"That's what we're going to research. I'm looking for any unsolved disappearances, John Doe murder cases, etc. to explain where he went. And we’re hoping that it will lead us back to Jameson." I took a sip of my beer. “I’m also trying to decrypt the information I got from Jameson’s vault. Hopefully we’ll get something out of it.”
Bridge tore his gaze away from Emma as she kept taking sips from his drink. Ben seemed to notice the two and gave me a smirk when Bridge wasn't looking. Ben had always hated Bridge’s fiancée, Mina, as much as I did, so Bridge's fascination with Emma was making him happy.
Ben said, "One of us needs to pay a visit to Van Linsted in prison and see if we can get him to say anything about Jameson.”
Bridge nodded. “I’ll do it.”
"Fine. East, keep looking for any information that might be useful.”
"If you'll excuse me gents, I need to get back to the penthouse. I think I—"
The hairs at the back of my neck stood at attention. Suddenly my skin was too tight and my body felt as if it were being pulled by a magnet. I turned to find the source and saw Nyla, dressed in slim-fitting leggings and a sweater I had helped her put on before leaving. She’d paired it with a long woolen coat and thigh-high boots. I nearly swallowed my tongue.
A man opened the door for her as she approached, and she stepped right in. Emma grinned and waved at her. "What, you didn't think I'd tell Nyla where you were? Please, it's not my first rodeo."
As she approached, Nyla gave me a wry grin. "What, that's not happiness to see me, is it?"
Chapter Three East
Nyla’s tight, compact body vibrated with fury as I asked, "So, on a scale from one to I'm well and truly fucked, how mad are you?"
I'd pulled her toward the backroom, where the private parties were usually held. We'd had Ben's birthday here not too long ago, so I knew there weren't usually customers in the back hall. She whirled on me before I could pull her into the room and said, "What, so ‘how mad are you’ is all you have to say?"
I was worried about her arm. "Nyla, be careful."
That only poured gasoline on her anger. "Stop it. Don't you dare tell me to be careful and act like you care about me. You kept this from me."
She had a solid point. I had kept the meeting from her because I didn't want her to worry. She'd gotten hurt being a part of this, so I needed to keep her safe.
You are the one who hurt her.
"Look, I should have told you, but I've been more worried about your recovery."
"My recovery?" She jabbed me in the pectoral. It didn't hurt, but I made it a point to wince to give her the idea that she was actually doing something. “I could kill you.”
"I know you're mad. Take it out on me. The lads had nothing to do with it. And Emma, obviously... Well, she called you."
"And you know why she did that. We were the unwanted additions to the team, so we formed a little bond. God, I thought I could trust you."
"Ny, you know you can trust me."
She whirled on me again and jabbed me in the other pec. "Don't you dare call me Ny."
I sighed and reached for her. "I'm sorry. This wasn’t meant to hurt you; this was meant to keep you safe."
She threw her arms up, blinking rapidly before wincing. "How many times do I have to fucking tell you I can take care of myself?"
"Until you are no longer in the path of people who want to kill you."
She shook me off. "The only one who has ever tried to kill me here is you."
I winced. "You were never going to die."
Her mouth dropped open. "Really, East? Are you sure that's what you're going with right now?"
"Okay, enough Nyla. Fucking enough. Because of me, you've been pulled into this world. Yes, your job is dangerous, but these people we are dealing with are not playing by some tidy little rules. Even your friends will turn on you. I'm doing my best to keep all of us safe. You especially, because I fucking care about you. And if you can't see that, tough. But you’re stuck with me either way. So start opening your eyes and see that I'm doing this for your own good."
"No, arsehole. You're doing this for your own good. This whole thing has to do with you and your feelings. This doesn't have anything to do with me. This is your problem, not mine."
She tried to move past me, but I couldn't let her walk away. I grasped firmly at her good arm, but not enough to hurt her. "This is the way it's going to be Nyla. Sorry if you don't like it, but I also don't care."
She tried to shove me off with her good arm, but I didn’t budge. In the end, she glowered up at me, and I glowered back down at her. For the last week, I'd been noticing how hard her nipples were when I helped her in and out of the tub, her look of disappointment when I didn’t touch her, and the way she watched me warily when I climbed into bed next to her and stayed resolutely on my side.
I hadn't been torturing her, per se. I'd been torturing myself if I was being honest. It was more about wanting to be careful with her and knowing I had a lot to make up for. I fucking shot the woman I cared about, and she was right; I could have killed her. There was no reason she should trust me.
I didn't deserve her. But the look she was giving me right now, the naked hunger etched in her gaze, the way that her tongue
