“I’m texting him now,” Erin replied, her phone in hand.
Simon stepped away from the window. “How about you two stop bickering and we get to the reason for our very long flight. Did you read through the files on the plane or just insult each other?”
“She’s the one who’s in the perpetual bad mood,” Theo shot back.
“That’s because my real partner got replaced with a little boy,” Erin complained. She had not been thrilled when Tag had pulled Li from the op. With Dean in the hospital and Alex on paternity leave, Li had stayed behind to do much of the day-to-day operations. Ten had stepped up to lead because Ian wouldn’t leave Charlotte, and Theo had replaced Liam on their team.
Theo towered over Erin. “I’ll show you just how much of a man I can be, sweetheart.”
“Stop it both of you,” Simon ordered. It was obvious Simon was the senior McKay-Taggart operative.
Erin turned to face Simon, her body at attention. You could take the woman out of the Army, but in Erin’s case, it looked like the Army wasn’t out of the woman. “Yes, sir. I did read the files. I think it could be any one of those pompous assholes. I’d just shoot them all to be completely sure. But that’s just my opinion, sir. Isn’t Murdoch supposed to know him by sight?”
“I was pretty much either high or brutally beaten most of the time I actually spent with him,” Jesse explained. “I’ve got three suspects. Until I’m in the same room, it’s hard to tell. Those men are the right age and they’re close to what I remember.”
“Two of those men are members of the al Fareed family,” Simon said grimly.
Phoebe whistled because that was not good news. Every man here was powerful and wealthy and had more clout than anyone else on the planet, but now they were talking about almost royalty. “Damn. If that’s true, we’ve got real trouble. They’re one of the wealthiest families in Saudi. And they’re moderates.”
“They say they are,” Ten murmured.
“Just because one member is a radical doesn’t mean the whole family is in on it,” Simon replied.
“But if they know what he’s doing and they’ve given him any aid, it could seriously damage US/Saudi relations.” She didn’t even want to think about what it could do to the price of oil or the destabilizing effect it could have on the world economy.
The doors opened and a gorgeous man burst through. Six foot four, with dark hair that brushed his shoulders and sun-kissed caramel skin, the king of Loa Mali had been blessed with more than money and power. Even Erin’s eyes widened as he strode in with a charming smile on his face. “My friends.”
About a dozen people followed him, men in suits, and one or two carrying laptops. Three women immediately found the luxurious couches or chairs and dropped into them, posing artfully, as though the king required fashion models around him at all times.
Ten stepped up and shook Kash Kamdar’s hand. “Thank you so much for the work, Your Highness. McKay-Taggart considers you a valued client and you should know we’re here to help with your every security need.”
It had been agreed on that the rest of Kamdar’s team wouldn’t know the Agency was involved, so Ten was playing the corporate lead.
“I’m always happy to have my friends with me. Please tell Mr. Taggart I missed seeing him and his lovely wife. Such a smart woman. I owe her a yacht, you know. My beautiful boat was almost blown up, but the lovely Charlotte saved it.” His head turned and Phoebe was almost blinded by his smile. “Although you seem to have brought me another beauty. Hello, pretty girl. What’s your job? I think you should be my personal guard. You can take good care of me.”
Simon stepped up. “Your Highness, do you remember when I told you about my friend? I explained that he sometimes loses a bit of control when he’s angry?”
“Yes, you describe this man like the Hulk. He smashes things. I like the Hulk.”
“You’re touching his girl,” Simon said with a smooth smile. “He also bites, from what I understand.”
Kamdar slowly backed away. “I was only looking. Did I touch? This was a misunderstanding, my friend.”
Ten shook his head, but Jesse moved in, threading their fingers together.
“I don’t blame you for looking, Your Highness. She’s a gorgeous woman. She’s also quite good at her job, so I think I’ll let her handle you.” Jesse winked down at her. He’d taken off the sunglasses and she could see the amusement in his eyes.
Without losing a beat, Kamdar turned to Erin. “And you. Hello, lovely lady.”
Erin went a little red and stared for a moment like she’d never seen a man before. “Hi.”
“She’s working,” Theo said, stepping in front of her. “You can stop drooling now.”