Revenge Turns Romantic

CHAPTER FOUR: The Deal

Amara didn't trust Adrian.

She kept repeating that to herself as she sat in the passenger seat of his car.

She didn't trust his family.

She didn't trust Victoria.

And most importantly, she didn't trust the strange feeling that seemed to appear every time Adrian looked at her.

Yet somehow, she had agreed to become his partner in uncovering the truth.

It was ridiculous.

It was dangerous.

And it was exactly what she needed.

Adrian drove in silence for several minutes before finally speaking.

"You've been quiet."

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

"Everything."

He glanced at her.

"That's vague."

"It's supposed to be."

A small smile appeared on his lips.

"You really enjoy making things difficult."

"You really enjoy asking too many questions."

"I ask questions when something doesn't make sense."

Amara turned toward the window.

"And I don't make sense?"

"Not even slightly."

She almost smiled.

Almost.

Her phone vibrated.

She looked down.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: You should not trust him.

Her smile disappeared.

Another message arrived.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: The Blackwoods aren't the only ones hiding something.

Amara quickly locked her phone.

Adrian noticed.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes."

"You're lying again."

She turned toward him.

"Do you ever stop?"

"Stop what?"

"Watching me."

He looked at her for a moment.

"No."

Her heart skipped.

He turned his attention back to the road.

"I don't know why yet, but I feel like I need to."

Amara didn't answer.

She didn't know what scared her more.

The person threatening her...

or the fact that Adrian was beginning to matter.

They stopped outside an old building on the edge of the city.

Amara looked up.

"This is where we're going?"

Adrian nodded.

"An old Blackwood property."

"Why?"

"My father kept some business records here before he died."

Amara's pulse quickened.

Records.

Exactly what she needed.

They entered the building.

Dust covered almost everything.

Adrian switched on a flashlight.

"Stay close."

"I can take care of myself."

"I didn't say you couldn't."

They walked down a narrow hallway.

Adrian stopped in front of a locked door.

He pulled a key from his pocket.

Amara stared at him.

"You just carry keys to abandoned buildings?"

"I have a lot of keys."

"Of course you do."

He unlocked the door.

Inside was a small office.

Old files filled the shelves.

Amara immediately began searching.

"What are we looking for?" she asked.

"Anything connected to my father's business dealings around the time your father was arrested."

She stopped.

"You believe my father was innocent?"

Adrian looked at her.

"I don't know."

"Then why are you helping me?"

"Because my mother is afraid."

Amara frowned.

"And?"

"And I've never seen my mother afraid of anything."

They continued searching.

After nearly twenty minutes, Amara found an old box hidden beneath a stack of documents.

"Adrian."

He came over.

She opened it.

Inside were several files.

One was labeled:

WILLIAM WILLIAMS

Amara's hands began shaking.

She picked it up.

Adrian watched her carefully.

"You don't have to do this alone."

"I've been doing it alone for five years."

"I know."

She looked at him.

"You don't know anything about me."

"Then tell me."

She looked back at the file.

"I was there when they arrested him."

Adrian didn't speak.

"I watched them take my father away."

Her voice became quieter.

"He kept telling me he was innocent."

She swallowed.

"I believed him."

"Amara..."

"Everyone else stopped believing him."

A tear escaped.

She quickly wiped it away.

Adrian reached for her hand.

This time, she didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She looked at their hands.

For a moment, the room became strangely quiet.

Then she noticed something inside the file.

A photograph.

She pulled it out.

Her eyes widened.

It showed her father standing beside Adrian's father.

But they weren't at a business meeting.

They were outside a hospital.

And in the background stood Victoria.

Amara turned the photograph over.

There was a handwritten date.

Three days before the transfer.

Her breathing stopped.

"Adrian."

He took the photograph.

His expression changed.

"I've never seen this."

"Why would they be together?"

"I don't know."

Amara looked through the remaining documents.

Then she found a letter.

The handwriting was unfamiliar.

She began reading.

If anything happens to William, the Blackwoods must never know the truth about the account.

Her eyes widened.

"Adrian..."

He took the letter from her.

His face became pale.

"Who wrote this?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside.

They both froze.

Adrian stood.

"Stay here."

"No."

"Amara."

"I said no."

Another crash.

Then footsteps.

Someone was inside the building.

Adrian grabbed her hand.

"Come on."

They hurried toward the back entrance.

The footsteps grew louder.

A door slammed.

Amara's heart pounded.

They ran down the hallway.

Suddenly, someone appeared at the other end.

Adrian pulled Amara behind him.

The stranger wore a dark hoodie.

His face was partially covered.

"Who are you?" Adrian demanded.

The stranger didn't answer.

He raised something in his hand.

Amara gasped.

"Adrian!"

A loud bang echoed through the hallway.

Adrian pulled her down.

They ran.

They didn't stop until they reached the car.

Adrian locked the doors and started the engine.

Amara was shaking.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"You?"

"I'm fine."

He looked at her.

"You could have been hurt."

"So could you."

His jaw tightened.

"This isn't a game."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

His voice cracked with frustration.

"Someone just tried to scare us—or worse."

Amara looked down.

"We're getting closer."

"To what?"

"The truth."

He stared at her.

Then sighed.

"You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

Despite everything, he laughed.

It was brief.

But it was enough to ease the tension.

Then Adrian reached over and gently touched her cheek.

Amara froze.

"You have a cut."

He wiped a tiny spot of blood from beneath her cheekbone.

His fingers lingered.

Neither of them moved.

His eyes dropped to her lips.

Her heart raced.

"Adrian..."

"I know."

He leaned closer.

Amara didn't move.

For one second, revenge disappeared.

The past disappeared.

There was only him.

Their lips were inches apart when Amara suddenly pulled away.

"No."

Adrian stopped.

She looked out the window.

"I can't."

He didn't ask why.

He simply nodded.

"Okay."

The disappointment in his voice hurt more than she expected.

That night, Amara sat alone in her apartment with the photograph spread across the table.

She had enlarged it on her laptop.

There.

Behind her father.

Behind Victoria.

Someone else stood near the hospital entrance.

She zoomed in.

Her breath caught.

She recognized him.

Not personally.

But from the newspaper articles she'd spent years studying.

Daniel Blackwood.

Adrian's uncle.

The man who had taken control of the company after Adrian's father died.

Amara leaned back slowly.

"Of course."

Her phone vibrated.

Another unknown message.

UNKNOWN: Now you know where to look.

Amara stared at the screen.

Then another message appeared.

UNKNOWN: But don't trust Daniel.

Her eyes narrowed.

She typed:

AMARA: Who are you?

No response.

She tried again.

AMARA: What do you want from me?

Nothing.

Then her phone rang.

She answered immediately.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

Then a woman's voice whispered,

"Your father didn't die because of the Blackwoods."

Amara froze.

"Who is this?"

The woman breathed shakily.

"He was betrayed by someone he trusted."

"Who?"

The call ended.

Amara stared at the phone.

Her entire body felt cold.

Someone had known her father.

Someone knew what really happened.

And they had just given her the first real clue she'd had in five years.

She looked at the photograph again.

Daniel Blackwood.

Victoria.

Her father.

And Adrian.

For the first time, Amara wondered whether her revenge had been aimed at the wrong family.

Then her phone buzzed one final time.

UNKNOWN: If you want the truth, meet me tomorrow. Alone.

Amara stared at the message.

She knew it could be a trap.

She knew she shouldn't go.

But after five years of searching...

she couldn't walk away now.

Across the city, Adrian stood in his office, staring at the same photograph.

He had found something Amara hadn't seen.

Written faintly on the back was a name.

A name that made his blood run cold.

Victoria Blackwood.

Adrian picked up his phone.

"Mother?"

There was silence on the other end.

Then Victoria whispered,

"Adrian... whatever you do, don't trust Amara."

His eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

Victoria's voice trembled.

"Because she isn't the only person who came back for revenge."

TO BE CONTINUED...