Chapter 185: The Wildcat Chased The Puppy

ADRIEN’S POV

"My people remain involved, Adrien," Orion adds over his shoulder, his voice carrying that final, unyielding weight that permits no argument. "You will use my resources, but my men step everywhere you step. If she slips away from you, it falls on both of us."

I swallow the lump in my throat, forcing my breathing to stay steady as I follow him down the narrow aisle and out onto the metal stairs.

Waiting at the bottom of the stairs, standing directly on the slick, rain-streaked concrete of the tarmac, is Niko.

He is holding a large, black umbrella over his head, dressed in a dark wool coat that hangs loosely over his lean frame.

He carries himself with that lazy, slouched posture that makes him look like a bored teenager, but the moment he turns his face toward us, the illusion shatters.

Niko is twenty-four years old, a certified sadist, a man who takes genuine pleasure in breaking people apart, and Orion’s most trusted right-hand man.

As I reach the bottom step, Niko offers an exaggerated, mocking bow, sweeping his free hand wide while rainwater drips off the edge of his umbrella onto his shoes.

"Well, well, well," Niko drawls, his voice light, high-pitched, and dripping with unbearable sarcasm. "Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence. The little prince has returned from his European holiday. Tell me, did you miss the smell of American garbage, Adrien?"

I step off the last metal stair, my feet landing firmly on the wet pavement. I glare at him with disgust.

"Shut your mouth, Niko," I say, my voice flat and icy. "I’m not in the mood for your childish games today."

Niko lets out a dry, wheezing laugh that sounds like metal scraping against stone. He steps directly into my path, forcing me to stop a few feet from the open door of the black sedan waiting nearby.

"Oh, he’s feisty today!" Niko exclaims, looking past my shoulder toward Orion, who is quietly stepping into the dry back seat of the car without saying a word. "Look at him, Orion dear! He’s puffing his little chest out."

Niko turns his sharp, amber eyes back onto me, his grin widening until it looks painful. He reaches into the inner pocket of his heavy coat and pulls out a military-grade encrypted tablet.

Instead of handing it to me nicely, he holds it out at chest height, tapping it against his palm like a conductor’s baton.

"You want to find your darling half-sister, don’t you?" Niko asks, his voice dropping into a sing-song, mocking pitch. "You think you’re going to play big detective today? You think you’re going to march up to Louise, pull her by her pretty hair, and demand an apology?"

"Give me the tablet, Niko," I say, reaching out to snatch it from his grip.

Niko pulls the device back just an inch out of my reach, his eyes gleaming with a malicious delight. What the hell is this bastard’s problem now?

I know he loves poking fun at me. He loves watching me squirm, because to Niko, I am probably nothing more than a lying, broken toy that Orion strangely refuses to let him break.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Niko clicks his tongue against his teeth, leaning in closer until I can smell the faint, bitter scent of cigarettes and rain on his jacket. "So impatient. Always rushing into things you can’t handle. Tell me, Adrien, what are you actually going to do when you find her?"

"Are you going to cry? Are you going to ask her why she started a smear campaign against you? Or are you going to ask her where your dear old stepmother is?"

His words land like a dirty, rusted nail driven straight into an old, unhealed scar.

My breath hitches. My stomach turns over, a cold wave of humiliation washing over me. He is shooting in the dark, picking at the deepest, most pathetic part of my insecurities just to see if he can make me flinch.

"I said," I whisper, my knuckles turning bone white as I ball my hands into tight fists at my sides, "give me the damn tablet."

"You really think she’s waiting for you to find her?" Niko continues, ignoring my demand, his voice dripping with deliberate cruelty. "You think Louise gives a single damn about your feelings? She leaked that video because she thinks you’re pathetic, Adrien. She thinks you’re a dog on a leash. She thinks the same thing her mother thinks, the exact same thing you know they have— "

"Niko," I snarl, stepping right into his personal space, my chin lifted, my teeth bared. "If you don’t hand over that device in the next two seconds, I swear to God I will take that umbrella and shove it down your throat until you choke on it."

Niko doesn’t flinch. In fact, his grin stretches even wider, a soft, raspy chuckle bubbling up from his chest. He loves this. He thrives on conflict, on poking at open wounds until the blood runs fresh.

"Oh, I’m terrified," Niko whispers mockingly, leaning his face down until his amber cat-like eyes are level with mine. "The little puppy has teeth today. But let’s be honest, dear. You don’t have the stomach for what comes after you trace this map. You’re going to find her, you’re going to talk, and then you’re going to cry when Orion steps in and puts a bullet through her forehead anyway."

I stare at him, my heart hammering a frantic, furious rhythm against my ribs. I want to hit him. I want to strike that arrogant, sickening smile right off his face.

Behind us, sitting inside the quiet, darkened interior of the sedan, Orion says nothing.

He doesn’t step out to stop Niko. He doesn’t order Niko to hand over the files. He just sits back against the leather seat, watching us through the open car door with a quiet detachment.

I know why Orion is staying silent.