Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

process this information. It wasn’t every day you found out the person you were to spend eternity with wanted to destroy you.

Julie and Harry walked through the streets like a couple who escaped their prom early. People who came across them, barely gave them a glance; they were ordinary. Invisible, even. And that was exactly how Julie liked to be.

“This was a good idea,” she said, squeezing Harry’s hand as they reached the Thames. The moonlight flooded the surface of the water, it looked mystical. “I never thought we would be able to do this.”

They came to a stop and Julie held onto the iron railing as they looked out at the boats on the water. A cold breeze flowed through her hair and she pulled the jacket tighter around her body. She leaned toward Harry and rested her head on his bicep.

“I’m not afraid of Ebony,” Harry blurted out firmly. Julie lifted her head to study his face. He looked out at the water with his brows knitted together. “I’ll admit, I was slightly worried earlier. Now that I know who it is… well, it’s laughable, really.”

He looked down at Julie and cupped her face. “You don’t need to worry about anything.” He said it so fervently, Julie almost believed him. It was great that he wasn’t concerned, but knowing Ebony wanted his money and was willing to go to any extreme to get it filled her with doubt. She wondered just how far Ebony would go.

“Do you think we made a mistake coming here without your security?” she asked, glancing around them. The roads were busy with taxis, ferrying partygoers around the city. And the streets were noisy with men and women who had too much to drink. She looked back at Harry who was looking up at the moon.

“People go out without security all the time. Besides… it’s not as if anyone will recognize me.” He put his arm around Julie’s shoulders and gently tugged at her hair. “For the first time since we met, I feel like I can relax.” He smiled broadly at her. Julie found herself beaming back at him. She stared into his beautiful blue eyes, seeing the image of the moon reflected in them and leaned in for a kiss. The air grew still and quiet. Julie was lost in their moment, like in the movies, when everything fades away and only the lovers remain. As if they were the only two people in the world. But there was a little voice in the back of Julie’s mind that told her something was not quite right. There was a lull in the traffic. She pulled back from the kiss. The street appeared to be empty.

A sudden movement caught Julie’s eye, but before she saw what it was, Harry cried out with surprise. He slumped forward and moaned then another loud thud had Julie jumping back and screaming. Harry stumbled as three dark figures wearing ski masks surrounded him—then the pounding started. Julie stood with her hands to her mouth, frozen in horror as they repeatedly hit Harry’s torso.

Do something, Julie! Don’t just stand there!

Her brain screamed at her to move. But she couldn’t. Instead, she was forced to watch as the attackers took turns throwing their punches at Harry. Julie’s ears rang so loudly she wondered if a steam train was nearby. Her senses came back to her on a sudden whoosh, and she took in a breath and let out the loudest, unearthly screech she could muster. The attackers stopped and covered their ears in response, giving Julie time to act. She lifted her dress and threw her right foot with as much force as possible to collide with one of the attackers’ thighs, while ramming her elbow into the ribs of another. All of her kickboxing and boxing training came flooding to the surface as she moved. It did not matter that there were three of them. She was full of adrenaline now, and her fear was long gone. These people just attacked the love of her life.

They will pay.

She thrust her fist into whatever body she could reach; one of them fled the scene.

“Come on,” another said in a muffled voice. Julie raised her elbows, preparing to defend herself, but the two remaining attackers limped across the road and disappeared into an alley. Panting and looking brazenly out at the street, primed and ready for another round, Julie waited. A couple of cars passed by. The eerie stillness disappeared and a scatter of people entered the street.

Julie’s arms remained above her head, but she was trembling now. The danger had passed, and now a rush of emotions and adrenaline with nowhere to go came flooding back.

She silently thanked her parents for forcing her to attend self-defense classes the summer before she started university. It just saved her life.

A moan on the floor alerted her out of her thoughts. Julie crouched down to Harry and held his hand gingerly. His face was swelling up and blotches of red covered his hands.

“Are you all right?”

“Hurts to breathe,” Harry whispered back, grimacing. Julie pulled her phone out from her bag and with trembling fingers, fumbled to call emergency services.

“Slow and gentle. Hold on, help is on its way,” she said calmly, repeating the advice she heard on a medical drama she binge-watched over the summer. She remained controlled as she gave instructions for the ambulance and swallowed against the lump in her throat as she ended the call. Harry’s breaths were quick and ragged as he lay on the ground, his head resting on Julie’s legs. Her eyes prickled as tears threatened to fall, but she bit her tongue and blinked up at the sky as they waited for help to arrive. It was in that moment, as she held Harry in her lap and watched his chest rise and fall rapidly, that she knew they would never be safe. Ebony would stop at nothing. If she was willing to stoop this