, “Your relationship seems pretty real to me.” He looks regretful.
I nod slowly, smiling a little, “Maybe… but I’ve seen the way she looks at you. I think she fell for you before she did for me.” I give him a knowing look.
“I need to talk to her. Apologize.” He glances at me and seems to debate his next words heavily.
“I’ll recall it.”
“What?” I’m confused, my heart thudding in my chest.
“The information. The proof. I’ll recall it.” He doesn’t look at me but I can’t take his eyes off me.
“Why?” Is all I can think to say.
He shrugs, “Because there’s nothing to gain by sending it.” He smiles at me.
I sigh in relief and shut my eyes for a long moment. It’s odd. I hate this man, I have since I first met him, and yet…
“If I don’t get the money, I lose my father’s company.” My voice is soft and low.
Adam looks at me in surprise and I sigh. “I need it to close a few deals, a few deals that will really bring the company up again.” I smile at the thought, “My uncles ran it into the ground after my father passed, but I’ve been working to bring it back up since I inherited it at twenty one.”
I sigh and rub the back of my neck. “But I haven’t been perfect either.”
“That must be tough.” He looks at me with what seems like genuine concern.
“It is. So… thanks.” I murmur.
He glances at me with a nod, before he moves straightening his shirt and loosening his tie. He smiles at me and I can see stress behind his eyes, “I better go and see Ellen.” He sighs and squeezes his eyes shut, “If she’ll see me, that is.”
“Good luck.” I murmur, and I mean it. I want things to work out, not only for me, but for Ellen, for Adam. I smile, “I’ll let myself out, shall I?”
“You do that.” He makes his way to the door, “Thanks, Cade.”
“Don’t mention it.” I say.
Then he’s gone and I am left sitting against the wall in the wreck of a lawyer’s office. I sigh as I look around. I guess I had better get some cleaning up done. I think I might just owe this guy a favor. After all, he’s helping me out a heck of a lot more than I’m helping him.
Maybe he isn’t quite as bad as I first though he was.
Maybe.