Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries Book 11)

by Lexi Blake

  Big Tag was a sucker for lemon anything.

  Theo’s lips tugged up. “Like donuts.”

  Exactly like donuts. They were Ian’s favorites. No matter what Santos said, Theo was still in there. “Yes, my friend loves lemon donuts. The filled kind. He’s got two baby girls. They’re so cute. Kala and Kenzi.”

  Not an ounce of recognition crossed his face. “That’s nice.”

  “Have you ever thought about having a family?”

  “I have a family. I have brothers and Mother. They’re all I’ve ever known.”

  She wanted to argue with him, but that would only make him ache. She needed to get around those harsh barricades the drugs and therapies had created. “I love my brothers.”

  And I love your brother so very much.

  “You’ll be back with them soon,” he promised. “I won’t allow any harm to come to you. I’ve already spoken to Robert. He understands you’re off limits. But you need to stay away from Victor. I can try to protect you, but Victor enjoys hurting people, especially women.”

  Santos was high if he thought he could ever break Theo Taggart. There was a core of honor in the man that no drug could erase.

  “I’ll do my best,” she said.

  He was quiet for a moment. “Did I know Hutch?”

  The hair on her arm stood up and she turned to him. He was staring straight ahead. “The new drugs don’t work any better than the old ones, do they?”

  “I have moments where I know I shouldn’t be here,” he admitted. “But don’t trust me. Not for a second. I’m conditioned to respond in a certain way and often I can’t help myself.”

  “Do you remember Erin?” She wanted to tell him that his brothers—his real brothers—were on their way. She wanted to promise him it would all be over soon. But he was right. She couldn’t trust that any lucidity would last. He’d shot Case without a second thought. Just because he seemed to understand something was wrong now didn’t mean he would remember it later.

  His face went tight and he had to put a hand on his head again. Theo’s skin flushed to a deep red and he bent over, though he made no sound at all.

  She reached out, putting a hand on his leg. “I’m so sorry. Forget I said anything. Let’s talk about something else.”

  Thinking of Erin physically hurt him. God, she had to pray that would go away once the drugs were out of his system. How would Erin handle the fact that just the thought of her made Theo ache?

  He reached out and she thought he would push her away, but his hand came over hers and threaded their fingers together, holding her tight as he seemed to ride out the end of the wretched episode.

  She held on to him, giving him as much comfort as she could.

  When he sat back up, he was a little pale, but he took a long breath and a smile went across his face. “That was a rough one. I get bad headaches. Mother gives me medication for them though. I’m glad to have her. I have no idea what I would do without someone watching out for me.”

  Her heart sank. It was like the previous moment hadn’t happened.

  “Yeah, you’re lucky.” She didn’t want to cause him more pain. When she tried to pull her hand away, he squeezed it, holding her tight.

  “I don’t love landings. Do you mind?”

  Despite the scar on his face, he looked so much like her Case in that moment that she couldn’t do anything but hold on to him. “I don’t like landings either.”

  “I feel oddly comfortable with you. Don’t think I’m trying anything. I’m not. It’s weird. It’s like we’re connected, but I don’t know you.”

  Case had talked to her about those weird twin things. Somehow, someway, Theo was still connected to his brother. Theo could feel Case’s connection to her. “I feel the same way.”

  “I’ll protect you. It’s going to be all right. What was your name again? I’m bad with names. I have short-term memory problems. Long-term ones, too. I hit my head one too many times on missions I think.”

  She didn’t argue with him. He’d been through enough. She simply sat there and held his hand and swore that she would protect him, too.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Case looked at the woman standing in front of him. They were in the office of the small private airfield outside of Freetown, Sierra Leone. She was a petite woman who he knew was thirty but somehow managed to look like she should be in college partying with her sorority sisters and cramming for midterms. Dr. Stephanie Gibson had her hair up in a ponytail, her face makeup free. She was wearing a Captain America T-shirt and jeans.

  He hoped he wasn’t about to get her killed.

  “You sure you’re up for this?”

  Her brown eyes lit up. “For the whole spy thing or for getting potentially shot by super soldiers with memory issues?”

  “I think the spy thing leads into the getting shot thing,” Ten said with a nod as he set down a duffel bag that Case was pretty sure was filled with weapons. “So you should make sure you’re ready for both. Though being bad at the spy thing could make getting shot inevitable.”

  “Don’t scare the doc,” Ian said with a frown as he strode in.

  “Or I’ll have to take you out meself.” Liam O’Donnell followed Ian. The Irishman got a big grin on his face as he caught sight of the doctor. “Hello there, darlin’.”

  Stephanie smiled and practically ran into his arms. “Li! It’s so good to see you. How is Avery? And the baby? She told me Aidan was having trouble with ear infections.”

  Li hugged her and then stepped back. “Aidan’s fine. He’s growing like a weed and Avery’s already on me about giving him a sibling. She’s going to be here in a few hours with Erin and Charlotte and Kai. I’m sorry we had to move things up on you. And Case is right to be worried. This is dangerous.”

  She held a hand up. “I know. I have already been lectured on what I’m supposed to do. I walk in, let them see me, maybe make some small talk, and then I hide behind my bodyguard. I’m going to be fine. You know I would do anything for Avery. Anything.”

  A moment passed between Li and the doctor, one Case could only guess about. Stephanie had been a kid when she’d caused the accident that had killed Avery’s young husband and baby. From what he understood, the woman standing in front of him had gone into a deep decline, her guilt nearly causing her to take her own life. It had been Avery herself who brought her back, Avery who found forgiveness for a girl who’d taken everything from her.

  How odd that an act of kindness so many years before would save everything Case loved now. It had been Stephanie’s solid base here that had tempted McDonald to take the bait. Had Avery chosen a different path, they likely would have no chance of saving Theo in the near future.

  “I’ll do anything for Avery, too,” Case said quietly. “And you, Doc. You can’t understand how much this means to me.”

  Stephanie turned and gave him a smile. “I can and I’m more than happy to help. Besides I’ve liked having the big guy around. He’s taught me some moves I didn’t know and the kids adore him. Though they all swear he speaks a different language.”

  “Not me. I’m a right proper speaker, I am.” Brody Carter leaned against the doorjamb. The Aussie was the single biggest man Case had ever seen. He had a good two inches on him and probably an extra fifty pounds of muscle.

  He worked for Damon Knight out of the London offices and when they’d decided on this course of action, they’d sent an agent down to train Stephanie and watch over her. He was undercover as her bodyguard. He’d played the heavy on occasion and cemented his reputation with the local bad guys as a man they didn’t want to mess with.

  He would make sure the doc didn’t die in the fight they were about to go into.

  “Sure you are, buddy,” Ian said, shaking the big guy’s hand. “And I’m not sarcastic at all.”

  “Everyone move back.” Sean shook his head, bringing up the rear. He hefted the bag carrying the body armor they would all wear. “Lightning’s about to strike. Do we have any conf
irmation on when they’re going to land?”

  “We’ve got roughly a half an hour to set up,” Brody replied. “I’ve already dealt with the locals. They’ve been paid and they agreed to stay in the mechanic’s office. I pulled all their mobiles and there’s no Internet access. I locked them in with an Xbox and two bottles of rum, so they’re perfectly happy.”

  “Smart man,” Ian said. “Lawless will pay for any damage to the structure. You explained that to them?”

  Brody nodded. “They’re good. The rest is just me being cautious. We won’t have trouble with the locals. You get the memo I sent?”

  Case nodded. Once Brody had been notified that the op was being moved up and changing locations, he’d quickly sent them a detailed report on the small private airport Santos was using to smuggle Mia into the country.

  Luckily Brody had known the exact place since he was Santos’s contact. Santos was expecting Doctor Stephanie Gibson and her enforcer to meet them in half an hour. Stephanie was to be paid more for not asking questions about the blonde they were bringing with them.

  “Do we have any idea if Theo’s on that plane?” Sean asked.

  It was what they’d worried about on the long flight over. They’d taken the 4L jet, which moved far faster than the cargo plane Santos had hired. Santos’s plane had required a refuel. The high-tech Bond Aeronautics jet Drew flew on had not. They’d beaten Santos in, but they’d been forced to come with a smaller team than Case would have liked. Now the plane was hidden in a separate hanger.

  “I couldn’t exactly ask him. I only know that he’s bringing five people with him and we needed to provide him with a place to lock someone down for a few days. Where’s the spook? Shouldn’t he have some intel?” Brody asked. “And who’s the suit? I don’t recognize him.”

  Case looked out to see who Brody was talking about. Drew Lawless was stepping off the plane. It had been a fight to keep it down to one Lawless brother, but space had been an issue or they would have brought Alex and Jake along with them. Simon would fly them in later this afternoon along with the women and Kai, but hopefully the deed would be done by then.

  He prayed it would be done. The alternative was they failed and Santos managed to get away with Mia. He would run with her and possibly decide she wasn’t worth the trouble. He could dispose of her like so much rubbish and try to find an easier mark.

  His body ached at the thought of her cold and unmoving. Mia was so alive. He needed to see her again, needed to hold her so he could assure himself she was alive. “That’s Mia’s brother and the CIA asshole is still on the plane trying to download some Agency reports. He said Chelsea was sending him some intel and DC had a message for him.”

  Kent was putting his career on the line.

  “Or he’s doing secretive shit that will blow back in our faces,” Ian muttered.

  His brother wasn’t a fan.

  Ten slid the zipper on the duffel open and started to unload a seemingly endless supply of weapons. “I don’t think so. He was kind of legendary in the Agency. Very private dude. He was the agent you would send to study other agents and take care of them if they needed to be taken care of. I never met him but I knew his boss. Good man. Kent was a little like his Big Tag. The operative he could count on. I suspect that’s the only reason he didn’t get burned after the stunt he pulled with the general.”

  The fact that Ten could call the assassination of a man a “stunt” made Case feel good about having gotten out when he had. “I feel comfortable with Kent. And if he steps out of line, I’ll feel comfortable murdering him.”

  “That’s my baby brother.” Sean high-fived him. “If it means anything, I think Kent’s on the up and up. I was watching him on the ride over and he seems solid.”

  “And like you said, if he’s not solid, we can turn him into a liquid,” Ian said with a nod as he looked to the door. “Speak of the devil. What do you have for us?”

  Kent walked in, Lawless hard on his heels. The billionaire looked worse for the wear, but Case would give it to him. The man wasn’t about to stand down. He was willing to go to the ends of the earth to save his sister.

  “Mia’s on the plane,” Lawless said, his eyes on the guns on the table.

  Kent placed his laptop on the desk. “She was caught on a private airfield camera being carried onto the cargo plane. Chelsea used that big brain of hers to figure out where they would have taken off from and cut into their security feeds.” He turned the laptop toward them. “And look who’s carrying her onto the plane.”

  Case breathed a deep sigh of relief. There was no way to mistake his brother’s familiar face. Theo was cradling Mia’s still form in his arms, holding her close to his chest. Theo had Mia.

  “What the fuck happened to his face?” Sean had flushed a nice shade of red.

  Case felt his heart twist a little. Kent had frozen the screen and magnified the image. There was a horrific scar splitting his twin’s left cheek. Someone had fileted his brother’s face, but it wouldn’t matter. Erin wouldn’t care. Nothing mattered except the fact that he was alive and he was watching over Mia. Case would bet that scar was there because Theo had protected Mia before. While Case had been watching over Theo’s son, Theo had taken pain for Case’s wife.

  Why the hell was the world going blurry?

  “He’s going to take care of her.” Ian put a hand on Case’s shoulder. “She’s going to be okay.”

  “They couldn’t break him.” Sean stood at his other side.

  His brothers, surrounding him with support. Why had he ever fought this? Why had he thought for a second that he didn’t need these men in his life, to mentor him, to fight beside him, to be his brothers? He’d fought them. He’d wanted to remain the leader. Years he’d spent being the leader of the two of them—him and Theo. He’d wanted that to stay the same, but god, it was so much better now. He wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to be perfect. He just had to be here.

  He’d spent years struggling, years when it had only been him and Theo, but now any way he turned he saw someone who gave a shit about him. They were obnoxious and loud and insane and they were his freaking family. Every single one of them.

  “His face doesn’t matter.” Case had never been more sure about anything in his life. “All that matters is Mia and Theo and Hutch.”

  Sean nodded. “All that matters is getting our people back.”

  Kent flipped the laptop back around and stared down at the screen, his hands moving on the keyboard. “They refueled in Morocco and according to satellite data they should be landing soon. But there’s some bad news. Dr. McDonald isn’t on the plane. We have no idea where she is and she’ll very likely figure out her whole operation has been compromised quickly. My boss wants to stand down and allow McDonald to join her crew before moving in.”

  Ten sighed. “Damn it. Why isn’t she with them? We need that intel. We need to apprehend McDonald or she’ll just set up another clinic in another country and continue her research.”

  Stephanie stepped up. “I’m ready. Brody and I have been working the last couple of weeks to make sure we can deal with this situation.”

  Brody stood beside the doctor, his big frame looming over hers. “We’ve got the rooms ready and everything. You can monitor the situation while we wait for McDonald.”

  “No.” Lawless faced the big Aussie. “I’m not going to let my sister stay here. If you won’t save her, I’ll walk away right fucking now and hire someone who will.” He turned to Case. “Come on. I’ll get you all the backing you could hope for, Case.”

  He’d come a long way with that family. The fact that Drew Lawless just assumed immediately that Case’s first priority would be Mia meant he’d properly settled into his role as Mia’s future husband.

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Ian said. “Stop slinging your big old wallet dick around. You should know that we’re backing Case and Case won’t allow his wife to be used as a pawn.”

  “Or my brother.” It seemed like everyone
knew him pretty well. It settled something deep inside him. Mia was almost here and she knew him, too. She would be waiting for him to save her. She wouldn’t be crying in a corner and praying. She would know damn straight that her man would come for her.

  His only problem would be the fact that his Mia would try to look out for his brother and Hutch, too. She was fierce and she would be a warrior.

  Kent looked at him. “You know what you’re giving up.”

  Revenge on Hope McDonald. It was an easy choice to make. Revenge or his loved ones. He would choose them every single time. “I know that I’m getting my wife and brother and friend back. That’s a good fucking day in my books.”

  Kent nodded. “Well, I’m sure I can figure out a way to explain it all to my boss. I’ll probably get stuck with babysitting duty for a few years, but I’ve gotten used to Dallas.”

  Brody got a big smile on his face and he put a hand on Stephanie’s shoulder. “Told you we wouldn’t really be needed, luv.”

  Stephanie grinned up at him. “He did. He got the report this morning and told me my time as a spy was almost done. It sucks. I was so ready to play Mata Hari. I was going to seduce someone.”

  Kent frowned at her. “I don’t think you want to seduce any of those guys. One of them was in prison for murder, two of them probably qualify as mentally ill at this point, and Santos was a walking venereal disease when he was with the Agency. Now he’s a traitorous walking venereal disease.”

  Stephanie sighed. “It seems so glamorous in the movies. Like that one about Pierce Craig.”

  Everyone else groaned but Ian perked up. “I know. That dude’s awesome, right?”

  Sean’s eyes rolled. “I curse the day Serena sold that book to Hollywood.”

  Because that book had been loosely based on Ian’s life and Ian never let them forget it. Luckily that one had a happy ending.

  “Let’s suit up. This is going down soon,” Case said.