The damaged, p.27
The Damaged,
p.27
The detective sitting closest to the recorder reached over and hit Stop.
There was a commotion outside my interrogation room.
Shouts.
The door burst open and Kash was there.
He took in the room, then snarled. “This is over.” One step, a hand to my arm, but I was already pushing back from the table. He took me out of there.
I still watched all of this from the corner of the room, detached from my body.
I didn’t come back to myself until we were in the back of an SUV. Kash’s arms were around me, and he was saying into my neck, “I’m so sorry, Bailey. I am so sorry.”
I returned to his comfort, and to the next impending wave of doom, except that this wave was mixed with grief like I’d never experienced before.
And I didn’t want to experience it, so I left my body once again.
FORTY-SEVEN
The world didn’t know him.
It would.
He knew, striding through an airport in Bangkok, Thailand, that everything would soon change.
Everything.
The blood that ran through his veins, who his mother and father had been, and who had kept him in hiding all these years, it all gave him that power.
Just like the other one.
But he didn’t grow up like that one. Not at all. Not even a little bit.
He boarded the plane, his bag over his shoulder.
The flight attendant watched him. Interest and attraction sparked in her eyes as she took in his cognac-brown eyes, but she awarded him a professional smile. “Mr. Chase Bastian. Welcome aboard. I’m certain you will love Chicago.”
He nodded, taking his seat. “I’m sure I will as well.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A big, huge thank-you to my publisher! To my agent. To Crystal. Amy. Tami. Chris. Serena.
A big, huge thank-you to the ladies in my reader’s group. To all the bloggers who have posted for me and supported me. To Social Butterfly.
It’s been a long road from that first phone call with my agent, then with Monique, and now I’m writing the acknowledgments for the second book of The Insiders trilogy.
I hope you enjoyed The Damaged, and I hope you keep trusting me.;)
Also by Tijan
The Insiders
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 multiple 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. Bailey
Two
Three
Four
Five. Kash
Six. Bailey
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen. Kash
Twenty. Bailey
Twenty-One. Kash
Twenty-Two. Bailey
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five. Kash
Twenty-Six. Bailey
Twenty-Seven. Kash
Twenty-Eight. Bailey
Twenty-Nine
Thirty. Kash
Thirty-One. Bailey
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four. Kash
Thirty-Five. Bailey
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine. Kash
Forty. Bailey
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five. Kash
Forty-Six. Bailey
Forty-Seven
Acknowledgments
Also by Tijan
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
the damaged. Copyright © 2022 by Tijan. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Ervin Serrano
Cover photograph by Wong Sim
Cover art: texture © Tawat Kambum/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Tijan, author.
Title: The damaged / Tijan.
Description: First edition. | New York : St. Martin’s Griffin, 2022. | Identifiers: LCCN 2021039232 | ISBN 9781250210791 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250210807 (ebook)
Subjects: LCGFT: Novels.
Classification: LCC PS3620.I49 D36 2022 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021039232
eISBN 9781250210807
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: 2022
Tijan, The Damaged
