Novels by nugbleemily

The name comes through at eleven forty-three pm. I’ve been at my desk since Zolandria left for the house, and the office settled back into its nighttime version, all quiet and calm. I sat here while the lamp still burnt, and Kane’s voice saying already on it echoes in my head. And when the message from my intelligence contact at Prague at the moment finally comes through, I read it once and set the phone face down on the desk. I pick it up again and read it again.Petrov, Aleksei. Former Czech military intelligence, private contractor since 2019. Four confirmed operations in Western Europe, and two in the United States. He cleanly finishes all of them—no arrests, no exposure, and no loose ends. He’s the kind that gets hired when someone wants something done quietly and permanently. His current contract reads: Locate and make contact with Zolandria Azaeres. Contracted six weeks ago. Six weeks ago, she was already under my roof. Someone knew and started making plots to get her. I ke

I had expected to lie awake replaying the rooftop, the dark stairwell, and the possibility of what could've happened if Kane hadn't arrived there in time. I had expected insomnia, my body finally catching up to what could've been; instead, I slept deeply, almost immediately, like nothing ever happened.I lie in the grey morning light, trying to understand why. Is it because Kane had come or because Lucien had said Raven would be taken care of, and for once, it sounded like he meant it in a way that wasn’t just another leash to hang. I get up and dress, bracing myself for the day. Later, I get to the office and make his coffee. Kane is in the corridor outside when I come out, leaning against the wall with his phone, scrolling through something. He looks up when he hears me, and we stare at each other for a moment. "Sleep okay?" He says."Better than I expected," I say honestly.He nods and goes back to his phone. I start to move past him, but then I stop."Kane." He looks up. "Tha

I know she's gone before Kane tells me.The lamp.She left the lamp on in my office, the one on the corner of my desk that I never leave on when I'm not in the room, and when I walk back in at seven forty-three and see it burning, I stand in the doorway for a couple of seconds before I move.The Harlow contract is on the desk, and her bag is not at her station.I pick up my phone and call Kane before I've fully processed the thought. He answers on the second ring. "She left twenty minutes ago," he says, which means he already knows, which means he's been watching and didn't tell me, which is a conversation for another time. "Driver took her to the West Village. Raven's building.""Go," I say. "Now."I don't follow him, I don’t need to. I trust Kane with my life, she’s completely safe with him. I stand at my window, phone in hand, city spread out below me, and wait.This is the part nobody sees—the waiting. I have built an entire architecture around never being the man who waits, never

The driver doesn't question my reason. I tell him I need to run a personal errand, give him the address, and he pulls into traffic without a word. He’s one of the drivers stationed only at the workplace, so he definitely doesn’t know he’s not supposed to take me anywhere. I’m putting him in trouble, but I really need to get to Rae before anything happens to her. I sit in the back and watch the city move past the windows as I try to take deep breaths.Raven's building is in the West Village — she’s always there when she visits New York. I've spent a couple of nights there, on the days that I can sneak out from my father’s house. I’ll curl up on her couch with popcorn while we watch any show that has our attention at the moment. My eyes get teary from the fond memories.The SUV stops outside.I get out before the driver can come around, tell him to wait, and dash through the front door.The elevator in her building has always been broken, and I am not taking my chances today, so I tak

It’s nine and Lucien is still not in the office yet, and there are no meetings scheduled this morning. Kane texts me about an external meeting and that they will be back soon. Just that, no details.I make my own coffee, two sugars, and get to work.The folder from last night is closed and filed, and the Indulge meeting lives in my chest heavy. The silver-haired man, the hand under the table that was barely a touch, has somehow decided to stay ingrained in memory. I've tried to tuck it away when it resurfaces and get on with the day, but to no avail. I'm halfway through the morning's task list when the office phone rings. I pick up without looking at the display. "Dravik's office, how may I help?"It’s silent at the other end of the line for half a minute, and then — "Zoe."My hand tightens on the receiver.Adrian."You shouldn't be calling this number," I say, keeping my voice even. This man is going to put me in trouble. "I know," Adrian says. "I'll be quick." There's something i

The city blurs past the tinted windows of the SUV as we cut through Midtown traffic. I keep my eyes on the passing buildings, but my mind is set on the photo of Zolandria laughing with Castello. I didn’t sleep well, not since the night my parents died, and recently, not since the night of the security breach when I had pulled her into my office and sat with her in silence over scotch.Blyat(fuck)! I press my fingers against my knee, forcing the memory down. She’s just a tool; the enemy’s daughter needed for revenge. The fact that I needed to remind myself of that is unacceptable. Kane sits across from me, silent as always. “Adrian Castello's office,” I say to the driver, voice flat. “Now.” Kane’s eyebrow lifts slightly, but he says nothing. The driver takes a detour in the direction of Adrian’s office. I won’t have him get her distracted. The building was sleek, modern, all glass and steel, and they suit him, I will give him that. Expensive art on the walls — two pieces I recogn