Hunting Adeline

Zade and his colleague Jay are in the basement dungeon of a building owned by the Society; at the end of the previous novel, they had boldly interrupted a bloody Society ritual in which a child was about to be sacrificed. In the process of saving the child, the two men were injured in an explosion. Now, Claire Williams has a gun to Zade’s head. (Claire is a leader in the Society and is also the former wife of Senator Mark Williams, the illegitimate son of Adeline’s great-grandmother, Gigi).

Zade taunts Claire, noting that she became an abuser after experiencing abuse herself. When Claire reveals that the Society kidnapped Adeline, Zade goes into a blind rage, but Jay forces him to calm down. Zade calms down but threatens to kill Claire, who claims to profit from the inevitable abuse of women and children. Even so, Zade wants to thwart the operations that perpetuate such abuse. Zade laments that Jay is in the field instead of behind a computer as usual. A large man named Patrick leads them to a van. 

In the van, Zade notices that Claire behaves like an abuser, not like an abused wife. Suddenly, Zade recalls that he and Jay have small implants on their necks, and Jay uses voice commands to activate the implants and call Baron, another member of Zade’s secret anti-Society organization, Z. Moments later, something hits the back of the van, giving Zade an opportunity to snap Patrick’s neck.

The narrative reveals a diary entry written by Molly on June 10, 2008. Molly knows the correct date from overhearing Francesca. She is drugged but plans to escape and find her sister.

Zade and Jay exit the van and get into a Z-owned vehicle, where Michael, the man who saved the little girl at the Society ritual, reports that Ruby (another member of Z) is taking care of the girl. Zade is in pain and worries about Adeline.

Jay and Zade recover in a hospital, and Zade is relieved that their injuries are not too severe. Jay finds the video of Adeline’s kidnapping and the initial ad offering $12 million to her kidnappers. He learns that Max, who previously threatened Adeline and Daya, is the one who kidnapped Adeline. Zade goes into a blind rage, throwing equipment around the room, but a nurse calms him down. 

After five days, Zade is still in pain, and they monitor Max through security feeds. Max celebrates with the twins he employs, Luke and Landon, and it is clear that they have received the $12 million payment for selling Adeline to another party. When Max transfers $3 million to Rick Boreman, Zade realizes that Rick must be the man whom Max hired to kidnap Adeline. Zade plans to kill Max himself and send men to get Rick.

The narrative shifts to a diary entry written by Molly on June 11, 2008. Molly wants to die. She thinks of Layla, her one-year-old sister, and knows that their mother will not be taking care of her.

Garrison wakes Adeline up, claiming that he wants to help her. When he promises to “take care” of Adeline, she realizes that he is kidnapping her away from her first two captors. After a brief scuffle, she grabs a scalpel and stabs Garrison in the neck. Garrison tries to strangle Adeline, but Rio shoots Garrison in the head. Adeline is terrified by the sight and feel of Garrison’s blood and brains.

Adeline tries to shower without letting Rio see too much of her body. He then loads her into a van. Rick tells Adeline that she will be meeting Francesca, who will determine how miserable Adeline’s life will be before her inevitable sale on the illegal market. Adeline feels defeated, but she knows that Zade is looking for her. She is determined to make a good impression on Francesca.

Molly’s diary entry reads “Layla” repeatedly across a page.

Adeline thinks about her great-grandmother, Gigi, who thought she would be killed by Ronaldo, her stalker, but was ultimately killed by her husband’s best friend, Frank Williams. Ironically, although Zade was Adeline’s stalker, she now wishes that he were here. When the van stops, Rick and Rio pull Adeline out and bring her into a house in the woods. They see three other men who leer at Adeline, and Rick tells them they just got paid. Soon, he says, they will all be able to “taste” Adeline, but Rio disagrees, reminding Rick that Z is looking for her. Another man, Jerry, comes in with a girl hanging limp on his shoulder. As Jerry passes into another room, another man tells him to use more chains, and the girl looks at Adeline with a grin.

Rio brings Adeline through the house, and she feels that she is now in even deeper trouble. Rio reveals that Max has put a price on Adeline’s head, but Rio works for Francesca. He and Rick are part of Rocco’s group; Rocco is Francesca’s brother, and Francesca works for the Society.

On June 14, 2008, Molly writes an entry referencing a “Culling” that Francesca has prepared the women to undergo as part of being sex trafficked. Molly remembers the things that the men made her do, and she hopes that they accidentally kill her.

Zade gets home from the hospital and stares at his reflection, furious with himself for letting Max live. He shatters the mirror and uses the pieces to carve a rose over his heart.

Zade kills Max’s guards, goes into Max’s house, and calls Max down. Max says he kidnapped Adeline because Zade killed Max’s father. (However, in reality, Zade only threatened Max’s father to get Max to leave Adeline and Daya alone; he did not kill the man.) Zade realizes that the Society killed Max’s father in order to manipulate Max into betraying Zade. Now, Zade drags Max out of the house and tortures him until he confesses that he hired Rick, who then hired Rio to conduct Adeline’s kidnapping. Max does not know where they brought her, but he knows that Rio works for the Society. Max reveals that his henchman Luke broke into Daya’s house, tied her up, and used her phone to lure Adeline out. Max speculates that Luke still has Daya captive. Zade plans to save her. Zade cuts off Max’s penis, making Max lose consciousness.

Zade breaks into Luke’s house and finds Daya bound. He incapacitates Luke and unties Daya, who assures him that they will find Adeline. Daya admits that Luke sexually assaulted her, but she feels embarrassed that they had previously had consensual sex. Zade assures her that she did not ask to be assaulted. Daya tells Zade not to lose his humanity, but he claims that it is already gone.

Zade nails Luke’s arm to a table, and Daya asks to take over the torture. She takes a knife from Zade and kills Luke.

On June 16, 2008, Molly writes that she has found a way out, but she will not state what it is. She has survived the Culling and wants to reunite with Layla.

Francesca, an intimidating woman, criticizes Rio for Adeline’s injuries. Rio reveals that Adeline has an intra-uterine device, or IUD, a form of birth control. Francesca orders Rio to take care of Adeline for a week to let her recover. Rio implants a tracking device in Adeline’s neck and tattoos a brand on her wrist. He warns Adeline that the men in the house might try to abuse her while she is sedated. When Rio leaves, Adeline examines her surroundings, determined to escape and return to Zade.

Adeline wakes up at night, noting six tally marks on the nightstand. She has been here for seven days, and no one has abused her yet. Adeline feels like someone is watching her, and a lightning strike reveals an eye in the gaps between boards in the wall. Adeline moves to investigate. Adeline notices a hollow spot beneath the floor and finds Molly’s journal, which gives her hope.

On June 18, 2008, Molly writes that she is escaping today because she knows that Francesca might try to sell her on June 20. Molly plans to go to Alaska with Layla.