Flashpoint Read Online Free Page A

thank her, and reality snapped back around. And she wasn’t angelic or even beautiful anymore—she was merely Tess Bailey from support, kind of pretty in an interesting way. Her smile was crooked and her nose was rather oddly shaped and her face was too round—she’d probably have jowls before she turned fifty.
    Of course, right now the combination of interesting plus half naked made her look sizzling hot. And since right now was all that ever mattered to Jimmy, he pushed away the last lingering residuals of brightness that had momentarily dazzled him.
    He
was
going to go home with Tess tonight. She didn’t know it yet, but it was a given. She wasn’t going to save him, though. At least not more than temporarily.
    He was too far gone for that.
    As for what he did or didn’t deserve . . . Real life was nothing like the movies, where villains were punished for their sins, and the righteous triumphed.
    Which was damn lucky for him.
    “Do you need me to get Decker?” When Crystal moved off, Tess’s full attention was back on him—her concern something he could have reached out and held in his hands.
    “No, I’m fine,” Jimmy said, because she was looking at him as if he’d lost it. Crap, maybe he had for a minute there. “Really. Sorry.” He kissed her, just a quick press of his lips against hers, because he didn’t know how else to erase the worry from her eyes.
    It worked to distract her—God knew it did a similar trick on him.
    He wanted to kiss her again, longer, deeper—a real touch-the-tonsils, full fireworks-inducing event—but he didn’t. He’d save that for later.
    And Decker always said he had no willpower.
    “I’m really fine,” Jimmy said again, and forced a smile to prove it. “It’s just a scrape.”
    He didn’t know that for sure—he hadn’t bothered to stop and look. Still, he’d managed to run back down the stairs. His injury couldn’t be
that
bad.
    He looked out at the crowd, trying to get a read on who was shit-faced drunk—who would best serve as a catalyst for part two of tonight’s fun.
    “Did you find a way to get Decker out of here?” Tess asked. He could see that he’d managed to confuse her. She was back to folding her arms across her chest.
    “Yeah, I cleared the roof.” He wondered if she had any idea what that meant. He glanced back at the room. There was a man in a green T-shirt who was so tanked his own buddies’ laughter was starting to piss him off.
    But Tess obviously didn’t understand any of what he’d said. “The roof? How . . . ?”
    “I called for some help with our extraction.” Jimmy explained the easy part. “We’ll be flying Deck out of here—a chopper’s coming to pick us up—but first we need a little diversion. Have you ever been in a bar fight?”
    Tess shook her head.
    “Well, you’re about to be. If we get separated, if I can’t make it back over here, keep to the edge of the room. Keep your back to the wall, watch for flying objects, and be ready to duck. Work your way around to that exit sign—the one that’s directly across from the front entrance.” He pointed. “Behind that door are stairs. If you get there first, wait for me or Deck. Don’t open that door without one of us—is that clear?”
    She nodded.
    “Oh, and there’s one more important thing,” he said. “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
You may feel a little pressure. . . .
    Tess laughed her amazement.
    “Don’t answer right away,” Nash said. “Give yourself time to think it over.”
    He’d obviously caught her completely off guard. Good.
    “Diego, I—”
    “Heads up,” he interrupted.
    Because here came ol’ Gus, right on cue, searching for Tess, wondering what the fuck was taking so long with their beers, impatient to send Decker to the parking lot where he’d be filled with holes, where he’d gasp out the last breath of his life in the gravel.
    And here came Deck, right behind him, the only real gentleman in this den of