by Lexi Blake
Mia smiled Case’s way. “Did I mention how awesome you were?”
“It’s not going to save your ass.”
“Who said I wanted my ass saved?” She turned back to the control panel. “Could you move him? And maybe get a mop or something. What’s with you and all the blood?”
“Please tell me you know how to fly this thing.” Michael had managed to get himself into one of the seats, his leg propped up as Hutch offered his hoodie to stop the bleeding.
“Of course she doesn’t,” Case replied. “I was hoping Hutch could figure it out.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Wanna see my license? You do not go into my line of work without picking up a few things. We’re going to climb back to our cruising altitude, I’ll put this baby on autopilot, then I’ll dig that bullet out, Malone. I’m also pretty good at first aid.”
“I knew you could do it, boss,” Fain said in a big old kiss-ass voice. “I’ll see if I can find the first aid kit. I’ve helped out in the field before. I can be your nurse. Maybe Taggart can deal with the bodies.”
“And the cleanup,” Mia said. “There’s a mini steam cleaner somewhere. The faster you get that blood up, the better.”
She winked his way before turning back to the panel.
Fuck, she was going to kill him one of these days. He just knew it.
CHAPTER FOUR
“You want to tell me what’s really going on?” Fain sat down across from Case.
They would land in a few hours thanks to Mia’s expertise with a plane. She was utterly confident she could take care of things.
He was confident they were going to have a very long talk that would end with her bare ass over his lap. He was still a little shaken from how close he’d come to losing her. He hated that. He was always ice cold during an op, but Mia shook him up in every way possible. And maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. “We’re going to Colombia. I thought you knew that.”
Fain frowned, his eyes steady on Case. “I thought I knew you, too.”
Case sat back, wishing he’d just stayed in the cockpit with Mia. He could be watching her. She was pretty freaking hot when she was flying a plane. He’d never been the kind of man who was attracted to needy women.
Maybe it was time to rethink his stance on the future. He was treating Mia like the women he’d dated back in Georgia. They’d all wanted out of their small town and Case’s double-wide existence wasn’t going to get them there. They’d been more than happy to have sex, but when it came time to get serious they looked for better options.
A woman like Mia would know what she wanted. If she was here with him, it likely had nothing to do with a rich girl indulging her fantasies and everything to do with a wild woman who happened to want a man who could handle her.
He might need to have another talk with Drew Lawless. But first he had to deal with Fain, who wasn’t as big an asshole as Case had suspected but could still be obnoxious.
“Why would you think you know me? We’ve never met.”
“I suppose I thought I knew you by reputation,” Fain allowed. “You’re a Taggart. That name alone means something in our community. You’re supposed to be a hardass when it comes to protecting your women. Are you trying to tell me Mia isn’t your woman?”
Michael groaned a little as he shifted in his chair. His leg was propped up. Mia had not only gotten the bullet out of his thigh, she’d sewn him up. She’d explained her adoptive mother was a doctor and Mia had gone on several charity tours with her that ended with Mia playing nurse and learning how to stitch up a wound as a teenager. “I’d like to know the answer to that question.”
“Since when do you care about my love life?”
Michael grinned. He’d had a whole bunch of tequila. “Since you actually have one. Also, if you don’t want her, I’ll take her. She’s hot and I think she might be able to handle my momma. My momma looks sweet on the outside, but she’s mean. Don’t let that upper-crust British accent fool you. She’s got the Southern momma thing down. Many a woman has run from her. And I get shot way more than I like to think about. So skill with a medical kit is a real plus when it comes to looking for a bride.”
Yeah, all his friends would be after his girl. Damn, but that felt good. This time there were no lies between them. This time the only thing between them was his distorted view of her. He’d thought about it the whole time he’d cleaned up. As he rolled up bodies in tarps and mopped up blood, he’d given careful consideration to why he’d pushed her away in the first place.
She was rich and he wasn’t. She’d had a fiancé who looked like he fit more into her world than Case did.
That lawyer boy likely couldn’t handle Mia. And her world seemed to be a much more fucked up place than he’d imagined.
It was time to let go of his past. He wasn’t the poor kid from the other side of the tracks anymore. So what if she had more money than he did? Why the hell would that matter? If Drew Lawless wanted to think he was a gold digger, Case didn’t care. Now he couldn’t remember why he’d thought he cared in the first place. It was Theo. He’d been so lost without his brother. If Theo had been alive when he’d met Mia, he would have spanked her lying ass, slapped a collar around her throat, and dragged her off like a caveman without any thought to what her brothers would think of him.
He came from a long line of men born with very few fucks to give.
“I’m afraid she’s mine, Michael,” he said, glancing into the cockpit and catching a glimpse of her. She had headphones on and seemed to be swaying to some music.
Hutch looked up from his computer. “Told you he wasn’t that stupid.”
Case had no idea what they were talking about. “Stupid?”
“Michael thought you were a dumbass to let her go in the first place. All that ‘she lied to me’ and ‘she’s just a rich little princess who can’t handle a real man’ shit was just a big old front because you’ve never had a girlfriend before,” Hutch explained.
“I’ve had girlfriends.” It wasn’t like he was a virgin or anything.
“You’ve had Hooters girls,” Michael corrected. “You’ve had chicks you banged for a few months and didn’t think about them outside of banging, and the minute they started to get serious you would apply for the most dangerous duty in the world just to get away from them.”
“That was about protecting my country.” He definitely hadn’t taken that assignment in Fallujah for fun. Though he had to admit, it did get him away from a clingy hookup.
“That was about protecting your ass,” Michael shot back. “I’ve worked with you most of my adult life, Taggart. I see through you. You’ve always needed a woman who can set you on your ass. Soft and sweet wasn’t ever going to do it for you.”
But Mia could be soft and sweet when she wanted to. She could care. Mia might be the exact right mixture of crazy bitch and sweet sub he needed.
“This is exactly what I’m saying,” Fain interrupted. “You care about that woman. So I want to know why you’re letting her go through with this. You do realize she could have been killed.”
He knew that. It would likely haunt his dreams for a while. He would see Mia walking out of her hiding place like a sacrificial lamb, offering herself up to save his friends.
“He knows exactly what happened here,” Hutch snorted. “And he’s not letting her go through with whatever crazy assignment she’s on. Trust me. We’ll land in Colombia and he’ll throw her over his shoulder and haul her straight back to Texas. He’ll tie her up and do some nasty shit to her. I’ve already found a company who can turn this plane around in an hour. I’m still working on what to do with the bodies. Might be easier to leave them in Colombia, but you know Big Tag likes a present every now and then.”
“He’s not planning on turning around,” Fain said with surety.
Fain was sharp.
“Of course he is.” Michael sat back. “He’ll have her under lock and key until he figures out who tried to kidnap her and why. But we’re not goin
g to tell her that. That honey can be a little mean. We’ve got to sneak up on her. Then we’ll rope her and take her down. You think she’s got a sister?”
He was going to be a blast later on. Michael couldn’t handle his liquor and now Case was a man down.
And Case had some serious thinking to do because Fain was right. He couldn’t turn around. In a world where his brother wasn’t being tortured on a daily basis, he would have done exactly what Hutch had said. He would have carted her back home and locked her up until he could figure out what was happening. He couldn’t do that now and his friends weren’t going to understand.
“It’s an important story to Mia. We’re still going. I’m going to need to find a cleanup crew, Hutch, and a quiet one. Moneybags in there can pay for it.”
“What am I paying for?” Mia stepped out, yawning behind her hand.
He reached out, pleased when she slipped her hand in his. He tugged her into his lap. He was done playing the hardass with her. He’d been wrong. She’d been right. They belonged together. She was his natural match and her brother could go to hell. If Lawless cut her off, then Mia would have to learn to live on a budget.
If there was one thing he’d learned from the last few hours, it was that he didn’t want to lose this chance with her. She meant something to him. He could count on her in a way he’d never thought he would be able to count on a lover.
“I need to find someone willing to deal with the bodies, princess.” Yeah, this was not a conversation he’d ever thought he would have with a girlfriend. “That’s going to take cash and we’re going to have to deal with some not so nice people.”
“Cartel would be best,” she said without hesitation. She cuddled down in his arms. She smelled like soap and fresh laundry after cleaning up. He wished he’d been able to squeeze into that shower with her. “They have cleanup crews who’ll know the area and how to avoid the police. They’ll also know which of the police are bribable. They shouldn’t be too hard to find. I’ll call some friends when we touch down.”
“You are not dealing with a cartel.” This would be the problem he had to put up with. Keeping Mia out of trouble would be a full-time job. He let his hand rest on her thigh. “I’ll handle it.”
Was it too soon to coax her back in the bedroom? He’d cleaned up pretty well. They still had a few hours before they landed. He might enjoy violating the pilot before they had to deal with whoever would try to kill them next.
Making love to Mia might let him stop thinking about the trouble his brother was in, might give him peace for a few minutes.
Hutch was staring at him. “This doesn’t make sense. What’s the story you’re chasing after, Mia?”
“I’m meeting with a source who has information on voter fraud in the last election,” she lied without batting an eye.
Fain shook his head. “As your bodyguard, I have to warn you that this is ill advised. Until we can figure out who those people were and who sent them, we need to get back to the States. No story is worth your life. I’m pulling the plug on this. I’ll call your brother the minute we land.”
Hutch sighed. “I hate to say this, but I’m with Asshat.”
Fain rolled his eyes. “Nice to know. We also have the added problem of needing to get this guy to a hospital. They’ll want to know how he got a bullet in his thigh.”
“He doesn’t have one anymore,” Mia pointed out.
Hutch stared at Case. “Do you honestly not care that Michael could get an infection? I know she cleaned it and stuff, but he needs to see a real doctor.”
“It’s not that bad,” Michael said, sobering a bit. “I won’t be able to run for a few days, but I can walk. I’m not the problem here. Fain is right. There is zero chance that the Case Taggart I know calls a cartel in to clean up for him and lets the woman he’s involved with walk around with a target on her back. What the fuck is going on, Case?”
Mia sat up straight and after brushing his cheek with her lips, she stood up. “This story is very important to me. I’ve talked to Case about it. I’m going through with it whether or not the rest of you come with me. Mr. Fain, you can call my brothers, but I’m an adult and if you do, you’re fired. I will ensure Mr. Malone gets the care he needs once we reach Cartagena. You and Mr. Fain can join him at the hospital. I hope Case will come with me, but I don’t need an escort.”
Oh, she so fucking needed an escort. “I’ll be with you and you know it, but maybe it would be for the best if we sent Michael home with Hutch and Fain.”
Hutch stood up. “Sounds good to me, man. You know how foreign food upsets my stomach.” He was smiling, saying all the right things. He left his computer behind, but Case watched him slip his phone into his pocket. “I’m going to the bathroom, then I’m taking a nap. Wake me up when we need to change planes.”
There was no way he was taking a nap. He’d worked with Hutch long enough to know exactly what he’d do.
Case reached out and grabbed Hutch. “Don’t you dare call Ian.”
Michael managed to pull himself up. “If he doesn’t I will. Something’s fishy here and you’re keeping us in the dark. I want to know what’s going on and I want to know now.”
Damn it. He’d meant to avoid this. He wished he could kill the pilot again.
“I have something on him, okay?” Mia put her hands on her hips. Her eyes went steely. “I’ve got something on Case and I’m using it to make him help me. He’s embarrassed so you don’t have to bring Ian into this. And as long as Case there goes along with my plan, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
She was sweet, but he could tell her it wasn’t going to work. “Don’t bother. They know me too well.”
“He would already have you locked up,” Hutch said with a grim smile. “He’s chasing your tail, hon. He can be led around by his dick but he wouldn’t give in to blackmail. Try again.”
“Is this about Hope McDonald?” Michael asked quietly.
“The senator’s daughter?” Fain asked, his gaze sharpening. “You think she killed your brother.”
They’d covered so much of that up. “Theo died while performing his bodyguard duties.”
“Bullshit. Theo Taggart died around the same time as the senator. Everyone in the business knows the senator had Tennessee Smith burned. There is zero chance that Ian Taggart would hire out his brother to protect the man who ruined his friend. Rumor has it the senator was dirty as hell and connected to a group of businessmen who call themselves The Collective.” The words came out of Fain’s mouth like accusatory bullets. “McKay-Taggart isn’t the only group with connections. They’re just the group that doesn’t play well with others.”
So Fain’s boss had his ear to the ground. Case wouldn’t be telling him anything he didn’t know. “Theo was still killed on a job.”
“He was working for Ten Smith. Does this job have something to do with Smith?” Fain asked.
“No.” He didn’t like Fain asking about Tennessee Smith. His old boss kept a low profile. “Ten has no idea what’s going on.”
“I doubt that,” Michael said. “The real question I have is does Big Tag know what we’re doing?”
“He knows exactly where I am.” Case didn’t have to lie about that. He’d told Ian exactly where he was going.
“Then you won’t mind me calling in to let him know what happened to Michael. It’s what we’re supposed to do when a team member is injured. We call back to base,” Hutch said all too reasonably.
When had Hutch gotten so slavish to the rules? “We’re handling it. Erin just had her baby. Everyone’s trying to take care of her and TJ. I’ll put Michael on a plane back and you can join him.”
Mia moved in behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We won’t be more than a few days behind you. No one has to be worried. I’m going to talk to someone, get some intel, and Case and I will fly back. We’ll keep a low profile and everything will be fine.”
“Intel about what?” Fain was ruthless.
“None of your
business,” Case replied.
“How about mine?” Michael asked. “I’ve already taken a bullet for this operation but I’m not allowed to know what intel we’re going after? I thought we abandoned the whole following-orders-blindly thing when we left the Agency.”
Michael had been his partner for a very long time. Outside of his brothers, Michael was one of the only humans on earth who could actively make Case feel guilty. They had left behind the lies when they’d quit the Agency, and Case had been the one to convince Michael to come with him. Case sat silent.
“I’m calling Tag,” Hutch said stubbornly.
“Don’t.” He was rapidly losing control.
Hutch’s face was red, his eyes narrowed as he looked down at Case. “No, you don’t get to order me to stand down when it comes to this. I realize that I’m considered the geek of the group and no one thinks I’m good for anything but looking shit up on the Internet. But I know how this should work. I did my time in the Army and there is a chain of command for a reason. I didn’t trust my instincts that night. Erin didn’t either. I will not do that ever again. Not even for you, Case. Fuck, really not for you because I refuse to lose another friend.”
It was so easy to forget how volatile Hutch could be, how deep those seemingly still waters could run. He hadn’t talked much about it, but Hutch had been there the night Theo died. He’d watched as Theo took his last breath and he’d seen the aftermath of Nick losing Des and Erin losing Theo.
Hutch had been the one who followed Theo’s orders, including not calling into home base when everything had gone to hell. The minute Ten had been taken, Theo should have called in and let Ian take over. Theo had been sure he could save Ten and the op.
Theo had been wrong.
Hutch was his man. Case ran this group and he wasn’t being the leader he needed to be. Case stood up and put his hands on Hutch’s shoulders. He had to make a decision whether the secret was more important than his mission and his men.