First Rule: Don't Fall For The Enemy

CHAPTER 21

ADRIAN’S POV

The sight of that bastard's hands on Elise's throat triggered something primal in me. I'd never felt rage like this before, white-hot, consuming, murderous. Before I could think, before I could control myself, my fist was connecting with his jaw.

"How dare you touch her?" I snarled as he stumbled backward.

The security guard, Jesse, I remembered now, hit the sidewalk hard, blood spilling from his mouth. The satisfying crack of my knuckles against his face should have been enough, but seeing him on the ground only made me want to hit him again.

"Adrian, stop!" Elise gasped, grabbing my arm as I took a step toward the fallen man.

People were starting to gather, phones coming out to record what was probably going to end up on social media within the hour. The last thing I needed was footage of me beating up a security guard, no matter how much the bastard deserved it.

"We're leaving," I said, grabbing Elise's hand. "Now."

She didn't resist as I pulled her away from the growing crowd, didn't look back at Jesse who was struggling to get to his feet. But I could feel the tension radiating from her body, could see the way her hands were shaking.

The ride back to the office was silent except for the sound of her ragged breathing. I kept glancing at her, taking in the red marks on her throat where that animal had grabbed her, the way she was staring out the window like she was seeing something I couldn't.

"Are you hurt?" I asked finally.

"No." Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"Elise, look at me."

She turned, and what I saw in her eyes made my chest tight. Fear, yes, but also something else. Guilt? Shame? I couldn't read her the way I usually could, and that scared me more than I wanted to admit.

By the time we reached my office, I'd worked myself into a controlled fury. I closed the door behind us and turned to face her, noting how she stood near the window like she was planning an escape route.

"Who was he?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

"I don't know."

The lie came too quickly, too smoothly. "Elise—"

"I don't know who he was, Adrian. Some crazy person who—"

"Don't." I held up a hand, stopping her mid-sentence. "Don't lie to me. Not about this."

"I'm not lying—"

"You are. You're a terrible liar, which is usually charming, but right now it's just insulting my intelligence." I moved closer, and she took a step back. "Who was Jesse?"

"I told you, I don't know—"

"He knew your name. He was touching you like he had the right to. And you..." I paused, studying her face. "You weren't surprised to see him."

"Adrian, please—"

"Tell me the truth, Elise. Who is he to you?"

She lifted her chin, and I saw some of her usual fire return. "I don't know him."

"Yet he was touching you? Putting his hands on your throat?" The memory of it made rage surge through me again. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, but she wouldn't meet my eyes. The shame in her posture, the way she was holding herself like she was trying to disappear, told me more than her words ever could.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

"Go home," I said finally. "Take the rest of the day. We'll discuss this tomorrow when you've had time to think about whether you want to keep lying to me."

"Adrian—"

"Go home, Elise."

She hesitated for a moment, like she wanted to say something else, then nodded and left without another word. I watched her go, noting the way her shoulders sagged with defeat, the way she walked like she was carrying the weight of the world.

I kept pacing my office, trying to make sense of what I'd witnessed. The security guard had known her, that much was obvious. But why would she lie about it? What was she hiding?

Maybe she was embarrassed about having an ex-boyfriend who'd turned stalker. Maybe she was ashamed that someone had seen her in a vulnerable position. There were a dozen innocent explanations for her behavior.

I was reaching for my phone to call her, to apologize for pushing too hard, when I heard movement in the outer office. The cleaning crew didn't usually start until after seven, and I was sure Elise had left hours ago.

Curious, I moved to my door and cracked it open. The outer office was dark except for the glow of a computer screen. Someone was at Elise's desk, hunched over her computer.

My blood ran cold when I realized who it was.

"Working late?" I said, stepping into the outer office.

Elise spun around, her face pale in the blue glow of the monitor. "Adrian! I didn't know you were still here."

"Apparently." I moved closer, noting the way she'd positioned herself to block my view of the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Just catching up on some emails. I felt bad about leaving early, so I came back to finish up."

"On your personal computer?"

"What?"

I gestured to the screen, which I could now see was displaying a login page I didn't recognize. "That's not your work email."

"I was just..." She fumbled for words, and I saw panic flicker across her features. "I was checking my personal email. I got a call from my doctor about some test results, and I wanted to log in to see—"

"Elise."

"—if they'd sent the results through their patient portal—"

"Elise."

She stopped talking, her green eyes wide and guilty.

"What were you really doing?"

For a moment, I thought she might tell me the truth. I could see her weighing her options, calculating whether honesty or deception would serve her better. The fact that she was calculating at all should have been my first clue.

"I told you," she said finally. "Personal email."

"Show me."

"What?"

"If it's just personal email, show me the screen."

"Adrian, that's private—"

"Is it?" I stepped closer, and she backed away from the computer. "Because from where I'm standing, it looked like you were trying to access something you shouldn't be accessing."

"That's ridiculous—"

"Is it? Because you've been acting strange all day. First the incident with Jesse, who you claim not to know but who obviously knows you very well. Now I find you here after hours, lying about what you're doing on the computer."

"I'm not lying—"

"You are. And frankly, I'm getting tired of it." I moved to the computer, and she stepped sideways to block me again. "What are you hiding, Elise?"

"Nothing. I'm not hiding anything."

"Then why won't you let me see the screen?"

"Because it's private. Personal. You have no right—"

"I have every right. This is my office, my computer system, my company." My voice was getting harder, more dangerous. "And you're my employee who's acting suspicious as hell."

"Adrian, please—"

"Move away from the computer."

"No."

The single word hung between us like a challenge. She was standing her ground, chin lifted in defiance, but I could see the fear in her eyes. Fear of being caught. Fear of whatever she was trying to hide.

I stared at her, this woman I'd fallen in love with, this woman I'd trusted with my deepest secrets, and felt something cold settle in my chest. Because I was finally seeing what I should have seen weeks ago.

Elise Hart was hiding something. Something big enough to lie about repeatedly, something important enough to risk her job over.

Something that involved a security guard who put his hands on her throat and walked away like he had every right to do it.