Devil in the Details

By L.J. Hayward

If there’s one thing assassin Ethan Blade knows, it’s how to plan a job. How to study a target, find the weak spot, and strike. He keeps his guns clean, his knives sharp, and his heart sealed away behind more locks than his precious cars. Alone but safe. Until Jack Reardon burrowed his way into Ethan’s life, his car, and his heart. This may just be the deadliest mess he can’t plan his way out of.

Jack wasn’t sure he’d see Ethan again—not after the less-than-stellar ends to their previous hookups. Even finding the assassin skulking about his apartment isn’t as reassuring as it should be, especially when he works out Ethan’s motive for being there might not be personal. That said, Jack will take any chance he can to salvage their relationship, assuming he survives whatever plan Ethan is cooking up.

Ethan and Jack had a bargain, but the parameters changed and neither are certain how to move forward—together or apart. But before they can start to renegotiate, lives, trust, and hearts are endangered by ghosts from the past. Even if they dodge their enemies’ bullets, there’s a risk of friendly fire, and when you let someone get too close, even small knives can cut deep.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.J. Hayward
• Release date: Oct 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9780648446002

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.

Devil in the Details

Copyright 2018, 2020 © L.J. Hayward

Smashwords Edition

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

Layout: L.C. Chase, lcchase.com

Devil in the Details Editor: Novel Solutions

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: 978-0-6484460-0-2

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

Why the devil stalks death fx

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 Devil in the Details

La Petite Mort (June)

Devil in the Details (Later that Same Day)

June - Chapter 1

June - Chapter 2

June - Chapter 3

June - Chapter 4

June - Chapter 5

June - Chapter 6

June - Chapter 7

June - Chapter 8

June - Chapter 9

Death Takes a Holiday (July)

July - Chapter 1

July - Chapter 2

July - Chapter 3

July - Chapter 4

July - Chapter 5

July - Chapter 6

July - Chapter 7

July - Chapter 8

July - Chapter 9

July - Chapter 10

Acknowledgements

Also by L.J. Hayward

About the Author

If there’s one thing assassin Ethan Blade knows, it’s how to plan a job. How to study a target, find the weak spot, and strike. He keeps his guns clean, his knives sharp, and his heart sealed away behind more locks than his precious cars. Alone but safe. Until Jack Reardon burrowed his way into Ethan’s life, his car, and his heart. This may just be the deadliest mess he can’t plan his way out of.

Jack wasn’t sure he’d see Ethan again—not after the less-than-stellar ends to their previous hookups. Even finding the assassin skulking about his apartment isn’t as reassuring as it should be, especially when he works out Ethan’s motive for being there might not be personal. That said, Jack will take any chance he can to salvage their relationship, assuming he survives whatever plan Ethan is cooking up.

Ethan and Jack had a bargain, but the parameters changed and neither are certain how to move forward—together or apart. But before they can start to renegotiate, lives, trust, and hearts are endangered by ghosts from the past. Even if they dodge their enemies’ bullets, there’s a risk of friendly fire, and when you let someone get too close, even small knives can cut deep.

You came back.

I spun around at the sound of Jack’s voice, my free hand reaching into my jacket for a gun. Habit and muscle memory were hard things to counter, despite every instinct assuring me there was no danger. Yet, the relief of seeing Jack standing in the open doorway, hale and apparently happy to find me in his apartment, did not quite mitigate the fact that he had surprised me. It could have been someone else at my back. Someone who announced their presence with a bullet through my spine.

Jack. It came out on a strained breath as I settled the Desert Eagle back into its holster under my right arm. I wasn’t expecting you so early.

Or, that he would catch me here at all.

Guiltily, I glanced at the distraction in my other hand. The picture frame was plain black, but solid and heavy, and would have made an adequate weapon if required, yet the photo it held meant I would never have used it as such. Since my first visit to Jack’s apartment, I had felt drawn to this image but resisted the temptation to pick it up and study it. Those same indelible instincts that protected me from harm kept me from giving in. This time, though, already hurting from Jack’s actions over the last couple of visits, all resistance was gone.

Clearly not. Jack stepped inside and closed and locked the door behind him, dark-brown eyes crinkling and lips curling into a delighted smirk. His pleasure at catching me by surprise tickled in my chest. Being the reason Jack smiled warmed me through and made me want to do nothing else for the rest of my life.

If only Jack wanted the same thing.

Though, the way he was focused on me, so intent and heated, it could be assumed he did. Yet the voice of reason reminded me assumption was a fast way to die. Be certain or be prepared for every possibility. I was failing on so many levels already. I couldn’t fail this one.

There’s not a lot going on at work lately. Jack’s tone was casual, as was the way he set his helmet on the kitchen counter and started pulling off his riding gloves. His gaze never left me, though. It raked down my body, faltered briefly when it reached the photo frame, then continued on and back up. I got bored today and since I have quite a bit of leave time owing, they couldn’t wait to send me home.

Drat. The plan had been to get in and out unnoticed, a quick ten-minute job. However, as with so many things Jack-centric, it all went haywire the moment I set foot within his home. It had been easy to convince myself I could do this when I’d been securely ensconced within my Kuala Lumpur safe place. Come to Sydney, plant the information Jack needed for his Delta Subject job and leave him to find it on his own. Of course, that had been when I thought I had a two-week window. Khun Sein had stepped up his timeline, and thus here I was, not totally unprepared, but rushed enough I’d been discovered.

I really didn’t think I’d see you again for a good long while. Jack unzipped the front of his leather jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair at the dining table. If at all, he added ruefully and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets, managing to look like six feet of beautiful contriteness.

Jack had on an off-the-rack, navy business suit, like most of his workwear, but he wore it superbly well all the same. Granted, he didn’t look as polished as he had in his Hugo Boss at the Gold Coast, but right now, with his black curls tousled from his helmet and his button-down half untucked from his trousers, he was even more irresistible. Especially since I apparently wasn’t the only one who regretted how our last visit had ended. Maybe I’d been too rash in leaving as I had last time. Jack couldn’t help being rude and untactful when sick. The hurt was still there, a smouldering coal in my belly ready to be fanned to flames again, but right now it felt small and excusable.

Everything had been so much easier when there were thousands of miles between us. My resolve had been strong. Here, just the warmth of his hopeful gaze wilted my convictions. I had been caught. Perhaps I should make the most of it while I could. A final night of passion and pleasure to keep me warm when I left again.

I set the frame back on the shelf and Jack’s gaze followed the picture, a slight frown pinching his brows and his lips parting to speak.

Don’t you have an active case at the moment? I knew this question would waylay any questions he had about my interest in the photo: Jack had made his thoughts on my meddling in his work abundantly clear.

Jack frowned and shrugged out of his suit jacket, letting it fall over the top of the leather one. The pale blue of his shirt stretched across his chest and arms, defining his pectorals and biceps as they flexed. Not anymore. We got kicked off the last job.

A little sidetracked, it took a moment for his words to sink in. When they did, I looked at him in surprise. I hadn’t known he’d been taken off the watch on Delta Subject, his part of the Salim case being run out of the Singapore branch of the Office. But the smirk on his lips said he didn’t mind me asking about his work, at least not as much as he enjoyed distracting me with his body.

I do believe that I owe you something. Jack’s voice lowered into that husky rumble that made my bones ache and my cock hard. He stalked towards me, loosening his tie as he came, eyes narrowing with intent.

Blast it. He’d stolen my tactic and turned it on me. Not that I particularly cared because a moment later he was pressed up against me, his arms around my waist and his forehead against mine.

Defenceless. That was what he made me.

Jack effortlessly stripped me of every survival instinct I had. No one else could have gotten this close to me unless it was what I had expressly planned. No one else ever wanted to get this close. It still worried me that Jack did. It was easier to think he used mutual attraction as an excuse for wanting my body, not the mind within it. Easier and more painful, because as much as I hoped it was more than just physical, I had to wonder if that’s all it had ever been and destined to be nothing more.

Jesus, Ethan. Eyes closing, Jack rocked his head side to side. His arms tightened, hands pressing into my back with possessive force. You had me scared you weren’t coming back. I’ve missed you.

Then he said something like that and my dumb heart leaped excitedly. My arms wound around his neck without guidance and I closed the final, miniscule distance between our bodies. I missed you too. Like my arms, my words appeared to be out of my control. Five weeks ago, I wouldn’t have minded. Now it scared me how quickly Jack undid me.

Jack shivered a little, then pulled back just enough so he could slide down to his knees. Now, about that thing I owe you. His hands went to my belt and began undoing it, the heels of his palms deliberately rubbing over the evidence of my arousal.

Sparks flared in my cock and up into my belly. My heart skipped several beats as my lungs forgot how to work. Jack tipped his head back, curls tumbling away from his face, eyes heated and lips parted as he looked up me. I ran a hand through his hair, loving the feel of his soft locks and how his eyes drifted shut as he smiled. His mouth was perfect, not too wide, nor too narrow, lips well defined but not too thick or thin. They were talented, too. Very talented. I had lost track of the hours I’d spent under their narcotic effect as they roamed across my body. Or wrapped around my cock.

Which he seemed determined to do now, judging by the way he nuzzled into my groin, his fingers slipping the button of my trousers free and finding the pull tab of the zipper.

Jack, wait. I fisted his curls gently and tugged his head back.

He went with my pull, tilted his head back and rested his chin on the back of his hand that still held the pull tab hopefully. Problem?

Oh so many. I sagged back against the bookcase. Sex had been my plan, yes, but the moment Jack went to his knees, I knew I was losing control of the situation. Once his mouth touched my skin, I would be completely useless for anything other than letting him possess me any way he wished.

Jack stood and cupped my cheek in his warm palm. Ethan? What’s wrong?

He was asking all the wrong questions to get the right answers. Why couldn’t it just be simple between us? Why did I have to be such a mess? It had been easier when I was alone and didn’t know the reality of what I’d been missing. For years, I might have wished for companionable contact with someone else, something more natural than what I had with my associates, more real than I had with any of my targets. Jack had given me that, and so much more, but I hadn’t realised there would be pain as well. Pain in what Jack made me feel. Pain in how he would react if he knew everything about who I was and what I’d done before meeting him.

Is it me? he asked.

No. Right then, it was true. He was happy to find me here, he hadn’t mentioned other men, and he wanted me—for sex, at least.

Jack nodded. Don’t you want to fuck?

He sounded despondent but was trying so hard to be accepting I couldn’t help but laugh. I draped an arm around his shoulders and guided his hand back to the still hard mound in my trousers. His fingers wrapped around me and with a single stroke, pulled our bodies back together.

Yes, I managed around the sudden resurgence of lust. I do. Just . . . let me take charge.

Jack stared at me for moment, then his mouth curved into a dirty grin. Okay. Anything you want.

All my convictions trembled under the power of that smile. Anything I wanted? I wanted to let him do whatever he wanted to me. I wanted to crawl into his arms and never leave them. I wanted to tell him everything and still have him desire me afterwards. I wanted to kiss him until he felt the same way.

I settled for grinding against his hand for a moment, then pushed him back. Excellent. Shall we begin then?

Jack snickered. "I don’t