A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(125)

The door opened behind him and Ian, Alex, and Eve walked in. The gang was all here. Ian had a wary look on his face as he entered the room. He was a little awkward carrying a massive teddy bear.

Sean stood up straighter, his jaw going just a little hard. He hadn’t forgiven his brother yet, but he dealt with it for Grace’s sake. Liam had talked a little to Sean about Rory. He was kind of hoping that his good-for-nothing, arms dealing, rapist, killer brother would make Ian look good. Sean needed to know that he had it easy when it came to blood family.

Grace gave her brother-in-law a glorious smile. “Do you want to meet your niece?”

“Yes.” The answer came out in a rush, Ian flushing slightly. He shook it off. “But she’s so…little. I think I might break her.”

Big Tag stood over the tiny infant looking utterly helpless. Carys kicked her baby legs and managed to break free of the bunting they had wrapped around her. One tiny fist came free, and there was no way to miss the proud little smirk that hit Ian’s face.

“Just pick her up, man,” Sean said, sighing. “She’s tough. She’s a Taggart.”

Liam had never seen Ian flush before, but he did as he looked down at that little day-old girl. His big ass paws came out to lift the infant up.

“She’s beautiful. I think that’s from Grace, though. Not you, Sean,” Ian said, looking down at his niece.

A broad smile broke over Sean’s face. “Yeah. She looks like her momma.”

Liam hated this part, the part that made his eyes water and his stomach roll. Emotion. It still kind of made him want to puke, but he would do anything for these people. His real family. He was a bloody lucky man. He’d gotten to pick his family, and they were amazing. He pulled Avery close. His wife. His better half. He’d lost his brother, but he’d found his soul.

Ian smiled down at the girl. “I’m going to meet all of your boyfriends.”

Grace shook her head. “The poor girl. She’s never going to date. Sean already has plans.”

Ian gave the baby to Sean, handing her over carefully. The baby was precious. He turned to Liam, gesturing to the door.

Liam followed him out. “What’s up, boss?”

It had been a quiet couple of months. His marriage to Avery and the birth of Carys had been the big events in their lives. It was a wonderful way to live.

The door closed, and Ian turned to him. “I already told the others, but MI6 just apprehended the first of Nelson’s buyers.”

A fierce satisfaction flooded his veins. His wife had made that happen. She’d taken down a terrorist with smarts and good sense. She hadn’t backed down. She was a warrior, his girl. “Fucking brilliant. Did they get Nelson?”

Ian’s face went blank. “He didn’t show. He got tipped off somehow. Thanks to Avery, we have the code. Weston broke it, but we can only hope Nelson shows his face soon. He has people inside the Agency. It’s obvious. But we’ve shut his arms dealing down for the moment and MI6 has arrested the UOF employees who helped your brother. Thomas Molina’s accounts have been frozen, and MI6 is sure they’ve tracked down where Rory stashed the cash he’d stolen from the UOF.”

Cutting off his access to funds would only make Nelson more dangerous. “He told me this is all a game, and he intends to beat you.”

Liam still had the scars. He’d been taken to a hospital and spent the better part of a week there. He had a bunch of new scars to show off, but he was alive because of Alex and Ian and Jake. His wife had gotten his ass up and moving, and his brothers had saved him. His brothers had covered him and Avery with their own bodies as the world blew up around them. Just as his blood betrayed him, he’d found his real family. The old Liam would have pulled into himself and shut everyone else out.

Avery’s Liam had opened up. He’d embraced his family. He was a loving husband, a proud brother, a protective uncle. He’d held Avery’s hand as they visited the grave of her first husband and her first baby. He honored them because they had such a place in his love’s heart.

And he’d visited her in-laws. It wasn’t perfect, but they were talking. His wife was too lovable to reject. She’d opened the world for him. She’d taught him to forgive himself.

Ian slapped his arm. “I’ll take care of Nelson.”

Liam was so f*cking worried about his friend. “I think Nelson is planning on taking care of you.”

A savage look came over Ian’s face. “Then he should bring it on.”

“He’s going to come after us again.” Liam had no doubt.

Ian nodded. “I know. I’ll try to take care of it. I’m bringing on a new member of the team, by the way. I hired him yesterday. We’ve got a bunch of family men now. I need a smart agent who won’t get squeamish about handling a dirty op.”

“Who? Did Alex approve?” Liam had come to appreciate Alex’s opinion.

“Alex is in agreement, and you won’t like him.” Ian shrugged a little.

Liam groaned. “Not Weston. Please. Doesn’t he have a kingdom to run or something?”

Ian’s smirk told him he was right. “He left MI6 because he screwed up. I think he won’t do it again, and he was the one who figured out the cipher. We shut down Nelson’s money because of him. Damon says he’s a little haunted because he took Nelson’s data. I promised I would take care of him. We’ve all trusted the wrong people. I think he could be helpful.”