Page 66 of His Fury

Rye said nothing, but his silence didn’t feel like agreement. It felt like a warning.

I turned back to the screen, scanning every face and each move, just as I always did. I was accustomed to pressure and expected it. But now, the stakes were different because I had something to lose—something more than just money.

I spoke to him as I scrolled through screens. “Can you drop this now? I don’t want to listen to you bitching again. You’ve said your piece,severaltimes, now let it go.” I looked up at him. “I won’t discuss this with you again. Understood?”

“This blows up in your face, and I’m saying I told you so.” He left the office. He didn’t say goodbye. He never did. However, the door clicked shut a little harder than usual.

I sat back, staring at the monitor, where camera feeds flicked silently from the club floor to the loading bay to the back alley.

Rye was right.

I’d made her visible. Which in turn mademevisible. That wasn’t my way. Being open meant beingopen. And in this world? That changed everything.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t protect her. It simply meant I’d kill anyone who tried to get close.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the notifications. No messages from her. That was fine. She was working, and I appreciated that she wasn’t always checking in. She had her own life. Her own drive. That’s what made her different.

That’s what made her mine.

The fact that I had Jayden watching her and sending me regular updates didn’t make me a hypocrite at all.

She called me two hours later. As promised, her phone had been replaced, but her number remained the same. Despite Rye arguing for at least ten minutes about why that was a bad idea, she refused to consider it. Her clients recognizedthatnumber; she wasn’t going to confuse them with a different one now. I understood her perspective, but I didn’t have to agree with it, so we cloned her phone to ensure Delaney wasn’t the only one monitoring it…ifhe was monitoring it.

He’d be watching it.

If it were me, that’s what I would do. If it were Rye, he would do the same. So, Rye added an app that ensured all her calls and texts were encrypted for anyone other than us.

“Hey,” I greeted, hearing the sounds of a bustling hotel behind her. “You okay?”

“Hi.” Her voice was warm though I detected a slight strain beneath it. “Wait a minute, I didn’t expect you to answer so quickly.” I heard a door close, and the background noise diminished somewhat. “Hi,” she repeated with a light laugh.

“Hi.” I smiled, already grateful Rye wasn’t here to witness this call. “How’s work?”

I heard her huff in frustration. “Gerard is a lovely man...”

“But?” There was definitely a but to come.

“But he must be insane or something,” she snapped, and I heard the creak of a chair as she sat down. “I told him all about my?—”

I grinned as she abruptly cut herself off, her uncertainty echoing down the line. “Are you scared I’m going to steal your idea?” I teased her.

She hesitated, and my grin widened. “Yes… Does that make me a bad person?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

“Zayn!”

I laughed out loud. “I have no interest in glamping, Is.”

“How…” I heard her quick inhale. “How the hell do you know about my idea?” I heard her get up, and it sounded like she threw open the door. “Have you got someonewatchingme?”

I leaned back in my chair, and the smile on my face felt permanent as I heard her frustrated anger, imagining her scowling at an empty hotel hallway. “Did you really think I was letting you go alone?”

“Zayn!” The door slammed shut again. “That isn’t evenreasonablebehavior!”

“Of course, it is. Four days ago, you were kidnapped. You wanted to return to work, and I support that idea. It doesn’t mean you have to go alone.”

“Who is it?” she demanded, still quite pissed off despite my perfectly reasonable explanation. “It can’t be Jayden,” she continued, murmuring as she thought it over. “He’s far too hot to blend in.”

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