No Love Lost (Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten Book 5)

by Lexi Blake

  They’d built up Mountain Adventures over the last seven years, and now they had twenty employees and offered everything from guided camping to a weeklong kids’ camp they were debuting this summer. He still wasn’t sure that hadn’t been a mistake because Max Harper had gleefully signed up all four of his kids the week before and then run out of the office yelling “no take backs.” He was absolutely certain the Harper kids combined with the Hollister-Wright brood would make the summer interesting.

  Could he make this mission last until fall?

  “We’ll be fine as long as you’re home before summer camp. You’re not leaving me alone with those hooligans.” She stepped back and grinned up at him as though she’d known exactly what he’d been thinking. Which she probably had. “If it helps, Laura came in and signed up Sierra. She’ll keep the Harper boys in line.”

  “The boys? The boys are easy. I’m worried about Paige.” He heard the sound of gravel crunching and realized it was almost time to go. He held a hand out and pulled her close again. “God, I’m going to miss you.”

  She hugged him tight as Henry Flanders’s truck pulled up. Henry was driving him into Alamosa where Beck was picking him up in a jet. Henry was probably going to give him an hour-long lecture on how to survive this op.

  “I will miss you, too, babe,” she replied. “But have fun and take care of Solo. I can’t imagine having to hide for seven whole years. I hope she’s had some company. I wish she’d called me.”

  “It’s not your fault.” He knew she felt guilty.

  “I wasn’t nice to her. I didn’t give her a real second chance,” River admitted. “If I had, she would have felt welcome, and we could have given her a place to stay. She could have hidden here. If you can’t resolve her case…”

  “I’ll let her know she has a place waiting for her here,” he promised his wife as Henry put the truck in park.

  River went on her toes and brushed her lips against his. “Be careful. Remember how much we love you when you’re out there in the great big world.”

  He breathed her in and held her close a moment more. He didn’t need the great big world. He only needed the one he’d built with this woman. “I love you. Take care of our boys.”

  Henry was chuckling as Caden and Rio and Buster basically tackled the former operative. He simply opened his arms and let in all the love. “Hey, River! I’ve got some bread from Nell and the girls. She wants you to know we’re happy to help at the office if you need it.”

  Of course they would. It was what the Flanders family did, what everyone in Bliss did. They helped.

  “I hope you’re still saying that by the time summer camp rolls around,” Jax said, kissing his wife one last time. “Boys, come say good-bye to your old dad.”

  In a heartbeat he was covered in giggling little boys and a dog who thought he was a giggling boy.

  His life was so full, and it was time to pay back two of the people who’d helped make it all happen.

  * * * *

  Solna, Sweden

  Outside of Stockholm

  Owen Shaw ran the last few hallways that led to his wife’s lab. He prayed she hadn’t been called to the hospital. She rarely performed surgery anymore, but she did assist with some of the neurosurgeons in the city to keep her skills up.

  The Karolinska Institute was all modern angles and smooth lines, and it made it easy for him to find his way to Rebecca’s offices, though they hadn’t been in Sweden for long. She’d finally found the research project she couldn’t pass up, and because she’d once given up her whole hard-fought life to be with him, he’d felt good about doing the same for her. Being a stay-at-home dad wasn’t a dream job, but he found it utterly satisfying to spend so much time with his children.

  He hoped she wouldn’t see what he had to do now as a betrayal of the pact they’d made when they’d agreed to move to Sweden.

  “Mr. Shaw,” the assistant said as he rushed inside. He was a young Swede, still in medical school, hoping to study the mysteries of the brain with the best. “We weren’t expecting you. Is everything all right?”

  His wife was the best. “Is Rebecca around?”

  Please let her be around. He wasn’t sure he could wait, and he didn’t want to call her from the airport to tell her he’d left their son and daughter with friends.

  “Hey.” Rebecca walked out of her office, her eyes wide with alarm. “Has something happened? Where are the kids?”

  “They’re fine.” He moved to her, taking her hand in his. He had a hastily packed duffel slung over one shoulder, and her eyes went to it. “I got a call from Dallas. The one we’ve been waiting for.”

  She led him into her office, shutting the door behind her. “They found Solo?”

  She asked the question in a hushed tone that let him know she still remembered those days when they’d been on the run, hiding and praying they wouldn’t be found.

  “Aye, and she’s here in Europe,” he replied quietly. “Love, I…”

  She put her hands on his chest and tilted her head up. “You have to go help your team. Are Hannah and Arran at Lilly’s?”

  Their next-door neighbor was a retired physician who’d taken to their kids. Hannah was six and Arran only eighteen months. Lilly and her husband had no grandchildren yet and seemed more than happy to offer the new couple some babysitting from time to time. “Yes. I didn’t want to bring them up here. I hope it’s all right. She said they would be fine there until you get home.”

  “Good. I’ll call her and let her know I’ll try to leave a bit early.” She wrapped her arms around him. “It’s okay for you to go. I know it’s hard. I hate it when I have to go to a conference. I’m always scared I’ll miss something with them, but you can’t skip this one. They’re your brothers. They need you.”

  He thanked god every day for this woman. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m heading to the airport. Rob got me on a flight to London. I’ll stay at The Garden tonight and then fly down with him tomorrow morning. Beck and Theo are picking up Jax and Tucker and meeting us in Malta. I’m not sure if we’re extracting her or merely doing some surveillance.”

  It didn’t matter. He would go when his brothers called. They might be spread across the globe, but they were still a family. Once a year they got together and had a reunion—usually at The Garden, but they’d all gone out to Colorado one year and had a lovely time catching up. This wouldn’t be a fun reunion. This would be the chance they’d been waiting for—the chance to pay back the man who’d helped them all those years ago. None of them survived without the help of Beckett Kent.

  “I assure you there’s zero chance Beck leaves without her.” She looked up at him, her eyes getting that steely, stubborn look he shouldn’t find so sexy. “Do not let Levi Green get the jump on you.”

  “I promise. And I promise I’ll take the fucker out if I get the chance.” He kissed her and wished they had more time. “I’ve got to make the train if I’m going to get to the airport. I’m so sorry, love.”

  She stepped back and slipped out of the white coat she wore at work. “I’ll drive you. I can take the afternoon off.” She grabbed her purse and keys. “Now tell me everything.”

  He followed her out of the office, already missing his children.

  But there was an energy to his step he couldn’t deny. He’d missed this, too.

  “All right, love. According to Rob, she’s been living in this fort,” he began as they made their way to the parking lot.

  * * * *

  London, England

  Robert hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. It had been a hell of a night, and it wasn’t over yet. Owen had gotten in, and they flew out to Malta in the morning where he’d already found a base of operations close to Fort Saint Angelo, and a secondary site where they would be comfortable staying while they were on the island. But they needed more than that. “Believe it or not I got us a helicopter if we need it. I don’t think we will, but it’s there. Turns out the king of Loa
Mali had a meeting in Italy on the second wave of his green energy project and he bought one because he doesn’t like rentals. He’s sending it our way. The rich are really different.”

  Ariel sat in the middle of the big bed they shared. For years it had been just the two of them, and they’d been content to be everyone’s favorite aunt and uncle. And then their princess had come along. “They are, love. Come to bed. Owen’s already asleep. He called home and now he’s snoring away. You’ve got an early flight.”

  “I wonder if we shouldn’t have gone tonight.”

  “The apartments aren’t available until tomorrow afternoon. You’ve been legendary today. You put this whole op together in a few hours. You have a house, an apartment, equipment, a helicopter.”

  “And a boat.” They were right on the water, after all. He wanted the team to have every chance they could to do this right.

  She wore a white silk gown that came down to mid-thigh, showing off those gorgeous legs of hers. She’d already put up her hair for the night, wrapping it in silk. It left the lovely graceful line of her neck on display. “You did good work. Now come to bed and make love to me while the beast is sleeping.”

  He shook his head. “She’s a princess.”

  Ariel’s lips turned up as she moved off the bed and came to stand next to him. “She’s a raging beast when she wants to be. Just like her mother.”

  She still took his breath away. He let his hands find her hips and brought her close. “You’re a queen, baby. I’m the lucky pauper who managed to catch your eye.” He leaned over and brushed their lips together. “I’m still so fucking crazy about you.”

  Her arms drifted up to his shoulders. “Back at you, love. You have no idea how much I wish I could go with you.”

  The funny thing was they’d both stepped back from the field in the last few years. He’d taken on the role of Damon’s logistics lead, and Ariel was on maternity leave but she planned to go back to her job as a profiler and therapist working with McKay-Taggart and Knight, and occasionally Scotland Yard. “I don’t think taking our princess on this particular op is what I meant when I said I was eager to start our adventures. I was thinking more along the lines of walks in the park, maybe Disney World one day. Definitely not into the line of fire.”

  “I’m hoping there’s no fire at all.”

  He stared down into those gorgeous deep brown eyes of hers. “What’s your read on Levi? Is he still interested after all these years? Beck believes so. Charlotte is more hopeful. She thinks he might have moved on since he’s engaged now. She hopes he might not care anymore since he’s found a way to get what he wants without Solo.”

  Ariel went back down on her heels. “You’re asking me if Levi is still a problem? If he’s still obsessing over Solo?”

  “Yes.” Her opinion was the one that would inform how he operated, how careful he was.

  “He will not have forgotten for a single second. Whoever he’s marrying means nothing to him because there’s only Solo. It’s odd when you think about it. He’s a dark mirror for Beck. Beck can’t get over her and neither can Levi. You will have to kill Levi for Solo to be safe.”

  He took a deep breath. “And that’s why I got a boat and a chopper.”

  She smiled brilliantly. “You are always prepared, love. Now kiss me and take me to bed because I don’t think this is the easy in and out op Beck was talking about.”

  “He only wants to get in and get a lay of the land before he makes contact with her.” Rob had his doubts, too. Things always got complex between those two.

  “He won’t be able to let go.” Her hands moved up to caress his chest, pressing under the cotton of his shirt. “When he sees her, he’ll have to protect her. He won’t let her be alone.”

  “That’s kind of what I’m afraid of,” Rob admitted. “Solo ran. She didn’t want to be found.”

  “All you can do is make sure your team has everything they need.” She brushed her lips against his. “And tell my friend I miss her and I want her to meet our daughter.”

  Their baby girl. Daraja. She was as beautiful as her name, as lovely as her mother.

  “I will,” he promised. His wife was right. He had some time, and he knew exactly how he wanted to spend it. With Dara sleeping peacefully, he had a chance to show her mother how much he would miss her. He picked up his wife and carried her back to bed.

  * * * *

  Laramie, Wyoming

  Tucker watched the plane land and turned to his wife. “It’s time. Are you sure you can handle the clinic, because we can call in some friends to help cover my patients.”

  Roni rolled her eyes. “I can handle your patients and my patients. We don’t have that many patients. It’s a small town. Now go and play hero. I would say one last time, but we all know it won’t be. I’m surprised it took this long.”

  “Because this isn’t my life anymore,” he countered. He needed to make her understand how much he loved their life together. He wouldn’t trade it for anything. Their rural clinic was all he needed. “You are. Our kids are.”

  He had three. Violet. Gavin. Aurora. They were back in Jennings with his mom and Roni’s. Sandra had moved from Dallas after Aurora had been born and opened a new business.

  “I know,” she said with a smile. They were standing outside the private terminal, the stars all around them, but nothing was as bright as his wife’s smile. “But this is family. Rob is going to be there. I’m glad you get to spend some time with him. It’s been months since you saw him, and they have a baby now. He’s going to need you.”

  He hadn’t even had a chance to meet his niece. Life had been so busy, and the distance had taken its toll. He couldn’t help but be excited to see his brothers. Talking on the phone wasn’t the same. “I hope I remember how to do this.”

  He wished he’d kept up his training at the shooting range, but he rather thought when the time came he wouldn’t have trouble shooting Levi Green. He would never forget how to do that.

  The plane had come to a stop and the door came open, then Jax was standing on the stairs.

  “Tucker! My brother! Let’s get going. We’ve got beer, and Theo brought board games. Hey, Roni!”

  He had to laugh because his brothers never changed. When they got together they were all dumb kids enjoying each other’s company.

  Roni waved to Jax. “Don’t let him drink too much beer. I want him back in the same physically fit condition I sent him off in.” She turned to him and went up on her toes to kiss him. “Be safe. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He held her close. “I’ll be home soon.”

  He prayed he could keep that promise.

  Chapter Nine

  Kim stepped out into the sunlight with a sigh and immediately caught sight of her uncle sitting on the patio sipping his midmorning tea.

  “Good morning, dear girl. How are our patients?” Her uncle gave her a wave and gestured for her to join him.

  It had been a rough couple of days. “Better, thanks to you. I think Roman could probably have gone to school today, but I would feel better if he had more rest.”

  She moved down the steps and crossed to join her uncle. She set her bag down and took a seat as her uncle poured her a coffee.

  “It was just a little bug,” he said, handing her the delicate cup. “I told you it would pass. I don’t expect that you will get it. You have what we physicians like to call Mommy immunity.”

  She was glad for it because apparently Ezra didn’t have it. He’d been every bit as sick as Roman. She’d been pushing fluids and bringing down fevers for days. “Well, I’m happy for it. I talked to one of the teachers at the school and it’s going around. She said half the class is out with it. It’s almost certainly where Ezra picked it up, too.”

  “He’s a baby.” Uncle Francis passed her the milk and sugar tray. “He needs to build up more fortitude. Are you going into the store?”

  “Only if you don’t mind.” Her uncle had many things to do in a day, an
d he’d put a lot of them off so he could help her. “I need to go through the shipment we got in, and I promised Ezra earlier this week that I would go through some of the security feed.”

  “I’m staying home for the rest of the week. I can certainly look in on our patients,” her uncle assured her. “I’ve got some research I would like to do. Is my book in the shipment?”

  At least she had something to offer him. “I hope so. Anna told me we got some mail from Germany. If it’s here, I’ll bring it back for you.”

  “Why does Ezra want you to go through the tapes? Are you having problems at the shop?”

  She shook her head and picked up one of the croissants on the breakfast tray. She filled a small plate with cheese and fruit. “Someone asked about me a few days back. Not by name. I think it’s nothing more than a tourist looking for a date. Ezra’s being overly cautious, so I had Anna save the files from earlier in the week.”

  Her uncle had gone all kinds of serious. “Kimberly, you can’t take these things lightly.”

  “I’m not. I meant to go in the day after he asked me to, but then we were dealing with two sick boys.” Ezra wasn’t really a baby, but he had needed a bit of nursing to get through the stomach bug he and Roman had picked up. “However, I seriously doubt anyone’s found me after all these years. I’m almost certain they’ve stopped trying.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “And that is when they will get you, my darling girl. Perhaps it’s time for you to reach out to Beckett.”

  She sat back, her appetite fleeing in a second. “Have you been talking to Ezra?”

  “You know I’ve always thought Ezra should face his brother. He’s done much good work in the years since he walked away from his old life. But he can’t fully embrace his new life without facing his brother. He’s merely putting off the inevitable, and you are, too.”

  She intended to be entirely stubborn on this front. “There’s nothing inevitable about me seeing Beck again.”