The Insiders (The Insiders Trilogy #1) - Tijan Page 0,132
And again.
Stalking over, he pressed the button, then went stock-still.
Blood drained from his face.
Every hair on my body stood straight up.
I was standing at the end of the hall, and I stepped toward him, out of instinct. “Kash?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t look at me.
Whoever it was, they’d gotten past the front desk. They were on our floor, just on the other side of our door.
Cursing, he wrenched open the door and faced off against whoever was on the other side.
“Get. Gone!”
Their response was quieter, calmer. “Hello, Kash.” A man. An older man.
Ice ran down my spine. I was moving faster, hurrying to be at his side, because this time Kash needed me. Then Kash was moving. He blocked me, holding me back. He slammed the door shut, engaging all of the locks. He flicked off the security camera feed so I couldn’t see, then hit the buzzer. “Call the police. Now.”
He held me back until we heard the elevator open, close, and travel down.
I stepped away from him, getting a glimpse of what a cornered feral animal might look like. Unease traced through me. They were whispering at me, in the back of my mind, riding down my spine.
I asked, “Who was that?”
He didn’t look me in the eye, but his hand tightened over mine.
“My grandfather.”
BONUS
Bailey’s Letter to Kash
I told you before that I wanted more nights with you.
I demand more nights with you. I demand longer nights with you.
I see the outside you. I demand to know the inside you.
I want the words, the actions, the secrets. I want the you and me that no one else will ever know.
I want to hold your hand. I want to feel your hugs.
I want to get cards from you. I want dinners and roses and chardonnay. I want champagne, but I want the other good stuff. I want the sunset hand-holding. I want the sunrise coffee together. I want the laughter in the day, flirty texts, dirty sexts.
I want it all, and I want them with you.
I want to know your haunts. I want to tremble from them, alongside you.
I want the full picture of how you became you, from your first memory to your last memory, and when a new day starts and when that memory refreshes, I want those too.
I am greedy because I want all of you. Not some of you. Not a third of you. Not the good part of you, or the bad part of you. I want the lover, the friend, the part that will walk with me wherever I go, the part that will ride next to me, the part that will fight with me, for me, beside me.
I know you think I need more time. I don’t.
I know you think I was scarred. I wasn’t.
I know you think I need to heal still. Fuck no.
I’m good to go, so besides all the other gushy stuff in this letter, I want you to come over here.
I want you to take me, make me yours, because I already am.
I’m yours, Kash. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love you.
So fucking give me you, okay?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my agent, holy crapola, Kimberly! Thank you!
To Monique! To everyone who worked on this book and helped get it where it is. To Macmillan.
To the ladies in Tijan’s Crew. To the group in Tijan’s Audiomen. Just, whoa, to everyone.
Every author dreams of going to a bookstore, walking in, and finding their book on the shelves. This has happened sporadically for me; I’ve mostly been an indie author until this publisher decided to take a chance on me.
I’m really truly hoping everyone loved Bailey and Kash as much as I loved writing them! I’m grateful and happy to have been able to bring this entire world and cast from The Insiders to life, and I hope you guys continue on with the next book in their series.
Bring on some graduate school!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TIJAN is a New York Times bestselling author who writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and, once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed series, the Fallen Crest series, and Ryan’s Bed, among others. She is currently writing to her heart’s content in northern Minnesota with an English cocker spaniel she adores. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
Forty-Seven
Forty-Eight
Forty-Nine
Fifty
Fifty-One
Fifty-Two
Fifty-Three
Fifty-Four
Fifty-Five
Fifty-Six
Fifty-Seven
Bonus
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group
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