Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries #11)(98)

January



“I saw Fain the other day. I was going up to Michael’s place and he was coming out of the building. Apparently he’s got a girl he sees when he’s in town. He said you came home for the holidays at the last minute. I’m glad. Your brothers would have missed you. I know I do. Every day that goes by makes me miss you more. I don’t know if you’re listening to these messages or maybe you’re just deleting them, but I can’t stop. Not until you tell me to. I think we’re going to make a move soon. The person we think was Hutch has been quiet, but I think I’ve pinpointed where they are right now. I found a cluster of well-done bank robberies in Italy. They’ll move soon because the cops will be on them. I think they’ll take Stephanie up on her offer. Protection in exchange for cash. The minute we get a yes, I’ll have to go to Sierra Leone and wait for them. I’ll let you know when I’m leaving. I hope the book is going well. I love you, Mia.”



February



“It’s time. I’m packed and we’re heading out in the morning. It’s just me and my brothers and Li and Kai. Erin is coming with Avery and Charlotte on a separate plane. It’s going to kill her to leave TJ with Grace, but she wants to be there. They’ll stay at a secure location, but she needs to be close. Faith is going to meet us in Freetown and Ten will be there for backup. This is it. I want you to come with me. I want you on that plane beside me tomorrow morning. If I could go back and change one thing, it would be the way I made you feel. You’re so smart. You’re strong and brave. I think you might be the best part of me. If I don’t come back, know that I was better for loving you. That’s what I’ve figured out. Even if you can’t ever forgive me, can’t ever love me, I wouldn’t take it back. I love you. I think I’ll always love you and I’m a better man because I love you. Michael has a key to my place. If anything happens to me, there’s a box in the hall closet. It’s got some pictures and stuff from my Navy days. It’s not much, but I’d like you to have it. If you don’t want it, I guess give it to Ian. But that’s not going to happen. I’ll be back in a few days and we’ll have Theo. And then I’m coming for you. So you should think about that. I’m going to prove to you that I can be the man you need me to be. I’m going to go to New York and help your brothers. I’m going to be in your world. I’ll be there when you need a kiss. When you need strong arms around you, holding you close, I’ll offer mine. If you get lonely at night and need a man who’ll worship your body with every part of his soul, I’ll be down the hall, waiting for you. I’m going to win you back, Mia. It’s going to be my mission in life. I love you. Yeah, get used to hearing that because I love you and I won’t keep that inside anymore. See you soon.”



Austin, TX



Mia stared at her brother. “You want me to do what?”

Riley stood in front of her, a phone in his hand. “I want you to listen to your voice mail.”

She sighed. The flight from Paris had been a long one and the layover at DFW had been particularly rough. Case lived in Dallas. All she had to do was get in a cab and she could be at his apartment in twenty minutes. She could stand in front of him and ask if he’d missed her at all, if he ever thought about her. Did he wish he’d done things differently?

She’d forced herself to sit in the small Irish pub in terminal C and drink a single glass of wine while Ezra had a beer. She’d reread the first two chapters of her book on Damon Knight and when it had been time, she’d gotten on the plane to Austin and come home.

Where she would have to tread very carefully because according to Drew, Case was now a part of the “take down all our enemies and crush them into dust” team. And Drew seemed to not hate him. Awesome. So now she could run into Case at 4L or right in the hallways of Drew’s place. She would have to stay in her room until she was ready to go to New York. She shouldn’t have given up her condo, but Drew wanted everyone close.

Would Case be coming to New York? What the hell would she do if Case came with them on the Castalano job? How would she smile at him and pretend like she wasn’t dying inside?

Six months had done nothing to fix her broken heart. Nothing. The ache was still fresh.

“I’ve listened to my voice mail. It was nothing but my literary agent asking when the book would be done.” Work was what she’d thrown herself into. She’d gotten some amazing opportunities out of left field. She’d been asked to do a feature story on a Navy SEAL team that had eventually been sold to freaking Time magazine. Apparently the Navy had wanted a female reporter for a different point of view. She’d gotten an interview with the king of Loa Mali, who was attempting to change the way the planet used energy. And then she’d gotten the deal to write a book about a British military unit and the untold story of their heroism. Naturally that had led her right to McKay-Taggart London. Damon Knight had talked about the Taggarts with great fondness.

Everywhere she’d turned all she could see was Case.

Six months should have erased her feelings for that damn cowboy. Or at least muted them. She’d spent six months with the gorgeous Ezra Fain at her side. After the first few weeks of being depressed, she’d tried to get herself to consider him. Why the hell not? Ezra was a stunning man. He had dark hair and piercing eyes, and an unnatural affection for taking off his shirt when she was around. He found very thin excuses to show off how hot he was.