Page 93 of His Fury

He snorted, looking away, and I knew. Iknewthere was something worse to come. “Julian…”

“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice cracking. “It’s worse than you think.”

My stomach churned uneasily. “Tell me.” I swallowed hard, panic settling in. “If you don’t want to tell me, tell Zayn.”

He gave me a look of disbelief that clearly questioned my sanity, and I half shrugged in response. Yeah, okay, that was warranted. “Okay, tell me.”

“I was being watched.” He spoke softly. “Long before you were taken. It was more than just that I owed them and hadn’t paid. It felt…off.”

“Off? Off how?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t think they were after me…I mean, obviously, they were. I owed what I owed, but it felt more like they were watching…what I would do.” Julian sighed, his fingers twisting around the stem of the wineglass. “When I think back, I think…” He looked up. " I think they used me to get to him.” He leaned forward, his shoulders hunched. “I think they expected me to go to Zayn, but I didn’t know that by doing so I would give them…well you.”

Something cold settled in my chest. “Julian?—”

“They took me,” he blurted out, and my body stiffened in shock. I saw the unshed tears as he looked at me with misery. “I told them things, Isla,” he whispered. “Not because I wanted to but because I didn’t think I had a choice.”

“You gave them Zayn?” I asked, my lips numb. “Oh my god, you gave themme.”

His eyes shimmered. “I didn’t know they’d take you. I didn’t think they would actually do it.”

I slid off the stool and turned away from him, heart pounding, as I grappled with what he was saying.

“Please don’t hate me,” he said from behind me. “Just don’t?—”

Hatehim? I couldn’t even bear tolookat him. Tears streamed down my face. “You shouldn’t be here.” My voice was as cold as ice. “Zayn won’t be happy when he finds out.”

“I know.” I heard him take a shaky breath. “He’ll kick the shit out of me.”

I spun around. “Then why come?”

He hesitated, then reached into his jacket. I froze. But all he pulled out was a flash drive. I hadn't used one in so long that it took a moment for me to recognize it. “There’s information on here,” Julian said, his voice low,urgent. “It shows the money trail. Who’s behind it. Show this to Zayn…” He pressed it into my palm, and my fingers closed around the plastic before I could stop them. “He’ll know what to do.”

I looked up at him and saw the shadow of the man I lovedlike a brother. “I’m so sorry, Isla. I’m truly sorry you got involved, but… I don’t know who to trust anymore.” He rubbed his jaw. “But I trust you. Even though I know you will never trust me again.”

“Julian…”

He left the kitchen, almost running to the door, and I heard it click shut behind him.

I didn’t move. Not for a full minute, perhaps longer. I stood there, my breath shallow and the flash drive burning a hole in my hand.

I didn’t know what to do.

No. That was a lie.

I had two choices: show it to Zayn, knowing it might lead to bloodshed, or hide it. Neither option felt safe.

Noneof this feltsane.

The flash drive felt heavy in my hand as if it weighed a thousand pounds. I stared at it: sleek, silver, and innocuous.

Terrifying.

Should I drop it? Toss it in the trash? Burn it?Instead, my fingers tightened around it.

Zayn would know what to do with it. That’s what Julian said. He would take it, and I would never know what was on it. He wouldprotectme from it. Ireallywanted that. I wanted to be protected. I didn’t want anything to do with what was on that drive.

But what if what Zayn did…made everything worse?

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