1927: Redemption

WIC wants you!

“There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.”

2021-DECEMBER-FLORIDA

Adeline had been a little unfortunate in skipping her lunch and now she was stuck with an angry Talia and an irritated Ace.

“I’m not here for you.” Answered Ace.

His comment confused Adeline some more, by now she knew they have known each other but at what level, she still needed to find out.

“What is your problem, Ace?” Adeline demanded, throwing the cloth down on the counter.

Before Ace could speak, “Oh, so he goes by Ace nowadays.” Taliban commented, still not acknowledging Ace’s presence. Also, she did not let Adeline speak and continued, “I will need an explanation tomorrow, for now, I'm exhausted. Just lock the house before leaving and we will have a nice chat tomorrow, good night Adeline.” Talia spoke in one go, closing the register, she turned around and left as Adeline just watched Talia’s retreating figure.

For minutes Adeline’s mind was unable to comprehend the gravity of the thing that just happened seconds ago. Turning around, she cut her eyes in a steely glare towards Ace, whose eyes were also fixated on Talia’s figure. The look on his face was like losing as if he lost something just now. Her breath was caught in her throat as she stared at him until Adeline remembered that he had just insulted Talia, her employer.

Crossing her arms tightly over her chest. He seemed completely imperturbable. He was definitely a good actor because Adeline had no idea what on Earth could have been possibly going through his mind right then.

“Why are you here Ace?” She asked.

“For you.” He answered nonchalantly without revealing any of his emotions.

“Why do you keep lying about everything?”

Adeline wasn’t quite sure where that question came from, but apparently, the less rational side of her mind thought it was a good idea to embarrass is the crap out of herself even more.

And maybe, Ace did not like that question any more than Adeline liked asking it.

The look that came over his face was a dangerously calm one, but his eyes narrowed and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

She swallowed hard and tried to keep herself from looking the other way out of fear.

“Excuse me?” He said in front of the other side of the counter, stepping a little closer to it and raising an eyebrow.

“You heard me,” Adeline mumbled, taking a deep breath.

She did not know when Ace came too close to her that the only thing that was separating them was the counter itself. He made some sort of noise as he drummed his fingers on the table, pursing his lips.

“Why do I lie? Hmm. That, I think, is just another question that you have to find the answer to on your own.”

His voice was firm and very matter of fact and she sort of had the urge to run away from here, but could she?

Nope! She made a deal five years back, right!

While they were in the heated argument, a man stood at a far hiding place in the cafe, from where he always kept an eye on Adeline. Broad shoulders, square jaw, piercing eyes- The Beast, as he stopped and sensed something as:

“So, you come here to Crestview, Florida, just for me and suddenly you happen to know my employer, wow! What an epic s**t!” Adeline blurted out, slapping a hand down on the counter.

He peeked out at the Adeline, his gaze landed on Ace. Adeline’s stranger was utterly taken back seeing Ace, that night when Adeline and Ace had a meeting after her grandfather’s funeral. He was there outside that ancient restaurant that have been there in London since the 1920s... After listening to Ace’s deal, he believed that Adeline was indeed his key to escape this time and go back to 1930.

While the stranger was in his thoughts and keeping a watchful eye on them, Ace became angry with every word of Adeline. He was gripping the edge of the counter so hard with his knuckles were turning white. Adeline was afraid for a second that he was going to start yelling at her or throw something, but he didn't.

“You want to know why I'm here,” he said as he rummaged in his coat for something as he found what he was looking for: a paper and PHOTO.

Ace marched towards Adeline across the counter, grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards the farther end of the coffee house as his facade was gone.

“What the hell are you doing?” Objected Adeline.

An angry Ace just handed the things to Adeline when they were at a safer place, and she looked at it, reading:

“Murder Victim’s Daughter Claimed ‘Beast’ saved her.”

With a photograph of Adeline from 2016.

“This is me...” Adeline’s voice trailed as she mumbled the obvious.

Racing his fingers in his hairs, “WIC was keeping tabs on and you were just on their radar, but now- they truly want you.” Ace said without realizing that he said it aloud and Adeline heard him very clearly.

She started at him with a baffled expression and then the even more awful feeling from before came back, and she seriously thought she was going to die now.

What the hell was going on in her life? And whenever she encountered Ace, something happens!

And where the hell was Ace in these five years?

Adeline already knew something was going on with him, but what could she possibly do if she did not know what it was?

Glancing in at the paper, a news clipping, Adeline realized that if just a news clipping based on some trauma could turn every attacker on her radar accordingly, therefore it might be a solid reason for why the beast or her stranger never showed face to her.

But, a few dots still did not connect, like how Ace knew Talia?

And what does WIC want from Adeline?

Wasn't the company go bankrupt a few years ago?