Page 36 of Tangled

Mary Varvara Bell was threatening Colleen, and Tristan was laser-focused on stopping Bell and her organization from hurting her. His wealth, his programs, his friends, his boat, and all the people in the world paled beside his gut-wrenchedcravingto protect Colleen from whatever Bell was going to throw at her.

Tristan would doanything.He would leap in front of a bullet or a car. He’d rip an assassin into chunks with his bare hands. To protect Colleen, he would unleash his most despicable Hounds of Hell programs at Mary Varvara Bell and the very architecture of the internet if he had to.

He might destroy a lot in the process.

All of civilization?

Probably not.

Maybe some.

But Tristan would damn well protect her.

Even if saving her ate up all his valuable time before Mary Varvara Bell’s deadline.

Tristan stood. “We need the monitor.”

“We do?” Colleen asked.

“Yes,” he sighed.“Desperately.”

Colleen shrugged and turned back to Anjali. “I’ll help you carry it up.”

“No,” Tristan said. “I’ll get it. Stay here and lock the door while we’re gone.”

Anjali led him to her car, which was the angular sedan Colleen had emerged from at the airport, and opened the trunk for him. “So,what is going on with you and my friend?”

19

Engaged

Tristan

Tristan wrestled the wide, curved monitor out of the back of Anjali’s car. One corner wedged itself under the lip of the boot, and he had to slide it back and forth until he could maneuver it loose. “We had some business problems in Los Angeles. We came here to regroup before we carry on.”

“I don’t meanyourbusiness, or whatever it is you’re doing. I mean, what’s going onwithyou and Colleen?”

The boot of the car relinquished its hold on the monitor, and Tristan set it on its side in preparation to pick it up. “I don’t understand the question. She’s my coding consultant, and we need the monitor so we can write the code.”

Anjali pressed her generous lips together for a moment, an internal argument she was trying to contain waging in her head. She failed. “You walked into her place of business and got her fired. You paid her a stupid amount of money to fly to California with you, and then you came back. She has been traveling with you for several days. You should not be leading her around like this unless you have a reason.”

Tristan felt his lips part as his mouth almost fell open. “Are you asking me what myintentionsare?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t her older brothers supposed to be the ones who shove a shotgun in my back and drag me to the church?”

“Colleen’s older brothers are jerks. I am her family now. And yes, I am asking you what yourintentionsare with my best friend, Colleen.”

Tristan made sure the monitor wouldn’t fall over and turned to look down at the small woman who was hilariously interrogating him about her friend. “I’ve only known her for four days.” Internet time not included.

“Time is a construct. When the person is right, you know. My parents met three times before they agreed to be married, and they are still very happily married. I don’t think you should get to know a person too well before marrying them. It leaves no happy surprises for married life.”

Tristan composed himself and worked very hard not to gape at Anjali because she was Colleen’s friend. “I have a different philosophy about dating and marriage.”

“Well, you should reconsider that.”

A glimmer of a thought zinged through Tristan’s head. “Did she say something to you?”