CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Adalind had spent the last few days working from home. She had told her boss she had fallen ill to explain her absence, but in reality, she just couldn't bring herself to go to the office; she needed to be home… a place where she could feel enveloped in Nick's presence, even if he wasn't physically there with her. She knew she'd eventually have to go back, but for the moment, she felt better… safer.

She had just turned off her laptop when she heard the doorbell. She walked out of the spare room she used as her home office and headed towards the entrance. She looked through the peephole and noticed it was a delivery man, holding a large cardboard envelope. She opened the door and stepped out to greet him.

"Miss Schade?" the man asked.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I've got a delivery for you, please sign here" he told her, handing her a terminal with a stylus attached to it.

"Thank you" she said, taking the envelope from him.

"Have a wonderful evening" he told her as he turned around and left.

She closed the door and slowly walked back to her office. As she sat down on her swivel chair, she read the label on the envelope and instantly knew it had been sent by her office.

"Great" she murmured. "More paperwork."

She pulled on the tab and tore the strip to open the envelope. As expected, there was a manila folder inside, labeled with the client's name from the case she was working on. She didn't bother to open it and just tossed it on the desk with a sigh. She was about to throw the large envelope in the recycling bin when she noticed a smaller, unmarked and sealed envelope sitting at the bottom. She took it out and carefully slit it open. She removed the letter, unfolded it, and started to read through it. At first, she assumed the document pertained to the case. However, she soon realized it had nothing to do with it. She didn't quite understand what was written on the sheet until she recognized one of the terms amid the others; and then, her heart stopped.

"Oh my God…" she breathed.

Before she could make sense of what she had just discovered, a loud knock on the door startled her. She quickly folded the letter and inserted it in the manila folder on her desk. She made her way back to the front door and saw through the peephole that Sean was standing on her porch, a severe look on his face. Against her better judgement, she unlocked the bolt and opened the door.

"Hello Adalind, may I come in?" he asked in a calm voice.

"Why?" she replied, folding her arms across her chest as she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"It's been a while, I thought we'd catch up" he responded, stepping forward despite Adalind blocking the entrance to her home.

"We can talk out here" she snapped.

"I really believe this matter should be discussed behind closed doors."

She shot him a cold stare. 'So I guess he's figured out the next part of his plan' she thought.

"Let me in" he said, moving forward again.

She stepped backwards, reluctantly letting him into her home, and shut the door. She turned around to face him, dreading the reason behind his visit.

"What do you want?" she spat in an irritated tone.

"Is that your way to make your guest feel welcome?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"No one said you were welcome here" she uttered.

"Very well, if this is the way you want to play it…"

"This isn't a game" she interrupted him, a flash of anger firing in her eyes.

"Are you certain about that? Because I get the distinct feeling I am being played for a fool" he replied angrily.

Adalind slowly moved away from the door as Sean started to advance towards her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about your dirty little secret?"

"What secret?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper.

"Your torrid love affair with the Grimm" he seethed through his teeth.

Adalind's eyes widened in shock; her relationship with Nick had been exposed… by the worst person possible. 'He must have hired someone to follow me… or Nick' she thought. That's how he'd found out about them. It didn't matter anymore; their secret was finally out. And now, they'd be forced to face the consequences… however deadly they may be. But she would die before she'd let anything happen to Nick.

"How long have you been lying to me?" Sean continued in an accusatory tone.

"Since the first day" she said. "I met Nick before you even gave me this mission to get the key from his aunt."

"So you've known he was a Grimm from the start? And you didn't tell me?"

"Why does that even matter?"

"Because you're a Hexenbiest!" he shouted. "Or have you forgotten you're nothing but a witch?"

"Shut up!" she cried. "Don't you dare pretend to know who I am!"

"I don't have to pretend. I know exactly what you are… does Nick?"

"You leave him alone" she warned him.

Sean started to laugh but his facial expression painted a different story. He wasn't amused at all; he was livid.

"Adalind, dear… he's a Grimm. Once he finds out what really lies beneath the surface, you're as good as dead. Now… where's the key?" he murmured.

"He doesn't have it" she lied.

"You're lying!" he yelled, losing his patience. "Just as you did about everything else! Your mission was to obey my orders, not to fall in love with the Grimm… you've left me no choice."

She suddenly heard a muffled noise behind her, but before she could turn around, she felt a powerful hand grab her by the shoulders. The unknown intruder quickly put a cloth over her mouth, preventing her from screaming for help. She tried her best to fight him off, but the chemical smell emanating from the cloth was overwhelmingly strong. She felt herself start to woge, but it was already too late.

'Nick…' she thought right before everything faded to black.

Renard watched as Adalind's body went limp, until she was completely unconscious. He still couldn't believe it had come to this. He had relied on her for so many missions in the past, but it was now clear she couldn't be trusted anymore. Adalind had crossed to the other side of the battle lines; she had become the enemy.

"Bring her to the car" he told his minion. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Make sure no one sees you."

His henchman lifted Adalind in his arms and headed for the back door. Renard decided to search the house, just in case Nick had given Adalind the key. One after the other, he went through each drawer, but the key was nowhere to be found. He had made up his mind to leave empty-handed when a sheet sticking out of one the folders on Adalind's desk caught his attention. He slid the sheet out and read its content, until he ultimately found what he was looking for.

"I've got you now" he whispered as an evil smile spread across his face.

He crumpled the letter up into a ball, threw it in the trashcan underneath the desk, and walked out of the house.