Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(76)

The brilliant sunshine was muted as the plane entered the hangar. From here it was a long walk up to the main house, but her father’s well-trained staff would handle all the luggage and she could start to show off the grounds to her friends.

She shoved aside her worries. There wasn’t a place for them here.

“Is that who I think it is?” Erin moved off Theo’s lap and stared out the tiny window. “I thought you said we would be alone.”

Ten’s eyes narrowed as he looked past Faith. “That’s an unexpected surprise.”

Maybe she wouldn’t be able to set aside those worries so easily. The plane came to a stop and her sister was standing in the middle of the hangar, smiling and waving. Her sister, who was supposed to be in Houston finishing up work before vacation. Her sister, who Faith hadn’t mentioned a word to about this trip.

So many coincidences.

The door was opened and the stairs leading down to the ground released with a hydraulic hiss as the pilot nodded their way and wished them well.

God, she hoped her father wasn’t here, too. She grabbed her purse and started out.

Hope was dressed as casually as she ever did, wearing a neat pair of khakis and a prim white shirt. Stylish sandals covered her feet. She hurried forward to give Faith a long hug. “Hello! I was so excited when they told me the plane was coming in today.”

She hugged her sister back. “I thought you were working in Houston.”

Hope pulled away slightly, looking Faith over. “We ran into a snag, but I’m getting it worked out. Administrative stuff. I hate it. I thought I could use some downtime so I came out here a few days ago. And then I got bored, so I’m thrilled you’re here. I even put together a lunch for us, though I thought it would be you and me and your…guy.” She stepped back as Theo came down the stairs. “Hello, Mr. Taggart.”

Theo grinned. “It’s Theo, Hope. Unless you want me to call you Miss McDonald.”

Hope shook her head. “Not at all. Casual is better among friends.”

“Mr. Taggart is fine with me,” Erin muttered.

Ten’s arm slid around Faith’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it, Hope. I have a solution. Theo and I will head to the country club after we get settled in and you can have a nice lunch with your sister and Erin. Theo and I have been dying to hit the links, if you know what I mean.”

Erin turned a dull red, but Faith was happy she managed to not let loose the multitude of curses she was sure her friend had flying through her head at that moment. Ten had actually solved a ton of problems, including keeping her sister from fawning all over Theo. It would also give Faith time to figure out exactly what her sister was doing here and what had happened with Kronberg.

And what was going on with her vaccines.

“That sounds wonderful,” Faith said. “Let’s show them around and then eat. I’m starving.”



An hour later, she sat down at the table by the pool. The sun was shining down as Hope nodded for the server to open the champagne.

“Where’s your friend? What was her name again? Erica?”

Faith rolled her eyes. “You know her name. And she’ll be here in a few minutes. She was seeing her boyfriend off. I bet you remember his name.”

“I make it a point of remembering beautiful specimens,” her sister said with a shrug. “Theodore Taggart. Did you know he wasn’t aware of his older brother until a short while ago? He thought his twin was his only sibling.”

“Have you been checking into him?”

“I did a little digging. Well, I read Dad’s security reports. Theo and his brother flew through BUD/S training and then up and quit the Navy after less than a year in the SEALs.”

“He decided to work for his brother.”

“And that’s where he met the girl. Apparently they’ve been together for a year or so. It’s a little icky.”

“Be nice.” The last thing she needed was for her sister to start a fight.

“I’m not nice,” Hope pointed out. “I’m practical, and that woman doesn’t fit with him. He’s smart and polite. He could go places. She’s going to drag him down.”

“He’s in love with her.”

“I don’t know about that. Sometimes relationships are all about comfort and stability. People fear the unknown. He hasn’t asked her to marry him. You would think they would know if they’re compatible after a year. I think he’s in a rut. Sometimes it takes a jolt to the system to get out of a rut. I’m going to feel him out about a job at Kronberg.”

“He’s not in the medical field.” The idea of Theo in some stuffy lab was ludicrous. “I think he’s happy working with his brother and he’s very settled in Dallas. He bought a house not more than a month ago.”

“He can buy another one in Houston. I need someone of his experience to work with the veterans in my study. I talked to him for a while at his house when I was in Dallas. He has valuable insight.”

Maybe she didn’t understand her sister’s research. “You said it yourself. He wasn’t in the military for very long. I know he saw some combat, but he doesn’t have any major injuries. I don’t see how he could help with prosthetics.”

Hope frowned and her fingers drummed along the table as though she was trying to decide something. “It’s more than prosthetics. Look, I can’t really go into it without you signing numerous nondisclosure agreements, but I’m working on something some of Dad’s friends started. It’s a whole-body type of treatment for soldiers. There’s more going on than simply an injured limb. What I’m working on can treat the mind and the body. It can create better soldiers.”