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Excerpt

Zali

I saw it.

A message from one supposedly anonymous person to another.

The message was stark. My chest seized, the breath catching in my lungs. Right there in black and white. A few keystrokes by some random arsehole and Tristan’s life had been endangered.

My hands shook and my gut bottomed out, the floor seemingly falling away from me. It was as if I’d been dropped from my jet without a parachute and was plummeting down, the earth racing up to meet me with devastating consequences.

My throat burned, bile crawling up it as the words in front of me blurred. But there were no tears. There was no panic. Instead, hatred as violent as a Category 5 cyclone was devastating, boiled inside me.

I paced the room, trapped like a wild animal in a cage. I clenched my hands into fists, squeezing them until the crescents left by my nails stung and my fingertips came away red with my own blood. My nostrils flared as I sucked in a breath, and my teeth cracked as I ground my teeth together.

“Ezra,” I barked, and immediately heard footsteps rushing toward me.

He slid to a halt in the doorway, and his eyes widened a fraction before he reached for me. I shook my head, warning him to stay away, but he was undeterred.

“Hey,” he whispered, coming closer and brushing his thumb along my cheek. “What’s happened?”

“I found the threat against Tris,” I ground out in a voice I didn’t recognize as my own.

He froze, the only movement in his body a slow blink. Colour drained from his face, and he sucked in a shuddery breath. “Show me.”

I pointed at the screen and his gaze followed my outstretched arm. But he didn’t step closer. Instead, he grasped my hand and peeled open my fingers, exposing my bloody palm. His eyes softened, and he held my hands gently. I didn’t need his care and compassion though. I needed ruthlessness and anger.

But despite Tristan being the man he loved above anyone else in the world, I hadn’t fully comprehended how incapable of cruel vengeance Ezra truly was until that moment.

“Ry, can you please bring me the first aid kit?” he called out.

“Never mind,” I muttered, pulling my hands free of his gentle hold. “Just… stay out of my way.”

Ezra tugged me close, holding on as I struggled against him, trying to push him away. He sat on my chair, pulled me onto his lap, and locked his arms in place around my waist. I could either elbow him in the nose or sit still.

Tears formed in my eyes, my hands shaking as the enormity of what I had in front of me registered. Tristan—my guy—a man I loved was at risk. Threats had been made against him. Someone had tried to scare him into backing away.

What would happen if he didn’t? There was no doubt in my mind that they’d simply escalate. Threats would become actions. Actions would turn deadly.

“It’s okay. We’re going to fix this,” he murmured against my hair, his deep voice lulling me into a sense of peace.

But it evaporated in a fizz the moment I lifted my gaze to the screen. Tristan’s name and address were front and centre. The content of the most recent note was written out with instructions to deliver it to Tristan’s door. Payment details and a price were set out below. Under it, written by the original poster was, “Accepted.” Below that, “Executed.”

“Can you trace it?” Ezra asked carefully.

“Yes.”

“Then do it.”

I looked at Ezra, searching his gaze for any doubt, for any uncertainty. He was crossing a line that he might not be able to come back from. This wasn’t going to end with me finding out information like we’d done in Monaco. He knew the score. He knew what I would do when I found out who was responsible for Mum’s and Asher’s deaths.

But there was no hesitation.

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Other Titles Within this Series

PROFESSORHOLE

Billionaire Boss Girl Trilogy #1

BOSSHOLE

Billionaire Boss Girl Trilogy #2

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