Theo had been wrong.
Hutch was his man. Case ran this group and he wasn’t being the leader he needed to be. Case stood up and put his hands on Hutch’s shoulders. He had to make a decision whether the secret was more important than his mission and his men.
He owed Ian, but he owed his group, too. Ian had brought in Alex and Li to back him up. Hutch and Michael were Case’s closest advisors.
“You are not going to lose me.” He looked over at Fain. Sometimes life threw him curve balls and sometimes those freaking curve balls ended up being necessary.
He couldn’t risk going in alone. Not if someone was after Mia. Michael was out of commission. He needed Fain.
“If you turn out to be untrustworthy, I need you to understand that I will skin you alive and turn you into a rug for my office and I will let my dogs piss on you. I don’t have dogs right now, but I’m going to get some if you betray me. Am I understood?”
“I get you.” Fain was so earnest Case was worried he might break into song. “And I want in. I take my job seriously. I know I work for someone your brother doesn’t like, but they weren’t freaking hiring at McKay-Taggart. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a team I could count on? I’m not going to let you down. Now tell me we’re going after The Collective. I lost a friend in Africa during a skirmish that I believe was caused not by the locals but by The Collective over diamond mining.”
“A mercenary?”
“No. He was my brother and he was on a black ops team. So tell me I get to have some part in taking those fuckers down.”
“We’re not going after The Collective. Not directly,” he admitted. “We’re going after my brother.”
Hutch’s mouth dropped open. “What? Theo’s dead…fuck. She saved him. McDonald saved him and she took him and that’s why we never found his body.”
“Are you kidding me?” Michael asked. “He’s been with her all this time. What has she done to him? Does Ian know?”
“Of course. He’s known for a while and you have to understand why he’s kept it quiet.” He wasn’t going to throw his brother under the bus. Ian had made the right call. Case was making the only one he could. The intel was too important. Ian had said the information was on a need-to-know basis. Case needed them to know. “I’ll give you all the information you need, but you have to promise me now that the fact that Theo’s alive doesn’t get back to the rest of the team.”
“Erin would be devastated if she lost him twice,” Michael said.
“Or she would fly in after him and she could die and they would both be gone.” Hutch sank back into his seat. “I saw her that night. If she could have, she would have taken his place. She would have gone with him. Brody carried her out or she would have stayed with Theo. She wouldn’t leave him.”
A lot had changed in the months since Theo’s death. He didn’t think Erin would rush out. Case kept the secret from her for a different reason. “She’s a mom now. I don’t think she would be reckless with her life because of TJ, but I can’t let her feel the pain I feel every single day. I know he’s out there and I can’t help him. If I can spare Erin that pain, I’m going to and I’m asking you to as well.”
“I’m with you,” Michael promised.
Hutch nodded. “I can keep a secret.”
He was tougher than he seemed. “Good. Fain?”
“I don’t know her so I think we’re good,” Fain explained.
“I was talking about your boss.” Guy Ferland had some issues with Big Tag.
“He has zero need to know. He’s actually a dick and when I find another job, I’ll leave. Like I said, I’m really just looking for a team.” Fain looked back at Mia. “What role do you play in this?”
Mia shrugged and walked back into the cabin. She left the door open as she sat back down in the pilot’s seat. “I’m just the girl who got a good lead.”
He’d been wondering about this, too. “So you got a lead on my brother. Who was supposed to be dead. And this Tony person just up and knew you were the person to come to. Even though we don’t have connection on paper, he came to you. About my brother, who is supposed to be dead.”
Michael frowned. “That does seem fishy.”
Not for the same reasons. Michael was going the paranoid route. He knew his partner. Michael was wondering now if this wasn’t some kind of ploy to get them all at some place at some prescribed time where Mia would pull a surprise dick move on them.
He knew this had nothing to do with betrayal and everything to do with the fact that Mia didn’t give up on the things she wanted.
And she wanted him.
“I guess I was lucky,” she said primly.