Page 98 of His Fury

“Then why did your friendship change because of me?” she asked quietly. “I didn’t do anything.”

I huffed out a laugh. “I knew he was going to do something stupid.” I walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer, unscrewing it and taking a deep pull. “He asked me to help him.” I placed the bottle on the counter and looked over at her. “I said no.”

Isla bit her bottom lip. “Oh…”

“But you showed me the bruise on your arm that his father gave you. When he hurtyou. I didn’t say no to you.” I took another drink. “I’ve never been able to say no to you, have I, Is?”

She looked so tortured. “Zayn?—”

I waved off her concern. “Don’t worry, I’ve killed plenty of men since then, so you can still think of me as the killer you’ve always believed me to be.”

“That isn’t helpful.” Her tone sharpened. “And don’t you think we’repastthat? Past those stupid little comments?” When I didn’t reply, she looked at the laptop. “All of this is Julian?”

“Nah, some of it. The rest will be that fuckhead Delaney.” I gripped the bottle tighter. “The pictures of you, thesurveillanceof you, that’s all that shady bastard.”

“Then why would Julian include the stuff he had on you?” Isla asked me in confusion.

“To remind me that he can.” I finished the bottle of beer.

Isla clicked on a few more files, and I saw her frown deepen. “This is fucked up.”

My grunt said more than words could.

She closed the laptop, looking back at me as I stood across the kitchen from her. “What now?”

The silence hung between us.

Her voice was low but tight, and she was angry when she spoke again. “You made yourself a target the night you came to get me.” Her fingers drummed off the countertop. “You should have just sent Rye.”

“Rye probably would’ve left you there.”

Her lips twitched in a smile that was gone as quickly as it came. “He knew they were going to take me.” Her head dipped. “He made mebait.”

I crossed the room, my finger sliding under her jaw, tilting her head up to look at me. “Hey, you are not bait. I am most definitely not a fucking target. I am a weapon.Yourweapon. No one will hurt you. I will wreck this town if they try.” I lowered my head until our lips were a breath apart. “No one is safe if they hurt you, Is.”

She swallowed, lips parting like she didn’t know what to say. Like part of her wanted to argue and another part—the one I could see shaking in her hands—understood.

“I didn’t want this for you,” I said, my voice softer now. “But I can promise I will protect you. And if you want…” I almost choked on the words. “If you want to choose differently. If you want to walk. I’ll do my best to respect it.”

Her eyes shone. But she didn’t cry. She nodded once, looking up at me. “I’m not walking away,” she whispered. “I don’t know what this makes us now…”

“Neither do I,” I admitted. “But I know what I won’t let us be.”

“And what’s that?”

“Over.”

Isla’s hands slid up my chest, curling around my neck. “The world’s gone mad, or maybe just me, but that could be the hottest, sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

My hands circled her waist, pulling her closer. “I want you to know everything,” I admitted. “So if you stay, you need to chooseme, the real me, not some version of me you’ve made up in your head.”

Her breath hitched, and she stepped back, breaking my hold on her. I didn’t reach for her. Didn’t push. This,us,had to be her choice.

She reached out and intertwined her fingers with mine. “I choose you. I chose you, Zayn, the moment I plugged in the flash drive and understood that whatever was in it I would take to my grave.” Her voice trembled, but her grip remained steady. “I just didn’t realize what that really meant...until now.”

I squeezed her hand slightly, gesturing to the laptop. “This is going to be a fallout. A big one.” I watched her closely. “Blood needs to be spilled.”

Isla looked away before she looked back at me, her gaze steady. “Not Julian…”

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