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

I groaned. I’d wanked off with the scarf more often than I cared to think about, and that had been a poor facsimile.

But that didn't stop me from shoving the knickers into the pocket of my trousers.

I set a camera by her bedside as well as in her alarm clock. Just so every time she woke up, I would see her face.

Are you sure this is the healthiest route, mate?

I lied and told myself I was just doing a thorough job.

Sure you are, mate.

God, why her? Why had she done this?

I had trusted in her honesty, but I should have known better. But I'd wanted to believe her, and it had worked.

A text came in, and I pulled my phone out, frowning.

Theroux: We need to meet.

I tapped out a quick reply.

East: When?

Theroux: Friday. I will text you the location.

I wasn’t going to worry about what he wanted from me. I’d deal with him later. Right then I had Nyla to finish dealing with.

I finished up in the bedroom, leaving everything except her dresser drawer exactly as I’d found it, including the door that wasn't quite closed. In the kitchen, I set up more cameras and another one in the telly. That was easy enough. Then I glanced around and said goodbye to a place that had come to feel homier to me than was absolutely safe.

This is for the best, really. You were getting too close anyway.

As I shut the door of the flat and wiped down the handle, I vowed it was the last time I would step foot in her flat.

Even then, I knew it was a lie.

East

Later that night, my team watched as I paced the length of Ben and Livy's sitting room, my oxfords making clipping sounds on their marble floor. My tie was askew and my sleeves rolled up. Essentially, I was a disheveled mess.

I could feel the sets of eyes on me. Ben, Bridge, Drew, Livy, Telly. Even Lucas and Bryna eyed me like I was a ticking bomb about to go off. My only saving grace was that Roone and Jessa’s flight had been delayed, so they weren’t there to witness me slowly losing my shit.

Drew ventured to say something first, although tentatively. "Mate, it's all right. We can fix this. It's not the end of the world. It’s not like she knows the inner workings of the Elite. There’s not much damage she can actually do."

My gaze snapped to his. "Are you fucking serious? This is the fucking end of the world. At least for her it is."

Drew held up his hands and eased back in his seat like I was breathing actual fire.

Bridge opened his mouth, but then I pinned him with a glare, and he snapped it shut again. Were they really trying to lecture me on worst-case scenarios? Twice I’d fucked up now, and it was going to cost us. I’d let an actual viper into our nest, and there was no telling how much damage she’d already done.

Livy was the bravest. "East,” she ventured. “Look, we all met her. At worst, she fooled us, but at best, maybe this is a huge misunderstanding. Have you considered that?"

I crossed my arms and glowered at her. Under normal circumstances, I would give her whatever she wanted. I normally thought she was a goddamn delight. She was bright, and funny, and smart. And if Ben hadn't called bagsies, I might have gone for her myself. But now… Now I felt like she was betraying me. Like somehow, she deliberately couldn't see what Nyla had put me through. "Oh please, do keep talking."

She arched a delicate brow, that small gesture managing to beat back my inner dragon some. "Okay. I get it. You got your feelings hurt. But what is wrong with you? Yes, maybe there was a room with a bunch of photos in it."

"No, not maybe, Liv. Absolutely. And I promise you, your photo was right there. Every single one of us in this room is going down if she has her way."

"Well, she'll have to prove it first, and she can't. So she can dog us, she can come at us, but there is no proof. And she has to deliver it. That’s how Interpol works. So relax for a moment. She knows that. She's not daft; she's smart. So stop and think. This doesn't sound like Nyla. The woman that I met the other night was direct, and she was clear. There was no pretense. She's the kind of woman that accidentally steps in it, because she's too direct and says the wrong thing. No way would she have been shagging you if she didn't actually want to be with you."

I hated the flare of hope in my chest. I hated that my brain so easily latched onto the most unlikely scenario. I hated that I was so desperate to have this be an option that I let Livy talk some more.

Instead, I needed to let my hatred speak for me because at least that was rational. I’d been thinking with my dick for too long. Following my heart for too long. "Liv, I appreciate it, but that's really naive. She's coming for us. And we've got to do something about it. It's my job to protect the team, and I failed. Wishing it wasn't so isn't going to change anything."

She sighed. "Easy does it. I'm not naive. You're overreacting. Where is the cool logic? Where is the calculation? You're jumping to burn this woman, and you don't even know what was going on. Maybe that's her coworker's vision. What was her name, Amelia Jansen? Did you ever consider that?"

I’d provided the team with full dossiers on Nyla and her partner before I’d brought her around. I didn't think anyone actually read those.

Apparently, Livy does.

My brows snapped down. "What is it with you? Why are you opting to believe her? She's coming after us. Your fiancé, you, the rest of us. None of us will be unscathed.