East Bound by Nana Malone (best value ebook reader .txt) 📗

ample chest. "I don't think you have any choice. I'm the only game in town. So it's either you work with me, or whatever situation you have going on with Theroux is over. And if you're like me, you have a reason for being here."

"Bullshit. I'm not stuck anywhere. I'm exactly where I want to be."

"Well then, so am I."

She had to stop this. She was going to get hurt. "I don't know what you're playing at, but this isn't fun and games. This isn't James Bond putting on a wax mask and running around being a spy. This is serious business. And you're not ready for it."

"I'm not ready for it says the guy who’s usually in the van. I'm actually an Interpol agent. Trained to handle guns and catch bad guys. I have the experience for this."

"What the fuck do you want with Theroux?"

"That's none of your business. Just know that I'm here to do my part and move on. I'm not here for you."

On the line, Lucas muttered, "Ouch."

Ben, ever helpful, whispered, "Fuck, direct hit."

I heard clattering and moaning on the line, and then Bridge perked up with, "Yeah, that was me, after I got shot right in the heart."

And then there was Drew, ever the pragmatist, calling in from home. "Maybe you stop trying to antagonize her and get this done?"

Fucking Drew. He and I were going to have a conversation because I didn't know what was going on with him.

"You and I, Nyla, we're done. We have nothing to talk about."

"That's great, because I'm here to work. I have my reason for working with Theroux, and I’m sure you have yours. I just don't care about yours. And you shouldn't care about mine. What you should care about is getting the job done."

Fuck that. Such bullshit.

“I'm not working for Interpol, right now. As you know, I was suspended."

"Yeah, so you say."

"So I do. You're either going to trust me or not. That's entirely up to you." Nyla's gaze bore into mine. "What's it going to be, East?"

I knew what it was going to be. I had lost the moment she walked up to me. I didn’t know what kind of game Theroux was playing, but he was winning. He was an expert player and had moved the chess pieces just so. This job was designed to torture and torment me, and he was doing an excellent job of it.

"Fine. Whatever. I'm stuck with you for now, I suppose, but after this, we're done."

Her eyes slid over my body, making my skin feel prickly hot in every place she touched with her gaze. But then her eyes narrowed, and she said, "Yeah, well, someone should tell your dick that, because right now, you're hard."

And that was how Nyla Kincade dropped the mic on me.

Nyla

I knew his friends were listening because the fucking London Lords didn't do anything by themselves. Ever.

That’s better than doing everything by yourself. Where is your goddamn backup?

Under normal circumstances, I would have had Amelia in the background somewhere. Watching. Recording. Sitting by with a gun just in case I was idiot enough to get shot. But now? Now there was no one. Just myself. Standing there, just a girl in front of a guy, begging him not to shoot her. Okay fine, also begging him to still love her. But even I knew that was a fallacy, because East Hale had never loved me.

He was able to just cut me out like that for no good reason. He ghosted me and then walked away. I had been a game to him. And unfortunately, I was not free of this game yet.

My phone rang in my back pocket, and as I pulled it out, it was again an unknown number. "Hello."

"Agent Kincade, I'm so thrilled that you are able to follow instructions. Could you put the phone on speaker, please?"

I scowled but did as I was told, all the while thinking to myself, He vowed to turn himself in to you. You will be the one to bring him in. Just do as you're told.

I hit speaker. "Now it's on speaker. We can both hear you."

East's eyes went wide, and he mouthed, "Theroux?" and I nodded.

"Well, I'm so pleased to see you two follow directions. Mr. Hale, before you get your knickers in a twist, I couldn't tell you Agent Kincade was one of mine. You never would have agreed, especially since your relationship busted up the way it did."

My gut twisted, because how the fuck did he know?

East looked as displeased as I did, with a deep scowl on his otherwise smooth and handsome face. The moonlight gave harsh slants, making his face far angrier than it already was. All ticking jaw muscle along that gorgeous bone.

"Just so you know, I’ve gone to quite a bit of trouble to make this happen, so please, do try and follow the rules. Mr. Hale, you know what I've got over you, and Agent Kincade, you know what's at stake. I thought you could just work together, so if you could try not to have a kerfuffle or two, that would be excellent."

I sniffed. “I don't think I've ever had a kerfuffle.”

"Oh, so we won't count that one time in the park when you two had what we'll just call a ‘dustup’? In full view of witnesses?"

How the hell did he know about that?

East's gaze met mine, and his expression was unreadable. There was no disdain. No anger. Maybe confusion? I wasn't sure.

"I trust the two of you can be adults and still work together even though your relationship is over?"

Way to slice home. I didn't deserve some random thief who seemed to be one step ahead of me the whole time pointing out to me that my relationship was over. That the one person I'd trusted in years had walked away from me without a word. My gut knotted, and I felt like the bottom of my world fell out and I