Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(111)

Nick nodded, his face blank. “I thank you. She was good woman. And your brother will be missed.”

A muscle in Tag’s cheek jumped, the only sign that he was emotional. “Thank you. Ten, let’s talk.”

Ten looked back at Faith, who had stepped away, giving Erin a moment with Case. She looked so vulnerable standing there. “Are you going to be okay?”

Faith nodded. “I’ll help out in the kitchen. Maybe I can convince everyone to eat a little something. Are we still leaving when the storm blows over?”

“Yes.” Ten and Tag replied at the same time.

Tag was about to have his ass and Ten would give it to him. If Tag wanted to beat the shit out of him and leave his body here for MSS, Ten would go along with that plan.

He led Tag back to the office and lit a few candles. Even though there was some light coming in now, it was still dark enough to need them.

“I should have known a little thing like a hurricane wouldn’t stop Ian Taggart.”

Ian sighed. “I have a friend at NOAA. He owed me and when he found out why we needed to get here, he offered us a ride in the big bird.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tracked hurricanes and tropical storms. They often flew straight into the storms, taking readings and measurements. “You must have gotten to Miami quickly. And how did you land? God, tell me you didn’t parachute in through a tropical storm.”

He wouldn’t put it past Tag. He was larger than life and could move mountains when he wanted to.

Tag sat down in one of the big chairs, but he looked anything but comfortable. “The storm took a turn to the west. The east side of the island got a little rain but none of the really damaging winds. We were able to land on a private airstrip. There was a Humvee waiting for us. I still have contacts in the Agency. There are people there who are worried about you.”

“Yeah, I bet they are.” He bet they would love to know where he was. Maybe MSS wouldn’t get a shot. Maybe Big Tag would turn him over to the Agency and he could get tortured by someone who spoke his language. That was a plus.

“Tell me what happened,” Ian ordered. “I’ve already read Hutch’s report, but I want to know what happened to my brother. I need to hear it from you.”

Ten leaned against the desk. Despite the sleep he’d gotten, he was infinitely weary as he recounted what happened. He told Tag everything because the man deserved to know exactly how badly Ten had f*cked up. He included the idiocy of not answering his damn phone because he was far too busy trying to get Faith in bed.

Though he wasn’t sure if it would have changed anything. Even if he’d gotten the text, he likely wouldn’t have left Faith there without knowing she would be safe.

Big Tag looked up, his eyes grim. “Theo was already in the compound when Chelsea called. According to Hutch, he was given the intelligence that MSS was on their way.”

“He thought he could save me.” Theo had been na?ve.

“He should have left you. He should have let them take you.” Big Tag was anything but.

“Damn straight.”

Tag’s eyes narrowed on Ten. “You know why I say that, right?”

“Yeah.” Ten would have done the same thing. Hell, Ten wasn’t even really part of the team.

Tag shook his head. “I’ve kept in touch with my Chinese contacts. I called in several favors after Chelsea told me what was going on. I knew the time and date of your expected arrival in Beijing thirty minutes after Chelsea found out about the auction. I would have had a team in place and ready to take you back, but my brother didn’t call in. He disobeyed direct orders. Tennessee, we’ve had our differences but I made my way down here as fast as I could because I had to settle my brothers’ minds.”

He understood that. “Case. You had to give Case some closure.”

Tag nodded. “Yes. Case and Sean and I need to find Theo’s body. We can’t leave him or Des here. I came here because I thought I would find Erin in a catatonic state where no one could touch her.”

“Faith got to her. Even after everything we’ve done to Faith, she still reached out when Erin needed her.”

“Which is precisely why you should do the smart thing and never let that woman go again.” Tag stood up and put a hand on Ten’s shoulder. “And I came here for you, brother. I came here to tell you that this was not your fault. If there’s one thing I know it’s that you’ll martyr yourself in a heartbeat if I let you. You would never have been okay with a rescue mission. I’m not stupid. Theo planned this on his own. He made a conscious decision to not call in and get orders.”

The thought of Tag blaming his brother made him sick to his stomach. “He thought he was helping me.”

“He was being reckless, and I knew he had that streak in him but I put him in the field as a second. You fought me. You wanted Erin, but I overrode you.” Tag massaged between his eyes. “I wanted to push Theo. Case is solid. He’s an obvious leader, but Theo takes too many chances. God. He took too many chances. I can’t believe I’m referring to my brother in the past tense.” He took a steadying breath before he continued. “Erin would have taken control and called in. None of this happens if you had your choice of a second in command.”

“Please don’t blame him. He was a kid trying to do what he thought was right.”