East Bound

by Nana Malone

  "Oh, of course you'd say that now."

  "You're such an arsehole. I came to the hotel that day to talk to you. Ask your concierge, Thomas. I left a note very explicitly telling you that you needed to be careful. But either he didn't give it to you, or you just chose to ignore it. I warned you. You didn't listen. Meanwhile, Amelia has got me running to the prison to interview Bram Van Linsted. I saw Jameson visiting him. I was the one who warned Livy they were coming for you because you wouldn’t talk to me. You know what? I don't even care what drama you're involved in anymore. I don't want any part of it. I played in your sandbox, and all I got was sand in my hair and dirt in my eye. I have zero interest in repeating the experience."

  "You expect me to believe that you had nothing to do with that methodically plotted board full of so-called evidence and connections? That the oh-so-tenacious Agent Nyla Kincade wouldn't be after us, wouldn't be coming for me and my mates?"

  "What I told you was true. I believed you. I believed that there was something going on, something I didn’t know. But then you told me about the Elite and that you guys were trying to avenge your friend’s death. I already had all the information, so why would I need to keep investigating if you'd already told me? It doesn't make any sense, East. But oh no, you had a major reaction. You believed the absolute worst about me, which, you know, sounds par for the course. I get it. You are loyal to your mates. They're your friends. You should be loyal to them. Obviously, you’ve been through a lot together, and this is a team that I'm not cool enough to be on. I get that. I wonder what it's like to have a family like that. I had started to care about you. I opened up. I trusted you. The funny thing is, we're standing here talking about trust and belief in one another, and you're the one who betrayed my trust. When you care about people, you talk to them. You engage with them. Ask questions. Instead, you assumed you knew everything. You assumed that I had betrayed you. And God, if that's what you think about me, why did we ever start this? I trusted you when you needed me to. You told me about the Elite. I believed what you were saying about Jameson. I believed you were telling me the truth. But when it came down to it, you couldn't afford me the same courtesy. You were so quick to turn your back on me. So much for that famed East Hale loyalty, right?” And with those parting words, I turned to go. “I don't need you to show me out. I know the way.”

  My legs were still shaking as I left him standing in his living room, the lights of London twinkling through his windows. I was stunned that he had assumed that I could hurt him like that. That instead of just asking me about what he saw, he assumed that I could betray him, when in reality, he was the one breaking my heart.

  East

  About fifteen minutes after Nyla finished verbally handing me my ass, there was a knock at the door, and a rush of hope flooded my veins so quickly that I almost choked on it. I yanked it open, expecting to see Nyla, but instead it was Ben. "Mate, what are you doing here?"

  "Liv’s with Telly in my old flat downstairs."

  "Is that wise? She was attacked in there last year. I wouldn’t think she’d be comfortable waiting there."

  "I know. But she's the one who actually said that she'd wait for me there instead of the office or downstairs in the lobby."

  "Why, what's up?"

  Ben rubbed his jaw. "Listen, mate, I couldn’t go home without saying something."

  I braced myself, because for Ben to leave Livy, it was something serious. "Yeah?"

  "I know it's none of my business, but the Nyla thing… I know you don't trust her, but she took gunfire, not only for herself, for us. I know you don't trust anymore, and I know that you're likely to turn all your attention toward her and the seventy-five ways she could betray us again. And while I appreciate that, I don't think this has anything to do with her. If it does, her own men shot at her. Which is useless and a quick way to get an agent dead."

  I held my breath. "Yeah, I know. I hear you. You came back up just to tell me that?"

  "It's bothering me. We're not seeing the picture properly. First of all, what the hell was Interpol doing there? Secondly, who was shooting at us? Because Nyla was right; it wasn’t Interpol. It's someone secondary. But it leaves me to believe that we've had a leak somewhere. It's making me nervous."

  I nodded because I was thinking the same thing. I’d assumed our leak was Nyla, but again, it didn't make sense that her own people were shooting at her. "Theroux?"

  "Maybe the shooters, yeah, but it doesn't make sense that he’d call Interpol on himself."

  "Well, he did tell Nyla he'd turn himself in."

  "Maybe, but he would control that situation better, and you and I both know he's not really going to turn himself in."

  "Yeah, tell that to Nyla though."

  Ben winked. "I'll leave that to you. So now we're stuck."

  "I know. I'm on it. We'll figure it out. We always do."

  “Yeah, we always do.” As he turned to leave, he gave me a brisk nod. "Just think about what I said about Nyla. You think you're the one outside looking in and that what she did was fucked up. I know that. But maybe you should ask her about it and talk to her. Because otherwise, it's going to eat you up."

  The only thought that ran through my head was that I hated it when he was right.

  Chapter 14

  Nyla

  Never say never, because chances were, at some point, you’d have to eat your words.

  A big heaping serving of them. But there was no way around it. We kept running into roadblocks with the search for Warlow. Amelia wasn’t speaking to me, so I couldn’t ask her for help, and I knew it would come back to haunt us somehow anyway. I was working my contacts, but there was a limit to the information I could give or get. I was between a rock and a hard place, and there was only one thing I could do to soften that hard place.

  When my father suspended me, I’d told myself I was never going back. I was never going to put myself in the position again where I would have to beg for attention, or scraps, or anything else from him. But there I was, waiting in the Interpol visitor's conference room like I didn't belong there, like I hadn't spent countless hours searching for kernels of information, cataloging financial crimes. I’d spent years of my life in this place or other rooms just like it.

  Instead, I was the one being offered coffee like I was some kind of tourist. When my father walked in, he hesitated when he saw me, and I quietly said, "I was told to come on in. Sorry, if I should have made an appointment."

  "We don't have anything else to say to each other, unless you have an apology ready. And even then, there's not much you can say."

  I had to force myself to swallow the retort that he wasn't the damn one who should ask for an apology. I had to force myself to bite my tongue, to not scream and let the rage out. I wanted to yell, You were supposed to be my protector. Stand in my corner. Instead, I bit my tongue.

  "Actually, I do have an apology. It's probably been a long time coming. In hindsight, Denning and I working together was probably an error in judgment. While Agent Sinclair is a fine agent, there were so many reasons why we didn't mesh, and it caused a clash in our working situation."

  As apologies went, it probably lacked the flair that would satisfy Denning, but it was the best I could do. Like hell were they going to get me to say I’d been at fault. "Dad, I know that you're disappointed in me." That was accurate. He was disappointed in me. "But I would like you to know that it was never my intention. I've worked hard and have done my best to be a good agent. I'm tenacious, and smart. I work my butt off."

  "Nyla, no one is concerned about your work ethic. If anything, your inability to let things go is the problem."

  Bile tried to claw its way up my throat, but I managed to keep it down. “I do need to learn to let things go and walk away. The thing is, in the last several days that I have taken and used the opportunity to reflect on my life and my career, I’ve discovered there isn't anything else I'm suited for. I was meant to be an agent. The people in this building are my
family. And you actually are my family. Denning too. As much as we… uh… disagree, I’m part of a team here. I need this team, and I’m ready to be a team player."

  My father watched me warily. I liked being part of a team. I did. I just wasn't very good at waiting for the rest of my team to get on board with things. When I was right, and I knew I was right, getting me to slow down and include everyone was difficult.

  Queasiness unsettled my stomach as I recalled Amelia’s words. Jesus. Was that how she saw me?

  "You expect me to believe that you've changed your perspective?"

  "Yes. I don't know what it's going to take to prove it to you. My point is that I'm willing to try. You were right; Denning and I were a powder keg, and I was harboring resentment. I put that and my feelings toward him before work, and I shouldn't have. It was a lapse in judgment, and it won't happen again."

  He frowned, watching me closely. "I have to tell you, Nyla, I'm surprised that you're even here. I never expected you to say any of these things."

  "Well, I have had some time to reflect, and it has changed my perspective."

  "Yes, I'll bet it has." He nodded steadily as he leaned back against the conference table. "And your relationship with East Hale?"

  I blinked rapidly to suppress any lingering feelings. "It's over. A passing dalliance. I know what's important now. I should have regarded Agent Sinclair's concerns with more seriousness. I'd ask a few things upon my return though. One, that I'd be allowed back on my team and on my old cases, even if it’s a provisional status. I’d like to be given an opportunity to show what I can do without being under the auspices of Agent Sinclair. Maybe if there was a buffer between us, or if there is another team available, perhaps financial crime?" I would rather die than move to financial crime, but I was there to humble myself and get my fucking job back, because who was I if not an agent? And also, it was what I needed to do to move things forward with Theroux and the London Lords.

  Are you going to do everything Theroux tells you to do?

  That was a very, very good question. And the answer worried me. But I wasn’t about to do anything illegal. Before I met East Hale, the idea of even having a gray area made my blood run cold. But I was learning to walk in the gray now, because sometimes, one needed to be in those kinds of situations in order to get to the good side of things. "Nyla, this might not be a good idea. Maybe now is the time for you to explore another career."

  "I don't want another career, Dad. I want this one. I've worked hard for this. It’s the one I made happen with blood, sweat, and tears. I don’t want anything else."

  "Just because you want it, doesn't mean it’s the best thing for you."

  "I know, I know. And I have a lot to make up for. If you want, put me on probation. I will prove to you I can do this."

  And in a matter of time, I'll bring in Theroux, and you will have no choice but to see me.

  He frowned. "You want your job back? You want to be off the desk? In the field?"

  "Yes." I wasn't sure what he was trying to get at.

  "Fine, then you will have to exhibit that you’re up to the challenge and show me that you really mean this. You only need to do two things."

  "Okay." I would do whatever it took because I was going to make this happen.

  "One, you report to Amelia. She'll be your supervising agent."

  My heart squeezed. But it was Amelia. There was a time when she’d been my best friend. I didn't give a shit who I reported to. She was good at her job. Things might be awkward for a bit, but we’d figure it out. "Okay. And the other thing?"

  "Amelia now reports directly to Denning. She will manage your daily ins and outs and interactions, but you are still on Denning's team, which means that you need to apologize directly to him."

  I blinked. "What?"

  "You heard me. You will need to apologize to Denning."

  “I—” I swallowed.

  “I know I didn't stutter.”

  "Of course, you didn't stutter. No... You're actually right. I just need to figure out a way to do that."

  "It's really simple. You let him know that you have no plans to cause problems again, and that you're here to work. None of your outside life becomes a distraction."

  I didn’t really have any choice. After all, I was backed in a corner. "Fine, I'll do it."

  My father's gaze on mine was steady. "Do it now."

  There was no arguing with him. After all, I'd come to get my job back, and I needed to do this. If he wanted me to apologize to Denning, I'd fucking apologize to Denning. I could play nice, do what I was supposed to do. “Fine, where is he?”

  It was as if Dad was waiting for me to balk, to refuse at the last moment. But I kept my cool. "I believe he's in his office. So, what do you say? If you can do this, you can have your job back."

  Goddamn it, I could do this. I had to do this. "All right, lead the way."

  Again, the halls felt familiar. They felt like home, and at the same time, they weren't. It was like an alien had completely taken over my space. It should bring me comfort, but it didn't. We found Denning in his office as my father had said. We knocked, and my father went in first. Denning looked happy to see him. He looked significantly less happy when he saw that I was trailing behind my father. "What the hell is she doing here?"

  Dad, ever the politician, smiled at him. "Well, Denning, my daughter would like to say something to you."

  What, now? With him watching? Ugh, God. I immediately hated Francois Theroux. I hated him with the fire of a thousand suns for subjecting me to this moment.

  Nothing lasts forever.

  That was true. Besides, who gave a shit? Denning Sinclair wanted me to crawl and lick his boot. But soon enough, I would have the collar of a lifetime. And what would he have?

  I took a deep breath. "Hello, Denning."

  Denning just glowered at me. "Again, with all due respect sir, what the fuck is she doing here?"

  That raised my hackles. I had more right to be there than he did. But I had to keep it tight. "Look, I know you're not particularly happy to see me, and I understand that. I recognize that my actions..." God, what was I going to say? I needed something that was feasible enough. I tried again. "I know that my actions have been a cause for consternation for a prolonged period of time, and I just want you to know that I apologize. From now on, I will be the team member you need. No arguments, no circumventing the system. Whatever you need, I'm here. I'm just here to do the job, and it's a privilege that I get to do it."

  He smirked at me with a cruel smile. I knew that punishment was coming. And unlike with East, it wouldn’t be at all pleasurable. "Okay, fine. But what about the little problem of who you're dating?"

  No, I was not consenting to that, but what choice did I have?

  "Well, I'm no longer dating East Hale, but whoever else I date is not your concern, or anyone else's. That's a breach of privacy and shouldn't be a public record."

  Something in Denning's eyes told me that he wasn't happy with that, but there wasn't much he could do because I had a solid point. He didn't really have a right to ask about my private life or to butt in whenever he liked. "So just like that, she apologizes and she's back?"

  My father sighed. "You know, Denning, while I did want Nyla to show some humility, I think you need to as well. Let's not forget, you were the one in her flat, unannounced, uninvited, and for no good reason. I haven't actually forgotten that."

  Denning sputtered. "I was merely protecting her because she was not—"

  My father shook his head. "I never thought I'd have to say this, but Denning, you need to get yourself together. Nyla walked in here and did what she needed to do for the good of the job. You need to keep your emotions in check, Agent Sinclair."

  My heart soared. My father had never done that for me. And I mean never. I still couldn't believe it. I could not believe that he'd backed me for once. Denning clearly couldn't believe it either. "Sir, of course not. I’m just speaking as her supervisor."
r />   My father continued with his truth bombs. "About that… Nyla is coming back, but she will be working under Amelia as her direct supervisor. Not you."

  Denning tried to hide the disapproval on his face, but it showed anyway. I tried to wipe any gloating expression off my face, because, after all, I was a picture of contriteness. "But sir, East Hale is—"

  "Enough, Denning. I don't want you turning up in her flat. You two are no longer dating, so why you even thought it would be a good idea to breach her trust by showing up at her flat unannounced is beyond me. You're lucky she didn't kill you. And that's all I need to hear ever again about that. Do you both understand?"

  I was quick to nod.

  Denning followed through. "Yes, sir."

  My father nodded. "Good. Now that that's out of the way, Denning, as I said earlier, she'll be working directly with Amelia, so make sure she gets settled. She's still under your team, but I want the two of you working one-on-one together as little as possible because I like my peace and sanity."

  I ground my teeth, but at least he was on my side.

  I was back in the fold, just like I'd wanted. Now all I had to do was make sure I didn't squander that chance.

  Chapter 15

  East

  All night I’d tossed and turned, waiting for a call from Theroux… waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Bullshit. You’re thinking about what Nyla said.

  I didn't want to think about what she’d said. That I was acting obsessive. That I had no right to her body, her mind, her emotions. I was not hot and cold. There was no decision to be made. I didn’t want her.

  But you can’t stay away, can you?

  Fucking hell. I'd seen it. Her hit list. I had nothing to apologize for. I’d protected my family.