Page 131 of Ballrooms & Blackmail

And drive it right into Preston’s balls.

“Don’t you ever touch me again, asshole.”

He groans and drops to the ground, hands clutched to his pelvis.

I snort and look down at him. “Do you know what the saddest part of this whole spectacle is?” I ask as I step over his writhing body. “It’s that somehow you still think you matter.”

Then, not bothering to waste another moment on this man, I keep walking.

A moment later, a hand settles on my lower back, and Thorn’s laughing voice drifts to my ears. “Fuck, little hen, remind me to not make you mad.”

I gape at him.

Then, unbidden, laughter rises in me too.

Because we’ve faced monsters and we’re still here.

Because we’re looking forward.

And because assholes like Preston don’t matter anymore.

“As long as you keep my immersion blender safe then you’ll be safe.”

He grins and kisses me…then holds up my safe-and-sound handheld blender.

“So noted, sweetheart.”

Thirty-Nine

Thorn

My first—albeit not my only mistake—is thinking I know every horror that will come for me.

I need to keep River safe.

Make sure Brooks and Briar and the others are too.

Get the information and use it to take the Lyons down.

It seems…well, not simple, exactly. But doable, especially with the truth out in the open and all of us working together.

And it goes smoothly at first.

Angela delivers on her complete drive.

Pascal and his team snag the one from the Jardin facility.

And Attie and the FBI recover the other.

We reach the end of the shell company line…and discover the Board will be meeting at the end of the week. Here in town.

Obviously, it’s a trap.

A way to draw us somewhere where they can eliminate their enemies, once and for all.

But we know that.

So we’ll go in prepared.