Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(110)

Erin flushed, turning pink and then red, her eyes brimming. She bit her words out, anger palpable. “Don’t you do this to me.”

Faith put her arms around Erin and let go. She cried. She cried for Erin and for Theo and everyone who loved him. She cried for Tennessee, who would never forgive himself. She cried for herself, for the family she’d lost.

Erin stood there for a long moment and then pushed her away.

A scream shook the walls, louder than the storm outside. Erin screamed, the sound coming from her soul.

Faith stood back and watched as Erin lost it. She picked up a lamp and tossed it across the room, brought her fists down on the table, breaking it. She pounded against the wall, her skin becoming bloody.

And finally, she dropped to her knees, tears replacing the anger.

“He f*cking promised me.”

This time when Faith dropped down to join her, Erin reached out, grasping her like a lifeline. Erin squeezed her tight.

“He promised me.”

Theo had promised her forever. Faith had heard him when they thought she wasn’t around. Theo would pull Erin in and kiss her senseless and then he would tell her he would love her forever.

“I know.” Faith held on to her, let her friend nearly crack her bones as she wept. “I know, sweetie.”

There was nothing to say, no words that would truly comfort Erin. The only thing Faith could offer was her warmth, her love.

“I loved him. I loved him so much. I didn’t want to love him,” Erin said, her voice hoarse. “I didn’t want to love him. Do you think he knows? God, Faith. I didn’t tell him. He told me he loved me every day and I didn’t tell him because I was too afraid.”

“He knew.” Faith smoothed Erin’s hair back. Her mother had done this when she was a child and Faith had cried. She would smooth her hair back and rock gently. Faith started to move, as though her muscles remembered the rhythm of comfort. “He knew you loved him. He was so proud you loved him.”

“I don’t know why. I don’t understand anything.” She settled her head against Faith’s shoulder and a long shudder went through Erin’s body. “I already miss him. I can’t stand it. I can’t.”

Faith let Erin cry, the moment lengthening, softening. The hardness she’d felt in Erin was gone and there was nothing but grief left.

Grief was good. Grief was true.

Faith looked up and every man in the house was staring at them. Brody and Nick had come out of their room. Hutch stood in the kitchen entryway. And Ten was staring at her, his eyes as soft as she’d ever seen them.

The knock on the door forced them all to turn and suddenly every man in the room had a gun out.

Erin stood, shoving Faith behind her and trying to wipe her eyes with one hand.

Brody went to the door, his back ramrod straight.

Hutch was back at his laptop. “Open it. It’s fine. If those three are here to kill us, I’ll lay down my arms and let them.”

Brody opened the door and three large figures were standing there. They each wore raincoats and had backpacks with them. It took her a minute, but she finally recognized Ian Taggart.

She glanced over and saw Ten’s shoulders slump.

It looked like his time as head of this operation was over.





Ten set down his gun. He’d picked it up from the nightstand when he’d heard that horrible screaming. He’d known someone was in terrible pain and he’d sprinted in to try to save whoever it was, but nothing could spare Erin her pain.

He’d expected Erin’s grief to go deep. He’d never thought he’d see her cry, but Faith had somehow managed it. Faith had gotten the soldier to let herself be human for once, to hold on to someone because the pain of losing the man she’d loved was too much.

He wasn’t going to survive losing Faith. Walking away from her was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.

Then don’t, *. Stop the martyr shit and be a real live boy for once.

Now that his brother was back in his head, it seemed he wouldn’t go away. But the reasons he should leave her were many and varied, and one of them was now standing in the hallway.

Three of them really. Ian hadn’t come alone. Sean and Case were with him. The Taggart brothers had come for one of their own.

Case pulled off the rain jacket he was wearing. It dropped to the ground and he walked up to Erin, standing right in front of her. “I’ve never seen you cry.” His voice was utterly hollow and then his head dropped. “It’s real. Oh, god. It’s real.”

He was shaking as Erin put her arms around him. Theo’s twin. The two people in the world who had loved him most tried to comfort each other. Faith had made that happen. Without Faith, Erin likely would be cold and shut down and Case would have followed suit, the two separate and alone in their grief.

Big Tag looked grim as he stepped up. “Could I talk to you alone? Sean, can you make us all some coffee? I think we’re going to need it.”

Ten nodded. “There’s an office back here we can talk in.”

“Good. Hutch, call my wife and let her know we got in all right so she doesn’t have to search the Atlantic for my body so she could pull my balls off and make rattles for the girls. Charlie wasn’t happy about me coming here. She shows her worry through violence.” He stepped away and held a hand out to the Russian. “Nikolai, please accept my profound condolences. I know she was more than a member of your team. Damon is already getting everything settled. Her family will be informed and her cover kept intact. I’m so sorry.”