The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries #1)(96)

She shrugged. “And now I have a metal plate in my head.” And she would have to grow back the hair there. Her skull had shattered in some places. It had been a close thing. “I think it makes me tough.”

He laughed a little. “And an automatic pat-down at security gates. You’ll be hell on metal detectors.”

Grace frowned. There might be body cavity searches in her future. “I hate that man.”

Ian’s face went dark. Grace was beginning to understand it was the face he made when he thought about his prey. “I’ll get him, Grace. If it’s the last thing I do. I will kill that man. He’s dropped off the radar. He’s gone rogue, but I’ll find him. The good news is that we found the package before he could. It was all the way down on the street. That’s quite the throwing arm you have.”

Grace didn’t care. Sean was sure Black or Nelson or whatever his name was wouldn’t come after them. There was no reason to. They were out. That was what mattered. “I’m glad we have the information. As for Black, I’m sure you’ll do what you have to. Do you still work for the CIA?”

Ian’s eyes widened, and for a moment, she worried he wasn’t going to answer her. “No. I got out a few years back. I never really was on the payroll, so to speak. I was a contractor. And the army loaned me out. I won’t ever work for those bastards again. I don’t know what Black said about me, but everything I have ever done has been for the good of my country.”

Grace believed him. There seemed to be a core of integrity to Ian.

And now Ian seemed awfully willing to chat. No one would talk about the case with her. Any time she asked, they changed the subject as though worried it might tax her broken brain. “Is Matt really dead?”

Ian nodded. “Yes, Grace. He’s dead. The police found him in a bathroom. It looked like a heart attack, but we know that’s not true. The toxicology report will tell us what kind of poison was used on him. The District Attorney is pouring over Wright Temps. The Earth League has broken up, and the FBI has officially taken over the investigation. It will take them a while to sort through the mess Patrick Wright left behind. I want to assure you that you’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing. I’ve talked to both the FBI and the CIA. You’re out of this, Grace. You and Sean are free and clear.”

A knot eased in her chest. She was happy to hear that she had been declared innocent, but knowing Sean was out of the line of fire really eased her mind.

Ian was quiet for a long moment, looking over the lilies Sean had filled her room with. “I knew a woman who loved lilies. She’s gone now, too.”

There was a long silence as he stared at those flowers, and Grace knew she was seeing a piece of Ian Taggart’s soul very few people saw. He was opening himself to her. He was accepting her as his family. He turned to her, and there was a certain humbleness in his stance she had never seen before from him. “I need something from you, Grace. I know I have no right to ask.”

She wanted to ask him about the woman, but the moment had passed. “I’m listening.”

“Come to work for me.”

That wasn’t what she’d expected. “Why?”

She hadn’t even started to think about work. She really was going to need a job. She and Sean had gone over their finances the night before. He had money saved, but they would need cash to start his restaurant later on. And culinary school wasn’t cheap.

“Because I need someone to run the office.” He stared at her, waiting patiently.

She stared back. That was a bullshit answer.

He sighed. “Fine. Sean won’t talk to me. He won’t take my calls or let me anywhere near him. He won’t forgive me. You’re the only tie I have to my brother. I don’t want to lose him. I know I made mistakes, but I love him. I don’t want to lose my family.”

Now that she believed. If anyone in the world needed a strong family to ground him, it was Ian Taggart. As she was about to become a member of his family, it was an idea that deserved consideration. “What if Sean won’t let me work for you?”

She had to admit, she found the idea intriguing. And that group really needed someone to look out for them.

A small smile tugged at Ian Taggart’s face. “I think you’ll find a way. You subs always do.”

Grace grinned back. Yes. They always did.





Epilogue


Six months later



“Guacamole again?”

Adam stared at the bowl on her desk. Sean was setting up her little lunch. He had Fridays off from school, and every Friday he brought in a gourmet picnic. Every Friday, Adam showed up to mooch. He claimed that since getting gut shot, his appetite had increased threefold. Grace couldn’t tell from the cut of his suit. He was as fit as ever.

“I never argue with pregnant ladies,” Sean proclaimed, grinning as he broke out the tortilla chips. “She can’t get enough avocados. The baby is going to come out green.”

Grace plucked a chip out of her husband’s hand. She really did crave them. She wanted avocados on everything. Baby girl loved them. She let the taste flow over her tongue as she settled her hand over her expanding belly. Sean covered her hand with his and dropped a kiss on her lips. She was four and a half months pregnant. For some reason, she was just sure this one was a girl.