Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries Book 11) (26 page)

What did they have? He seemed serious about her. He’d told her he wanted her in Dallas with him. He wanted to put the past behind them and move forward together. He’d promised not to walk away from her again.

“When he disappoints you, know that you can call on me to help.” A shudder ran through him. “I have to go. I don’t like it here anymore. Don’t trust any of them. Not a one. They’ll all turn on you in the end. This isn’t your fight, Mia. Go home and protect yourself. I don’t know what they’ll do if they catch you.”

“Who? If who catches me?”

Tony stared at something behind her. “Or perhaps they already have. Good-bye, pretty girl.”

She turned, trying to see whatever had spooked Tony. Her heart started to race. Who was after her? Who was this mysterious someone?

All she saw was Case starting up the beach. His head turned, obviously searching for someone. Her. She watched as Ezra appeared. She hadn’t seen him before. He’d blended in with one of the parties. There were twenty or so young people dancing and drinking beer and playing volleyball. They didn’t seem to mind that Ezra had joined them, but Case frowned as he put a hand on his arm.

She looked back to reassure Tony, but he was gone.

How the hell had he done that? Did the dude have like a silent helicopter or something to whisk him away? It was weird and unnerving, but then the whole conversation had been unnerving.

How many people were after Theo?

Case shook off Ezra and started jogging toward her.

She held her hands up. “I followed instructions.”

He pulled her into his arms. “I know, but it doesn’t make me less worried.” He held her tight for a moment. “Come on. Let’s get you back inside. We have a lot to talk about and I’ve got a massive favor I need from you.”

She looked up at him, not happy with how tight his jaw was. “What happened?”

He kissed her forehead before wrapping her tightly in his arms again. He looked over her shoulder as if still trying to find Tony. “I’ll tell you all about it, but first you have to tell me if you’re ready to play spy for a night?”

Now that sounded like fun. “Absolutely.”

He grimaced and Mia couldn’t figure out how he made that terrible expression so damn sexy. “Somehow I knew you would say that. Let’s go. I’m only not killing Fain because you’re alive.”

“I was watching her the whole damn time. She wasn’t in any danger,” Ezra complained.

“You were too far away,” Case shot back. “And you were drinking on the job. Don’t think I didn’t see that beer in your hand.”

“If I hadn’t stayed back, he would have made me, asshole.” Ezra shook his head as he started back up the beach. “And I wasn’t drinking it. I was blending in.”

What the hell had Case said to the man to put him in such a shitty mood? “He was just doing his job, Case. I met with Tony and he had a lot to say.”

Case nodded. “And I want to hear it all, but first, I need to talk to you about what I found. Mia, I think I might know where my brother is, but I need you to check it out. You’re the only one I trust. We found the place I think Hope McDonald is using as her base of operations. You won’t go in alone and you have to know that I’m going to take care of you. I’ll be watching the whole time and I won’t be far away. I’ll be able to get to you if anything happens.”

She handed him the note Tony had given her. “Is it here?”

Case nodded. “Yes. That’s the place. They’re having a fundraiser tonight in the building. Hutch got you tickets. All you have to do is distract a couple of security guards so Hutch can slip into the business offices. I don’t want to send you in, but I can’t think of another way. Like I said, I’m going to be watching you the whole time, and not in the crappy way Fain was watching you. I’ve got some high-tech equipment that will allow me to basically be there with you. You can do this, Mia.”

Tony was wrong. Case cared about her. She wasn’t just a body in his bed. He trusted her and to a man like Case that was practically a declaration of love.

“I’ll do it.” She would do anything for him. Maybe that made her a silly girl, but she was okay with that.

Case slid his hand into hers as he started to lead her back toward the motel.

They were together. They could do anything, take on anything. As long as he was by her side, she would be okay. She just knew it.

CHAPTER NINE

“I’ve changed my mind. We can do this another way.” It was a horrible idea. He needed to rethink the entire plan because Mia looked exactly like what she was—a gorgeous, delectable distraction.

She was perfect. The plan was perfect. It was an easy get in, let Hutch do his thing, get out. So why was he hesitating? He wouldn’t think twice if this was Charlotte or Phoebe or Eve standing in front of him. Hell, the job was so simple, he would likely send Grace in. All Mia had to do was look charming and give Hutch a chance to do his job.

All he could think about was the fact that her boobs were his and he shouldn’t be using them to distract other men. His. His caveman brain couldn’t think past her boobs.

She grinned as though she knew exactly what he was thinking. She twirled around in the cocktail dress that showed off far too much of her. “It wasn’t why I brought it, but I think it should do the job.”

“Why did you bring it?” He’d been a little surprised she’d had a designer dress in her small bag. “I thought we were only supposed to be here for a few days.”

Her lips curled up in a sexy smile. “Same reason I put that lingerie on the plane. I was determined that you were going to fall right into my web.”

 Oh, he was in her web. Crazily caught by her. Which was exactly why he’d made other plans he hadn’t yet talked to her about. He needed to enjoy the calm before the storm. “I think you can safely say I’m caught. Come here.”

She moved toward him, her every curve on display. The dress she wore was black and slinky, and he wished he was getting ready to shove his body into an uncomfortable suit so he could take her out on the town. Instead, he was dressing for an op. All black. His only accessories would be the Bluetooth devices they would use to communicate and his SIG. Well, and various other weapons, but the SIG was the main one. He felt naked without the SIG. God, she looked good naked. She looked good clothed, too. Way too good. And those heels made her legs look long and lean. They would look good wrapped around his neck.

He couldn’t do it. “I’m going with you. I’m not letting you walk around looking like sex in black saran wrap without a proper guard.”

Her eyes rolled and she sighed as she moved in, setting herself on his lap. “You can’t and you know why.”

Because he looked too much like his brother. Because if Theo was there, it could get dangerous. Even getting caught by a stray security cam could torpedo their mission and send his brother running. There was zero shot of Hope McDonald not knowing who Case Taggart was. She would recognize him and there was no magical
Mission: Impossible
mask hanging around to change his face.

But she wouldn’t know Mia and she’d never met Hutch. God, he was actually sending his girlfriend on an op with Hutch as her backup.

What the hell was he thinking?

A hand smoothed over his forehead. “I’m going to be fine, Case. It’s a nothing job. I’m going to a charity party. Do you think I don’t do that twice a week when I’m at home? I’m practically the 4L ambassador since Drew’s a recluse, Bran’s a head case, and Riley’s a manwhore. I’m going to distract security in order to let Hutch sneak back to the office section of the building and download any files he can get. Easy peasy. We’ll be in and out in less than an hour. I don’t suppose you actually went into the building.”

He hadn’t been able to risk it and Hutch didn’t speak Spanish. He’d watched people come and go. One of them had been American, well built. He’d had the right frame for the man in the mask beside his brother in the picture Santos had offered them.

He’d thought about tailing the man, but the key card in the dude’s hand made him think he would come back to this place. Case had been right. The dude had showed back up not thirty minutes later with a sack of groceries in hand.

They might be living in the large industrial space.

“Hutch pulled up some records about the building.” He turned his laptop around so she could see the blueprints. It might have been easier to set her down and show her, but he liked her in his lap, loved being able to smell the scent of soap and the faintest hint of sex she couldn’t seem to wash away. Likely because he’d joined her again in the shower. He’d picked her up, pressed her back to the wall and let his dick have its way.

Mia leaned forward, studying the plans. “So the charity is one small part of the building? There are no other businesses? This place is pretty big.”

“Ten thousand square feet. From what we’ve been able to figure out the charity itself only takes up three thousand. It seems to only deal with poverty outreach. The group that funds the charity is small.”

“Do they have any connection to Hope McDonald or Kronberg? Though if what Tony said is true, she likely would avoid anyone connected to Kronberg.”

“Not that I can tell,” he admitted. “Hutch is working on it. I suspect they have more local ties.”

Her eyes lit with understanding. “Ah, cartel. That would make sense. They would find it amusing to cover their deals with a charity project. They would even see the fundraising as an alternate way of making money.”

“Or they really do community outreach as a way to have a whole neighborhood where they don’t have to worry about police.” Case had thought this through. Colombia had cracked down on the cartels, but they’d merely gotten better at hiding their purposes. And a smart mobster knew that loyalty worked even better than fear at times. “Hutch got on the Deep Web earlier today and heard some rumors about a doctor working with a cartel to enhance some of their product.”

“Ah, so our doctor found a new sponsor.”

It looked like it. She would also be well protected. He might be walking into a war, and that was another reason he needed to get her out of harm’s way. “The cartel could be very effective at protecting her as long as she’s giving them what they want.”

“Did you call Ian?”

“I will once we’ve got something to tell him.” He needed some proof. He needed this to not be a dead end. He couldn’t go back to his brother with nothing in hand.

And deep in the back of his head, he knew another truth. He wanted to be the hero here. He wanted Ian to see that he could run things, do good work, be more than a big body that took the bullets for the smarter people.

“So you think there’ll be something in the internal records.” She turned back to him, squirming a bit as she resettled.

Naturally that made his dick jump, but there was no more time for sex. “I hope so. If not, I’ll reassess and think about going in at night and checking the place out myself.”

“With Ezra or Hutch backing you up,” she insisted.

He had to admit Fain had been helpful and not too much of a dick. “If it comes to that. I’d rather figure out if they’ve got internal security cameras Hutch can bust into. If we can get into their feed, we can see everything. It’s the second thing I need you to do. Look for cameras. Note where they are. I need to know if you see anything out of the ordinary. Even if it’s simply something you feel is wrong, I want to know about it. You’ve got good instincts.”

“I would make a good operative. Admit it. You think I would be an excellent spy.”

He didn’t even like to think of a world where Mia ran the ops. “I think you’re a brilliant reporter and you should stick to that.”

The world would be a much safer place. His ball of chaos could burn a place down when she got started.

Her pretty face turned serious. “I will stick to reporting, but I do have one instinct I think you should follow. I am good at some things.”

He was willing to listen. He wasn’t sure there was time to change the op. It was a hurried affair as it was, but he wanted to hear her out. “Hit me.”

“Tell Erin.”

Case shifted, easing her off his lap. This was one place he wouldn’t allow her to sway him. “No. I’ve told you why we’re keeping it from her. Big Tag is worried she’ll go commando.”

“She won’t. She’s got a child now.”

“You don’t know her the way we do.” Though he agreed that Erin had calmed over the last year, he couldn’t be absolutely sure. She’d been so fierce and angry when they’d met. He hadn’t seen what Theo had in her. He’d seen a kind of mean ex-soldier with a chip on her shoulder. Theo had seen something else. He’d seen the woman underneath all that armor. “Erin can be single-minded, but it’s more than just her running off and trying to find Theo on her own. Have you thought about the fact that she’s finally settled? You honestly think I should reopen that wound?”

She walked calmly to the mirror and smoothed down her dress. “I think you’re wrong about the wound being healed. She might have found a way to live with it, but it won’t ever heal. She’ll die with that wound gaping and open because she loved him. It’s funny what can bring it all back, the loss and ache. Sometimes you think it’s fine and you’ve almost forgotten them and then I’ll smell banana bread or hear the sound of keys clacking and I’m six years old again.”