work for a corrupt senator. Big Tag is smart. He vets his clients.”
“He also loves subterfuge,” Erin said. “Once a spook, always a spook, I say. Ian vetted you, Mia. I’m sure he’s known all along exactly who you are, and I suspect that he thinks you’re working for The Collective.”
“He thinks my brother is one of them?” Mia paled a little.
Erin touched her nose and gave Mia a wink. “Now you’re catching on. We’ve been in a Mexican standoff without knowing it because the boys are dumb shits who would rather play spy games than sit down and think this out rationally.”
“Why wouldn’t he ask her?” Kori didn’t understand. She didn’t understand why they wouldn’t sit Mia down, and she definitely didn’t understand why they’d gotten Kai involved.
Except that Mia had been Kori’s friend and Kai had an in with Kori. If Case hadn’t been able to get close to Mia, which it looked like he hadn’t, then Kai could do the job. Which he had. He’d done his job with the cool precision of a McKay-Taggart operative and then he’d wanted out. He’d obviously found his work distasteful.
Erin sighed, her eyes a little weary. “Ian would love to believe that he’s a mystery to all of us. He’s not. I’ll tell you exactly what he was thinking. He was wondering if Blondie here wasn’t working for her brother. He hoped and prayed she was a plant so he could switch it all up on her and spy on Drew Lawless and maybe, just maybe Lawless would lead us deeper into the organization. He would have listened in, but only one name would have mattered. Oh, if Ian had really found something out, he would alert the authorities, but only if it wouldn’t compromise his mission.”
“I’m scared to ask what his mission is,” Mia admitted.
“They didn’t catch who killed Theo, did they?” There was only one thing that would drive Big Tag like this, that would make him single-minded and utterly ruthless.
“Theo was killed by some random asshole who got the jump on him because he fucked up,” Erin replied. “That man was meaningless. Going after that idiot would be like stomping on the bullet that pierced Theo’s heart. He was a tool. Maybe he died when we stormed the compound. Maybe he’s still some asshole’s lackey. I don’t know. I don’t care. I shot Senator McDonald through the brain. Put that in your story, Mia. I sat on a rooftop with a sniper rifle and waited until the perfect moment, and then I pulled the trigger. You would think I was angry at the time. That I was emotional. I wasn’t. True revenge is cold. It means you’ve got nothing left and all that will satisfy your icy heart is killing another human being. I would very much like to kill Hope McDonald. So would Ian. So would Case. So would Sean.”
Hell, Kori had no idea who Hope McDonald was but she kind of wanted to kill the bitch now. “Erin, I don’t think her brother knows.”
Mia’s face had hardened. “Ian Taggart is going to want a meeting with my brother. He’s going to ask him to go undercover.”
“Or to allow one of us to do it. I know how Ian thinks. I know what I would do. You’re a gift, Mia,” Erin said, her voice cold. “And you’ll get a hell of a story out of it. I think you should call your brother. Ian’s on his way over.”
Mia stood, flipping open her bag and pulling out her phone. She frowned as she looked at the screen. “Damn. I’ve got five messages from him. One of them says I should stop using this fucking phone. Awesome. They already figured out I’m compromised. I hate Case Taggart. I hope his balls shrivel up and die. Son of a bitch. I’ll never live this down. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have three insanely protective alpha male brothers?”
“I got a Taggart in my womb. You’re kidding me, right?” Erin snarked.
Mia calmed a bit. “I’m sorry for the trouble. I was suspicious. It’s a scary world out there. I wanted to make things better.”
Erin stood and held out a hand. “Then work with us.”
Mia shook it. “All right. I’ll get my brother on the phone. Apparently he’s waiting up. Or he might be on a plane already on his way here. Maybe we can get him and Taggart on a call. Is there somewhere I can talk