A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(88)

“Team?”

“Yeah. Ian owns McKay-Taggart along with Alex. Eve’s the psychologist. Adam’s the communications guy. Jake is pure muscle. Not a brain in his head. They’ll all watch out for you now.”

“I thought you were taking me someplace safe.” She wouldn’t go. She would still find a way out. She held herself stiffly in his arms, not willing to give an inch. He hugged her. It was even worse since the embrace was sweet and gentle without his former predatory aggressiveness.

“I will if I have to. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I swear on my life.”

“Well, you’ll excuse me if I don’t believe you since you’ve lied to me about everything else.”

“I won’t lie again. Not ever. Not to you.”

He was still lying. The whole thing was a lie. It was ridiculous. She wasn’t involved in some sort of spy thing. He was playing an angle. “I’d like to get dressed now.”

He nodded, brushing his forehead against hers. “Avery, I’m sorry.”

But he was too late. She followed him down the hall, determined to shut him out forever.





Liam stared at Avery, wishing he’d kept his bloody mouth shut. She looked pale, fragile sitting in her chair still staring at the computer screen in front of her.

He should have planned it out. He should have planned exactly what he was going to say, and he should have made sure she couldn’t run until she understood. He should have tied her up, f*cked her senseless, told her the truth, and then f*cked her some more.

“That was the real live prime minister.” Her mouth moved, but her eyes just sat there like she expected the computer screen to talk back.

Thank god for Damon Knight and his connections. She’d been talking about how they were all a group of con artists trying to take her for god only knew what. Knight had made her believe. She hadn’t believed Liam, but apparently when the prime minister told her something, it was gospel. She believed politicians. She definitely needed a keeper.

“I told you.” Knight was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but even looking so casual, he still radiated authority. And he’d threatened to take Liam’s head off for what he’d done. The good news was his head was still sitting on his shoulders, and Knight had managed to get the prime minister on a video chat to convince Avery that they were serious. “This is a real operation. It’s important to both our countries.” Knight shut the computer screen and pulled it away. “And now you’re involved in a way I don’t think any of us wanted you to be involved.”

“Because we don’t have any proof she’s not in on it,” Ian said as he walked in. He’d changed out of his leathers and wore a dress shirt and slacks. He hadn’t changed his attitude. He still looked like an irritable shark waiting to take a chunk out of anything dumb enough to get close.

“She’s not involved with Molina’s deals.” If there was one thing Liam knew, it was that Avery Charles wouldn’t hurt a fly. If she’d known anything, she would have come forward.

Ian turned on him. “Yeah, I got no proof of that, but I now have to deal with it because apparently your penis took over. Have I told you lately that your penis is a complete dipshit, and it shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions? Did you not get that f*cking memo?”

“Must have missed it, boss.” He wasn’t going to let Ian intimidate him. Ian hadn’t had him escorted out of the club and shot. Everything was going to be fine.

“I’m not involved in anything,” Avery said, looking from man to man.

“I know, love,” Liam replied.

“Which is exactly what you would say if you were a counter agent,” Ian shot back, taking the seat across from Avery. He leaned over. “Somehow I don’t think you would just walk in and admit ‘I like money so I sell black market arms to Africa, and I’m trying real hard to get into the Middle East.’ Is that what your Facebook status says?”

Avery shook her head. “I don’t have a Facebook page.”

“There’s your problem. All the best arms dealers are on Facebook.” Ian’s sarcasm seemed never ending.

Liam would be lucky if he didn’t punch his boss tonight. He walked around the conference table and took the seat by Avery. “Sweetheart, no one thinks you’re involved.”

“I think he does. Do I need a lawyer? Can I have my phone back?” She twisted her hands in her lap.

“So you can call Thomas Molina and let him know we’re on to him?” Ian asked.

“Back off, mate,” Liam warned.

Avery took a long breath. “He’s really doing this thing? He’s really letting someone put guns and stuff in our grain shipments?”

For the first time, Liam really understood how hard this was going to be on her. It was just another thing he hadn’t considered when he’d broken out and vomited up the truth. She believed in what she did. Finding out she’d been helping an arms dealer was going to kill her. He’d been concerned with Nelson this whole time, but now he wanted to wrap his hands around Molina’s throat for using Avery the way he had. It didn’t mean a thing to him that the man had physical problems. It would just make the f*cker easier to catch.

“You tell me what Molina’s putting in those shipments.” Ian was that immovable object science talked about. “Did you know your shipments are weighed when they leave the docks here? MI6 pulled the records. They don’t match what eventually makes it to the refugee camps.”