Page 2 of Edge of Control

Rubbing tears from my cheeks, I picked up the note, my hand shaking far too much to even read it. I stumbled. Leaned against the wall. My stomach twisted, ready to spill out all the drinks I had onto the floor.

Theo—

I’m sorry. I can’t fix the mess I made or stop the threats. It’s better this way. I dug too deep into Pressure Point, and now I can’t see another way out. I got caught up. They have blackmail on me. Please forgive me.

—Em

My jaw clenched. Even as I read her words, it felt off. This wasn’t her. Or maybe it was. This was shock. It was monstrous. It wasn’t real.

Nothing made sense.

And my sister continued to hang from the ceiling. Her hair still looking as fresh as it had a week earlier, a contrast against her pale skin and blue lips.

She’d been determined to expose them, not surrender to them. My heart pounded at the discrepancy.

I blinked through the tears, scanning the room. The stool she used to stand on was directly underneath her. It hadn’t been tipped over, it hadn’t fallen. If she had been kicking out when she fell off it, then it should have fallen.

And why had she left the door open? Was she hoping someone else would find her? Save me from the trauma? Save me from this horrible nightmare?

No. She’d never want me to walk in on this. Why would she do this? Did they really have something on her? Why? Why?

Why?!

The sorrow in my chest sharpened, twisting into fury. They’d gone too far. My hands balled into fists, the paper crinkling in my grip. She deserved better than this.

I carefully lowered her body, my tears falling onto her cold shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered through clenched teeth. “I should’ve kept you safe. I should’ve?—”

Thunder boomed outside, as if echoing my rage. Pressure Point. They’d taken my sister from me, stolen her light. And if there was someone orchestrating all of this from the top—I would find them. I would ensure every member paid, piece by bloody piece.

Lightning flashed through the room as I pressed my forehead to hers. In that moment I made a promise. I wouldn’t rest. Not until I ripped Pressure Point apart. Not until I climbed through their ranks and discovered who was truly calling the shots.

I’d make them pay. All of them.

I closed my eyes, tears burning paths down my cheeks. I made a silent promise to the only family I had:

“I’ll tear them down, Em. Every last one of them, until I reach the one who did this to you.”

Somewhere in my mind, a whisper of suspicion flickered. She had mentioned once how something she found reminded her of someone close to us, but she didn’t elaborate, didn’t want me getting drawn into her web.

It didn’t matter.

All that mattered was vengeance.

Chapter 1

Jace Holloway

Rain splatteredacross my office window. It obstructed the glorious view of the brick building that loomed next door. I glanced at my watch. The day had started off on a shitty foot and didn’t appear to be getting any better. The train was delayed by thirty minutes, my inbox had been hit with a series of late bill notifications, and the guy I had hooked up with last night almost certainly tried to rob me blind before leaving my apartment this morning. Another reason why men fucking sucked. Besides the fact that one broke my heart and left me at my lowest.

They were also ready to steal from you even after giving them a mind-blowing orgasm.

Fucking hell.

I was grateful for this job, at least.

It was my first week at the Stonewall Investigations agency. I’d only just passed the state exam last month and thought it would take a bit to find a position somewhere, but Ihad reached out to an old friend of mine and was told about a new opening. I dropped my name in and was called in for an interview with the owner, Zane Holden, a couple of days later.

It was a break I needed. Desperately. I’d been working odd jobs for the last few years, ever since I quit being an officer. Life had tried its damnedest to break me—and it almost had—but finally there appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

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