Page 628 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

Her glare of death slowly slides my way.

My eyes widen innocently.

Letting out a breath of relief when she speaks and it’s not to chew me out for my running thoughts, I listen with ears that immediately sharpen as she begins, “You must be careful when we arrive. Do not trust any rich person but me.” I notice Cooper’s lips twitch up at that, clearly fighting amusement from the way Ezzy talks about her excessive wealth the same way she’d talk about the weather. “They are all snakes. And my father”—we all go ramrod straight—“is the worst snake of them all. Do not speak to him. Do you understand me? You will let me do all the talking.”

“Vengeance—”

“No,” she cuts Cooper off, holding up a hand. “No. You will obey me. You do not speak to him. You do not stand up to him. No matter what happens. And you do not, for any reason at all, leave my side.”

“Well the last one’s a fucking piece of cake, Havoc,” Tate scoffs. “Who do you take me for? Why the fuck would I willingly be anywhere other than right beside you?”

“If he talks badly to you, I’ll—”

“I said no,” Ezla seethes, mismatched eyes flashing in warning as they zoom in on Cooper.

One no one is shocked he doesn’t heed.

“I won’t let him say something disgusting, Vengeance,” he snaps.

“You do not let him do anything.”

He glowers.

Her eyes narrow to slits. Then she says, “You will make things worse for me.”

Cooper reels back as if she’d slapped him.

“This is not only for your protection. If you do not care about your own safety, what about mine?”

Silence wraps around the limo.

“That is what I thought.”

A beat. Then, “You have to tell us more, Love. We aren’t prepared enough. Tell us what else he’s done.” Scotty’s eyes plead with her.

Her jaw stiffens in response as she meets his gaze head-on. “There is nothing.”

“Don’t lie—”

“Cooper.” Scotty shoots him a sharp look of reprimand before focusing back on our Bonded. “How can we protect you—”

“I do not need protection. I am Ezla Zefron, and no one can hurt m—”

“Ezla!”

She flinches in time with my own jolt. Just a bit. But we all notice.

The thickness of the air intensifies.

Ezla never flinches.

And I’ve never heard my brother raise his voice like that.

But I can see the stress in every line of his face, his body. See the way he goes to run a faintly trembling hand through his perfectly neat hair, before dropping it when he remembers where we’re going.

My fists clench at my sides.

“I’m sorry,” Scotty says, softening his tone. “I’m sorry, Love. I know perfectly well you can take care of yourself. I know how strong and independent you are—it’s one of my favourite things about you.” His throat works as he swallows roughly. “But you— Your father . . . You are afraid of your father. And you can’t protect yourself from him.”