Page 84 of End Game

Zeke’s gaze sliced to Ash. “You told her?”

Once again, his Bureau training kicked in, and he slammed the gate down on the flood of words bursting to be heard. But further inflaming an inferno would only lead to one thing.

Total destruction.

Unfortunately, Kayla wasn’t on the same de-escalation page.

“Pillow talk, the vessel for so many wondrous secrets.”

Fucking hell.

To his regret, the lobbyist wasn’t done. She paused at the door and aimed one more salvo at Zeke, though the hit was really meant for Ash.

“You should trust your fiancée more. Women aren’t as breakable as you seem to believe. Especially not Liv.”

Revenge delivered, she looked at Ash and the contents of his stomach curdled. The lively brown eyes he had a love-hate relationship with were blank and her breezy facade transformed into a dead calm.

“Don’t be long.” Then she was gone.

“Kayla—”

When the door clicked shut behind her, Ash braced himself for Zeke’s right hook. But the blow never came. He chanced a glance at his brother, who stared at him as if he were an ugly-ass extraterrestrial life force.

“What the actual fuck, Ash?”

Ash closed his eyes.

Kayla had been listening at the door and she’d just delivered the payback of all paybacks.

He couldn’t even blame her. The evidence of his betrayal was damning. She’d already figured out that Zeke had come to him about her alleged pay-to-play, but somehow hearing Zeke talk about it had made the whole thing feel sordid and underhanded. She didn’t know the Blackwells had asked him to intervene because of their love and concern for her.

He stared hard at the door. Why the hell did he have to complicate things by sleeping with her? Why was he vibrating with the need to go to her, to apologize, to explain his part until she forgave him?

“I asked you to talk to her, not fuck her.”

Ash surged forward, his face in Zeke’s. “Watch your damn mouth.”

Some of the flame left his brother’s eyes, and he nodded.

Ash stepped back.

“What’s going on, Ash?”

“I’ve asked myself the same question a million times.”

“Well, what’s the answer?”

He turned toward the bedroom. “Don’t have one.”

“Is this thing between you two serious?”

He retrieved his socks and shoes, then sat down on a living room chair to put them on. “Whatever it was, it’s no more, thanks to your stubborn ass.”

“Why didn’t you tell me she was in the other room?”

Ash tipped his head up just enough to shoot laser beams from his eyes straight into his brother’s thick skull.

Zeke exhaled. “Liv’s going to rip my balls off for this.”

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