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“That’s what we wanted to talk about,” Ezra continued, running with Flynn’s earlier comment. It didn’t sound ominous, but my heart was in my throat when I nodded. What had they found? Someone saying, “Let’s talk” was never a good sign.
“We’re worried about you,” Flynn explained, his voice soft and soothing like he was speaking to a cornered animal. Ezra sat up, dropping his feet to the deck and resting his elbows on his knees.
“You aren’t sleeping or eating properly,” Ry added, pursing his lips, his gaze zeroed in on me.
“Neither are you,” I retorted with a raised brow. Most nights the tossing and turning got so bad that I would get up, scared of waking whoever was sharing my bed. When I’d stumble out of my cabin, more often than not, I’d run into Ry sitting at the table working on something or another.
“Maybe it’ll help if we were all a little more open with one another. You know, try to avoid the mistakes I made,” Ezra replied, clasping his hands as he looked between us.
“I know a little of what you’re going through, baby girl,” Ry started, his head hanging low. His voice was rough, filled with emotion. When he looked up at me, his eyes were glassy, his mouth set in a frown. “We’re here for you.”
“I just don’t know what else they did. I need to know. I need to fix it.” I sounded helpless even to myself, and I hated that. I was fucking Queen. I wasn’t powerless or some damsel in distress. I should be able to find the information I needed to put this to bed.
To find the people who did this. To take them down.
“We don’t want you to lose sight of the important things,” Tristan murmured, his voice rumbling through me.
“They stole her identity. I’ll never forgive those fuckers for it.”
Ry blew out a breath before he shook his head and continued. “But you have something they’ll never be able to take. Their memories and their spirits live on in you.”
I nodded slowly. I knew what he was saying—don’t let what they did tarnish the memories. He was right. But that’s not what I was doing. My memories were locked away safely. They were protected. They were cherished.
The fire running through my veins, the worry keeping me up at night, was something a lot darker. I wanted revenge. I wanted to punish them, to make them experience pain like Mum, Ash, Dad, and I had felt. Ry and Flynn too. They were going to pay. I’d make sure of it.
Two
Zali
Ipicked up the glasses we’d taken back from Moragreiga and fingered the arms. The plan had gone off even better than we’d hoped. I’d invited him over to talk business. He’d accepted, but before we got into the details, he received a telephone call and excused himself to take it. He’d walked out onto the patio overlooking the bay, leaving his glasses on the table. I’d simply swapped them over. He was never the wiser. Once we’d spoken, it was clear I didn’t meet the bank’s requirements. He’d excused himself, wished me all the best, and my tits stayed safely covered by my dress.
Now I had some answers, but the information I had raised even more questions. Sighing, I ruminated on the pep talk my guys had given me half an hour earlier. They hadn’t tried to get me to back off or to walk away. But they were worried about me. They wanted me to pace myself. Apparently, I didn’t need to know everything yesterday.
But that’s where they were wrong.
On the face of it, the only thing those bastards had done was open a few bank accounts in Mum’s name. But I knew there was more. I had no doubt that they’d threatened Tristan. They were the ones who stood to lose the most if we found them out.
Tristan had his podcast. He didn’t want to walk away from it. So, letting sleeping dogs lie wasn’t an option. As long as he was pushing ahead with it, his life was at risk.
The only way I could keep him safe was to hunt down the arseholes who’d killed Mum and Ash and put them in body bags.
Losing Tristan wasn’t an option. I’d only just found him, he and Ezra had only just reconnected, and something beautiful was developing between Tristan and Flynn. I would burn the world down to protect them.
Vengeance would be sweet, but keeping my guys safe was my priority.
Dropping the glasses with the inbuilt retinal scanner on my desk, I focussed back on the paperwork in front of me.
My phone vibrated, the screen lighting up with a text from Cara.
Hi lovely, saw these and thought of you. They’d look super cute on you!
A photo of a pair of Jimmy Choo stiletto heels with a matching handbag in a buttery yellow was attached. They’d go perfectly with my frilly yellow top.
They’re gorgeous! I want, I replied, then picked up the phone to call her.
“You need these shoes and the bag,” Cara gushed the moment she picked up the phone. “They’re so you.”
I groaned playfully. “I think I’m in love, and I don’t have yellow accessories.”
