Haunting Adeline Read Along Part 8/9

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton Chapters 22-24

***SPOILERS***

So we start these chapters out with Adeline meeting Mark. (Yes, the Mark that Zade and Sibby killed in Satan’s Affair!) This meeting was not one Zade wanted of course, but happened despite Zade’s attempts to change the senator’s trajectory. Zade (known to Mark as Zack) and Mark end up in the bar where Adeline is working on her book. After some very gross checking out of children, Mark notices Adeline and Zade has to claim her to protect her from Mark and his evil ways. Mark then insists on meeting Adeline, even after Zade tries to worm his way out of it with many excuses.

But we get some good information from this interaction—MARK IS FRANK’S SON! Yes! That Frank! John and Gigi’s friend Frank! This whole interaction ends with a demanding invitation to a party Mark is throwing. Baiting Adeline to agree to attend with Zade by stating he would give her the details he remembers from Gigi’s case.

After Mark leaves, Zade escorts Adeline to her car where they make out passionately until a child interrupts them in the most hilarious means possible, “Mommy, are they having sex?” Of course that wiggled into Adeline’s brain and got her to pump the breaks and leave.

Adeline learns Daya works for Z and she thinks Zade is Z! My love for Daya grows with each interaction in this book! She is a fascinating secondary character that really adds to the story.

Then the spice and triggers comes! Zade comes to pick Adeline up for the party. She is dressed in an outfit he picked out and bought for her, and this really gets him going! Well, the outfit and the fact that Adeline is a major brat and Zade seems to want to put her in line. With his belt. Around her throat. While she is… kneeling before him. Not very willingly.

After she cleans herself up and he packs himself away, she asks if he is Z. He actually confirms and this angers her as the irony, to her, is a bitch. And our girl cannot keep her mouth shut, so she had to point this out, “My eyes thin. “How can you work to save women while actively stalking another?” I challenge, cocking a brow.”

These chapters show us, and Adeline, more of Zade. While he is demented, his heart is in the right place. He is actively trying to bring down all the human trafficking and when Adeline learns this, she melts just a little. This is shown by her desire to take him up on his offer of a repeat punishment without the self-hatred shown before with such thoughts.

They get to Mark’s home for the party and he is living it up in a garish mansion where the guest have to pass the visible kitchen to get to the ballroom (who designed this place?). Adeline got to see Zade in his Zack mask. A smooth, charming man who can hobnob with the snooty elites of the American government and upper class societies.

Gigi’s diary gives us some more insights in these chapters. We learn Ronaldo wants to kill John for how he is treating Gigi and Sera (Nana). And that caused a huge fight that ended their little weekend rendezvous away much earlier than expected. Gigi is finally seeing cheaters don’t win as she and John are about to lose the house thanks to John’s new gambling addition. Where it was the 1940s, she didn’t have control of/access to the finances, this was a shocking blow to her—compounded by the fact he gambled their savings away as well.

Things we still need to know

1. What does Mark know about Gigi?

2. Who killed Gigi?

3. Was it Adeline and Daya Zade was following into Sibby’s haunted house in Satan’s Affair? The ones Sibby wanted to follow because they smelled so good to her?

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