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.
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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?
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.
Thank you for featuring NO EXIT!
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