From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(66)

Kai worried that even if they found Theo he wouldn’t be the same smiling, happy man who had been taken. That drug would twist his soul.

He should do some serious research because if Theo was alive, he would need help reintegrating into the real world. They all would.

“Yes, I’ve had reports that Hope is up to her usual tricks. By the time Li got to Argentina, they had moved on. He found their base of operations.”

“Did he find evidence that Theo had been held there?”

Ian shook his head, his eyes infinitely tired. “No. The whole place had been cleaned from top to bottom.” Ian was quiet for a moment. “Am I being too optimistic? There were bloody sheets found at McDonald’s place in the Caymans. I had them tested.”

“And the blood was Theo’s,” Kai surmised. “Given that Hope McDonald is a gifted surgeon and she had an obsessive interest in your brother, I think we can say there’s a chance that she saved his life and now she’s taking it again. Ian, if she’s giving him that drug, she’s basically reprogramming his brain.”

“I know that. I also know that once we get him off the shit, he should remember who he is. I can’t leave him.” Ian’s hands fisted at his sides as though they needed to hit something, anything.

“I’m not saying you should. I’m simply preparing for every eventuality. You have to understand that finding Theo and bringing him back won’t be the end of the problems. He’ll need medical and therapeutic care, and I need to be ready for that. I know you didn’t want to bring me into this, but unless you’re planning on bringing in another therapist, I need to plan now. Has Eve thought about a possible course of treatment? There are people working in the field she could reach out to.”

“No,” Ian replied. “I want you. I love Eve, but she’s dealt more with the academic end of things. She’s more of a profiler than an active therapist. I need you to help my brother if he comes home. When he comes home.”

He would feel better knowing it was in his own hands. “I’ll start prepping and Ian, you have to know anything you tell me stays between the two of us.”

“Don’t consider my silence on the subject a statement about you. I do trust you, Kai. I guess I’m trying to manage everyone’s expectations. The only people who know are me, Charlie, Chelsea, Li, and Alex and Eve. My brothers, of course. Now you. I need this circle to stay tight. Grace doesn’t even know, and until such time as I need them, neither does the rest of the team. I’ve asked Chelsea to keep it from Simon. I know I’m asking a lot. Avery doesn’t know. All she knows is her lovely vacation to the beach turned into an op, and do you know what she said?”

He could guess. “She would never complain.”

“She said she and Aidan would have fun learning to tango. I f*cked up her only vacation and she thanked me.” Ian shook his head.

“Avery has faith in you and faith in Li. And so do I. My mouth is closed. Now what do you need me to do to help with the Mia situation? Can’t the feds get a warrant to bug her phone?”

“The feds are scared of her brother. We have to tread lightly. Drew Lawless has the money and power to take on the government, and the company is beyond reproach as far as the feds can tell. If he’s Collective, then he’s in deep cover.”

“They all are after McDonald went down.” The Collective was a shadow group, a collection of high-powered corporations who worked together to mold the world to their liking—and their profits. “They’re very quiet because they know certain agencies are looking into them. They’ll regroup and be back and more deadly than ever. How can I help with the Mia situation? I haven’t heard from Special Agent Rush.” Except he had. He felt himself flush. “Okay, I dodged him last night. Is that what this is about?”

Ian frowned. “You dodged him? Why would you…where’d you go last night after the club, Kai?”

He should tell Ian to shove it. It wasn’t Ian’s business, but it was the first time the big guy had smiled during the course of this meeting. Kai could handle some ribbing if it made Ian forget his trouble for a few moments. “I stayed at Kori’s last night and obviously yes, we’re very much together now.”

Ian slapped his hand on his desk and then leaned over and touched a button on the landline that controlled the floor’s PA system. “Pay up, bitches. I told you that scene wasn’t over. It was just hitting the road.”

Even through the closed door, Kai could hear the collective groan from the office. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, f*ck you, Big Tag.”

A single shoulder shrugged as he sat back. “I’m happy for you. You should have been doing that girl for over a year now. I’m also happy she’s going to get the attention she needs. Kori’s good people. We need more like her. Which is why what I’m about to ask you to do isn’t fair.”

Shit. There was only one thing he could ask that would involve Kori. He’d thought about doing it earlier today himself. “You want me to use Kori’s friendship with Mia to get her phone.”

“I want you to tag her phone, not steal it. I need her to make a call from that phone. She doesn’t bring it to Sanctum and she doesn’t leave it in her car. That in and of itself is suspicious. Charlie’s tried everything and she can’t get close. Mia has a thing for Case. It’s why I sent him in. He’s asking her to go out with Jared and his crew the next time they hit a nightclub. When she’s got her purse with her, she tends to have her phone. I hope Case can make her feel comfortable enough to let her guard down.”