On Her Master's Secret Service (Masters and Mercenaries #4)(65)

She didn’t understand the way they worked, and this was so much more than a story for Alex. “And Alex has been hunting for this man for years. He’s trained. We all are. You have to understand that Alex is responsible for us. You aren’t.”

“I’m not going to let anyone get hurt. Do you have any idea how long it’s taken me to get my ducks in a row? And then Alex McKay waltzes in like he owns the place.”

“You did make him the Dom in Residence. He kind of has to act that way. Do you have a specific problem with Jacob?” It didn’t make a lot of sense. Kristen had come to them. She’d known they were a team. Why was she trying to pick and choose now?

Kristen dried her hands, her face closing off. “I just don’t like surprises. That’s all. Who’s going to show up next? Is Taggart going to be at my doorstep when we get home?”

“Ian’s stuck in Dallas.” He’d called late last night. “There’s some kind of issue with our bank accounts. He’s pretty sure it’s Eli Nelson. Some very large accounts got frozen. Ian’s having to jump through a bunch of hoops to bring them back online.”

Kristen’s face was turned away, her voice a little distant. “That’s terrible. This Nelson person, who is he?”

Eve shrugged a little. “He’s kind of like Ian’s nemesis. Let’s just say they’re on opposite ends of the professional spectrum.”

“He should take care of that then. We can handle things here.” Kristen took a step back. “I don’t like surprises, Eve. I’m willing to share information with you. Hell, I’ll open the files I have and let you make copies, but I require the same courtesy.”

“Files?” Alex hadn’t mentioned files.

She wrinkled her nose a little, looking like a kid who had gotten caught with her hands in the cookie jar. “Yeah. I might have hacked into the feds database and gotten all the files they have on Evans.”

“Seriously?” It wasn’t the easiest thing to hack into a government database.

It was Kristen’s turn to shrug. “It’s a hobby. I thought you might like to look at the new stuff and see if you could maybe update your profile. But I get that you’re just here for Alex now.”

The manipulation was a little blatant. Eve didn’t rise to the bait. She was kind of saving all her irritation for Alex. It was a bit disconcerting to realize that she was just waiting for him to walk through that door. She didn’t want the peace that came from being alone. She wanted the electric feeling she’d had any time she was near him in the last week. “I’ll take a look at the files, though I seriously doubt he’s changed his motivations.”

Although there now seemed to be a serious money component, as evidenced by the clubs. He’d made small changes before, using his followers to bring in their paychecks and running tiny meth labs. He’d spent everything on his terror campaigns. His bombs had been more sophisticated and deadlier than the usual homemade stuff.

What was he trying to do now? Yes. She would like a look at those files.

Kristen looked down, her eyes catching on something. “I would appreciate it. And I would appreciate if I could be considered a member of this team. I get it. Master Alex is too controlling to give over, but I’ve been helpful. I want that acknowledged. At the end of all of this, I want everyone to know that I did good, damn it. There’s dirt all over your knees. It’s probably infectious knowing what goes on in this club.”

Kristen turned and walked out, the door sliding shut behind her.

Eve winced. Her knees were streaked with dirt. Someone was so getting yelled at over housekeeping issues. She walked back and started one of the showers. Even if he hadn’t told her to get cleaned up, she wouldn’t have been able to leave it like it was. She shed her clothes, her brain working on the conversation she’d just had.

Good. It was an odd word. I want everyone to know I did good.

It played in her brain, that one sentence looping over and over. Eve groaned a little as the hot water hit her skin. Alex had been easy on her. She barely could feel where he’d spanked her. She liked it harder and he knew it.

I did good.

Kristen was a writer, a good one at that. She’d been nominated for a Pulitzer. Her grammar should be impeccable. Unless she hadn’t meant it the way Eve had taken it. I did good could be a grammatically incorrect version of I did well.

Or it could mean that she did right, good.

Why was Kristen so concerned with everyone on the team knowing she’d done something righteous? It wasn’t the first time she mentioned it. She’d talked about wearing a white hat for once.

But all of her stories helped people. She was a writer who championed the underdog and exposed corruption. So why did she sound like she was seeking redemption?

The stall opened, but Eve didn’t scream. She’d known he would be here. She’d known it from the minute he’d ordered her here.

And she’d known that he would be done playing games with her. She’d seen it in his eyes.

Five whole days he’d tortured her with intimacy and no sex. That was done now, and she had the feeling it wasn’t going to be a soft and sweet lovemaking session.

Alex stood in the door of the stall, not a stitch of clothes covering his hard body. She glanced over, her eyes taking him in. He glared down at her, his hands on his muscled hips. The big bad Dom was in the house.