Chapter 516:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

Adam leaned his head back against the pillow. The game had changed. The rules were gone. From this moment on, Allison Montgomery was no longer just his partner. She was his territory. And he would burn anyone who tried to trespass.

Allison managed to find the abandoned Citi Bike, dock it properly, and stop the catastrophic ticking of the meter. On her way back, she stopped at a small, clean-looking cafe and bought a container of hot, clear chicken broth.

She pushed open the door to Adam’s hospital room, a triumphant smile on her face. “Crisis averted. And I brought soup.”

The smile died on her lips.

The room was a hive of quiet, efficient activity. Adam was no longer in the hospital gown. He was dressed in a clean black button-down shirt, the left sleeve carefully cut away to accommodate his bandaged arm. Kip was adjusting the sling. Two other men, both built like professional linebackers and dressed in identical dark suits, were packing Adam’s few belongings into a duffel bag.

Her heart seized with a fresh wave of anxiety. “What are you doing? Adam, you can’t check out. What about the doctor?”

Adam looked up, his expression calm. He gestured for her to come closer.

“We have to go, Allison,” he said, his voice low and firm, leaving no room for argument. “It’s not safe here.”

She placed the soup on the bedside table, her brows knitting together in a frown of disbelief. “Not safe? This is one of the best hospitals in New York. The security is top-notch.”

𝖭𝘦w 𝗐е𝘦𝗸𝗅𝘺 chа𝗉𝘵𝗲𝗿s оո 𝘨а𝘭ոо𝘃е𝘭𝘀.c𝗼𝘮

“My personal physician is already waiting for us where we’re going,” he said, anticipating her next protest. “Dr. Miles. He’s better than anyone on staff here.”

He paused, his dark eyes holding hers, forcing her to understand the gravity of the situation. “The people who came after me, the ones who most want me dead, are the ones sitting in the Kensington estate. They can hack hospital records. They can bribe an orderly for a few hundred dollars. They can walk in here dressed as florists.”

His voice dropped even lower, a chilling whisper. “Right now, staying here, we are a bright, predictable blip on their radar. I need to get off that radar. We both do.”

The cold, hard logic of his words seeped into her bones. She wasn’t dealing with corporate rivals anymore. This was something else entirely. Something shadowy and lethal.

She glanced at the two silent bodyguards. They moved with a disciplined, military precision that spoke of years of training. This was their world. A world of threats and countermeasures she knew nothing about.

Her fear for his safety finally overrode her rational objections. She gave a single, decisive nod. “Okay. Where are we going?”

A flicker of approval lit his eyes. “A place where no one can find us.”

“The cars are ready,” Kip announced quietly. “We’ll use the service elevator to the sub-level garage. Secret exit.”

Allison moved to Adam’s side, letting him lean on her as they stood. She could feel the tension in his body, the way he favored his injured side. He was hiding a great deal of pain behind that stoic mask. Her heart ached for him.

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