Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries #11)(111)

“I don’t know that I would use the word suspicious, but he’s a little secretive. He’s good at his job though. Sometimes I think my brothers are right and I’m a magnet for chaos. I swear if people don’t stop trying to steal my shit, I’m going to start shooting.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “What are you talking about?”

She shook her head and leaned against the counter. “It was no big deal. You know me. I end up in some rough neighborhoods. Also, being a blonde American in some parts of the world means the local criminals think you’re an easy mark.”

“I thought Ezra was supposed to be with you at all times.” His phone went off again. He looked down. It was the same number from about an hour ago. He put a hand up. “Give me one second. And we might get that pizza to go. I think we’re going to pack up and spend the night at Ian’s.”

“Why?” But she was already moving. She closed the fridge door.

“I have a bad feeling. I’m going to grab my go-bag. You get dressed.” He moved toward the front hall closet. He swiped across the screen to accept the call. “This is Taggart.”

“Damn it. Do you ever pick up your flipping phone calls, Tiny Tag?” A familiar voice, heavy with a Southern accent, came over the line. “I’ve been trying to call you all night. None of you answer my calls.”

“Ten?” It was hard to hear him, but there was no mistaking that voice. It sounded like he was in a wind tunnel.

Then he realized what he was hearing. Ten was in a helicopter.

“I need you to get the f*ck out of your place and you do it right now. I’m on my way. Ian’s on his way. Take Mia and run. Right f*cking now. Ezra Fain isn’t who he says he is. I should know because Ezra Fain is dead. He died years ago. He was a medic. Had some military training, but I wanted to bring him in because he was an excellent field medic. I didn’t turn him down. He was supposed to be on our team. He died before he could join us.”

Shit. He was right. “He’s Agency.”

“What?” Ten’s voice cracked over the line. “I don’t know that, but I do know someone’s after your girl.”

There was a knock on his door. He reached for his gun. “Someone’s here. I’ll call you back.”

“It’s probably Ian. He was headed to your place. My ETA is ten minutes. Don’t open that f*cking door unless you’re sure it’s Ian.” The line crackled. “… is dangerous. I didn’t realize how much.”

He needed all his faculties to deal with whoever the hell Ezra Fain was.

Mr. White. That’s who he’d heard him referred to as. Simon called him Mr. White and Simon had called him dangerous, too.

He clicked off the safety and started for his front door, his mind whirling.

“I’m coming,” a feminine voice said as he rounded the hallway and strode into his living room.

“Mia, don’t!”

But she’d already undone the bolt. She scrambled, trying to relock the door. It came open with a crack and Mia fell back.

Case watched in horror as a canister rolled in. He leapt to cover Mia’s body with his as the whole world turned to lightning and then smoke.

Flashbang.

It was so close it singed his skin.

His hearing was gone, his vision blurry. He held on to Mia as tightly as he could, trying to move them.

They had to get out. They had to run.

Mia clung to him.

Then he felt something smack against his head and the whole world went dark.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN





Case came to with a throbbing head and the deepest desire to shut his brothers up. They were arguing, but then that was kind of what they did. Both his blood brothers and his extended family.

What the hell had happened? Why was he on his couch?

“Give me one good f*cking reason, Fain, or whoever the hell you are. One good reason I don’t blow your brains out right f*cking now,” Ian growled.

“I can give you one,” Ten’s deep voice shot back. “We haven’t exactly questioned him yet. I don’t know why you always go straight for the kill. Subtlety, brother.”

“Fuck that,” Ian replied. “How about I kill him fast if he tells me what the hell is going on. If he doesn’t, then I’ll vivisect him from the toes up. How does that sound?”

Mia. The night came rushing back and Case sat up, his head throbbing and his vision still the slightest bit blurry. “Mia. Where’s Mia?”

She wasn’t here, wasn’t in his arms. The last thing he could remember was the way she’d held on to him.

Fain was sitting in one of Case’s dining room chairs, his hands behind his back and a couple of guns pointed at his head. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

“Keep playing dumb and I’ll cut your toes off and feed them to the nastiest stray cats I can find,” Ian promised.

His brother was being a little over the top, but then apparently there was some drama going on Case didn’t understand.

His heart raced. Mia was gone. They’d come after Mia.

Someone had come after Mia. More than one person. He thought he’d counted at least three. It had been hard to see through the gas. His eyes still burned.