The Damaged (The Insiders Trilogy #2) - Tijan by Tijan

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 [email protected].

First Edition: 2022