Page 94 of End Game

Something inside her broke.

“Mind if I sit?” a deep cognac-smooth voice asked.

She turned to find the black-haired Adonis standing next to the stool Natalie had vacated, with a whisky in hand and a killer smile.

“I wouldn’t be great company,” she said.

“In these situations, alcohol and conversation with a stranger you’ll likely never see again is the best balm.”

“‘These situations’?”

“Pissing off your best friend.”

“Been there?”

“More than once.”

Kayla released a long breath before swiveling back to the bar. She opened her mouth to refuse, but was caught by his brown, knowing eyes. A twinkle at the edge vaporized the words and she found a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.

“Have a seat.”

45

Ash stormed into Blue Cellar in search of Kayla.

After he’d hung up with the detective, all he could think about was how upsetting this new development with Mason Wade would be for Kayla. She enjoyed a close friendship with the Ranger. To learn he’d been a party to her godmother’s murder would be total heartbreak.

Before he knew what he was doing, he’d gone to Kayla’s house. She hadn’t answered the doorbell, nor was she ignoring him on the screened-in porch. Fear crawled into his throat and wouldn’t back down. It didn’t matter that she’d been driving around with Wade for months, unharmed. He needed to put eyes on her. Make sure she was okay.

He’d called his little brother, and Phin helped him locate Kayla through a series of texts with a colleague named Natalie. The attorney revealed Kayla was at the bar and being a real shit. Whatever that meant.

He paused inside the door to scan the room for Kayla’s blond head. A sixth sense zeroed in on her immediately.

Ash’s stomach dropped ninety stories at the sight of a dark-haired man leaning forward and kissing Kayla. She smiled, then slid off her stool. After a quick exchange of words, she collected her purse and made her way toward the exit.

Toward where he stood frozen, except for his thundering heart. Their eyes locked, and her smile faded. Not trusting his words, he nodded for her to follow him outside. He stopped at the curb, drawing in deep, painful breaths. The kiss replaying in his mind like an apocalyptic mushroom cloud.

“Ash, what are you doing here?”

“Good question.” Heat thrust from his chest, up his throat and into his ears. His hands rolled into steel hammers, ready to smash everything in sight. “Dammit, Kayla. I thought we had something going.”

He ignored the mocking voice in his head, reminding him of his vow to keep her at a professional distance.

“Honestly, Ash. I don’t know what we have. One minute you hate me, the next we’re making love, and now?—”

Whipping around, he fired back. “I don’t hate you. Never have. Sometimes, I wish to God I did.”

She crossed her arms, ignoring the gawking tourists and the rapt panhandlers as she joined him at the curb. “Oh, that’s right, you dislike my job, not me.”

“Exactly.”

“Why?”

“You used your lobbying influence to get Director Eileen Tao appointed, and she’s made my life and every other special agent’s miserable.”

“How?”

“I’m doing so much damn paperwork now that I’m spending more time on reports than investigating cases.”

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