Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries Book 11)

by Lexi Blake

  He needed all his faculties to deal with whoever the hell Ezra Fain was.

  Mr. White. That’s who he’d heard him referred to as. Simon called him Mr. White and Simon had called him dangerous, too.

  He clicked off the safety and started for his front door, his mind whirling.

  “I’m coming,” a feminine voice said as he rounded the hallway and strode into his living room.

  “Mia, don’t!”

  But she’d already undone the bolt. She scrambled, trying to relock the door. It came open with a crack and Mia fell back.

  Case watched in horror as a canister rolled in. He leapt to cover Mia’s body with his as the whole world turned to lightning and then smoke.

  Flashbang.

  It was so close it singed his skin.

  His hearing was gone, his vision blurry. He held on to Mia as tightly as he could, trying to move them.

  They had to get out. They had to run.

  Mia clung to him.

  Then he felt something smack against his head and the whole world went dark.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Case came to with a throbbing head and the deepest desire to shut his brothers up. They were arguing, but then that was kind of what they did. Both his blood brothers and his extended family.

  What the hell had happened? Why was he on his couch?

  “Give me one good fucking reason, Fain, or whoever the hell you are. One good reason I don’t blow your brains out right fucking now,” Ian growled.

  “I can give you one,” Ten’s deep voice shot back. “We haven’t exactly questioned him yet. I don’t know why you always go straight for the kill. Subtlety, brother.”

  “Fuck that,” Ian replied. “How about I kill him fast if he tells me what the hell is going on. If he doesn’t, then I’ll vivisect him from the toes up. How does that sound?”

  Mia. The night came rushing back and Case sat up, his head throbbing and his vision still the slightest bit blurry. “Mia. Where’s Mia?”

  She wasn’t here, wasn’t in his arms. The last thing he could remember was the way she’d held on to him.

  Fain was sitting in one of Case’s dining room chairs, his hands behind his back and a couple of guns pointed at his head. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “Keep playing dumb and I’ll cut your toes off and feed them to the nastiest stray cats I can find,” Ian promised.

  His brother was being a little over the top, but then apparently there was some drama going on Case didn’t understand.

  His heart raced. Mia was gone. They’d come after Mia.

  Someone had come after Mia. More than one person. He thought he’d counted at least three. It had been hard to see through the gas. His eyes still burned.

  Ten kept his eyes on Fain. “I got some intel four hours ago about a group wanting to move a blonde American from Texas to Africa. They were looking to hire a plane and they needed a passport for her in case the airfield they would have to refuel at checked. The picture that came over the line was Mia’s. I recognized her and realized they were moving tonight when the meet spot changed from Austin to Dallas about four hours ago. You are so lucky I was already on my way here.”

  Fain frowned but didn’t seem like a man who gave a shit that he had a couple of guns pointed at his head. “I got the same intel. Why do you think I rushed in here like a crazy person? Why do you think you were able to catch me at all? I give a shit about that girl. If I didn’t I would have realized the takedown had already happened and I wouldn’t fucking be here.”

  Something about Ezra. Ten had told him something about Ezra.

  Ezra was a dead man.

  Did any of it matter when Mia was gone? He had to find her. He had to get her back. He’d promised he wouldn’t let her leave again. He’d promised her they would be together.

  “Case, sit down. You got hit pretty hard,” Ian ordered. “Charlie’s on her way. She had to drop the kids with Chelsea, but she’s going to take you to the ER. You probably have a concussion. I’ve already contacted Drew Lawless. He’s on his way, too. You understand that we have to keep this out of the press.”

  He was fairly certain he didn’t have a concussion. He’d had a couple before. He was far too clearheaded to be hurt. But he did agree with Ian on one thing. No police. It was simply surprising the world around them had complied. “No one called after that fucking flashbang went off?”

  It had to have shaken the floor, rattled the hell out his neighbors.

  “Your microwave went on the fritz and exploded. Just some smoke and noise. Derek sent out a friendly to explain to the neighbors,” Ten said.

  A friendly would be a cop who Derek Brighton trusted. He was their DPD contact. When they needed police cover, Derek was their go-to guy. He liaised with the chief when it came to sensitive issues.

  None of it mattered because Mia was out there.

  And Ezra was here. Why would Ezra be here?

  Something about Ezra. And Chelsea. Maybe he wasn’t as clear as he thought he was.

  “I’m going to ask again,” Ian began, his voice dark. “One good reason I don’t kill you.”

  Whoever had taken Mia would want money. Lots of it. He had to stay here, stay with Drew and her brothers and negotiate with whoever had her.

  He was going to have to let Ian handle Theo because Mia came first. It’s what he’d promised Ian. If he was going to love Mia, she had to be the most important person in his life. He had to choose her now and always.

  Ezra had been going to the top of the building—to the penthouse. That’s what Michael had said. Ezra had snuck up to the top floor where any visitor needed a passcode and there were only two residences to visit.

  Michael had thought Ezra was spying on him. What if Ezra had merely been doing his job?

  “I’ll give you one, Ian. You can’t kill him because the Agency would be pissed if you killed Mr. White.” It had all fallen into place just before the door opened. “He’s Mr. White. Take a picture of him and send it to Si and see if he’ll confirm it. Chelsea can’t. She would be guilty of treason if she did.”

  Ian shook his head. “Simon’s under some pretty heavy contracts about Chelsea’s work with the Agency. I’ve always known he had to stay neutral or there could be trouble. It’s the only reason they’re allowed to live here while she’s working for them. But I’ll go with your instincts on this one. I’ll buy that he’s an Agency fuckhead. He has that look.”

  Ten’s brows rose. “We have a look?”

  “Definitely,” Ian shot back. “And no amount of gluing poodle hair to your face can change it.”

  “It’s a beard, motherfucker,” Ten shot back.

  He ignored them. Sometimes Ten and Ian were like a bickering old married couple. They should get divorced, but they couldn’t quite quit each other. While they argued about the state of Ten’s facial hair, Case had to think.

  Why would Mr. White be after Mia now? He’d spent months with her. According to Mia, he’d been the one to save her from multiple near misses. If he wanted to take her, why not do it when he’d been alone?

  Fain’s face went hard as he looked up at Case. “I’m going to get fired. Burned more likely. Thanks a lot, Taggart. You just cost me my career. You couldn’t handle one fucking flashbang?”

  Ian’s fist shot out, catching Ten square in the face. He immediately backed up. “Wait. That shouldn’t count. That was a professional punch.”

  Ten snarled and held his nose. “It counts. You’re done. I’ve got witnesses.”

  Ezra shook his head. “I do not get them.”

  “Long story,” Case replied. And apparently one that was over until the next time Ten did something so shitty Ian punished him with random punches in the face. It had been interesting since Ian liked to save them for holidays, but had sworn to keep that last one for a special occasion.

  Ten cursed and holstered his gun. “Fuck a duck. I’m sorry, Tag. I’ve never met this asshole.”

  Ian stared at
Fain, his weapon still ready to go. “Which begs the question why he would choose a name you did recognize.”

  It would be easy for Mr. White to change records. Hell, he could have ordered Chelsea to do it for him. Chelsea was Mr. White’s asset.

  If Chelsea thought he was going to hurt the team, she would break ranks no matter what the cost. She would have said something. He trusted Chelsea’s instincts. If she hadn’t warned them, she wasn’t worried about the man they’d called Ezra Fain.

  Fain stared mulishly ahead, but Case wondered just how much truth the other man had told him. One particular story seemed to ring true. “Ezra was your brother, wasn’t he?”

  Fain’s jaw tightened. “My half brother. He was older than me. I knew going into this particular op that I was likely being an idiot idealist. He was the most idiotic idealist I knew. He gave everything for his country. Looks like even in this he was better than me. Fine. I’m the operative known as Mr. White. I was sent down here to oversee Chelsea Weston. Believe it or not, it was a demotion of sorts. I used to be a field operative.”

  Ten’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit. You’re Beckett Kent. You killed that general against orders. I should have recognized you.”

  Kent’s face went tight and the man practically snarled. “There’s no proof of that, but I was relieved when the bastard was killed. No one deserved it more. He was raping his way through villages. It made me sick that I had to stay close to him. Luckily someone put a bullet through the fucker’s heart.”

  Ian backed off. “I did hear about that. The Agency wanted intel from the guy. I take it they couldn’t prove you assassinated the fucker or they would have burned you.”

  “A lot of people hated General Mambasi. He had many enemies. I was brought back here for my failure to protect him,” Kent replied. “I was assigned to relay messages of importance to and from the asset known as Chelsea Weston. Information that required sensitivity.”

  Information no one wanted written down. “Why the job with Ferland?”

  “Cover. And because I wanted to watch McKay-Taggart. I wanted in on taking down The Collective. The Agency still has that as a low priority. When I became aware that 4L Software was working with McKay-Taggart and that gossip linked the case to Mia, I had her on my radar. When she went looking for a bodyguard, I was ready and in place.”

  Case was confused. “So if you were trying to get Mia, were you behind the kidnapping attempt on the plane?”

  “Your brother’s slow,” Kent said to Ian. “Of course I wasn’t behind that. Nor was I behind the three other attempts, but I did manage to stop the man who is trying to take her. Mia thinks they were random street crimes. I know the truth.”

  What the hell was going on? None of it made sense.

  Unless the original kidnapping attempt was about more than mere ransom.

  Unless Hope McDonald wasn’t working alone. She’d already proven she would send her “boys” out to rob banks for cash. Why not kidnapping? Why not lure out a ripe target? One already known to The Collective.

  Fuck. It was Santos. He’d lured them out to Colombia, but he’d been aiming for Mia. “Did you know it was Santos all along? What does he really want Mia for?”

  “I told you it was Santos on the phone,” Ten said, shaking his head. “Does anyone ever listen to a word I say?”

  Case rolled his eyes. “The reception from your chopper sucks. I heard about half of what you said. Tell me it’s not on top of my building.”

  “Of course it is,” Ian tossed back, finally setting his gun down and freeing Fain…White…Kent…god, he wished Agency assholes would pick one name and stick with it. “He might have left the CIA, but the dude still likes to make an entrance. And Case is right. When you called me earlier tonight I wasn’t sure if you were telling me my brother was in danger or if you were ordering a pizza. Your cell service sucks. Are we talking about Tony Santos? The asshole who only likes blondes? The last I heard the Agency was putting him out to pasture for mental health reasons.”

  Kent nodded. “He’s a crazy motherfucker. Or at least he wanted everyone to believe it. I think he would have taken Mia on the beach that day in Colombia, but I let him see me.”

  Case ran a hand over his hair, trying to force himself to think. Panic sat in his gut, but Mia didn’t need that right now. “Santos is a former CIA operative, right? So how much would he know about Hope McDonald and the drug?”

  Kent stood, stretching his long arms. Case would bet Ian hadn’t been kind in this particular bondage session. “He would likely know everything. I’ve been tracking him. I think he was a Collective plant, but he got out before I could get any evidence on him. It was right around the time Smith got burned and I was pulled back to the States. Things were a little chaotic and they’re only now beginning to calm down. Tell me something, Smith, were you in DC to try to get Agency backing for the Sierra Leone op?”

  Ian frowned. “How the hell do you know about the Sierra Leone op?”

  Fuck. Everyone listened to his messages. “When did you get hold of Mia’s phone?”

  Kent sent him a sympathetic stare. “On the plane from Austin to here. She spent a lot of time on her other line talking to someone named Kori. It was fairly easy to get the private phone in my hands. I only listened to the last message, but I get it. I really do. She’s an amazing woman. I’m going to do everything I can to help you get her back.”

  Ian’s head shook Case’s way. “I told you to talk to the woman, not lay out all our secret plans to her in voice mail. Why? Why do all my best agents lose their freaking minds the minute a nice pair of breasts walk into the room?”

  “I do not need your sarcasm.” Mia was in danger.

  Ian sobered. “I’m sorry, Case. I know what she means to you. I’m surprised she was here though.”

  “I wanted her with me when we went to get Theo,” Case admitted. “I wanted her with Charlotte and Erin. I know Grace isn’t coming with us, but I wanted her with the rest of our…wives.”

  Ian put a hand on his shoulder. “Of course you did. I’ll stop being such an ass. We have to get to the office and get someone over to Chelsea’s to take care of our girls. I need Charlie and Chelsea trying to figure out where Santos would take Mia.”

  Ten had already told them. Case forced his hands to stop shaking. They still had the advantage. He turned to Ten. “You said you got some intel about Mia. Was it random?”

  Ten shook his head. “No. It was a hacker. At least he said he was. He said he’d been searching the Dark Web and he had some stuff he thought I should look at. I’ve been trying to build a new network now that I’m no longer with the Agency. It helps that I’m not with a big firm either because I’m less likely to be able to track someone down. Sometimes even the bad guys have consciences about certain things. As this asshole proves.”

  Ten was gesturing to Kent, but Case wasn’t so sure he was a bad guy at all.

  Kent stared at him. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Hutch.” He was still in there. He was doing his best. He’d lain low and waited for the time he could help his team. Hutch was out there asking if he could come home now.

  Ian took a deep breath. “Why would Santos take her to McDonald?”

  “For the money she’ll bring in,” Case replied. Drew would pay anything to get his sister back. “McDonald needs money. For protection and to keep her experiments going. They can’t steal enough to make themselves comfortable. Mia is a big payday. Drew will write a check for a hundred million and not blink an eye.”

  “Why not steal her in Colombia?” Ten asked. “Obviously Santos was trying to lead you to a place where it would be easier to take her.”

  He had to shrug at that one. “Theo didn’t let it happen. I don’t know. He was willing to let them take Hutch but not a female. You know how protective Theo can be about women. I guess no drug could take that out of him.”

  How much had Theo paid for that transgression? How much blood had he shed to keep Mi
a out of hell?

  “So now we’re going to rescue two family members,” Ian said, his jaw firming with surety.

  “I want in.” Kent’s shoulders had squared.

  Ian started to say something, but Case put a hand out, stopping him. He looked Kent in the eyes. “Are you trying to get back in the Agency’s good graces?”

  “I’m trying to stop a crazy woman from developing a drug that could be used against us,” Kent replied. “And you have to know that the Agency isn’t going to help you out of the kindness of their hearts. Every intelligence group in the world is looking for that drug and they won’t care how they get their hands on it. You need me. I can help you because if we don’t get the formula to that drug, guess who the Agency is going to turn to? Going to study?”

  “Theo,” Ten said between clenched teeth. “They’ll try to use him to figure out what she did and reverse engineer the process. It’s why Santos is working with her. I’m sure she promised him a cut or that he could be the one to sell the formula for her. He always was a wily son of a bitch.”

  “I’m not letting the Agency take my brother.” He would fight.

  Kent looked him straight in the eyes. “Then let me be your Agency contact. I won’t inform them of the mission until we’re in the air and there’s nothing they can do to switch me out. If you take someone else, I can’t promise they’ll help you the way I will.”

  “Why should we trust you?” Ian asked.

  Case knew the answer. “Because he loves Mia, too.”

  Kent’s eyes closed as though he couldn’t stand to look at him. “She’s a very lovable woman.” His eyes came open again and he stared at Case. “I know she doesn’t feel the same way about me. You don’t have anything to worry about. And it’s more than Mia. It’s about Ezra, too.”

  His brother. Case understood that. And he couldn’t find the will to work up jealousy. Mia was his. All he could feel was some sympathy for Kent. He wouldn’t get the woman he wanted, but he could help save her. “You’re in. We fly out at six and we’re going to have to deal with one seriously freaked out billionaire.”