Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries #11)(91)

“What if I could?”

The room went completely silent and Erin didn’t move, every muscle stuck as though the moment had frozen.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Tell her.” Ian stood in the doorway. “It’s time.”

Erin looked over at him, her mouth a thin line. “Tell me what?” Tears formed in her eyes. “It’s time for what?”

How did he do this? He wanted to be gentle with her. “You see, we’ve been investigating for a while now. We started down in the Caymans.”

Tears ran down her eyes, but she stared at him, her fists clenched. “Just f*cking tell me, Case. Tell me or I’m going to beat the holy shit out of you.”

“Theo’s alive, Erin.” He got to the point. Erin paled and he worried she might pass out. “I saw him a few days ago.”

A fine trembling seemed to have taken over her, but she took a long breath. “She saved him. Faith begged her to that night. Oh my god, she got to him in time. She pulled the bullet out and fixed his heart.”

Despite the fact that she was obviously trying to stay calm, her words came out shaky. Had he just made another mistake? Ian looked grim, but made no move to save him.

“We believe Dr. McDonald stabilized Theo there on the island and then took him to Havana where she performed the surgery that saved his life.”

“Fuck.” She put her hand over her mouth. “She saved him. I’m still going to kill her, but she saved him. He’s alive. Theo’s alive.”

She said it over and over, as though she needed to say it to believe it.

“He is alive, but she’s been using her drugs on him,” Ian pointed out. “The same ones she used on Ten. Do you understand what that means, Erin?”

Her head nodded, her hands still shaking. “The memory drugs? She’s playing with his memory. That’s why he hasn’t gotten away. My Theo would get away.”

“He didn’t know me when I caught up to him,” Case admitted. She was handling this better than he’d thought. Or was she? He was shitty at reading women. Mia proved that. If Mia was here, she would deal with the emotional stuff. She would know what to do.

Ian stepped in, grabbing a cup and pouring the lemonade. “I’ll let you see all the reports. Li is the one who’s taken point.”

“Of course he has. I f*cking love that Irishman.” Erin turned serious eyes Case’s way. “You said he didn’t recognize you. Did you talk to him? How did he look? Was he healthy?”

She would read every report. Case was sure of that, but he was also certain she would need to hear it from him. “Very healthy.”

“But his aim has turned to shit,” Ian added. “He tried to kill Case. Only managed to clip him. When he comes back I’ll have to send him through BUD/s again. Do you think the Navy will let me do that?”

“He shot you?” Erin’s eyes went wide.

Did Ian have to mention that part? What the f*ck was wrong with him? “He pulled his shot. He wasn’t trying to kill me. When he had the chance to kill Mia, he didn’t take it either.”

Erin walked around the island and slapped a hand to his chest. “Theo shot you because he knows you’re a dumbass, too.”

He was still recovering from that particular injury. He groaned, but put a hand up to hold hers to his chest. “He was alive, Erin. He was so close and I lost him. That’s what Mia and I fought over. He took Mia. He and his little group. He’s not the only one she’s experimenting on. Theo took Mia and then got away through a secret door. She let him go. She lied to me and Theo got away. I’m so sorry.”

Erin nodded and stepped back, looking over to Ian. “So basically Mia got caught during the op. Dumbass here ran in and got himself shot by my memory deprived but ridiculously hot boy. My man still has enough Theo left in him that he wouldn’t kill Mia, but he very likely threatened Dumbass. Mia loves Dumbass and didn’t want Dumbass to die, so she protected him. When Dumbass found out, he screwed everything up with her.”

Ian shook his head, obviously impressed. “She really is the smartest operative I have. And to think I hired her as muscle.”

“Mia let Theo go.” Was he so wrong on this?

Erin wiped her eyes. “She saved you and him. Because he can live with shooting you. He could never live with killing you. Mia talked to him?”

He hadn’t thought about that. He’d been so sure that he could have handled the situation. What if the roles had been reversed? What if it had been him on that floor and someone after Mia? “Yes. She said he recognized her lotion or something.”

A brilliant smile crossed Erin’s face. “Milk and honey. He bought it for me as a gift. He said I was the promised land and I should smell like it. He’s alive. Theo’s alive.”

There were a few things she wasn’t thinking about. “He’s alive, but he’s not in Colombia anymore. We don’t know where he is.”

“But he’s alive,” Erin said through her tears. “So suck it up. He’s alive and we’re going to find him.”

“Erin,” Ian began.

She put a hand up to stop him. “No. You’re not leaving me out. I get why you’ve done it up until now and that’s the only reason I’m not grabbing Bertha and using your massive body as target practice.”