Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(40)

This was what had been truly missing from her other relationships. Master T needed her for something more than sex and submission. He needed someone who really cared about him.

“Those people are crazy.” Hope stepped into her room and away from the chaos. “Everyone but the cute one.”

Faith had to shake her head. Ever since the moment she’d introduced her sister to the gang in the kitchen, Hope hadn’t been able to take her eyes off Theo. “I’m completely shocked. You totally have a thing for Theo. You know he’s taken, right?”

“By that ridiculous tomboy? I have no idea what he sees in her.” Hope shook her chicly cut hair.

“Well, they’re happy together so you need to back off.” She’d been shocked at how aggressive Hope had been. She’d sat by Theo, asking him about his former Navy SEAL days and practically preening like a schoolgirl with a crush. She hadn’t actually eaten anything, simply drank three cups of plain black coffee, smiling whenever Theo would refill her mug.

“He’s former Special Forces,” Hope said with a sparkle in her eye.

“Yes, I know. I hired him.” It was so odd to see her super-serious sister with a full-on crush.

“But you don’t really know what it means.” Hope’s eyes narrowed as she seemed to be thinking something through. “I’ve been working a lot with soldiers lately.”

“I thought you were working with orthopedics. Are you developing new prosthetics?” God, that would mean her sister was doing some good in the world. Her sister had been the single most gifted surgeon she’d ever seen. Top of her class at Johns Hopkins, she was board certified in two fields, but Faith didn’t know of a surgery her sister couldn’t master almost immediately. What did she do with her gift? Was she at a teaching hospital? Was she innovating? Nope. She’d left surgery behind. She worked on whatever paid the most money, and that tended to be things to aid in weight loss, lose wrinkles, or help the overstressed cope. Not that those were bad things, but the world needed better prosthetics, too.

“Something like that. It’s pretty complex. Let’s say I’m developing an overall program to aid soldiers in doing what they need to do. Someone like Theo is the perfect candidate. Healthy. Well adjusted. Strong family background with lots of support. He’s exactly the kind of man we like to work with.”

“Well, except he hasn’t lost a limb, thank god.” Theo seemed to have come out of his Navy days intact. Of course one never knew what was bubbling under the surface, but Theo seemed to have it all.

Hope shook her head as though clearing it and turned back to Faith. “Of course. And that really is a good thing. So who is this Ten person and what kind of name is that?”

Oddly, she didn’t want to go into it with Hope. The story behind his name was so intimate, she didn’t feel like sharing it with anyone. She had to wonder how many people knew Ten’s real history. It was easier to brush it off. “It’s a nickname. I don’t think he likes Timothy too much. He’s ex-military, too. You know they all call each other by their call signs and stuff.”

“How well do you know this man?” Hope asked, her mouth curling down.

Ah, the judgment was back in full force. She might pay Theo to strip off his shirt to distract Hope long enough that she could get away. “I know a lot about him. I’ve spent the better part of a month getting to know him.”

“I don’t like it one bit. I want to put a PI on him. You can’t take him out to Daddy’s place without a full security check.”

“I know that.” She was supposed to submit the names of her traveling companions so her father could run them through various places and ensure himself that they weren’t serial killers or even worse, Democrats. “I’ll send him the names in a week or so. They’ve all agreed to jump through Dad’s hoops. I told them it’s worth it since Dad’s bartenders don’t go easy on the good stuff. So stop worrying. Besides, the club does its own background checks.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to agree to disagree on how much we should trust some kink club to protect you. I don’t like that man.”

“Ten? What don’t you like about him?”

“He’s cold. Far too cold for you.”

“He’s not cold at all. He’s quite charming.” It was why she couldn’t understand how the other subs had taken to calling him Master No. He had a ready grin and a quick wit. He looked far more like a cowboy than the ex-soldier he was. Master T was surprisingly sweet. Even after that jerk had tried to kill her, he’d held her and allowed her to feel safe. There was nothing cold about him.

“Oh, he’s charming, but it’s all an act. That one’s cold. He’s got you fooled, sis. There’s a snake under that sexy smile. I would love to look into his background. I bet he was more than a mere foot soldier. As a matter of fact, I would bet that one has some intelligence work in his background.”

“Don’t all Special Forces?”

She shook her head. “Not really. They’re muscle. Intelligent, well-trained muscle, but they don’t actively form missions. They carry them out. Your guy, he sent men in. He made rough calls.”

“How would you know that?”

Hope shrugged. “I don’t for sure, but I’ve been working on this project for five years now. I’ve gotten to know military men of all kinds, and he doesn’t have the same demeanor. In fact, I wouldn’t have said he was ex-military at all if you hadn’t told me. There’s something about the way a military man stands, holds themselves…I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. But your Ten doesn’t have it and that makes me interested in him.”