A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(72)

“She’s a pretty girl.” He wasn’t going to admit it. The last thing he needed was to get pulled off the op because he’d fallen for someone who didn’t really want him. A girl who saw him as nothing but an orgasm on two legs.

“Don’t be an idiot, Li.” Alex shook his head. “You don’t want to end up like him.”

Ian turned to Alex. “You’re supposed to be my best friend.”

“I am,” Alex replied. “I’ve also been married to a psychologist for long enough to know that you’re in denial about Charlotte, and you can’t move on until you at least accept the fact that you loved the woman.”

Ian shot Alex the finger as he moved around Liam. “Says the man who still calls himself married years after his wife divorced him. Fuck you, Alex. And Liam, that’s the truth. I’ve told you everything I know. If you don’t accept it, you can take a f*cking hike. I’m done with this.”

Ian stalked out, his boots thudding an angry rhythm over the hardwoods.

And Liam still had questions. He started to walk out after Ian. They weren’t done.

Alex got in his way. “Don’t. He wasn’t ready for this. Please give him a little time.”

“He’s had years, Alex.” Years where he hadn’t bothered to give Liam the truth.

“I know. And I know just about everything. Ian didn’t know the op had gone south until you called him. He did everything he could to get you out while he sorted through all the shit that was left behind. And as far as we can tell, Nelson claimed to have no idea what happened.”

“Did Nelson kill my brother?” Liam felt his fists clench.

Alex frowned. “Possibly, though it’s hard to tell. The question would be why. Why bother when it seems like he didn’t get any money out of it? The bonds were worth millions. Why wouldn’t he spend them?”

“You’re right. If he had the bonds, why would he sit on them?” It didn’t make sense. Nelson had been in Dallas to steal secrets to sell to the Chinese. Why would he need that money if he had the bonds?

“Nelson’s a patient guy,” Alex said. “He might have had plans for the bonds. And he was still CIA until a few months back. This seems to be a very long game he’s been playing, and I don’t like how many of us he’s using as chess pieces.”

Liam didn’t either. So many things didn’t make sense. “Did Ian consider that Leonov made me and Rory and this was his version of revenge?”

“Leonov was found dead shortly after. If he found another broker for the deal, the Agency couldn’t prove it. No one found any nuclear materials or could even tie him to them in a tangible way. If he had them, he got rid of them and there was no hint of the arms dealer who was selling the uranium again. Ian was left with no weapons, no assets, and no bonds.”

And no wife. “Why hasn’t he told me?”

“Because he didn’t know enough until very recently. After that op he stopped working for the Agency for a very long time. He concentrated on building this business for us. Think about it, man. Eve and I had just gotten divorced. Sean had left the Army. Jake and Adam had been kicked to the curb. I never actually met Charlotte, but I’ve known Ian for a long time. I’ve never seen him as dark as he was after she died. We were all lost, and Ian and I decided to try to build a life raft.”

“McKay-Taggart.” The company had been all that kept him sane for several years. Now he could see they had all really thrown themselves into building the company. It had been what they all had needed. “What the hell is going on, Alex?”

Alex sat back down, his big body slumping as though he couldn’t handle just how tired he was a second more. “I don’t know, but hopefully it’s over tomorrow. If we can’t catch him, we’ll kill him. We’re going to follow him so we don’t disrupt the MI6 op by capturing or killing him in front of Molina. They still need to figure out what’s happening at United One Fund. It’s the deal we worked out with them.”

“Where did Weston get that file if not from the CIA?” If Ian was right, then that file really bugged him.

“MI6 kept files. They were classified, but Weston turned out to be quite the pro with a computer. He’s not being fired just yet, but I suspect that’s because he’s too valuable to the op.”

He wished he could be there when the bastard got cut loose. “All right. Look, this isn’t over. I still have a ton of questions, and you know as well as I do that Adam and Jake should be brought into this.”

“I know and they will. Just give him a day. He processes the emotional shit more slowly than the rest of us.”

“Do you still consider yourself married to Eve?” It seemed like Ian wasn’t the only one who processed slowly.

Alex’s face flushed, but he seemed steady. “No. I know that’s over. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I was sort of relieved when I thought you were sleeping with her. Oh, I hated your guts, but at least it would have been over.”

Liam didn’t believe that for a second. “I thought you still loved her.”

“I’ll die loving her, but she’s had me in purgatory for so long, I just want out and I can’t until she lets me.”

“Six years is a long time without sex.”