Chapter 795

Ivy agreed, nodding. "Looks like this guy's got strong counter-surveillance skills. He didn't trust those people, so he barely told them anything."

"Yeah. Still, I managed to get his phone number. Even if it's a burner, we can track it down. Plus, the police have made progress on the arson case—they’ve got solid evidence now. And with Baillie’s proof about the car crash, once they catch him, there’s no way he’s getting away with it."

"That's good to hear." Relief settled over Ivy. "If we keep working with the police, we should be able to find him soon. He’s already gone after the Windsor family, and last night he deliberately taunted me. Chances are, he’ll make a move again soon. I want you to assign a few more people to shadow me, quietly."

She’d actually thought about saying this last night—using herself as bait, pretending to be alone to lure the guy out. But before she could even suggest it, Jamison had shot her down with a firm no. Looking at things now, though, she realized she couldn’t spend every day on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe this was the only way to force things to a head. Of course, she couldn’t say any of this to Boyd, or he’d just refuse and run straight to Jamison to complain. The best she could do was ask him to put more people on her, and find her own opportunity when the time came. Sure enough, Boyd didn’t catch on to her real intentions. He just thought Ivy was being extra cautious and immediately agreed, “I’ll get a few more people on you, don’t worry.”

“Great.” Ivy, business handled, remembered the other issue she’d just run into. “Boyd, I need a favor.”

“Anything, Ivy. What is it?”

“Baillie just called. Apparently Adkins is in critical condition; they’re rushing him to the hospital…”

“Seriously? You think this could be another trap—the Windsor family trying to lure you in?” Boyd’s first instinct was suspicion.

“I’m not sure, so I need you to check whether it’s true. If it is, take three hundred thousand to the Adkins family for me—give it to them in cash, in person. I won’t show up.”

Her mind was made up. Whatever happened, her ties with the Windsor family had been severed long ago. There was no need for a final meeting, but she needed to show her gratitude for being given life. Three hundred thousand used to mean nothing to the Windsors. Now, it was a small fortune. She’d consider it her last repayment for the life they’d once given her. Boyd understood. His voice was serious. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

After hanging up, Ivy let out a long breath. She felt lighter already. Her back and shoulders had been aching for days, and she’d felt exhausted and out of sorts. Deciding she’d had enough, she asked her driver to take her home. She needed a nap.

She slept straight through until noon, when Jamison’s call woke her. Groggy, she answered. Jamison noticed. “Were you sleeping? Not feeling well?”

“No…” She didn’t want him to worry, so she teased, “Blame yourself. I barely got a wink last night—you wouldn’t let me sleep.”

Truth was, nothing had really happened last night, but they’d stayed up late, tangled together, whispering and laughing until exhaustion finally took them. Jamison chuckled, lowering his voice. “So you couldn’t handle last night? What about tonight?”

“Tonight?” Ivy blinked awake, suddenly alert. “Wait—did you get the test results?”

“I did. I finished my clinic hours and went straight to the lab. They just finished and were about to send you the report.”

Lying in bed, Ivy rolled her eyes, flopping an arm over her forehead. “You’re unbelievable… Are you really not worried about anyone teasing you?”

She didn’t bother to ask the result outright—Jamison’s tone said it all. It was negative.

“Tease me? We’re adults, Ivy. It’s none of their business.” His laugh was warm, then he asked, “You really aren’t going to ask about the results?”

“Do I need to? You basically told me.”

He sobered a little. “Yeah. The PCR and antibody tests are both negative—again. We’ve checked several times over the last three months, and it’s always the same. There’s absolutely no risk.”

Ivy gripped her phone, feeling months of anxiety finally ebb away. “Good. That’s a relief.”

His low laugh rumbled through the line. “You remember what you said? That when the ‘all-clear’ came, I could have my way?”

She could feel her cheeks flame. “…”

Jamison’s tone dropped, teasing. “I’m not working late tonight. I’ll be home early.”

Ivy’s ears burned. She seriously doubted he’d be able to concentrate on work all afternoon, not with those sorts of thoughts running through his head. He was Jamison, after all—the untouchable, stoic Mr. Jamison. Who knew he could be so unabashed when it came to their marriage?

She cleared her throat, changing the subject. “You’ve just finished at the clinic, right? Go eat something. I’m starving, too.”

Jamison’s voice softened. “You make sure you eat lunch. And by the way—has Boyd called you yet?”