East Bound by Nana Malone (big ebook reader txt) 📕

was in a free fall. He looked just the same. Handsome, with a beautifully chiseled jaw, full lips, dimples for days, and deep-set moss-green eyes. The wind ruffled his hair, making it look sex-disheveled. Fuck. I missed him. The pain was so tight and pinpoint accurate that I thought my heart was going to burst, and not in a good way. But instead, I tilted my chin. "I can stay professional if he can."

A muscle at East's jaw ticked. "I'm always professional."

I wanted to scream at him then. Scream, 'Oh yeah, is that why you fucked me and then left without a word? Used me and cast me aside?'

Instead, I said, "Fucking hell. You know what, this might not be worth it."

Theroux was quick to stop my retreat. "You know what's at stake. Now that the two of you have met and you know who your ally is, I'll tell you the target. Henry Warlow."

I frowned. "I don't know that name. Should I?"

East looked just as confused as I did.

"Henry Warlow," Theroux said, "is an old adversary of mine. And you can relax, Agent Kincade. I don't want you to kill him. I just want him found."

“When did you last see him?”

“Henry Warlow was last seen in Italy thirty years ago. That’s all the information I have.”

East crossed his arms, looking utterly displeased. And I knew why. A hunt for someone who hasn’t surfaced in thirty years would be next to impossible.

"Okay, why do you need him?" I asked.

"That, my dear, is my business. Your job is just to find him."

"No, I want to know what you need him for, because as I said, I might not be Interpol anymore, but I don't kill people, and I don't break the law."

His chuckle was low and self-satisfied with a hint of amusement. "No, of course, you don't. Agent Kincade, I know that you don't trust anybody. But I assure you, my word is my bond. After all, what would be the point of doing business if you couldn't be trusted?"

"Said the thief," I muttered.

The corner of East's lips tipped up then. "You're counting on him to do something for you?"

"Mr. Hale, I would suggest that you mind your damn business. How you got here and how she got here are two different things.” Theroux cleared his throat and returned to his more even tone of voice. “But I assure you, I'm not looking to kill him. The man owes me money. Actually, he stole something very valuable from me, and I would like it back. So, I have no desire to kill anyone. I need you to find him first, and then we need to locate what he stole from me."

"Jesus Christ, I'm helping a thief?"

"Think of it as you are finding a missing person."

East chuckled then. "Oh, so you think it’ll be easy finding someone who hasn't been seen in thirty years? We don't know what alias he's using now. You probably don’t have any of his last knowns, do you?"

"Yes, I do," Theroux said. "Look for a de Montague. I have been searching for both the Henry Warlow name and his other aliases for thirty years to no avail. I haven't found hide nor hair of them, but somehow, I think someone as connected as you, Mr. Hale, and someone as resourceful as you, Agent Kincade, will be the ones to make this happen. You'll be the ones to bring poor Henry Warlow home to answer for the things that he's done and to give back what he's taken."

My stomach didn't feel any better. "Let's just be very clear, Theroux. If we find Warlow, I'm not handing him over to you until you live up to your end of the bargain. Because you were right when you said I don't trust anybody."

I leveled a very direct gaze on East so he would know that I meant him. That he would know the depth of my rage toward him.

"Theroux, while I hate to agree with Agent Kincade, because she… Well, she doesn't trust anyone, and she's quite untrustworthy herself, I'd have to agree on this fact. So I’ll need you in person, handing over my file, before I hand over the person you want."

"I knew the two of you would work very well together. See, you're already thinking alike. Excellent, you have a week to find him."

I laughed. "You haven't found him in thirty years, and you think we'll find him in a week? It'll take longer than that."

East agreed with me, shockingly. "She's right. Finding people takes time. It's like a puzzle you'll have to unravel. If he doesn't want to be found, he could stay hidden even longer."

"Fine, I'll check in after a week. Do find something of use to report."

And then Theroux was gone.

I glowered at East. "So, what does he have on you?"

"Nothing."

"I see. So, we're lying now? Well, to catch a thief, it takes a thief, right? So, you're definitely the right person for the job of finding this Henry Warlow character."

"I'm not a thief, Nyla."

"But you and I both know that’s not entirely true."

"Still towing the line now, even though you're not Interpol now? I'm glad to hear you're not into killing people these days."

"What the fuck, East? You might not be who you pretended to be, but I was exactly who I said I was. I never lied to you."

"Sure, you haven't. You go and work alone, Nyla Kincade."

As he turned to leave, I called out after him. "Oh no you don't."

But he kept walking, forcing me to run after him, cutting off his path of escape. "We have to figure out a plan."

"The plan is, I'm going to find him, give him to Theroux, and be done with all this."

"You heard him. He wants us to work together."

"Fine. You look up whatever you can find and then let me know what you have."

"Oh no." I shook my head. "That's not how we're doing this. I'm not giving Theroux the chance to slip through