Page 90 of Ivory Obsession
I didn’t like it at all.
And I already felt like I was carrying a terrible secret.
A shuffle from the hallway yanked me back to the present. My heart kicked against my chest like it wanted to break free.
“Jade?” The voice was deep, familiar—and absolutely not welcome here.
I squinted against the dim light spilling in from the corridor. Edward Rodriguez loomed there, his shadow sprawling across my floor, a dark omen. He wasn’t supposed to be here. I could barely stand the sight of him at work.
“Open up, Dr. Bentley. We need to talk.” His words were a low rumble, but I heard the urgency lacing each syllable.
“Why are you here?” I asked through the door.
“Look, I just want to talk.” Edward’s voice reverberated against the walls, too close for comfort.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
He muttered something under his breath. He raised something—a badge, shiny and insistent. “Look. I’m Edward Rodriguez, tech security expert for the NYPD. I’m not just someone BioHQ hired. Can I come in?”
Fuck. He was a cop?
“Talk then,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt as I opened the door just a bit.
He nodded, a silent thank you passing between us, and I stepped back, allowing him just enough room to slip past the threshold. The door whispered shut behind him, its click a punctuation in the quiet of my apartment. He was wearing a dark suit tailored perfectly to his muscular frame, the official NYPD badge clipped onto his jacket. The sight of him in uniform gave a formal reality to the situation and amplified the tremors unsettling my nerves.
“Are you okay, Dr. Bentley?” he asked, eyeing me with a concern that felt too intimate.
“I’m fine,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. “What do you want?”
The warmth here, usually so welcoming, now felt like a liar as it enveloped him. He looked around, taking in the details—my escape from the lab’s sterility: colorful throw pillows, photos of my family, and a bookshelf littered with biotech journals beside classic novels. But tonight, the candles that usually brought soft light and comfort seemed to mock me with their dance, their shadows playing tricks on my walls.
Edward stood there, solid and real, his badge catching the candlelight. His body language had shifted since the hallway; he was tired, sure—but there was something else. Regret? Fear? Both were bad news.
“I wanted to check in on you after today’s interrogation. You don’t look well. You looked very…uh, nauseous.”
He didn’t know anything about my pregnancy.
“And what’s that to you? My health is hardly your concern, Officer Rodriguez.” I shot back, my tone harsher than intended. His eyebrows knitted together, casting a shadow over his intense gaze.
“Given the circumstances, I think it might be.”
I didn’t like his insinuation. I was a respected scientist, a pillar of integrity in my field. I had nothing to do with the illicit activities they were suddenly so interested in.
“I’ve done nothing wrong,” I said tersely, holding his gaze. “Do you have any more questions?”
“Yes.” Unfazed by my standoffish demeanor, he cleared his throat. “Do you trust everyone at BioHQ?”
“Yes,” I said. “With my life.”
He sighed. “Can I have some water?”
“Sure,” I muttered, leading him into the open kitchen. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and turned on the faucet, the gentle rush of water filling the silence. Edward watched me carefully, his gaze never wavering.
“Thank you,” he said as I handed him the water. He drank it slowly, his eyes closing briefly before they opened again, focusing on me with an intensity that left me feeling exposed.
There was a moment of silence as he lowered his glass onto the counter. “I have reason to believe that BioHQ has been targeted by a criminal organization. Their interest seems to be in your work.”
My chest tightened at his words. “What...what are you saying?”