Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries #11)(78)

“How many ways out of the building are there?” Ian ignored everything but Case.

“Three, but I’m going in the front.” He had to get to Mia.

“I’m going after my sister,” Lawless insisted. He was a tall, well-built man in his mid-thirties. He wore a suit, his golden hair slightly shaggy. “I can’t believe she’s involved in this.”

“Maybe you don’t know her the way I do then,” Case shot back as he crossed the street and started to make for the door. He pulled his SIG. There would be no playing around. He needed to get to her, to see that she was all right.

Theo. No. He needed to get her and save Theo.

“Subtlety,” Ian said, his voice a bark. “Keep that piece under cover until we need it. You do not want the Cartagena police involved. Malone, do you know where the exits are?”

“I do,” Michael said as they approached the building. “I can get to the back. There’s a loading dock there and a small door to the alley on the way.”

“Li, go with Malone. Alex?” Ian asked.

“I’ll take the door,” McKay said. “I wish we’d had time to set up comms.”

“Yeah, little brother and I are going to have a long talk about proper communication at the end of this,” Ian vowed. “It might end with my foot up his ass.”

His brother was truly a gifted communicator, but nothing mattered right now. Nothing except getting his people out of that f*cking building safe and unharmed.

Getting Mia. He had to get Mia.

Theo. He couldn’t let Theo go.

“Calm yourself down or I’ll bench you,” Ian threatened even as they walked toward the door. “That goes for you, too, Lawless. Asshole who I don’t know but who will be vetted on a level you’ve never understood before?”

Fain looked at Ian. “I suppose that’s me. Yes, sir?”

“If you get my brother or my client killed I’m going to make you into a human centipede with the most disgusting, vile people I can possibly find and you’re going to be hooked up to the one who can’t control himself, if you know what I mean. I’m serious. I’ve got the logistics worked out and everything.”

“I will do my best, sir. Mr. Lawless, I’m going to need you to stay close to me and let the Taggarts do what they do best,” Fain said evenly.

What the Taggarts did best was kick some ass.

“I knew I should have come down the minute she started dodging my calls,” Lawless muttered.

“Excuse me.” The man who worked as the valet approached them. “This is a private party.”

Lawless didn’t miss a beat. He walked right up to the dude and punched him hard in the face, the sound thudding. The valet went down and Case’s appreciation for Mia’s brother went up.

“Is there anyone else I can punch?” Lawless asked. “That felt good.”

Ian reached under his jacket. “I’m afraid the rest of this is a firefight. You remember what I taught you?”

“I remember you punched me every time I got it wrong,” Lawless replied. “And yes, I remember how to use a gun. I know what to do and I know where to go if I need to run. I’ll get Mia and meet you.”

That rankled. “I’ll handle Mia.”

Lawless didn’t bother to look his way, keeping his eyes on Ian. “You deal with your brother and I’ll deal with my sister. After this is over, I assure you we’re going to have a long talk, Case. If anything happens to her, you won’t like what I have to say.”

They walked through the front door. No guard. Apparently they were all dealing with Mia and Hutch.

He glanced around the room, seeing it for the first time. It was done up with twinkle lights and greenery, matching the garden theme of the event. There were lovely women in evening gowns and men in tuxedoes and suits milling about, drinking champagne and talking. Had no one noticed the blonde being abducted by big Americans?

“Stay calm.” Ian had his phone out and had dialed a number. “Alex, you in position?”

Alex’s voice came over the line. “I’m good and all’s quiet here. Malone and Li are on their way to the loading dock. I’ll hear it if something goes wrong. You got sight on the target?”

God, the target was his brother.

“Not yet,” Ian replied. “Keep this line open.”

Case saw a flash move toward the back of the room. “Nine o’clock.”

He started moving through the crowd, his heart pounding. He’d seen a brief glimpse of Mia’s long blonde hair and the back of a man in a black suit, pressing her along.

Theo. Theo had Mia and Case suddenly wasn’t sure what this Theo would do with her. He’d been so certain that no matter what anyone did to his brother, Theo would still stay Theo—patient where Case was quick tempered, jovial where Case could be surly. Never violent outside the bounds of his job. Certainly never violent when it came to a woman. Not Theo. Theo wouldn’t even scare a woman, but Case had heard Mia’s gasp on the line before it had gone dead. She’d been scared of his brother.

Someone yelled something in Spanish, but Case didn’t care. He had to get to Mia, to Theo. He had to stop whatever the hell was about to happen. He definitely had to stop them from getting away. He’d spent a year in hell mourning his brother. He knew in an instant he couldn’t handle mourning Mia. If they took Mia, he wouldn’t ever stop searching. If he found her body, he might lie down beside it and let himself fade.