Page 3 of Secret Revenge

The reality of him took my breath away—intense blue eyes, that sculpted jawline, and curls I wanted to tangle my fingers in.

My heart raced for reasons not entirely related to fear.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now, tinged with genuine concern.

I managed a weak nod, still unable to find my voice as he guided me out of the hallway, his intention clear: we needed to leave, immediately.

"How did you get in here? Shit, that doesn’t matter now. You have no idea of the danger you were just in," he continued, raking a hand through his hair. You don’t need to tell me.

"I don’t know what idea you came here off of – or what story you think you’ll be able to tell but barking up Kurt’s tree isn’t something you want to do," Travis clenched his jaw as we moved through the club and out into the night.

My heart palpated so hard it hurt. Does he…

Outside, Travis didn't release his hold. He seemed on high alert as we approached the valet. That's when I finally spoke up. "Why do you think I'm here for a story?"

He glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “You’re Emily Skye, known for taking down corrupt officials and exposing scandals. I loved your work on the exposure of Deputy Mayor Clayton’s physical and sexual abuse of trans women and the huge charity scandal of Mrs. Rhodes Wellington. Followed the story like a hawk – don’t look so surprised. This is what you do, no?”

A slow whisper, pooled dread in my stomach, sending a cord of fear around my neck. A whisper that voiced, he knew exactly who I was, and with that knowledge, he held an unpredictable power over my mission.

Oh shit. I’d lost control before I even had it.

Frozen in place, I watched, almost in slow motion, as the valet handed Travis the keys.

“Well?” He asked, now fully seated in his car, the passenger door sitting wide open. His grin was lopsided, teasing, pulling. “You coming?

His offer felt like more than just a ride—it was a decision about how deep into this I wanted to go. And something told me that I didn’t truly have a choice.

2

TRAVIS

It took a few seconds for Emily Skye to decide to join me in the car. For a moment, it looked like she was seriously considering saying “no,” and that was a novel as it was alarming. If Kurt Blackwell hadn't been back there inside Calypso, it would have been almost refreshing to be turned down by a beautiful woman for possibly the first time in my life.

But after a few moments’ thought, she relented, opening the passenger side door and slipping in tantalizingly close to me. I cast a sidelong glance at her, confirming that her gorgeous profile was indeed that of the rising star investigative reporter while trying not to ogle her stunning legs..

Was it that shocking to her that I knew who she was? How could I not? Granted, maybe every billionaire doesn’t read the local news or remember who wrote the articles exposing corruption. Blackwell had teased me mercifully about doing that kind of thing when we were young.

And I had to admit, the truth was, I had an ulterior motive for studying Emily Skye. My brothers and I needed help to combat a bad PR campaign ahead of my next big news, and she’d come up as a name the people trusted. A woman who couldn’t be bought.

She must have forgotten that she’d responded to my email with a scathing retort about how she does not do PR for billionaires. If she remembered writing that email, she wouldn’t have been surprised that I knew her name.

I had to admit that the memory of that email made her much more intriguing in my eyes. Not many people said ‘no’ to me these days.

Yet even as I admired her integrity, I felt my brow furrowing in frustration as I stared at her sitting in my passenger seat. She clearly didn’t know how much danger she’d put herself in tonight. Even if she was carrying a tiny pistol on a garter under that dress, it wouldn’t have been enough to save her if Kurt decided he wanted her dead and no one intervened.

And just like that, I was trying not to think about what was under that dress, trying not to imagine that chiseled profile moaning in ecstasy…

Wearing that red dress, she’d made me stop in my tracks. Even before I realized why she looked familiar, I had wanted her. It was no wonder that Kurt had, too.

Now, she was sitting beside me, and I tried to stop my thoughts as I turned the key in the ignition and drove out of Calypso’s premises.

This was a rescue mission. A drive home from a dangerous situation. Nothing more.

“May I ask why you know me?” Emily’s voice was surprisingly timid for someone whose written words held such force. “Many people have read my work but don’t recognize me in person like you did.”

“Some overzealous magazines have been publishing unflattering stories about my company, as you probably know. It’s led to issues in getting the communities we are trying to help to trust us and receive our aid. My brothers and I looked intoindependent journalists known for delving into issues of social justice. I saw and appreciated your work.”

I shot her a pointed look, wondering if she would remember her reply to my email.