Lost and Found (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #2)(126)

Starting with a new mission.

But first he was going to get through this very thorough debrief, and then he was finally going to do what he’d wanted to do since the moment he’d set foot in this place. He was going to take Ariel Adisa out on a date. Sure he would have to do it in a foreign city because they were hopping on another plane in a few hours, but that would make it all the more special.

Becca went on about the files, but Robert had more pleasant things to think of.

Ari. Gorgeous, smart, surprisingly mean Ari. He would never forget how she’d fought to get him the help he’d needed after that massive ass had shot him. Ari hadn’t faltered. Not once. He’d pulled away from her initially because she’d been worried about their patient-therapist relationship. But he knew what he wanted, and he’d never wanted anything more than Ariel. Not even his freedom.

He’d separated himself from her professionally. Ari served as the therapist for the rest of the group, but Robert was seeing Kai Ferguson. He did it via phone calls and over the Internet, but it worked and it meant he was free to pursue the woman of his dreams.

Her eyes caught on his and they warmed, her sensual lips curling up. God, he loved it when she wore white. It made a stark contrast against her gorgeous skin. Her dark eyes practically ate him up.

He was going to get his hands on her tonight.

This was the right time. This was their time.

“Robert, are we boring you?” Damon’s icy tone cut through his inner thoughts.

Ari grinned his way as though she’d known exactly what he was thinking. “He asked a question three times.”

Yep, he was in trouble. “Sorry, boss. My mind was elsewhere.”

Damon sighed. “Yes, that seems to be a problem these days. I asked if everything was set for the flight this afternoon?”

Everything was good to go including reservations at a very nice restaurant that Damon didn’t need to know about. “The jet is ready. Tucker’s finishing up his prep, which is why he isn’t here. Everyone’s got new passports and we’ve got the go from the McKay-Taggart team. They say Green is in DC and he seems to be hunkering down after the defeat we handed him.”

“Or he’s found someone new to work on this cure he claims to have,” Owen said.

“Do we believe him?” Ariel sat back. “He’s been known to lie.”

“I’m looking through the material we found,” Becca replied. “But there’s a lot of it. Walter, Steph, and I are going through it down in the lab. Faith Smith is coming in next week and she’s going to help us. So far I’ve seen nothing that makes me think she’d worked on a cure, but I’ve still got hundreds of files to go through.”

Walt, Becca, and Brody’s wife, Stephanie, had taken over the lab. It was now filled with white boards and computer equipment, and apparently they were getting some high-tech medical stuff that the docs would be playing with.

All so they could potentially get their memories back.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he intended to cooperate. After all, he meant to help his brothers.

Except one of his brothers was a traitor.

“All right then.” Damon nodded his way. “Let’s break and we’ll meet tomorrow morning for a regular weekly. Robert, could you stay behind? Ariel, we might need you.”

Ariel’s eyes flared briefly, and he knew she was surprised. But he wasn’t. Tucker’s mission to explore some of his past was one they’d all argued over. Going back to Kronberg was dangerous, but Tucker was insistent. He needed to know. Robert was likely going to have to advocate for his brother again.

“Get ready, Rob,” Owen said, his hand tangled in Becca’s as they moved to the door. “I promise I won’t crash the plane. I can’t promise I won’t lose Tucker. You’ll need to keep eyes on him. The boy needs a leash. He follows every shiny object he sees, and by object, I mean women.”

Becca laughed and shook her head as she followed her boyfriend out of the conference room.

Boyfriend? Not for long. Owen was already talking about rings. He would be attending another wedding soon.

And then maybe he could start thinking about his own because Ari was the one. The only one for him. And he’d known Ari far longer than Owen had known Becca. Sure, they’d had their ups and downs, but starting tonight, they were going to be a couple, and it would be smooth sailing from here on out.

The conference room emptied and he was left with Damon, Penny, and Ari.

“Tucker is going to be fine. We won’t let him do anything crazy.” Another thought hit him. “You can’t possibly be worried about Owen. Or is it Tucker you’re worried about?”

They had a mole. No one was talking about it, but Robert was sure Damon was working with the Dallas team to figure it out. He hated the thought that one of them wasn’t what he seemed.

Or maybe there was another explanation. As Ari had pointed out, Levi Green lied. A lot.

“I’m not worried about Owen. Of all of you, Owen is the one I’m certain didn’t have ties to Green or McDonald beforehand,” Damon replied, his expression grim. “I’ve known Owen for years. Despite what happened with his mum and sister, I trust him implicitly. It’s why he’s still on my team. Big Tag and I are going to work with Ezra to try to figure out what’s going on, but I’m worried about Tucker for different reasons.”