“They couldn’t break him.” Sean stood at his other side.
His brothers, surrounding him with support. Why had he ever fought this? Why had he thought for a second that he didn’t need these men in his life, to mentor him, to fight beside him, to be his brothers? He’d fought them. He’d wanted to remain the leader. Years he’d spent being the leader of the two of them—him and Theo. He’d wanted that to stay the same, but god, it was so much better now. He wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to be perfect. He just had to be here.
He’d spent years struggling, years when it had only been him and Theo, but now any way he turned he saw someone who gave a shit about him. They were obnoxious and loud and insane and they were his freaking family. Every single one of them.
“His face doesn’t matter.” Case had never been more sure about anything in his life. “All that matters is Mia and Theo and Hutch.”
Sean nodded. “All that matters is getting our people back.”
Kent flipped the laptop back around and stared down at the screen, his hands moving on the keyboard. “They refueled in Morocco and according to satellite data they should be landing soon. But there’s some bad news. Dr. McDonald isn’t on the plane. We have no idea where she is and she’ll very likely figure out her whole operation has been compromised quickly. My boss wants to stand down and allow McDonald to join her crew before moving in.”
Ten sighed. “Damn it. Why isn’t she with them? We need that intel. We need to apprehend McDonald or she’ll just set up another clinic in another country and continue her research.”
Stephanie stepped up. “I’m ready. Brody and I have been working the last couple of weeks to make sure we can deal with this situation.”
Brody stood beside the doctor, his big frame looming over hers. “We’ve got the rooms ready and everything. You can monitor the situation while we wait for McDonald.”
“No.” Lawless faced the big Aussie. “I’m not going to let my sister stay here. If you won’t save her, I’ll walk away right fucking now and hire someone who will.” He turned to Case. “Come on. I’ll get you all the backing you could hope for, Case.”
He’d come a long way with that family. The fact that Drew Lawless just assumed immediately that Case’s first priority would be Mia meant he’d properly settled into his role as Mia’s future husband.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Ian said. “Stop slinging your big old wallet dick around. You should know that we’re backing Case and Case won’t allow his wife to be used as a pawn.”
“Or my brother.” It seemed like everyone knew him pretty well. It settled something deep inside him. Mia was almost here and she knew him, too. She would be waiting for him to save her. She wouldn’t be crying in a corner and praying. She would know damn straight that her man would come for her.
His only problem would be the fact that his Mia would try to look out for his brother and Hutch, too. She was fierce and she would be a warrior.
Kent looked at him. “You know what you’re giving up.”
Revenge on Hope McDonald. It was an easy choice to make. Revenge or his loved ones. He would choose them every single time. “I know that I’m getting my wife and brother and friend back. That’s a good fucking day in my books.”
Kent nodded. “Well, I’m sure I can figure out a way to explain it all to my boss. I’ll probably get stuck with babysitting duty for a few years, but I’ve gotten used to Dallas.”
Brody got a big smile on his face and he put a hand on Stephanie’s shoulder. “Told you we wouldn’t really be needed, luv.”
Stephanie grinned up at him. “He did. He got the report this morning and told me my time as a spy was almost done. It sucks. I was so ready to play Mata Hari. I was going to seduce someone.”
Kent frowned at her. “I don’t think you want to seduce any of those guys. One of them was in prison for murder, two of them probably qualify as mentally ill at this point, and Santos was a walking venereal disease when he was with the Agency. Now he’s a traitorous walking venereal disease.”
Stephanie sighed. “It seems so glamorous in the movies. Like that one about Pierce Craig.”
Everyone else groaned but Ian perked up. “I know. That dude’s awesome, right?”
Sean’s eyes rolled. “I curse the day Serena sold that book to Hollywood.”
Because that book had been loosely based on Ian’s life and Ian never let them forget it. Luckily that one had a happy ending.
“Let’s suit up. This is going down soon,” Case said.
He was going to make sure this op ended happily, too.
Mia was shaking by the time the plane taxied toward the hanger. Cargo planes didn’t land quite the same way corporate jets did.
“You all right?” If Theo had been bothered by the landing, she couldn’t tell. He seemed perfectly steady.