The Dom Who Came in from the Cold, page 32
part #57 of Masters and Mercenaries Series
“He worked for the Agency.” Joseph sat down on the bench, and if he felt the pressure of Drake’s emotion, he didn’t show it. “You work for the Agency. We’ve been over this. We’re still assessing how deep the corruption goes.”
“Does that mean you haven’t cleared us?” Kyle wouldn’t be surprised, but he also wasn’t upset at the thought. It made him believe Joseph. He would have to be careful.
“Oh, I’ve cleared you,” Joseph said. “You’re too connected to your uncle. Ian Taggart has an impeccable reputation as an asshole who doesn’t deal with organizations like this. Ever. The McKay-Taggart team knocked the legs out of this group for over a decade. It’s only been the last few years that they really managed to get back into power. I’m honestly not worried about you, Drake. Or your mother, but my colleagues need more convincing. Hence I’m here for a while. It would help if you didn’t leave me behind when you go to DC tomorrow.”
Kyle sighed and let his head fall forward.
“Well, Kyle, I am a spy. It’s what I do, and before you worry I was eavesdropping or hacking into one of Hutch’s brilliant systems, I wasn’t,” Joseph explained. “The company that services the private jet called in. They apparently are treating this like an everyday corporate event. Which is smart because that is a small world. There’s a lot of talk that goes on in private aviation. By treating it like an everyday event, your uncle ensures there’s no talk. However, it also means he has to allow the normal protocols to proceed. I was walking through the lobby this morning. Your receptionist was going over the luncheon menu. It’s steak and potatoes. It sounds excellent. I wouldn’t mind some of that. Don’t blame her. She didn’t understand I wasn’t supposed to know. And honestly, I knew you would try to leave me behind. It’s only the timing I figured out.”
He was going to have to talk to his uncle. Although maybe not. The man was running a damn company, not an intelligence agency. “You know why we’re not taking you.”
“You still don’t trust me.” Joseph stood and sighed. “I suppose I can understand that, but I want you to think about what’s at stake. It’s more than your war with Julia. Lives are at stake. My people. Your people. The Consortium will always exist. The name will change. Collective, Illuminati, The Star Room. It’s just a different name for the same point one percent who will do anything for corporate profits. We can only hold them down for so long, but in that time, we can make progress. That’s all I ask. Think about how you use that information and who you share it with.”
Sometimes it was hard to remember how much was at stake. It seemed like the problem with Julia was his whole world, but there was so much more. The kids would be going out in the world soon. His sister and brother. His cousins. A whole bunch of them would likely be going into the military, and groups like The Consortium would view them as cannon fodder. They manipulated wars and placed the youth on the firing lines so they could have access to more oil, more diamonds, more consumers.
“I will remember that there’s more at stake.” One day he and MaeBe might have kids, if she wanted them. He had to think about their world.
Joseph stood and straightened his shirt. “I’m staying down here until the night’s festivities are over. Let me know if you need anything. While you’re gone, I’ll monitor the Julia situation. I don’t like a few things I’ve seen in the last couple of days.”
“How are you monitoring Julia?” Drake asked.
“The Dark Web,” he replied. “I’ve been working with MaeBe. I showed her a couple of the accounts I’ve grown over the years. I started one of them when I was barely eighteen. That’s the key. You can fake a lot of things, but time is not one of them. Back then I was working with local law enforcement to identify militia groups in the area. I’ve since moved that persona into black ops around the world. I try to keep an eye on any mercenaries Julia might hire. It’s been handy because I want to know who I’m going to have to work with. I know Julia’s habits. I believe she’s moved. I think she’s in DC, but I also believe she’s working off The Consortium grid. About an hour ago I found out she’s hired a group of mercenaries I ‘work’ with. They’ve been hired to kidnap a girl here in Dallas. I think they might try to take MaeBe again tonight.”
“At Sanctum?” He knew he should be more upset, but he wasn’t sure why Julia thought a group of mercenaries—even good ones—could get through Sanctum’s security. There was a reason so many high-value targets had been safe here over the years. “Please tell me she’s coming along.”
If this could be over tonight, he would thank the universe. If they took out Julia, the mission to find Don Radcliffe’s intel wouldn’t feel so fraught with danger. They could take their time and do it right.
“I don’t think so. Julia never risks herself if she doesn’t have to.” Joseph glanced around. “I don’t think she understands what she’s up against. She can be arrogant. It’s a weakness you can use against her. But I also worry that Julia is at her most dangerous when she’s desperate. I don’t like to think about what she’ll do to MaeBe. I’ve come to like her quite a bit. Julia won’t play around with her this time. Or rather she will, but in the nastiest way. If she gets her hands on MaeBe, I don’t think she’ll come back whole. I wanted to make sure you know I think she’ll be waiting for you in DC, and she wouldn’t do that if she wasn’t sure she’ll have leverage.”
“My mother is secure,” Drake promised. “We’ve changed all her guards, and the new ones are Taggart approved. If Julia tries something here tonight, we might be able to keep one of the fuckers alive and figure out what she’s planning.”
Joseph’s head shook. “They won’t know. Half the time she didn’t tell me what she was planning until we were almost ready to go. And I’m sorry to spring this on you now before your…play time. I only verified the intel right before I left the office. Do you want me to talk to Mr. Taggart or do you want to do it?”
“I’ll handle it.” Kyle nodded Joseph’s way. “Thank you. And I promise I will keep you updated, and you will get the information you need.”
“Consider yourself our ground crew,” Drake added. “You’ll stay in touch and monitor the Dark Web for any intelligence about Julia and what she’s planning. In exchange, you can remotely monitor our missions. You can work with MaeBe as technical support.”
“I appreciate that.” Joseph gave them what seemed like a genuine smile. “I think I’ll grab a beer and hang with the guys for a while. I like this group. They’re fun to be around. It’s been a long time since I had any fun at all. I like the way Taggart runs his teams.”
“Please send him back here.” His play tonight might have to wait. If Julia was coming for Mae again, it would be prudent to move her now. The security was excellent here, but nothing was foolproof. His uncle had already had to rebuild this place once because an enemy had blown it up.
Joseph nodded and walked out.
“Where do you want to go?” Drake asked. “We can let Ian fortify the hell out of this place, but I know you. You’ll want to move her.”
“I want to move all of us. We can go to Julian Lodge’s building. It’s closer to the private airfield anyway.” They might need to get tricky about this. “We should change up our plans. I think heading to your dad’s golf club in South Carolina might be a good idea.”
Drake seemed to think about that for a moment. “Yeah. He still has a locker there. We’re supposed to clean it out, but he’d paid for the year. It’s a logical place to look. Or rather a good distraction. One she’ll believe.”
“Then we get in a car and drive to DC.” He could go old school when he needed to. “It’ll be a long day, but we can still meet your mom and get those keys.”
“Okay.” Drake closed his locker. “I’ll go and let Taylor and MaeBe know what we’re doing. Can you call Lodge? We’ll need a secure vehicle, too.”
He was used to handling logistics. “Yes. Tell our ladies we’ll move out in an hour or two.”
He wondered if he could get to The Club and still have time to tie up MaeBe and torture her for a couple of hours. Probably not. Drake walked away and Kyle’s brain started working on how the evening needed to go.
“What’s going on?” His uncle rounded the corner. “Tell me it’s something I can punch because right now I’m losing a bet with Jake. The Longhorns need a new coach, damn it.”
“Apparently Julia’s going to move on MaeBe tonight.”
“Here? At Sanctum?” his uncle asked.
Kyle nodded.
Ian threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, that’s going to be fun. All right. Are we looking at hired mercenaries or a whole bunch of Johns? I love that they call all their male operatives Johns. Gives it a classy flavor.”
Kyle was about to respond when Alex McKay showed up at the end of the row. It wasn’t the appearance of Alex that threw him off. Alex played most Saturday nights. No. It was who was with him.
Cooper McKay was a gangly kid. At fifteen he was almost six foot two and seemed to be all arms and long legs. And worried eyes.
“Ian, we need to talk,” Alex said with grim resolve. “Or rather my son needs to talk.”
“How is Cooper here?” Ian frowned and glanced down at his watch. “It’s late and he doesn’t drive.”
“Tash drove me. I know she’s not supposed to leave the house, but we had to look for her,” Cooper said, his young eyes filled with tears he seemed to be trying so hard not to shed.
Ian’s whole body went stiff. “Where’s Kala? What the hell was she doing outside the house? Damn it. She was going to your house, wasn’t she?”
“Apparently she’s been doing it almost every Saturday night for three months,” Alex explained. “This one here figured out how to manipulate the security system so I couldn’t tell he shut it off to let her in and out.”
“Nope, that was Kala, too,” Ian said with surety.
“She came over and then we had a fight because she can be so…” Cooper began and then seemed to think better of whatever he was about to say. “Anyway, she left but I called to make sure she was home and she didn’t answer. So I called Tash and we were going to drive around and try to find her, but Tash got worried and came here. She didn’t think you would have your cell phone on because of…because you’re here.”
He turned to Kyle. “I’m sorry. I have to deal with this. It’s not the first time Kala’s gotten angry and given her whole family a heart attack. We need to figure out where the closest late night boba tea place is. It’s her version of a bar. Damn it. She’s never getting a car of her own.”
“I can help.” He didn’t want his little cousin running around Dallas at night. Kala tended to think she was far more indestructible than she was.
Ian’s head shook. “No, you can’t. You need to move MaeBe. I thought a fight would be fun tonight, but it’ll have to wait. We’re shutting down. Go talk to Wade. Tell him what’s going on. We have protocols. I need to get dressed and tell my wife. You take a couple of guards with you and go to Lodge’s. I’ll text him and let him know you’re coming. His place is smack in the middle of downtown. They won’t be able to move freely down there. Text me when you’re safely in for the night.”
Kyle started for the door.
It looked like playtime was done.
* * * *
MaeBe put the finishing touches on her makeup and considered the fact that soon she might be able to color her hair again.
Blue. She hadn’t been blue in a long time. Or maybe a vibrant Little Mermaid red.
Taylor sat down at the vanity next to her. The women’s locker room at Sanctum was like a giant fabulous space dedicated to self-care. Even the showers were luxurious.
“I love this place.” Taylor set her makeup bag on the table and adjusted the lights. “I know Drake loves The Court, but this place is nicer. I might have only been to a couple of clubs, but I can tell this one is special. Are you sure you want to leave it for the other one?”
They hadn’t talked about it, but technically Kyle’s membership was to The Club. Of course hers was here. “I don’t know. I think we might do a best of both worlds kind of thing. Sean and Grace don’t play here every single night it’s open. They’re usually here Thursdays.”
Taylor’s lips curled up. “So you admit you are thinking about what could happen down the road.”
MaeBe sighed. She’d kept up the fiction that she was floating through life, living in the moment. Despite what had happened between them, she still worried he would find a way to ship her off to safety. Hopefully after they left for DC and she was still a full member of the team, she could trust that he was ready to change. “I’m practically planning a wedding, and I think that might be a problem.”
“I don’t. I’m happy for you. Kyle is…he’s so much happier than he’s been since I knew him. He’s pretty much a different person. The Kyle I met was bitter and nervous all the time. He’s calm and patient now. I like this Kyle.”
She loved this Kyle. “He changed a lot over the time he was here. When he showed up, he was shut down. He was standoffish with most people.”
“But not you.”
“A little with me, but not the way he was with the others. Even his mom.” She knew that because Grace had talked to her about it. It had been at the Christmas party at Top, and Grace had teared up when she’d thanked MaeBe for making Kyle so happy. She’d told Grace they were friends, but Grace hadn’t believed her.
They’d never merely been friends, but friendship had certainly been a part of their relationship.
“He was still processing what happened to him. I should know. It took me a long time to come to terms with what happened to my dad. It still hits me from time to time but when it does, I go and sit with Drake and be with him. He can’t do anything, but he can be there for me. I’ll do the same for him. I worry about him. I don’t know what’s going to happen when he sees his sister again.”
“Hopefully we’ll find what we need and let the authorities take care of things.” If they got the intel, they would forward it to anyone who would listen. Putting it out there was the safest thing to do, they’d decided. Of course only after they’d thoroughly vetted that sucker to make sure it wasn’t something Radcliffe had made up.
“Hopefully.” Taylor ran a brush through her hair. She wore a scarlet corset and a short skirt. Unlike MaeBe, she had on killer stilettos. “But if she shows up, you need to understand, I’m going to shoot first and not even care about the questions. If I have a shot, I’m going to take it.”
“You know we could always have our own channel.” A plan was working through her head. The truth of the matter was, she was worried about Kyle, too. He’d already killed Julia once, and it had wrecked him. Oh, she knew he would tell her it was all about the relationship itself and all the lies, but deep down she knew it had affected him deeply to turn a gun on a woman he’d thought he’d loved.
Had loved. It might have been a reckless, transitory emotion, but he’d cared about her. She’d given him something he’d needed in that moment, though what he’d needed was to be self-destructive.
She had to face the fact that Kyle Hawthorne might never get over the mistakes he’d made.
“What do you mean?” Taylor turned her way, and then the light seemed to dawn. “You mean a channel so we can talk without the guys listening in?”
“I’m not trying to cut them out, but you know they’ll try to deal with the situation any way they can.” MaeBe would be in the overwatch position, taking over all the cameras at the bank. She’d already mapped it out and could do it without a hitch. She would also have an eye on the security cameras and traffic cams within three blocks so if anyone tried to jump them at the bank, she would know. “If I see Julia and there’s a way to get you into position, I’ll do it.”
“Then I don’t have to argue with Drake.” Taylor nodded. “Yes, I like this plan.”
They weren’t sneaking around, merely putting a fail-safe into place. Something played around in her head. She’d thought about something and the idea had sparked…another idea. What was it? It was right there but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Hey, you two.” Charlotte walked up to them looking stunning in her pure white short shorts and bra that was really more of a bikini top. “Drake is at the door. He says he needs to talk to both of you. Joseph found some intel that you need to hear.”
“Thanks. We’ll be right there.” MaeBe winced as Charlotte walked away. She’d wondered what had been going on with Joseph. He’d stayed at the office when the rest of them had come down to the club. He’d told her he had a couple of things he wanted to wrap up, and there had been a bodyguard willing to hang with him.
“We spent most of the day trying to figure out where Julia is right now,” she admitted. “He’s got some great profiles on the Dark Web. The Canadians know how to build a presence, and some of them have been active for ten years.”
Taylor stood, towering over MaeBe because Mae was a barefoot sub. “That’s amazing. I’d like to take a look at those.”
MaeBe grabbed her robe, slipping it on. “Do you think she’s on her way to DC?”
“I think that’s highly likely but not all that surprising.” Taylor strode toward the door.
MaeBe waved at a couple of friends who’d just gotten in. She would miss Sanctum while she was gone, but she was eager to see The Court. Unlike Taylor, she’d only ever been to Sanctum. When they got back she hoped Kyle would take her to The Club.
That was wrong. There was no hope about it. He would. He was already talking about it and all the things they could do together over the holidays. He was acting like it was a foregone conclusion that they would be together in a couple of months and enjoying Thanksgiving at Top and the holiday weekend out at the lake house where the Taggart kids would run wild and the adults would drink and eat and watch over them. They would sit around the firepit and enjoy the cool weather. She would cuddle on Kyle’s lap and stare up at the stars.
