The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries #1)(30)

“I’m working on it.” Sean went back to the front door and picked up his bags. He set his suitcase down, and then started unloading the groceries.

“Work harder. You haven’t found out anything we don’t already know. If you can’t get this job done, then I need to pull you out and send in someone who can.”

Sean ignored his first violent impulse to leap over the bar and beat his brother to a bloody pulp. No one was going to take his place. If Ian thought he could simply tell him to back off and Sean would let someone else try to seduce Grace, he was insane. The only thing that kept Sean calm was the unwavering belief that it wouldn’t work. Grace wouldn’t be interested in anyone but him. She’d proven it by offering herself last night. He was the only man she’d wanted since her husband died. Sean was quiet, and his reply as pointed as an arrow. “I’ll get the job done.”

“See that you do.” That wasn’t his big brother talking. That was his boss. Sean knew the difference.

Ian stood up and walked to the bar. He leaned forward. “What are you making?”

“Coq au Vin.”

Sean could practically see his brother start to drool. “That sounds good.”

“It will be if I ever get a minute to put it on.” Sean pulled out the fresh chicken he’d bought and a cutting board. He picked up the knife he’d intended to slit Liam’s throat with and put it to another purpose. “Has it ever occurred to you that I can’t find anything because there’s nothing to be found?”

Grace was so sweet. Despite his knowledge to the contrary, it was hard to believe she was really involved in this mess.

“The CIA guy doesn’t think so.”

“Oh, well, if the Agency believes it, then it must be true.” Sean remembered many buddies and teammates who went down because the CIA got its intelligence wrong. Afghanistan had given the Agency plenty of opportunities to screw things up. Of course, it wasn’t the screwups that really worried Sean. It was the fact that the Agency always protected the Agency. They would use the rest of the world as pawns for their games. When Sean was a Green Beret, he hadn’t had a choice in whether or not to play. He would rather hold a hot poker in his hands than have anything to do with the CIA.

Ian’s fingertips drummed along the top of the bar. He hopped up on the barstool and made himself comfortable. “I think they’re on to something here. Mr. Black gave me a look at his file on Wright. Wright is escalating. Black thinks he’s behind two arsons, one at a lumber yard and one that killed a couple of people at a real estate development office. He likes to hit corporate offices, especially ones in large cities. Unfortunately many of those are in high-rises. The last fire that he started affected a twenty-nine-story building. It caused millions of dollars in damage, and the locals called it faulty wiring. I don’t buy it, and neither does Black.”

“Then why hasn’t he called in the cops? This should be handled by the feds or Homeland Security.” Sean’s hands worked quickly on the chicken. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that he would really be happier in a restaurant somewhere. Fort Worth was a foodie town. It might be a really good place to open a little bistro.

Ian’s hand slapped against the bar. “Get your head in the game, Sean. What’s wrong with you? I’m talking about catching a killer, and you’re more interested in that chicken.” He leaned over and looked at the spices Sean had purchased. “What is Coco Van anyway?”

Sean quickly corrected the way his brother butchered the French pronunciation. “Forget it. It’s for Grace. Now what the hell are you really doing here?”

A cloud passed over Ian’s face. “How deep are you in with this woman?”

“He’s certainly sleeping with her.” Liam walked out of the bedroom. He was dressed all in black, from his T-shirt to the denims and boots on his feet. He flashed two empty condom wrappers at Sean and Ian with a smirk. “Only twice, lover boy?”

Sean washed his hands and pulled out the pot he would need. Grace’s kitchen was very well organized for a woman who rarely cooked. “Some of us like to talk to our lovers.”

“I thought you and Big Tag there just liked to tie them up.”

He wouldn’t argue with that. He’d gone to more than one store this afternoon, but he wasn’t about to tell Liam and Ian that he’d bought handcuffs, lubricant, and a vibrator while he was out. He settled for sarcasm. “Unlike Ian, I sometimes take the gag out and listen to what the lady has to say.”

That got Ian laughing. “I trained you poorly.”

Liam slammed the condom wrappers down on the counter. Sean was well aware that Liam viewed him as a little brother to be taunted on a regular basis. Normally, it didn’t bother Sean. “Still, I thought you were good for more than just twice. Guess it’s hard having to do an old lady.”

This time, it bothered him. It was an instinct. Sean’s fist came out and met Liam’s nose with a bone-crunching snap. Liam hit the floor. Sean calmly went back to his prep work.

“What the f*ck was that for?”

Sean knew Liam had been thrown off guard. Liam’s Irish was up. “The” came out sounding like a slurred de and “that for” sounded like dat fer. Sean gave him back some of his own. “Dat, boyo, was fer talking dirty about a lady.”