Master No (15 page)

It could have happened. She could have taken the bait when she needed money. Or she could have seen a good deal and taken it. She could be looking out for number one.

“You think Faith’s working with them?” Theo patted the baby’s back as he paced.

“No, I think she was working with them and now they’ve decided she’s expendable. We need to figure out why.” No matter what she’d done, he needed to keep her alive until he’d gotten the dirt on her father. He had to figure out how she’d fucked over the Ukrainians and protect her until such time that he no longer needed her and then they could take her.

Or he could take her and punish her and bend her to his will and make damn sure she never did anything criminal again. He could keep her all for himself once he’d properly spanked the criminal out of her.

“That doesn’t sound like Faith,” Theo said, a frown on his face.

It struck him that Faith had liked Theo. Faith had asked about Case because she liked Theo so damn much. She’d obviously charmed him to the point that he couldn’t see her as a criminal. “So she should have given you a pamphlet detailing her crimes? Is that what you expected? Did I train you at all?”

Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Of course you did. You trained me to make judgment calls. To really look at people and figure out what they’re capable of. She’s not capable of this. She wasn’t working with the mob. What would she do with them? You think she was selling drugs? Because I’ve watched that woman beg and plead for anything she can get for her patients.”

Of course she did. She was likely Mother Theresa in public. She was likely very useful to her father as well. Being able to parade around his saintly doctor daughter would be good PR. “I want Hutch to pull absolutely everything he has on the relationship between Faith and her father.”

“She’s got a love-hate relationship with the man,” Theo replied.

“I don’t want to hear about your perceptions.” It was obvious Theo had taken a big dose of Faith’s Kool-Aid. Of course, Ten himself had woken up this morning basically vowing to protect her. “I want solid proof. I want their e-mails to one another. I want anything I can get my hands on. These people are smart. They won’t show their colors in public.”

“McDonald certainly won’t,” Tag agreed. “He’s been a politician for almost forty years. He started in state politics when he was straight out of college.”

Tag wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. “McDonald’s family is political royalty. His family has held a seat in congress or the senate for the last fifty years. There’s talk about Hope eventually following in her father’s footsteps. So this is a family who knows how to keep the skeletons hidden. We need to dig deeper. We need to figure out how Faith is involved in her father’s schemes.”

“Or we can accept that she’s not.” Theo laid the baby he was holding down in her carrier thingee. When he stood back up, his hands were on his hips, judgment plain on his face. “I think she’s exactly what she looks like. She’s been nothing but kind to everyone we’ve met up with and she’s done wonders with Erin. I don’t think Erin’s ever had a female friend like Faith, so you need to understand that I’m going to look out for her. Erin cares about her, and that makes her my responsibility.”

Tag looked down at the baby in his arms. “It’s time to vomit again, Kala. Uncle Theo’s going to break into song.”

“She’s not your responsibility. She’s the target and now I’m worried that I have to work against my own team.” He faced off with Theo, who he’d trained. Theo had been trained to see deeper, to view the world through the filter of the mission. It seemed to Ten like Theo had gotten too comfy with his target. “I know you’ve spent months with her. I know you care about her, but even if she’s not involved with her father’s business, you getting emotional about this is going to get Faith killed. I’m going to ask you some serious questions and I want you to answer me like the operative I know you can be.”

Theo’s jaw had tightened, his shoulders straightening as though he couldn’t help himself. “Yes, sir.”

“Can you give me one good reason for the Ukrainians to send an assassin after her?”

Theo’s eyes closed briefly and they were colder when he opened them. “She’s gotten involved in something that could compromise their operations.”

“And what do the syndicate’s operations consist of?”

“Obviously they’re criminal enterprises, Ten. I know where you’re leading. You want me to add one and one and come up with two. If she’s involved with the mob, then she’s involved with something criminal.”

The boy could be led to the proper conclusions. “And if she’s involved with criminal operations, it only makes sense she’s also involved with her father. It would be awfully coincidental if her father kept her in the dark, but she still managed to find her way to his lifestyle. Can we connect the senator with the mob?”

Tag sighed and sat back, his big hand cradling the baby. She rested along her father’s forearm, her head in that strong hand. Her eyes were closing because that baby wasn’t worried about anything. She was completely certain that her father would take care of her.

Ten had read the reports about himself. He’d been a fussy baby, crying even when held, as though he’d never once trusted the person who held him. It had been a factor in moving him from home to home even as an infant. No one wanted a fussy baby.

Faith had curled in his arms, as though she totally trusted him. The night before she’d turned over in her sleep and draped her body over his like they’d been sleeping together for years. He’d been stiff at first and then he’d relaxed, enjoying the way she felt. Well, everything but his cock had relaxed. That looked like it would stay stiff all fucking day.

He’d just learned she was involved with the mob and he still wanted to be inside her.

“I’ve got Markovic on it. Apparently he’s got some ties there,” Tag explained. “He was calling some people this morning, and hopefully he can figure out why they put the kill order on her. I put a call in to my
Bratva
contact. He might have heard something. I’ll ask him about Faith and the senator when he calls back.”

Ten chuckled. He was fairly certain Big Tag had never expected that his wife would come with a full set of Russian mafia in-laws. “You’re still in touch with Dusan?”

Dusan Denisovitch was Charlotte and Chelsea’s cousin. He was also the head of the Denisovitch Syndicate, one of the most successful of the
Bratva
or the Brotherhood. Dusan had risen to the head when the former leader had been murdered. Ten was fairly certain he was currently in the same room as the man who had killed Dusan’s father. He’d often wondered if Dusan thanked Tag for clearing the way.

“Yep. I can’t get rid of anyone,” Tag complained. “The good news is Dusan’s actually fairly rational for a criminal. He’ll call back when he’s done doing whatever he does. I try not to ask. I’ll have a report for you on Monday.”

He would have to get through the weekend before he found out the truth. He looked over at Theo. Theo believed Faith, but Theo hadn’t seen the things Ten had seen. Theo’d never nearly been gutted by a woman he’d recently finished fucking. Yeah, that had happened to Ten more than once. Theo thought Erin was a handful. He’d never had to go hand to hand with an MSS agent who tried to take off the cock she’d just sucked.

He couldn’t believe in Faith. He had to keep himself apart. It was simply proving more difficult than it usually was. Usually it wasn’t difficult at all. Damn but he wished he knew what it was about Faith that called to him. Her innocence? That could be false. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever slept with, but he couldn’t think of a single one he preferred to her. Maybe Theo wasn’t the only one who needed to remember what the hell he was doing here.

“Get me the info I need, Tag.”

Tag’s eyes met his. “I will. What are you going to do about the girl if she’s dirty?”

“Whatever I have to.” It was the only answer he was willing to give. He sighed. “I should get ready. She’ll be back soon. I want to move her over to my place. I can keep better track of her there. Has she eaten yet?”

Theo shook his head. “I asked her to pick up some cereal while she was out.”

Poor Erin. She wasn’t getting a cook out of Theo. “Do you have eggs? I don’t eat cereal.”

Tag’s eyes lit up. “Hey, I could eat.”

Ten sighed and opened the fridge to see what he could do. Maybe cooking would take his mind off the fact that he might have to turn Faith over to the authorities.

Or depending on how bad the situation was, he might have to kill her himself.

CHAPTER SIX

“It has to move fast, Erin. I only have a few weeks off,” Faith said as Erin turned toward the house she and Theo shared. It was in an older neighborhood with plenty of trees. Everything seemed green and pretty.

“I’m not being judgmental. God, don’t think that for a second. I’m simply pointing out that you’ve only known Ten for a few weeks. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“And I thank you for that, but I know the score.” She actually didn’t like to think about the fact that she would have to leave him in a few weeks. She’d never really thought about it with Roger. She’d enjoyed their time together¸ but she’d always been ready when it was time to go back to work. The thought of leaving Ten kind of made her heart clench.

It was because it was new and he was so gorgeous. He was different. Surely she wouldn’t feel this way after a few weeks of spending tons of time together. After she’d actually slept with him, she would likely yawn and go back to her real life. Yeah. That was going to happen.

God, she was going to get her damn heart broken.

She put on a smile. “We’re just having fun. We’re not serious. Not everyone is as suited as you and Theo.”

Erin’s hands tightened on the wheel. “I’m thinking of breaking up with him.”

Faith turned in her seat. “What? Why would you do that?”

“It won’t work,” Erin said, her voice small. “Isn’t it better to rip the bandage off?”

She shook her head, her heart hurting for Erin. What was going on behind the scenes?

“No. Nope. As a doctor I can tell you plainly that it’s a bad idea to rip the bandage off. It tends to do more damage. And what do you mean it won’t work? You two are perfect for each other.”

“I don’t think I’m perfect for anyone,” Erin muttered. “It’s not him. He’s a great guy. I’m not cut out for a long-term relationship.”

Something else was working here. “How long have you two been together?”

She hesitated for a moment before answering. “A year now.”

That was longer than most of Faith’s relationships. “Have you ever had a relationship last this long?”

“No.”

“Then you’re nervous because everything’s going well.” Faith actually knew the feeling. She felt a bit of it this morning. Waking up with Ten had been a revelation. It should have been awkward and weird but it had felt…right. It felt like they’d been sleeping side by side for years. “You need to relax. He’s madly in love with you.”

“I don’t know why.”

“Then ask him.” Communication was important. The lifestyle mentors she’d been around had preached it incessantly. How could a Dom know what worked if the sub never talked to him about it? Sure they were talking about scenes, but Faith had always known when she met the one, she would use that belief in her relationship. She would be open and honest about what she needed.

Was Ten “the one?” Was he the man she might give up her clinic for? She’d always thought she would work until she died, giving her service to the world around her. What if she could have more? What if she could have a family and a husband and love?

“You think I haven’t done that?” Erin’s question pulled her from those dangerous thoughts. “He gives me some bullshit about being strong and feeling like I complete him. I don’t complete anyone, Faith. He doesn’t…he doesn’t even know everything. He’s never met my dad or my brothers.”

“Why haven’t you introduced him? You’re living with the man.” Was she going to introduce Ten to her family? Sure they would be on the island, but there was a difference between “hey, this is my date” and “hello, Dad, I’d like you to meet the man I might be falling for.”

She sounded like such an idiot girl in her head.

“That so wasn’t my idea,” Erin replied. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea for Theo to meet them. I don’t have much contact with my family anymore, but he’s started asking about them. I don’t want those two worlds to collide.”

Ah, so there was the issue. She knew there had to be one buried deep. “You would rather break up with him than have him meet your family.”

“Yes,” Erin answered in a flat tone.

“Tell him. He’ll understand.” She hesitated to bring anyone into her weird family, too. It had been easy up to this point.

“No, he’ll get nosy. Theo’s sticky. He’s everywhere. He won’t just have sex. He’s gotta get all involved and stuff. I’ve gone along with it, but I don’t want to talk about this. I got over it a long time ago. Theo’s not going to let it sit so I should break it off now. Well, soon. I don’t know. I shouldn’t be talking about it anyway.” She frowned. “I think someone’s following us.”