You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(34)

Malone and the rest of the men sat up straighter. “Look, ma’am, all I know is the boss got on the phone earlier today and when he got off he went into psycho mode. We didn’t even get a mission briefing. All we were told was we had to extract an operative without loss of life. He showed us your picture and gave Ace directions where to set the chopper down.”

“I damn near shit myself when I realized where we were,” Boomer admitted.

“Dude, too much information,” Deke said with a shake of his head.

Boomer merely shrugged. “Big Tag scares me. I know what our Tags are capable of and I think that dude’s meaner.”

“No, he’s just older,” Case Taggart said as he walked in.

“I don’t know. I saw what he did to Ten with that stapler.” Theo was right on his brother’s heels. They were twins, but Jesse could tell them apart. Theo had a lightness that escaped Case.

“Which is why you should probably stay away from him,” Case said with a pointed stare his brother’s way.

Theo sat down. “It’s just dinner. Our sister-in-law is very persuasive.”

“Grace is not our sister-in-law,” Case argued. “Neither is Charlotte.”

“She is and why are you so opposed to having more family?” Theo shook his head. “We don’t have any as it is.”

“We’ve got each other and the team. That’s all we need.” Case paced behind them as though he wasn’t about to get comfortable. Stubborn. Yeah, he was a lot like Big Tag. “And while we’re on the subject, you should stay away from that red-haired chick. Do you think I didn’t see that? You let her get the jump on you.”

Theo turned a nice shade of pink. “I’m not used to fighting girls.”

From what Jesse had seen, he wasn’t very good at it either. Erin had gotten him and good. If Theo was interested in Erin, he might have a touch of masochist inside. Of course, he wasn’t one to talk because just being close to Phoebe was making his dick stir.

“Where is Tag?” He needed to get this thing moving. The faster Tag showed up, the sooner he could leave and avoid making an idiot of himself.

“He’s having to haul Ten in. Apparently there’s the issue of someone’s balls swelling,” Jake Dean said as he sat.

The rest of the team walked in after Jake, some with cake and punch, and some with ice packs on various parts of their bodies. Ten’s team straggled in with them. Erin looked up, eyeing Theo Taggart like an annoying pest she couldn’t get rid of. Yet she also couldn’t quite keep from watching. Her eyes strayed to him constantly.

“Are you all right?” Phoebe turned in her chair.

He couldn’t look at her. “I’m fine.”

“You have a bruise on your jaw. Should you have some ice on it? I could get you some.” She pushed her chair back. “I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t.” He practically growled the words her way. She was so much easier to deal with when all she did was stammer and blush and seem to follow orders.

“Jesse, you’re hurt,” she argued.

“And I’ll survive. I don’t want any help from you.”

“Well, that’s too bad because you’re going to get it,” Phoebe shot back. “Don’t think for a second that just because I back off getting you an ice pack means we’re not going to discuss the fact that someone is trying to kill you.”

“That would be you.”

She sighed, a frustrated sound. “I told you I had zero idea who that kill order was on before I got to the hotel.”

“You lined up your shot fast enough,” Simon pointed out.

“Look, just the fact that you casually say phrases like kill order tells me everything I need to know.” He didn’t want to find her attractive. He didn’t want to look at her. Hell, he didn’t want to think about her because the minute he did, his heart rate ticked up and he lost his damn mind.

“That’s pretty hypocritical of you.” She turned back in her chair, staring straight ahead. “I was doing my job just like everyone in this room has done their job. Actually, I didn’t do my job or you would be a chalk outline in the middle of downtown Dallas.”

“I should thank you for that?” There was still that little piece deep inside that wished she’d just done it. It would all be over and he could move on to whatever the hell happened to dead men.

She frowned suddenly, turning to Simon. “Why were you there? In the alley, I mean.”

“I made you a couple of months back. We’ve been following you ever since,” Simon explained.

She flushed slightly. “It was the night The Collective came after you, wasn’t it?”

He’d been scared for Phoebe that night, but now he knew he should have just taken her with them. She’d likely have dropped a couple of Collective operatives. “Yeah, Simon figured it out and then we found the tracer on my Jeep.”

“Might I point out that you guys were about to be horrifically murdered when we showed up?” Deke said.

Malone nodded. “Taggart was running late, cousin. If Phoebe hadn’t set us on your trail, Chelsea would now be in Collective hands and you and Murdoch there would be six feet under.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Phoebe held a hand up. “Yes, I did put the trace on your Jeep. I’ve been filing a report on what happens in this office once a week. I’ve kept in contact with Tennessee, but until today I had not received any kind of orders beyond watching and reporting. Hello, Mr. Taggart, Ten. You both look worse for the wear.”