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Landing in Langkawi, after a pit stop in Sri Lanka to refuel, was like returning home. It was a tiny slice of familiarity that we had good memories of, even if our stay was only brief. We were greeted as old friends and fussed over by the resort staff. They weren’t even worried by my grumpy arse. They took one look at our bloodied and bandaged state and took over, bringing each of us a change of clothes and insisting on a visit from a doctor for me.
The doc checked me over and agreed with Ez, declaring an operation necessary to set and pin my collarbone before it would heal properly. He cleaned me again and rebandaged me. He ordered ice and gave me instructions to keep it cold to minimize the swelling. Zali had listened raptly and had been checking me ever since, insisting that I put my feet up and relax.
All I wanted now was a whiskey or five, Zali in my arms, and sleep.
I yawned, my body heavy but my mind spinning like a ride on sideshow alley. I don’t think I’d ever be able to fully comprehend Rosa’s thoughts; she was so completely fucked up. I’d wanted vengeance. I’d wanted revenge. I never thought for a minute that it would be against Rosa herself.
But I was relieved.
We hadn’t been able to save Ash, and I would never forgive myself for that.
But I know he’d be proud of us, Zali in particular. We were all proud of her. The way she’d relentlessly tracked down every lead to find his killer was awe-inspiring. She was scary good.
I just hoped she didn’t linger on the thoughts she’d had in the plane. Sure, there were similarities between her and Rosa, but she was nothing like that fucking bitch.
“What’s this?” Flynn asked, picking up the straps of the black duffel bag sitting on the table.
I’d watched Tristan keep it close to him on the plane. Then when we’d arrived at the resort, he’d made sure he had it in his sights, setting it down with our overnight bag stuffed with our electronics.
“One of Martha Holt’s staff gave it to us,” Tristan explained. “She owned the house we stayed in. When he dropped off bread and milk this morning… no, yesterday morning, he told me that they knew who Zali was. Then he said she should feel safe there—”
“I couldn’t figure out why they were staring. They recognized me,” Zali murmured as if the pieces had just fallen into place. She looked so much like her mum that it was impossible to miss the resemblance.
Tristan nodded. “Yeah, I’d say he did. He told me to call Martha. He gave it to us when we were leaving. He asked me again to call her too.”
“What’s in it?” Ezra asked as he ran his fingers along Zali’s shoulders, gently massaging her before leaning down to kiss her hair.
“We haven’t looked,” Zali said and rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted too, her usually bright blues dull with dark circles under them. “After what went down tonight, I honestly don’t know if I want to look. I’m done with surprises.”
Flynn moved over to us and sat next to me, squeezing my knee affectionately before gathering Zali’s hands in his. “You’re completely justified in feeling that way. You tell us if or when you’re ready. One of us can check it and let you know whether you need to see what’s in it, or we can leave it be. Same with calling Martha—”
“She asked me to call her,” Tris interrupted. “You don’t have to be there, but you can be if you’d prefer.”
Zali sighed, and her shoulders slumped. “As much as I don’t want to know, I think I need to find out.”
My hands shook, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Bile churned in my belly, the nausea creeping up on me until I wanted to puke. I knew it was me who needed to check it; it was my job to protect Zali and shield her from anything that could hurt her. But I didn’t know if I could.
This time it was too close. I was already teetering on the edge.
Zali leaned into Ezra’s touch before looking up at him and forcing her lips up in a semblance of a smile. “Could you and Tris look through it first?”
My breath rushed out of me, relief like a cool breeze after a hot summer’s day washing over me. But at the same time, guilt sat heavy on my chest. They shouldn’t have to look through it, not when that psycho bitch Rosa could have put anything in there for Martha’s staff to find.
Hearing her talk about Ash had pushed me to the limit.
I’d wanted to kill her.
I’d wanted to tear her apart.
But when she’d pulled the gun on Zali, everything changed. Instinct drove me, every fibre of my being pivoting in a complete one-eighty within a millisecond. I’d gone from wanting to attack Rosa to needing to protect Zali.
My body had reacted instantaneously, my mind not even registering the threat. I’d jumped, trying to shield Zali with the only thing I had—my body.
Thank fuck I had.
My collarbone had been at Zali’s chest height when the bullet connected. It hit me, then ricocheted on enough of an angle that it missed her altogether. I was bloody lucky too—a fact that hadn’t fully sunk in yet. Five centimetres closer to my throat or further down my chest, and I would have been a dead man.
But I wouldn’t change my actions even if I could.
