by Nana Malone
I searched her gaze and said simply, "Yes."
"East, this is a recipe for disaster."
"I'm going to do it whether you want me to or not." Someone had come for me, but they’d made the fatal error of leaving me alive.
"And get hurt? What if this is what they want?"
"Well, then they should have killed me."
"Stop saying that. What am I going to do if you die?" Her bottom lip quivered. She was serious.
"Nyla, I’m sorry. I was being facetious. I'm not going to die."
"You could. They could have killed you last night.” She tugged at the sheet she held to her breast. “God, I don't want to feel this, but now that I am, you want to rip it out of my hands?"
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close despite the pain. "You feel something? Do tell."
"Stop it. I'm serious. You could have been seriously hurt."
"I'm serious too. They should have killed me, because now I know they're gunning for us. Someone has secrets they don't want us to know. So we're going to unearth them. And we're going to expose them. And then we're going to bury them alive."
"East. I want to help."
"You don't need to do anything."
"I want to be there for you."
It was my turn to lift my brows then. "Nyla, you're Interpol. You can't help. You can’t be involved in this."
"Yes, I can. I can do something. Your friend died. And someone hurt you. So if someone hurt you, that means that they hurt me. I have a stake in this."
That was not what I’d expected her to say. "No you don't. I want you far away from this."
"In that case, I'm getting out of bed now."
I held her still. "No, you're not. You and me, we're doing this."
"Yes, but that means together. You don't put me in a corner. Don't call me Baby. Don't put me on a pedestal. Let me help."
I could tell she was serious. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. I'm sure. Because I don't know why, but I trust you. And I don't trust anybody."
"Well, welcome to the party."
"So what, this means that I'm yours?"
"Hey, let's just be clear, you didn't kick my ass. I let you win."
Her mouth opened and she was about to scoff, but I leaned down and covered her lips with a kiss. When I pulled back, I whispered against her softness. "Hush, woman. I understand last night you came in here to get shagged. If you can be careful with my side, I can definitely take care of that for you."
"You're injured."
"Oh, let me show you just how injured I'm not."
20
Nyla
I felt like a teenager sneaking home. Instead of getting up on time, I’d let East convince me to stay in bed. What was I supposed to do? The man was a miracle with his tongue.
And so there I was, sneaking into my own damn office. It wasn't like I could claim to have been researching a case, following a lead. For all anyone knew, I’d gone to ask East more questions.
Sure you did. Like, how big is your dick, East? How many times can you make me come? Or like, just how good are you at eating pussy?
I knew that answer now.
"There you are."
I whirled around and plastered a giant smile on my face. "Amelia. Heyyyyy, I was just going to come and find you."
"You bet your arse you were. I want to hear every single detail about East Hale. The man looks like he was made to kiss."
A flush crept up my neck.
“I… Um…”
“Oh. My. God. You’re sneaking into the office. That is bed head. That is your I shagged last night and have to wear a bun because my hair is too unruly to tame look.”
Fuck. She knew me too well. “For the record, I did go home to shower and change.”
“Yes. Tell me everything. Deets! Friends don’t tease friends like this.”
“Okay, but can we do it one night after work? Wine and curry at mine? After last night, I don’t want to risk Denning lurking and overhearing.”
“Deal.”
“So what’s up? You look like you want to tell me something.”
"Actually, I have excellent news."
"Okay, tell me your excellent news."
"Look, I know that we've been looking at the London Lords really as an entity. As these sort of power brokers, right? But what if it’s more than that, and what if it's not just them?"
Oh shit. I knew where this was going.
"Not just them?" I hedged.
"Yeah, what if they're part of a network. Think of it like a club. We all know that London has a long history with secret societies, right?"
My stomach pitched. "Uh-huh."
"Well, think about it, something elite like at Eton or Oxford. The sons of the richest and the wealthiest. What if it's like that and it's more than just the London Lords? It's all of the richest men in England? Denning actually gave me the idea last night. He was on and on about his favorite secret society movies."
I hated to lie. Hell I was bad at it. But East had trusted me. And Amelia is your partner. "I mean it's entirely possible. Secret societies aren't an uncommon thing. But again, no one ever admits to being in one, and we can't prove that a whole secret society is bad. What have you found that supports your theory?"
"Well, let's pretend that the London Lords are in one. And Bram Van Linsted claims to know all about them. So, assume he's part of it, right? And remember when you went to pick him up and arrest him? They were having some kind of party. Everybody was black tie, that sort of thing. But what if that's their headquarters? What if it's real?"
"Okay. Say it's real. How do we prove that they're up to something?"
"Well, we can question them about the sex trafficking ring, their involvement. I mean because what if it's like Eyes Wide Shut?"
I coughed out a laugh. "You think they're having crazy sex parties in London?"
"Maybe. Maybe that's how the trafficking began?"
"Remember, we found not a hint of evidence that linked the London Lords to sex trafficking or anything illegal. And as far as we can tell, if they are part of any organization, they did things the hard way. Except for the financing for their first boutique hotel, they begged, borrowed, and stole what they had to in order to get started."
She worked her bottom lip. "Right. But there is one link in there between all of our sex trafficking arrests and the London Lords. Drew Wilcox of The Wilcox Financial Firm. He handles financing for all of the people arrested for sex trafficking as well as many of London's best and brightest."
“Did the Wilcox Financial Firm handle any of the black-market money?"
She shook her head. "No. But in case I missed anything, I have the forensic accounting experts going through it. We can go over it at the safe house I have set up. When Denning broke into your place, I figured it was a good idea to move any evidence we have on this case out of your townhouse. I didn't trust Denning not to mess with it."
My eyes went wide. “You put it in a safe house?”
She grinned. “Yes. Ingenious right? It’s a small studio space we never use.”
I never anticipated that Amelia would go so far down the rabbit hole. "Well, here's the thing; if we find evidence of a secret society, what exactly are we going to charge them with?"
"Well, we can’t charge them with anything specific because obviously having a group with membership is not a big deal. But if we could expose corruption, collusion, prove they're like the underworld… Wouldn’t that be enough?"
I could see where she was going. And the question was, did I trust Amelia's instincts, or did I trust East?
East. You trust East.
Shit. I trusted Amelia hands-down. But about this, I did trust East too. I believed what'd he told me about the Elite. So how could I let Amelia go down this path?
"Okay look, I hate to say it, but I feel like my dad was right."
Her eyes went wide. "Oh my God, did you just say your father was right about something?
"
"Okay, okay, I get where you're going. But I mean, honestly, we've got nothing on them. Sure, maybe a secret society. And maybe collusion for the sex trafficking, but that would mean that they would all have to have known about it and deliberately turned a blind eye. And I don't think that’s the case because they're the ones who gave us the evidence."
She sighed. "Well, if we do find evidence of a secret society, there's still corruption."
"Yeah. I agree, but that's not under our purview is it? That's the Yard."
"I know." She sighed. "I just want to know if we're right. I'm pissed at your dad because he just dismissed us outright."
"Yeah, me too actually." I was pissed about that. Especially since I was right. And so was Amelia. But she was barking up a tree that wouldn't yield any fruit. I didn't want to, but the next time I saw East I was going to have to let him know that Amelia had started piecing together the puzzle. Sooner or later, she was going to learn about the Elite, and some of those men didn't want to be outed.
She sighed. "Okay, I'm going to put a pin in this, but I'm still checking the financials. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a hit. It's not like you to give up so easily."
"I'm not giving up."
"Or you just have a crush on one of the London Lords, and you're hoping he's a good guy."
I was hoping. And more than that, I believed he was a good guy. Even though I didn't want to believe, I really did.
I just hoped that, once again, my instincts were right.
East
As I tugged Nyla toward the palatial house in Belgravia Square, she dug her heels in. "Would you relax. They’ll love you."
She swallowed hard. "I know you say that, and you probably believe it, but I don't know."
"Look, I'm the one who doesn't trust anybody. If they see me trust you, they will too."
"But, East, I’m nervous."
I squeezed her hand. "I get it. It can be hard."
"And I was investigating your friends. Come on."
"Yeah, there’s that. Ben might give you shit for it. But I got you."
She dragged in a deep breath, the motion making her breasts lift in her light sweater. She’d picked an off-the-shoulder cream sweater dress, knee-high boots, and a thin strip of gold dangled from each ear. Her hair was thick and slightly curling in the breeze. She looked stunning. "Look, these people are my family. And since you and I are on the same team now, they need to be too."
"Okay. I just… I don't even know what we're doing."
I turned to face her slowly. "Well," I said as I tugged her closer to me, even as she tried to dig in. "You are the woman that I'm obsessed with. Which doesn't happen ever. So if I wanted to lock it down, I’d say I'm going to go ahead and just give myself the boyfriend stamp."
She shook her head almost as if she was having a seizure. "What? What are we, fifteen?"
"If you want, I can snog you in the bushes like we are."
She snorted a laugh. "We've already been there."
"Yes, we have. This time there'd be no sprinklers. So maybe I'd lift up your dress, slide your thong over, push into you just a little. You know, just the tip."
A flush crept up her neck and into her cheeks, giving her a pretty pink glow.
"Jesus, maybe I should throw you into the bushes."
"No. Everyone will see."
"That my darling, is part of the fun."
"You really are an exhibitionist."
"Depends on the day. But seemingly with you it's just hotter."
She swallowed hard. "Okay, well we better get inside before my knickers are drenched."
"You know, it's funny hearing you say knickers with that slight American accent of yours."
"It's not American. I'm just as British as you are."
"Yeah, but you've lived in the States half your life."
"So?" she huffed
"Just saying. Come on." Her hand was soft and warm in mine. I marched up to the door and didn't even bother ringing before I opened it. But Ben had been paying pretty close attention to security ever since Livy's stalker situation, so Livy almost met us at the door. "East, there you are." But she didn't hug me like usual. She went straight to my left. Her smile was warm and sweet, and her arms stretched out as she wrapped them around Nyla. "Agent Kincade, thank you for coming to our home."
When Livy pulled back, Nyla blinked at her. "Um, Call me Nyla. And thank you. Especially considering that I was such a thorn in your side."
Livy shook her head. "You were doing your job. And well, too. We just happened to get caught up in the crosshairs."
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I guess."
Livy shook her head. Ben's booming voice came from around the corner of the stairs. "I hear awkward apologies."
He ran up, shoved his fiancée out of the way, and also hugged Nyla. But he lingered a little long for my liking. "That's enough, Ben," I muttered.
With a cheeky grin, he winked at me. "Now you know how it feels."
He slapped me on the shoulder and then turned his stupid dazzling grin on Nyla. "Welcome. Don't sweat the whole investigating us. You wouldn't even be the most awkward introduction into the group."
Nyla's smile wavered. “Thank you."
I tugged her inside, and she made the rounds. Bridge and Jessa she already knew, but she had only a passing acquaintance with Lucas and Bryna. And Roone hadn’t joined them on the trip this time. He was back in the Winston Isles taking care of some things for Sebastian.
"Well, it's nice to see everyone."
Telly came from the kitchen then. "Oh, the new kid." Telly's smile was wide as she went and shook Nyla's hand. "I'm Telly, the former new kid. So now they get to give you shit. I’m no longer the rookie.” She gave a fist pump. “Yes."
Nyla's brows rose. "You're Telly Brinx.”
Telly placed a hand on her hip and grinned. "That would be me. I am the best hacker on the squad."
I coughed. "It's so sad that you think that."
Telly looked me over and returned her gaze to Nyla. "Ah. Yes, East likes to think he's my competition, but he's not."
"Listen, Telly, I can still kick you out of here. That's how we roll. Ben's house, my house."
She laughed at that. "Yeah. Good luck getting that idea past Liv."
Liv hip checked me as she darted around to grab a handful of some nuts off the charcuterie board. "Nyla, I'm sorry. Have a seat. Don't mind East. He and Telly are still jockeying for position. Wait till you find out that Telly has a bigger dick than he does."
Nyla coughed. "Not likely."
I grinned at that. Ben and Bridge looked like they wanted to vomit.
Telly dramatically flopped into one of the massive overstuffed couches as she man-spread with a wink. "What do you say, East? Want to pull them out? See who's bigger? I think your girlfriend is biased."
I just shook my head. "Oh, Telly. I know for a fact you looked into me, so you’ve seen that photo from Ibiza. You know exactly who's bigger." Telly flushed then, which I didn't expect. Well then. Fantastic. If that wasn't just awkward for all of us.
Bridge scrunched up his face. "Ew. Must we remember Ibiza? I thought we all made a vow to never, ever talk about it again."
Jessa just laughed. "Nyla, it's good to see you again. You have to overlook them. They're always like this."
We got to our seats, and I tucked Nyla practically on my lap. She tried to shift her weight, but I held her steady and then nuzzled her neck, which made her do this soft purring thing. I could tell she was uncomfortable until she saw Livy practically fall on Ben, who then started to slide his hand up her thigh. God, couples are so disgusting. But suddenly I understood the need.
Telly shoved popcorn in her mouth and spoke around it. "So, we going to talk about the whole Nyla Kincade is part of the crew now thing? And how did that all come about?"
Nyla shifted. I held her steady. "Well, I was helping her on her case, and she found me irresistible. That's how that happened. But the big thing is that Francois The
roux contacted her too."
Bridge and Ben sat forward, and Ben nearly unseated Liv. Liv just smacked him. Bryna's eyes went wide, and Lucas frowned. "How do you know Theroux?"
Nyla shrugged. "He's my father's white whale. Dad's been trying to catch him for over a thirty years.”
Ben frowned. "But why is Theroux contacting you?"
"I don't know honestly. A couple weeks ago I got a phone call asking how if I would like to catch him, followed by a text message with a photo and proof of the date.”
Ben sat back then. Livy just whacked him again and then jumped up to sit next to him instead of on top of him.
Nyla followed suit.
I missed her already.
"All right," Bridge said as he rubbed his jaw. "So, Theroux contacts Nyla, and he contacts us. But who else do you think he has invited to play his game?"
Ben pushed to his feet and poured himself a drink. "Well, it makes sense that he would contact Agent, sorry, Nyla." He gave her a smile. "Using your first name is going to take a bit of getting used to. If he’s looking for some kind of information, it makes sense that he contacted Nyla because she's Interpol. She has access to databases that even East or Telly can't get into legally."
Telly shrugged. "Speak for East. I can get in anywhere."
I scowled at her. "You wish."
Nyla laughed. "I think I like you, Telly."
Telly grinned back. "I think I like you too."
I snorted. "Telly, shouldn't you be at home with Carmen? You guys leave for your wedding in three weeks."
"Yes, and everyone is invited except for you, East. Nyla, you can come without him though."
I just grinned at Telly. "A chance to ruin your wedding? Of course I'll be there."
I was teasing of course. I wouldn't ruin Telly's wedding. She was a pain in the ass, but I sort of liked her. Or at the very least, I'd gotten used to her.
Telly rolled her eyes. "Okay, so Nyla is Interpol."
Nyla added, "I was also MI5 before moving to Interpol. But just as an analyst, nothing fancy."
Bridge whistled low. "Okay, that makes sense then. So why us?"
Nyla frowned. "Yeah, why'd he reach out to you?"
