by Lexi Blake
“He likes to combine the two, and Li thinks that’s what her kidnapping was about,” Brody explained. “A manufacturing company had plans to open a factory in Ghana. They would have competed with a rival company for workers and incentives.”
“A Collective company.” Ten wasn’t asking a question. It was a statement. The senator was a puppet for The Collective.
“Yes.” Brody hefted the heavy bag with no problem. “The kidnapping scared off the rival and left The Collective firm with a clear field in the country. Li found a wire transfer to the general who took Faith.”
“That only proves he paid the ransom.”
Brody shook his head. “The transfer was three days before her kidnapping.”
Shit. It would kill Faith. She loved her father. He knew he had to bring the man down. It was imperative.
“Li thinks we should lay all this out to Faith,” Brody continued. “Show her and bring her over to our side.”
And break her heart. It would be broken when she learned what her father had done, but not this way. This way would mangle and scar her heart forever. At least his way, she still believed the man loved her. A monster, yes, but she could still look back on her childhood and know she’d had a parent who cared. Ten took all of that from her if he used this intelligence.
He could bring her to his side. He could chain her there, but he ran the risk of changing her, of hurting her so deeply he might not recognize the Faith she’d been before.
“No. Bury it. Faith doesn’t ever need to know about this.”
“Shit, you really are in love with her,” Theo said, his eyes wide.
He wasn’t sure he’d go that far. He wanted her. He wanted to protect her. “I promised she wouldn’t get hurt by this. I can’t protect her by walking away. The senator has hurt too many people, and he’ll go on doing it if we don’t bring him down. If we can prove he was behind selling out troop movements, he’ll go to jail for the rest of his life. I have to be satisfied with that.”
“I’ll sit on it, then. Don’t worry about it getting to her. The only other people who have the report are at McKay-Taggart. This is your call. And the third hole is a walk. We should get going or those tourists behind us will catch up.” Brody started up a hill.
“It doesn’t have to be me.” He said the words almost as though he was tasting them on his tongue. “I don’t have to be the one who brings him down. All that matters is he goes to jail.”
Nick had walked behind Brody, leaving him and Theo alone for a moment. Theo put a hand on his shoulder. “No. It doesn’t have to be you. Someone else can do all of this, brother. Someone else can break in and get those files and you can walk away with the girl.”
Could he? Did he even deserve the girl? “We have to do the recon. No one else will get this close without tipping off the senator. If I leave this to someone else, they’ll get one shot at it.”
“And they’ll do the job.” Theo breathed in the air, obviously enjoying the island. “When everything goes down, you’ll be there to take care of Faith. She never has to know we were a part of any of this. She’ll lose one family. A shitty one, if I do say so. And she’ll gain another. We’ll close ranks around her and take care of her and she never knows. She never has to feel that pain.”
Was that fair? What really was the truth? It was all subjective. He cared about her. Did it matter that they started out in a way she didn’t completely understand? He cared about her now. He chose her.
God, he chose her. He loved Jamie. Jamie had been his brother, but he was going to choose Faith.
As it should be, my brother.
Something settled in Tennessee Smith and in that moment, he let his brother finally rest. Justice. Not revenge. He would go after justice.
And Faith. He would get his small part of the job done and then he would take Faith home. He would leave all this shit behind and start over. He would be the man she needed him to be.
For the first time in his life, he understood what it truly meant to belong.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ten watched as Faith stepped onto the balcony. The light from the massive moon made her skin glow. It was late, but he didn’t want to sleep. There was a restless feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Hey, I woke up and you weren’t in bed,” she said.
No, he’d slipped out shortly after she’d fallen asleep and he’d been standing here, trying to ensure the evening’s operation went as planned. Theo had kept Hope up, playing chess over a couple of fingers of Scotch while Erin had claimed she was tired and gone to bed. He and Faith had done the same. Once Faith was asleep, he’d texted Erin with the go-ahead and then watched from the balcony as she made her way out of the house. She’d been nothing more than a shadowy figure, staying close to the buildings and hugging the dark spaces. If he hadn’t known what to look for he never would have seen her.
Not ten minutes before he’d seen her make her way back to the main house.
Safe and sound. She’d texted him good night—code that told him the operation had been successful. She had the data Hutch would need to crack the security system.
Once Hutch was satisfied he could get someone in, Ten could walk away. He trusted Big Tag. Ian would get the job done, and all Ten would need to do was take care of Faith. He could take her someplace private and they would ride out the scandal that would engulf her father.
She didn’t have to know how close he’d come to destroying them all.
“I couldn’t sleep.” He opened his arms and she walked right into them, nestling against his chest. Yes, that was what he needed. That felt right. He kissed the top of her head. “I stared at you for a while, but then I decided that was probably creepy, so I came out here for some air.”
“I think I’ve gotten too used to sleeping next to a furnace,” she mumbled. “I woke up because I was cold. It never gets cold here.”
She’d put on a robe, but he could get her out of it soon enough. He let his hands cup her shoulders, running down her arms and up her back. He didn’t fight the urge to touch her anymore. She was his and she was going to remain his.
He felt his cell vibrate. Likely Theo giving him hell for leaving him to watch Hope. Her creepy fascination with the youngest Taggart meant Erin pretty much had the run of the place. The staff was minimal and most went home at night. Hutch had already hacked into the security feed, so Hope had been their biggest issue.
He ignored the text. The ringer was off. He didn’t want anything to interrupt his time with Faith.
He kissed her, letting his mouth play against hers. He could take his time, make it last. They had nowhere to go tomorrow. They would play on the beach and have some fun. He would keep them here and then Big Tag would call with an excuse to get them back to the States before the senator was due.
He simply had to make sure that when he needed to go home due to an emergency, she packed up and went with him.
When he let her up for air, she looked up at him, concern in her eyes. “I actually can’t sleep for a couple of reasons.”
Did she know about the fire? He’d noticed she’d been distracted earlier in the evening. At dinner, she’d been fairly quiet, only commenting when he prompted her. When he’d taken her to bed, she’d gone willingly into his arms, but she hadn’t slipped into subspace the way she normally did. Something was going on in her head, and he’d let it play out. He hadn’t mentioned it because he was supposed to be backing off. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Not when she was potentially in danger. It looked like Hope was getting everything she wanted, but Ten couldn’t take the chance that she was lying in wait. He smoothed back Faith’s hair. She was the loveliest thing he’d ever seen and he had to wonder why he’d fought her. If he’d been born a different man, he would have dropped to his knees the minute he met her, but he was stupid and took his time. He’d still come to the same conclusion.
She was the one for him. She was his prize at the end of this hellish nightmare.
“What�
��s wrong, darlin’?”
“I know I said some things to you that night when we fought over my sister.”
So she did know. He wondered how she was going to play this. It didn’t matter. He would take care of her any way she went, but he wanted so badly for her to ask him. He wanted for her to need him. “It doesn’t matter. We worked that out.”
“It kind of does now.”
“What do you need from me, Faith? All you have to do is ask.”
She looked up at him, seeming to search his face. “Really? You’re not going to make me grovel because you were right and I was wrong?”
He leaned over and kissed her again. “No. I’m going to help you because that’s who I want to be for you. I want to be the man you come to. No questions. No groveling.” He grinned. “Though I do like you on your knees.”
She hugged him again. “I was worried. I thought you might make me work for it.”
“You’re precious to me, Faith. I won’t ever make you feel less than precious to me. I promise. I’ll look into the situation with your sister in the morning. I want you to be careful around her. I know you love her, but keep your eyes open. I think she might be involved with some very ruthless people.”
“Maybe that’s it. Maybe she’s involved in something she can’t control.”
“If that’s the truth, then I’ll help her get out of it.” It wasn’t, but he also wasn’t lying. If it had been true, he would move heaven and earth to keep a smile on Faith’s face. Unfortunately, The Collective wasn’t the same as a “bad crowd” a teenager could fall in with. They were the baddest of the bad, and if Hope belonged, then she’d done unimaginable things in the pursuit of money and power.
Faith’s hands found his, tangling together in a sweet way. “I can count on you. Did you know that’s really the first time I’ve been able to say that to a man?”
He needed to make her understand how serious he was. “You come first, Faith. I know we haven’t been together for a long time, but I’m willing to put you first in my life. In everything.”
She would never know what he’d sacrificed for her. It was funny that he’d found a peace with it. Once he’d realized how important she was, it was easy to put her first. It was the way of the world. Phoebe had come first for Jamie. This wasn’t a betrayal of Jamie’s memory. It was an actual true remembrance of the brother who had cared for him.
She was quiet for a moment, the sound of the ocean the only noise between them, but he felt oddly calm. Since he’d made the decision to choose Faith, he’d found an inner peace he’d never had before. This was what Liam had talked about. He didn’t need a mission. He had her. Or rather, taking care of her was his true mission.
“I think I would like to have more time with you.” Her voice was quiet, almost halting, as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was saying.
He wasn’t sure what she was saying, but his heart jumped a little. “I want that, too. I was thinking that maybe I should go to Liberia with you. I’ve heard you’re out a bodyguard.”
Her eyes flared. “Are you serious? You have a job, Ten.”
“I would have a job with you,” he reasoned. A job that paid next to nothing and had none of the power he was used to, but that was all right. He’d made his decision. There was a saying he remembered from the religion classes the Agency had him take as a young recruit. He couldn’t remember the exact wording from the Talmud, but it was something about when you saved one soul, you saved an entire world.
Faith saved lives. She saved worlds. More than he’d ever managed to do at the Agency. He’d kept the balance there, but she was actively trying to do good.
She deserved someone dedicated to her comfort, her protection, her good.
He was her knight in really tarnished armor.
She went up on her toes. “I would love for you to go with me, Tennessee. I need to figure out a few things, but we can take our time and make some decisions together.”
They could decide their future together.
His cell vibrated again, but he ignored it. Theo was likely fucking with him, and he had better things to do. Faith would want to know why Theo was texting him after midnight. He was only keeping his cover. He kissed her long and slow.
Soon he wouldn’t need a cover with her. He would tell her anything she needed to know. He would remake his life for her. He drew her in, his mind planning a long and slow seduction.
Their tongues mated, rubbing against each other, playing. His hands roamed down her back right to that glorious ass of hers. He rubbed his cock on her. It was all right. He didn’t have to be polite. She was his. He could throw aside all that polite shit and be Tennessee Smith. She belonged to him and he was hers.
Fuck. He was hers and that was such a goddamn good thing to be.
He started to maneuver her back toward the bedroom. He would get her on the bed and torture her for a good long while. He would make her scream before he gave in. He would tease her.
He gripped her ass cheeks in both hands and easily lifted her to his chest. He loved her weight in his hands, loved how she gave over and let him handle her. He made his way to the bed, his mouth still on hers. He fell with her on the bed, giving her his weight.
She giggled, the sound making his soul light. “I think I might love you, Tennessee Graham.”
Oh, that was what he wanted to hear. “I want nothing more in my life than for you to love me, Faith McDonald.” He stared down at the honest beauty of her face. “I’ll follow you. Where you go, I go.”
For the rest of his life.
He’d been an idiot. How could he have wasted weeks on suspicion? He should have been loving her without reservation all this time.
He spread her legs, making a place for himself. His place. His freaking home.
His cock was rock hard and he stroked himself against her pelvis. He would get in there soon and he would show her his affection.
“I’m fucking crazy about you, Faith.” He crushed his chest to her breasts. “You’re all I think about now.”
Her arms wound around his neck and she rubbed her nose against his in a sweet gesture of affection. “I’m crazy about you, too. Tell me something, Ten. When you’re my bodyguard, are you going to protect me from all invaders, foreign and domestic?”
He felt his lips curl up in a genuine smile. She made him so freaking happy. “All invaders. Every single fucking one. This belongs to me.” He stroked against her and then felt his face soften. “I’ll protect you with everything I have, Faith. Everything I am. I will rule you in the bedroom, but you should also know that I am your slave.”
He started to pull off the robe she was wearing. It was her only clothing because she rarely wore any around him. Her body belonged to him and he didn’t want it covered. He wanted to be surrounded by her beauty, her feminine loveliness. He began to reveal her soft skin when he heard the door slam open.
He sprang up to his feet, his hand going for a gun that wasn’t there.
The men walking into the room didn’t have the same problem. They were well armed.
Faith gasped and he moved quickly to get her behind him. Damn it. His SIG was in the nightstand. He hadn’t wanted to scare her by leaving it out in the open, and he had no place to put the damn thing in his pajama bottoms.
Adrenaline flooded his system. “Faith, you stay behind me. Is that understood? When you get the chance, you run and go find Theo.”
“I’m afraid the younger Taggart has already fled the building, Mr. Smith,” a deep voice said.
Ten felt his whole body tense as Senator Hank McDonald strode in. He was wearing a business suit, but there were boots on his feet. He was backed up by two more guards carrying serious hardware.
Someone in the London office was going to get his ass kicked.
“Dad?” Faith tried to move from behind him.
Her father’s face softened marginally. “Hey, sweetheart. I need to talk to you and I would rather do it without the interference of a rogu
e former CIA operative with a grudge against me.”
Shit. Shit. And more shit. “Faith, I need you to listen to me.”
There were suddenly four guns pointed straight at his head.
“Dad, what the hell is going on?” Faith asked. “And who is Mr. Smith? This is my boyfriend. You got his files. His last name is Graham. Timothy Graham, though his friends all call him Ten. Could we please stop with the extreme fear tactics? I know you like to say you’re a protective father, but this is a bit much.”
She still didn’t understand. And he wasn’t sure there was anything he could say at this point. He’d waited too long.
Her father shook his head. He was a barrel-chested man in decent shape, but then he didn’t have to spend much time in the gym since he seemed to have a small army around him. “This man’s name is Tennessee Smith. He was a CIA operative until he sold out his country. I was the one who brought him down. Now he’s using you to get to me.”
“That is the single most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Faith said. “Have the goon squad put the guns away and let me get dressed. I know you don’t appreciate my lifestyle, but I’ll be damned if you treat a man I care about like this.”
He could practically feel the rage vibrating off her. Would she turn that rage against him when she discovered he’d lied? Was there any way to get the hell out of here? He could make it to the balcony, but he didn’t trust her father not to hurt her in the crossfire.
“Faith, darlin’, I need you to know a few things.” Ten hated that he couldn’t look at her, but he had to keep his eyes on the snakes that surrounded them. They could bite at any moment.
Faith’s hands were on his shoulders. “Ten, we can pack and be out of here in no time. Since my father’s hospitality is lacking, we’ll go to the resort for the night and then head home in the morning.”
“You won’t go after you see the evidence, baby girl.” Her father shook his head in seeming sympathy. “I’m so sorry he brought you into this. If I’d known, I swear, I would have had this bastard assassinated. How dare you bring my daughter into this, you traitor.”