L. Nicolello - Dead No More

The next person you trust may be the last…

Lily Andrews was once the most sought-after undercover operative at Unit 67, a black ops agency buried deep within the US Intelligence community. But then her partner—and fiancé—turned rogue, leaving her for dead after a mission gone horribly wrong. Disgusted with 67’s attempt to cover up Jackson’s traitorous actions, Lily walked away from everything she knew and loved…and swore she’d hunt her ex down on her own and bring him to justice.

When the handsome, undeniably alpha Derek Moretti needs her help to pursue a ruthless sociopath who is putting advanced weaponry into the hands of terrorists, Lily sees her chance to return to 67 with her pride intact. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed the adrenaline rush of being undercover—or maybe that’s the heat that races through her whenever Derek is near. But soon Lily will have to choose between the vengeance she craves and the country she’s sworn to protect. And with the clock ticking down on a nuclear catastrophe, she knows that this time, if she’s trusted the wrong man, she won’t live to regret it…

Praise for Dead Don’t Lie

“Lean, evocative prose, tight plotting, a great love story and truly scary moments make Dead Don’t Lie a sure winner. I guarantee you’ll be up past your bedtime, sweating bullets. L. R. Nicolello is a wonderful new voice to watch. I can’t wait for more.”

—New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison

Praise for Dead No More

“Don’t miss this exciting mix of hot romance and black ops.”

—New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter

“Incredibly intense, beautifully written and drop-dead sexy, L. R. Nicolello’s Dead No More is a top-notch romantic thriller. It grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go until the very last line. Nicolello’s storytelling gets better and better. You won’t want to miss this one.”

—New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison

Dead No More

L. R. Nicolello

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my best friend, partner in crime,

and absolute love of my life, Drew.

Loving you is so easy.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Praise

Title Page

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CHAPTER FORTY

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

CHAPTER FIFTY

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

One Year Ago Wednesday, August 15, 10:00 p.m.

POUNDING FOOTSTEPS ECHOED off the walls in the empty back alley. The sleeper cell’s leader turned, saw her closing in and blindly fired. Lily Andrews dodged to her left, sidestepping the bullet as it whizzed by her. Amateur . She took a deep breath, pushed herself harder and closed the distance between her and Amed.

“Stay on him, Andrews. We can’t lose that briefcase.” Jackson’s smooth voice crackled in her earpiece.

“I got it. Driving him toward you now.”

Amed rounded the corner and raced across the busy New York City street. Lily shadowed his movement, car horns screaming at her as vehicles skidded to a halt. She jumped and slid over the hood of a Honda, her feet hitting the ground lightly before she fell back into stride. Amed tore down the alley hugging the Grand Hotel. There was no way out.

We’ve got you, asshole.

“He’s in the alley adjacent to the hotel,” she relayed to her partner. “Tell me that door is unlocked.”

“Affirmative. Coming into the front lobby now.”

Amed froze, cast a spooked glance over his shoulder and fired. The panicked shot went wide, hitting the brick wall to her left. He lunged for the hotel’s emergency exit and vanished. Lily followed, racing up the stairs. She peered around the landing wall. Amed thrust his open palm into the door on the next floor. The door didn’t budge. He cursed, turned and raced up the next flight of stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

She sprinted after him, closing the gap.

“There’s nowhere for you to go, Amed,” she yelled up the stairs. Her heart raced, pumping in time with each footstep. Adrenaline and excitement coursed through her veins. “Let me help you.”

Another bullet flew past her. This one closer. Shit.

“I take it that’s a no.”

At the next landing, he slammed into the exit door. It flew open—as Lily had known it would.

She stopped at the exit, hugged the wall and slowly pushed the door open. If her intel was correct, this guy was a rabbit, not a shark, so he’d rush to find a place to hide, not wait to blow her head off. Let’s hope they’re right . With a deep breath, she threw herself through the door, rolled and ended in a crouch, gun raised. Head intact, she smiled. Thank you, Intel .

A crash echoed down the empty hall. She pushed herself close to the wall. No one was supposed to be on this floor. And there was no way Jackson could have beaten them to the rendezvous location.

“Where are you?” she whispered.

“Coming up the front steps.” Jackson’s deep voice popped in her earpiece.

Lily’s eyes flicked to the end of the hall and back. “Proceed with caution. Our location may be compromised.”

“How? Wait for me.”

“Negative. We can’t lose that file.”

“Wait for me, Andrews. That’s an order.”

Another crash reverberated down the hallway.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” She got up and ran.

The hotel room door was propped open and Lily paused just outside, listened. Only silence met her ears. She crept in, softly breathing, back pressed against the wall as she made her way into the room. The mirror was smashed. Tiny, razor-sharp shards littered the carpet. A lamp was broken.

Her instincts screamed at her to get out.

Now .

She inched back toward the open door, but it banged shut. Her brain registered the soft pop of a gun silencer behind her. She dove for the chair, grabbed it and brought it down on its side as two more slugs zinged past her head.

Where was Jackson? Where was her backup?

The door opened and slammed again. The only sound in the room was her own thundering heart. She took a moment to gather herself and organize her thoughts. This mission was going to hell. And fast.

Flattened against the wall, gun up, she took a deep breath and peeked around the chair. Amed was sprawled out at the foot of the bed, his lifeless eyes staring back at her. The case he’d been carrying? Gone.