The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(22)

“Adam?”

He turned and saw Serena standing next to him, gazing up with those green eyes that punched him in the gut every time he looked in them. Nope. He probably wasn’t going to slow down. It was his fatal flaw, but he had never learned to slow down. Every time he got kicked to the f*cking curb, he just bounced back. Maybe he was the masochist. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Where should I wait?” She had a pen and small notebook in her hand. The minute she wasn’t directly engaged with someone, she would sink back into her writing. Her secret world.

That wasn’t happening right now.

Eve smiled. “You’re with me, Ms. Brooks. I’m Dr. Eve St. James. It is so nice to meet you.”

“I have to see a doctor?”

Adam felt a deep sense of satisfaction that she looked to him. The question hadn’t been directed at Eve. She’d instinctively looked to him for protection. Perfect.

He used his calmest tone on her, taking her hand in his. “Eve isn’t a medical doctor. She’s our profiler. She wants to ask you some questions that will help us figure out who this man is. We won’t know a name, but we will have a type.”

Her eyes lit up, and now she turned to Eve. “Seriously, you’re a profiler. A real profiler?”

Adam stifled a laugh. He knew how to get Serena’s motor running. All he had to do was introduce her to anyone who could answer a few questions.

“Absolutely. I used to work for the FBI, but Big Tag pays way better.” Eve had a smile on her face, but there was a hitch to her words. Tag might pay better, but that wasn’t the reason Eve had left the FBI. It wasn’t the reason Alex had brought her on the team, hoping and praying that work could fix his ex-wife.

“That is incredibly cool. I write romantic suspense. I have a lot of law enforcement characters.” Serena started to follow Eve down the hall toward her office. He’d been forgotten in the mad search for information.

“Adam!”

He rolled his eyes at Ian’s bark. The boss was in a shitty mood. He strode down the opposite hall and entered Ian’s domain. A stunning view of the Dallas skyline dominated the huge office. A heavenly smell permeated the air, reminding Adam that his only breakfast had been a granola bar. He was going to have to stock Serena’s fridge. A man needed meat.

“God, that smells good.” Adam eyed the container on Ian’s desk.

“Don’t you even f*cking look at it.” Ian sank into his chair, pulling the bowl toward him like a prisoner who only got one meal a day and would shank anyone who threatened to take it. “It’s Sean’s mac and cheese. I don’t know what he does to it. It’s like the best thing I ever ate.”

“Sean is feeding you again?” Jake asked. As far as Adam and Jake knew, Sean still wasn’t talking to his brother with anything but rude hand gestures and four-letter words.

Ian’s face turned down. “No. Grace takes pity on me, though. If I have a relationship with my brother after this, it will be my sister-in-law’s doing. I know I disapproved of the relationship, but, damn, I love that woman. Sean couldn’t have done better. One day.”

Adam knew what that meant. One day Sean would forgive him for that terrible night when Ian had been forced to choose between Grace’s life and Sean’s. He’d chosen his brother, and Grace had nearly died. Of course, it was the same night Adam had nearly died, too.

He’d gone through surgery, and when he’d woken up, he’d been surer than ever that he wanted to settle down. He’d wanted his life to start. He’d wanted a family.

“Would you do it again?” Jake asked.

Adam nearly did a double take. Jake never pried. Jake never asked questions. He kept to himself. Always.

Ian was quiet for long enough that Adam thought he would ignore the question entirely.

“No,” Ian said, his voice a harsh whisper. “I would save Grace because that’s what my brother would want. I get it. He loves her. That trumps what I need. I would do my damndest to save them both, but Grace would come first.” He took a bite of the mac and cheese. “But, god, the world would be worse without Sean. I don’t even know what truffle oil is, but I love it.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Adam said, wanting to try a bit. It looked amazing.

“Talk to Sean. Maybe he’ll make you some.” Ian continued to eat, not offering anyone a bite. He looked up as the door opened. “Took you long enough.”

“You’re in a piss mood,” Liam said as he walked into the room carrying his laptop. The Irishman looked past tired. As far as Adam knew he’d been working around the clock. His accent was thicker and deeper than usual, a sure sign that he needed rest.

“Just tell them what you found out.” Ian went back to his meal.

Liam sighed heavily and turned the laptop around. There was a grainy video paused on the screen. Serena sat at a long table with several other women, her hair in its bun and a different set of glasses on her nose. The timestamp date was for a year ago.

“This is your girl at something called ‘Romance Fest’ in Denver.” Liam shuddered. “God, don’t make me go to one of those things. There’s enough estrogen in that room to make a man’s balls shrivel up and fall off.”

“You can cut the opinion portion of this lecture and get to the good stuff.” Ian sat back, his eyes on the screen.