Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(25)

Master T shrugged and then turned back to Erin. “And you’re not her bodyguard anymore. I am. This is my op.”

“I understand that, Sir. I do, but I’ve worked with her for months. I think I should…” Erin began.

“Stop.” The order came out of Theo’s mouth as a sharp bark. “Don’t argue with our superior. I think it’s time we had a talk. T, I’ve set the alarm and put out bedding for the couch. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Wow. It was easy to see who was the boss here. Everyone deferred to Master T. She really had to have another name to call him by if she was going to see him in the vanilla world, which it looked like she would.

How had he known about Ghana?

“We’ll be fine,” Master T replied. “The security system seems up to date, but I’m not happy with all the windows. I’m going to have a discussion with my charge about moving this someplace more secure tomorrow. You’re dismissed. And Theo, I expect you to talk to Erin or I’ll have to. I know she’s used to the way your brother runs an op, but I expect more. And I don’t expect that your personal relationship is going to cause any more trouble.”

“Of course not, Sir.” Erin was practically standing at attention.

Theo nodded. “We’ll take care of the situation.”

He led her back to their bedroom, his hand finding hers.

“You didn’t have to be so mean to her. She was trying to get some time alone with her boyfriend.” Erin hadn’t been alone with Theo very much because Faith was always around.

Master T stared at her. “She could have gotten you killed.”

“She wasn’t on duty. She’s supposed to be my friend now. I told her to go with Theo.”

“And she listened to you when she shouldn’t have.” He let that settle for a moment before he continued. “I wasn’t being mean, Faith. I was being their boss. It doesn’t matter that Erin’s employment as your bodyguard ended when you left Africa. She should have been watching out for you until I could. And now they’re back on the clock and they will answer to me.”

“It all seems very military.”

“And you have a problem with the military?”

Well, that answered one question she’d had. She’d wondered how he’d gotten into this particular career. She’d kind of been afraid to ask given the fact that she wasn’t overly fond of military types. She knew it was all psychological. She really liked Erin. She told herself it was because Erin was the exception, but Faith knew that wasn’t true. Erin still acted like she was in the Army half the time, and it didn’t bother Faith at all.

Men. It was men in uniform that bothered her.

“Let’s simply say I’ve run afoul of a couple of military men in my time.”

There was a long pause. “That wasn’t military that took you, Faith. It was a group of criminals.”

“They called themselves an army.” They’d worn camouflage. Of course, she also knew a real army didn’t have little boys carrying weapons almost bigger than they were. Little boys who had pointed those guns at her, who had killed her staff without thought or remorse.

“They weren’t,” T said with authority. “The team that escorted you home after you were released, they were military. How did you feel about them?”

“Honestly, they scared me, too. I was grateful, but I think I’d seen far too much death by that point. If I never see another gun again, I could be happy.” She took a deep breath, trying to banish the memories. “How do you know about this? I thought it was all classified.”

“Nothing is truly classified. When Ian asked me to meet you, I looked you up. When I didn’t find everything I wanted, I dug deeper.”

“Why would you dig deeper?” Their relationship had an end date stamped plainly on it. Most men she knew would simply let it be since they wouldn’t be around her for more than a few weeks, a month at most.

“Because I’ve learned that when something looks too good to be true, it usually is. I want to talk to you about our contract.”

Her stomach clenched. She’d had a nice evening with him after her near murder and then him having to clean up after the attacker’s actual murder. She’d already proven to be trouble. She’d told herself all night long that it was best to separate business from pleasure, but the idea of keeping a wall between herself and Master T didn’t sit well. Still, she had to be practical. “I don’t know that’s such a good idea anymore, do you?”

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” he replied. “I think it’s more important now than it was before. Are you afraid of me?”

She wanted to lie. She wanted to stand there and tell him yes because it would prove that she was halfway intelligent. She’d seen how deadly the man was. Within two minutes of being in his presence, there had been a dead body at her feet. “No. I know I should be. Why on earth would you think I’m too good to be true?”

He huffed and then turned and opened the fridge, coming back with a beer. “Let’s see, you’re from a wealthy family, but you’re not pretentious or snobby. The fact that you’re friends with Erin tells me that.”

“I never really fit in with my peers.” The kitchen suddenly seemed too small for the two of them. It hadn’t been so intimate when Erin and Theo had been here, but she was very aware of how alone she was with Master T.