The Triple Cross: Billionaire's Blood Debt

shed against the underside of the heavy mahogany desk. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic, trapped

ou're talking about,

y silk skirt with palms that were slick and trembling. The room was suffocating, drap

the victim,"

ilver scar slicing through his eyebrow. He looked predatory. Every muscle in his body was c

ing to protect he

f to meet his obsidian gaze, even as my knees threatened to buckle. The electricity between u

ed a child as a shie

. The heat radiating off him was a scorching contrast to the chill in my bones. I

yelled, the words te

idn't blink. His eyes remained locked on mine, dark pools of unreadable emotion.

voice was a low, d

of fury and desperation. "Look at his eyes. Look at the

u want me to be

touch was electric, a jolt of fire that raced through my nervous system.

hoked out. "Thorne is dangerous

ver my lower lip with a rough, distracting pressure. "But

no ch

ays a choice,

panther. I watched the play of muscles beneath his black shirt, the way his tattoos shifted with every

asked, my voice

more secure than an

d to s

to face me. "You're a guest in this house, Elena. Nothing more. If

d, bitter laugh. "You dragg

ould have discarded you the m

will you d

his breath. My heart was a frantic mess, thudding against my chest with such violence

ecided yet,"

nger that made my blood boil. I could see the pulse jumping in his neck. His eyes dropp

ing to a smoky, defiant edge. "But give Leo h

?-crossing his features before the mask of stone returned. He grabbed m

can manipulat

d of how much you alread

cond. I felt a surge of triumph, a sharp, cold spike of adrenaline. I had hit the mar

t," he

ke

ck in the corner and the ragged sound of our breathing. My skin felt like it was on fire where he to

low, guttural warning. "Before I forget that you're the mot

ned to consume my resolve. I pulled my hands free, my skin tingling as the contact broke. I

ome; it was a fortress. Every corner held a security camera, every door w

I needed to know where

room-guest suites, offices, a library that smelled of mahogany and silence. My hea

A single door stood ajar, a soft, w

ouse felt different-softer, smelling faintly of lavender an

cold, clini

stepped int

haped like a pirate ship sat in the corner, covered in plush blankets. Shelves lined th

, and a massive set of building blocks. A telesco

re arranged with care, some of them looking sligh

at, hot and suffocating. I reached out, my hand trembling a

the one Leo had lo

g," I whispered t

ck, a betrayal. But this room told a different story. This wa

t about Leo. He had bee

gled to pay the rent-he had known. He had let us suffer

ir. The betrayal was deeper than I could have imagined. I felt a wave

lik

e stuffed lion cl

st, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He looked tired, th

ded, my voice a jag

nough,"

ve while you built this?" I stood up

nto the room. "I watched you move from one hovel to the next,

ve taken him

never find you?" He stopped in the center of the room, looking at the pir

choice! You

cold. "Thorne was just the catalyst. I knew you'd tak

my hand flying out to slap him ag

e of the nursery, the air thick with the scent of a ch

et to judge

one who can,

. For a heartbeat, the anger vanished, replaced by a raw, bleeding vulnerability. H

son?" I w

d, his forehead dropping to res

ed to fight him, to scream, to run. But my heart was b

ered by a sharp, electronic

k device. His face went as

ed, the fear return

th a terror I had never seen before.

pocket," he said, his voice

I just hel

trembling. "That wasn't a

groaned. A heavy, metallic thud echoed from the hallway

ody as the lights in the mansion flickered and died, plu

wn," he

f heavy boots on the stairs-and a v

hrough the speakers of the nursery's baby m

rs finding Jaxson's hand. He grippe

the company, is

e a grim promise. "He's after

door, dancing across the wood unti

. "If we don't make it out of this room, tell Leo.

explode