A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(69)

“You use that word a lot.” She started to follow him across the street, her eyes still on the building in front of her as though she was trying to see past the blandness of the outside.

“Discipline is important.” He’d been undisciplined for a good portion of his life. It was only when he’d gone into the Army and the SAS that he’d found it. His discipline had been blown away when his brother died, but Ian Taggart had given it back to him. Now the only question Liam had was why.

While Avery changed, he intended to get a few answers from his boss.

“How do you know this Eve person?” Avery asked, a hint of rebuke in her tone.

So she wanted to be a little jealous of her boy toy, did she? It was there on the tip of his tongue to mislead her, to let her think Eve was a lover. Eve was a gorgeous woman. Avery would compare herself and likely find herself lacking and then she would be out of the power position. And he just couldn’t do it. He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. “She’s just a friend. She’s Ian’s sister, so she’s a little like my sister. But she’s a perfectly experienced submissive.”

She was a whacked-out sub since she would take all the pain and refused any pleasure, but no one seemed to be able to crack Eve’s shell on that one. She allowed Alex to scene with her, but pulled away at the thought of aftercare.

“She’s Ian’s sister? And they play at the same club?”

Yeah, maybe they hadn’t thought this part of the cover through. “Oh, I think they try to avoid each other as much as possible, but it wouldn’t be safe for her to play anywhere else. Now stop procrastinating. Are you in or out?”

She nodded toward the door. “I’m in. I want to see what’s inside.”

Ah, sweet curiosity. It had killed many a cat, though this time it might kill him instead.

He opened the doors and escorted Avery into the very posh-looking lobby. Eve was waiting at the desk looking like a woman who often worked the front desk of a sex club.

She smiled brightly as they walked in, but he could hear the disapproval in her voice. “Lee, it’s so good to see you. It’s been such a long time. I really expected you to come around sooner.” Her British accent was every bit as perfect as Ian’s had been. Liam often thought that they were a group of people who could have been actors had they not been so bloody good at killing. “You must be Avery.”

Avery held out her hand, politely shaking Eve’s. She was an inch or two shorter than Eve and even dressed for work, she couldn’t match Eve’s flair for fashion. There was always something askew about Avery whether it was a button she’d missed or a little tear in her skirt. She was perfectly imperfect, and it just made him want to stay close to her so she never felt the need to change.

“Nice to meet you.” She glanced around the lobby. “It looks so normal.”

Eve laughed, her face lighting up. “Oh, that is a lovely thought. If only the whole world was normal. I think you’ll find we have a slightly different version of normal from most people. Come along, dear. Lee has your clothes set out for you. I’ll help you. I don’t suppose you’ve worn a corset before, have you?”

Her eyes went wide. “No.”

Eve winked at her. “Then I’ll definitely have to help you. I’ll give you a little advice. Breathe now while you can.” She started to lead Avery toward the women’s dressing room. Her blonde head turned slightly back toward him. “I’ll show Avery around. Lee, dear, I believe you’ll find Ian is waiting to have a word with you.”

He nodded. He could bet Ian was waiting. Ian would be up in his office, sitting behind his temporary desk and ready for to dress Liam down. Ian could be very formal in his own odd way. Liam had seen it happen before, though if Ian tried that Three Stooges routine he often ran on Adam, he would find out Liam hit back.

Liam walked through the door to the men’s locker room. Ian could wait.

Except Ian wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was pacing the floor of the locker room, already dressed in leathers. Black leather covered his legs and a vest sat on his massive chest.

When he turned, he looked almost human. “Li, I need to talk to you.”

Fuck all. Ian looked worried. What the hell was going on? Liam could pretend to not quite understand or he could get right to the heart of the matter. He never had been one to prevaricate. He looked Ian right in the eye. “Did you or did you not run the op that got my brother killed?”

Ian stared right back. “I did and I didn’t.”

Liam groaned. “I’m not playing games. I want the truth.”

“I’m not playing games either, but I’m starting to suspect someone is playing them with us. There are too many coincidences. Those files were buried. Weston shouldn’t have been able to find them.”

“So you’re pissed that Weston got through your wall of protection?”

“Li, I didn’t cover the op up. The Agency did, and I didn’t even know they had buried the evidence until a few days ago. Honestly, I’ve always known we would have this conversation. I’ve been avoiding it for years.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s a lot you don’t know, and honestly I didn’t think you needed to know. It was done. And it was a time in my life I don’t particularly want to remember.”