Bargaining with the Devil

By L.J. Hayward

Meta-State spy Jack Reardon believes it’s all been taken care of. He has his verbal agreement with his boss to “keep Blade happy,” and Jack is more than willing to do his best in that regard. He also has his bargain with Ethan, to keep seeing each other whenever they cross paths. Small victories, interspersed with exploding bombs, smashed cars and miffed co-workers, all while consorting with an international assassin.

Contract killer Ethan Blade values his security, and Jack’s the first time he’s found that with another person. Wiring a warehouse or outback shelter for safety, no problem. Keeping safe a prickly ex-soldier-turned-spy who’s a magnet for trouble, not so easy. Instead of faceless, nameless jobs, he’s poking his fingers into Jack’s cases—a car bomb gone awry, a Hen party gone wild—much to Jack’s mounting dismay.

They have a deal; neither one of them can seem to stick to it. It’s Jack versus Ethan as the two men learn to navigate their ever-evolving not-a-relationship without losing the benefit of the bargain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.J. Hayward
• Release date: Jun 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780994457134

L.J. Hayward

L.J. Hayward has been telling stories for most of her life. Granted, a good deal of them have been of the tall variety, but who’s counting? Parents and teachers notwithstanding, of course. These days, the vast majority of her story telling has been in an honest attempt to create fun and exciting ways of entertaining others (and making money).As such, she is still a mad (always provoked!) scientist in a dungeon laboratory (it has no windows. Seriously, the zombie apocalypse could be going on outside and she’d have nary a clue) who, on the rare occasions she emerges into the light, does so under extreme protest and with the potential hazard of bursting into flames under the southeast Queensland sun.

Book preview

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Bargaining with the Devil

Copyright 2018, 2020 © L.J. Hayward

Smashwords Edition

Cover Art: L.C. Chase, lcchase.com

Layout: L.C. Chase, lcchase.com

Bargaining with the Devil Editor: Element Editing Services

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author at ljhayward.com/contact.html

ISBN: 978-0-9944571-3-4

Second Edition

April 2020

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Where Death Meets the Devil is a stunning debut. It hits all the right marks as a well-plotted, well-paced and well-written romantic suspense novel.

~ RT Book Reviews

Hayward ratches up the suspense in this action-packed piece, with constant twists and betrayals on all sides to keep things unpredictable. . . . Fans of tense action and smouldering romance will appreciate the emotional connection between Jack and Ethan; there’s plenty of chemistry

~ Publishers Weekly

The masterfully plotted dual-timeline and a swoonworthy assassin with a soft side hooked me from the start.

~ Cordelia Kingsbridge, author of Kill Game

An addictive, page-turning mix of high-stakes intrigue, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and slow burn romance. I couldn’t put it down!

~ Layla Reyne, author of the Agents Irish and Whiskey, and Changing Lanes series

Hayward is just masterful and these characters are so fascinating, this series is not to be missed.

~ Joyfully Jay

This series gets better with each book!
The pacing is great and shifting from one point in time to another is exquisitely done. I was literally hanging on every word and enjoyed each moment!

~ Gay Book Reviews

L.J. Hayward keeps you on your toes in this fast-paced, danger filled novel; it’s a roller coaster ride of a sequel to Where Death Meets the Devil.

~ The Novel Approach

While the suspense is what keeps these books so breathless, the heart of them is really Jack and Ethan. I have loved watching these men grow, both individually and together as a couple.

~ Joyfully Jay

Ms. Hayward has really put us through the ringer with twists and turns that kept us guessing at many things throughout this story. Needless to say, this was the perfect ending to an emotional and exciting suspenseful rollercoaster ride that I have never regretted picking up.

~ Love Bytes Reviews

I couldn’t tear myself from the story. It was brimming with twists and turns causing adrenaline rush. It’s ultimate thrill ride!

~ MM Good Book Reviews

About Bargaining with the Devil

Bargaining with the Devil (January)

Devil on his Shoulder (February)

Death of the Party (March)

Acknowledgements

Also by L.J. Hayward

About the Author

Meta-State spy Jack Reardon believes it’s all been taken care of. He has his verbal agreement with his boss to keep Blade happy, and Jack is more than willing to do his best in that regard. He also has his bargain with Ethan, to keep seeing each other whenever they cross paths. Small victories, interspersed with exploding bombs, smashed cars, and miffed co-workers, all while consorting with an international assassin.

Contract killer Ethan Blade values his security, and Jack’s the first time he’s found that with another person. Wiring a warehouse or outback shelter for safety, no problem. Keeping safe a prickly ex-soldier-turned-spy who’s a magnet for trouble, not so easy. Instead of faceless, nameless jobs, he’s poking his fingers into Jack’s cases—a car bomb gone awry, a Hen party gone wild—much to Jack’s mounting dismay.

They have a deal; neither one of them can seem to stick to it. It’s Jack versus Ethan as the two men learn to navigate their ever-evolving not-a-relationship without losing the benefit of the bargain.

Jack Reardon stood in the doorway to his bedroom, one hand at his throat and his half-loosened tie forgotten as his brain struggled to comprehend the scene before him.

Barely three weeks before, he’d finally been cleared of any serious breaches of protocol over the whole Blade–Harraway mess. Apparently, working with an international assassin to expose a traitor who’d had access to some of the world’s most volatile secrets went a long way to smoothing things over with upper management. Not being fired, or convicted of treason, also went a long way to keeping Jack’s career—and life—on track. Even if it was now infinitely more complicated, as evidenced by the scene before him.

After being released from building confinement, he’d come back to his Leichhardt apartment only to have Ethan Blade appear in his home, armed with a proposal Jack had been unable to say no to. Namely, whenever they were in close proximity they’d get together and fuck. Ethan had said he rather enjoyed the way Jack made him feel and wanted more of it. Jack had agreed wholeheartedly—well, mostly wholeheartedly—and they’d given the arrangement a practice run for three days before Ethan had vanished as stealthily as he’d arrived.

During the intervening weeks, Jack’s doubts about the situation had risen and fallen like the tide. Still, he’d thought he would’ve had enough time and space to sort out his feelings about it before he saw Ethan again. He certainly hadn’t believed the agreement would pay out so soon.

But it had, in the form of a naked man on his bed. A long, lean