NO EXIT
EXIT Inc. #2
Lena Diaz
Releasing on January 26, 2016
Avon
Lena Diaz returns
to the thrilling world of EXIT Inc., with two enemies who become unlikely
allies—and discover that only through love can they save each other...
As an agent of the Equalizers, Jace Atwell will risk
everything to destroy EXIT Inc., the corrupt antiterrorist group, before more
innocent lives are lost. The only way to infiltrate EXIT is by getting close to
the CEO's beautiful daughter, but when they get a little too close, Jace finds
himself falling for the woman he is duty-bound to deceive.
Whatever clandestine activities EXIT is involved in,
Melissa Cardenas refuses to believe that her father is responsible and is
determined to prove it. So when sexy, smooth-talking Jace comes clean about his
motives, Melissa drops a bombshell of her own: she's been investigating too—and
she wants to help him find the truth.
The chemistry between Melissa and Jace is undeniable, but
their opposing views of justice make teamwork tricky. With their lives on the
line—and the truth something neither of them expected—the only way to survive
will be to trust their hearts and each other . . . if they can.
But before dealing with his
out-of-control partner, he had to give a long overdue situation report to the
kid that Mason Hunt had left in charge of their headquarters while the rest of
the Equalizers were out of town on other missions—the most recent addition to
the team, Devlin Buchanan’s baby brother, Austin.
Having never been to the Equalizer’s
headquarters, even though he knew where it was, Jace had yet to meet Austin in
person. And he knew very little about him except that he’d recently gotten out
of rehab. For what, Jace had no idea. What he did know was that every time he’d
spoken to Austin on the phone, he came away with a sour taste in his mouth. The
twentysomething-year-old kid had a prickly attitude that rubbed Jace every way
but right. He braced himself for another unpleasant conversation and set his
phone in the console on speaker mode.
“This is Jace, calling in the
sitrep.”
“It’s about damn time,” Austin’s
gravelly voice bit through the phone.
“What’d you do, take a side trip
down the Colorado River? You should have called an hour ago.”
“Where’s Ramsey?” Jace was
determined not to rise to the bait.
“Wasting my time and making me wait,
just like you. He hasn’t bothered to report in.”
Probably
because he didn’t like Austin any more than Jace did. Or maybe because he
didn’t want to admit he’d screwed up.
“I
imagine Ramsey’s reluctant to face us after his showboating. And he got way too
serious with his role as bad guy, waving a gun around and shooting at me. He
risked being recognized when he got out of the van, and now my classic muscle
car looks like Swiss cheese.”
“Hold
it. What are you blathering about? Ramsey got out of the van? And shot at you?”
Blathering?
Was this kid a jerk to everyone, or did he pull out the special treatment just
for Jace?
“That’s
what I said. It’s only through luck and the grace of God that no one got hurt.”
The
sound of typing echoed through the phone. “Yadda, yadda. Whatever. Back it up.
Tell me exactly what happened. And make it quick.”
“Are
you always a jackass, or is this a side effect of your stint in rehab?” So much
for not letting the kid get to him.
“Bite
me, Atwell. Tell me what I need to know.” Jace reined in his temper and
answered Austin’s questions. “In spite of Ramsey’s escapades, everything worked
out, even better than hoped. I’m supposed to report to EXIT Inc. tomorrow
morning to see about at me. He risked being recognized when he got out of the
van, and now my classic muscle car looks like Swiss cheese.”
“Hold
it. What are you blathering about? Ramsey got out of the van? And shot at you?”
Blathering? Was this kid a jerk to everyone, or did he pull out the special
treatment just for Jace?
“That’s
what I said. It’s only through luck and the grace of God that no one got hurt.”
The sound of typing echoed through the phone. “Yadda, yadda. Whatever. Back it
up. Tell me exactly what happened. And make it quick.”
“Are
you always a jackass, or is this a side effect of your stint in rehab?” So much
for not letting the kid get to him.
“Bite
me, Atwell. Tell me what I need to know.” Jace reined in his temper and
answered Austin’s questions.
“In
spite of Ramsey’s escapades, everything worked out, even better than hoped. I’m
supposed to report to EXIT Inc. tomorrow morning to see about a job. Looks like
I’ll be the inside mole for the next few days, or weeks, or however long it
takes to bring EXIT down.”
“Time-out,
genius. Something isn’t right. Ramsey’s not the type to do what you said he
did. He wouldn’t go off half-cocked.” Jace sat up straighter, his irritation
forgotten in lieu of the alarms that were starting to go off in his head. “I’ve
only known him for a few months, so I can’t predict his behavior. How long
have you known him?”
“Long
enough. Plus I’ve got detailed files on all of the Equalizers. And I’m telling
you this doesn’t fit his profile. Are you sure he’s the guy you saw?”
A
cold feeling of dread settled in the pit of Jace’s stomach. He checked his
mirrors and pulled to the shoulder of the road. Then he tried to picture
Ramsey, superimposing him over the image of the gunman. At first blush, they
matched up: about six feet tall, muscular build, Caucasian—something he was
certain of because the gunman hadn’t worn gloves. And there was nothing
remotely female about those hands or the person who owned them, so he discarded
the possibility that the person underneath that ski mask could be a woman. But
had the gunman been standing up straight? Or had he hunched down against the
cold? If so, he could be even taller than six feet, opening up more
possibilities about his identity. But if the gunman wasn’t Ramsey, who was
he? And where was Ramsey?
BUY NOW
Amazon | B
& N | Google
Play | iTunes | Kobo
Originally from Kentucky, romantic suspense author Lena Diaz also lived in California and
Louisiana before settling in Northeast Florida with her husband, two children,
and a Shetland Sheepdog named Sparky. A Romance Writers of America Golden
Heart® finalist, she's won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for
Excellence in Mystery/Suspense and has been a finalist for the National
Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. She loves to watch action movies, garden,
and hike in the beautiful Tennessee Smoky Mountains.
1 comment:
Thank you for hosting NO EXIT today!
Crystal, Tasty Book Tours
Post a Comment