Sully knew the guy wasn’t thrilled to be back. He, meanwhile, had no idea what the hell he was doing here. He could’ve piloted the twin-engine Cessna at the airfield and flown himself to Aruba, where Evangeline was waiting for him. That was the plan, after all. But . . . Sully couldn’t let Liam do this alone, damn it. Not after Liam’s confession about how much he hated his life in Boston.
He’d come along for moral support. Or at least that’s what he was telling himself. It wasn’t that he wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Liam yet. Nope. Not that at all.
“How do we know this isn’t a trap?” Biting her lip, Cate voiced the question she’d already asked ten times before. Her blond hair was arranged in a long braid that hung over one slender shoulder, and she wore a tight tank that showed off a pair of spectacular tits that Sullivan shouldn’t have been admiring.
But hey, at least he wasn’t the one touching them. The rookie had probably had his hands all over those beauties. And he must be really attached to them, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so quick to go against Morgan.
“We don’t,” Ash replied for the tenth time. He glanced at Liam. “Though I’ve got to ask—are you sure your brothers can be trusted?”
Liam offered a stony look. “I trust them with my life.”
“All right, then. If we’re walking into an ambush, I lay all the blame at the Macgregor door.”
They headed for the front entrance, but it wasn’t until they reached the doors that Sully realized Liam had remained at the curb.
He gestured for Cate and Ash to wait, then strode back to where Liam stood. With his black pants, black Timberlands, and black long-sleeve shirt that hugged every contour of his perfect chest, Liam looked like he should be creeping through a dark jungle. Or walking the runway of a Calvin Klein show. Either way—sexy as fuck.
“You okay?” Sully asked tentatively.
Liam nodded. “I’m fine.” And yet he still didn’t move.
“We need to go in.”
Liam’s chest rose as he took a breath. Then he followed Sullivan to the entrance and swiped a key card on the panel mounted to the wall. After the doors buzzed open, the four of them walked in to find a secondary security area.
“Harry. Tyrone.” Liam greeted the two guards with a brisk nod.
“Hey, man! How was the vacation?” the taller one—Harry—asked.
Liam’s shoulders tensed. “Great. My brothers already up there?”
The guard’s friendly expression faded. “Yes. And they requested we pat everybody down. No exceptions.”
“Go nuts, man.” Liam grinned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
The guards stepped forward to search them, then waved the small group off to the elevator banks. Cate continued gnawing on her bottom lip as they stepped into the elevator car.
Sully knew she was still worried about the possibility that this was a trap and he didn’t blame her. Everyone was worried about it. Morgan had all but tried to lock his daughter in the compound’s basement tunnel after he’d found out she was going to Boston.
Surprisingly, Noelle had been the voice of reason. There was absolutely something fishy about Benicio Rivera brazenly showing his face at MG Security but Noelle insisted that they couldn’t afford to not follow up on the lead.
Still, with the rest of the team scrambling to protect their families from Rivera’s hit squads, she and Jim could afford to send only a small crew to Boston—and they all knew that Morgan was not happy that Cate was part of that crew. Wasn’t happy that the rookie was coming along either.
Hell, nobody on the elevator looked too happy right now. Cate was worried. Ash was eyeing her in concern. Liam’s expression was bleaker than Sully had ever seen it.
When the doors dinged open, they found two men waiting for them in front of the elevator.
Sully’s breath instantly got trapped in his lungs, because . . . holy shit. He was looking at Liam’s clones.
Kevin was in his mid-forties, Denny was forty, forty-one, but their resemblance to their younger brother was unreal. They were as tall and muscular as Liam and just as attractive, and being in the vicinity of three drop-dead gorgeous Macgregors had Sully feeling like he was mingling with celebrities at an Oscar after-party.
Cate’s jaw dropped at the sight of the two men. “Are there any more of you?” she blurted out. When Ash narrowed his eyes at her, she glanced over defensively. “What? Look at them.”
One of the men cracked a smile but the other had a frown firmly set in place. He was staring at Liam. “You got here fast,” he remarked. “I take it you didn’t fly commercial.”
“No. We have a jet.” Liam peered past the man’s shoulders. “Where is he?”
“You’re not going to introduce us to your friends first?”
Liam seemed to be gritting his teeth as he muttered a quick introduction. “Sullivan, Cate, Ash, these are my brothers, Kevin and Denny.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Cate warmly extended a hand.
Kevin and Denny shook it, skepticism flickering in both their expressions as they assessed Cate. “How old are you?” Denny asked warily.
“What does that matter?”
The defiance sizzling in her eyes had Denny taking a step back. Sully stifled a laugh. Cate was a formidable woman. Definitely a chip off her old man’s block.
“I guess it doesn’t,” Denny backpedaled.
“There,” Liam said grimly. “You got your introductions. Now where’s Rivera?”
“I’m not taking you to him yet,” Kevin retorted. “Not until you answer a few questions.”
Liam gave him an incredulous look. “Questions? What the hell are you talking about, Kev? You want to interrogate me? Fuck that.”
“You can argue with me all night, little brother, but you’re not seeing Rivera until I get my answers.”
A vein throbbed in Liam’s forehead. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Drew a deep breath, as if he were trying to calm himself down. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”
“My office,” Kevin said.
He and Liam took off walking, their body language as stiff as their tones.
The others hesitated for a beat. Sully shrugged and followed them. He walked alongside Denny, who offered a rueful smile.
“Don’t be alarmed if they start yelling at each other. It’s the Macgregor way.”
“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Liam yell. Like, ever.”
“No shit? That’s surprising. That kid can be a real dick when he’s pissed.”
“Maybe the Macgregors bring out that side of him,” Sully countered.
Rather than take offense, Denny grinned again. “Yeah, we do tend to bring out the crazy in each other.”
They walked past the empty receptionist’s desk toward the offices in the back. Kevin pushed open a door and led them into a spacious office with hardwood flooring and a huge window that overlooked the street. Nobody sat down despite the presence of a sofa, two armchairs, and a big leather desk chair.
“We’re wasting time here,” Liam grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “What do you want to know?”
Kevin scowled. “Which side of the law you’re on.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means—which side of the law are you fuckin’ on, Liam? You call me three days ago telling me you’re caught up in the middle of some cartel war, that they’re killing people’s families. You order Ma and Dad to get out of town, scaring the shit out of Ma, by the way. Then the son of a cartel leader shows up at my place of business saying he needs to talk to my little brother. Why would he need to talk to you?” Accusation dripped from Kevin’s tone. “What are you involved in?”
“I told you what I was involved in. Suddenly you don’t believe me?”
“Criminals don’t j
ust request meetings with the good guys! They request meetings with other criminals!”
“You calling me a criminal?”
“Are you?”
“Boys,” Denny started.
“Fuck off, Denny.”
“Shut the fuck up, Denny.”
Sully couldn’t stop a laugh. All three Macgregors turned to glare at him, throwing off so much testosterone that the room temperature spiked.
Cate stepped between the two warring brothers and planted a hand on each of their chests. “How about we all calm down?” she said quietly. She focused on Kevin. “Your brother’s not a criminal. He works for my father.”
Suspicion clouded Kevin’s eyes. “Who’s your father?”
“James Morgan.”
“Yeah? Never heard of ’im.” The man’s Boston accent made Sully smile. Kevin sounded so much like Liam. They even scowled the same way.
“What does your father do?” Denny asked Cate.
“He’s a . . .” She paused, as if trying to find a nicer way to say mercenary. “He’s a private contractor. These men”—she gestured to Ash, Sully, and Liam—“are just a few of the soldiers on his team. They’re all former Marines, Rangers, SEALs.” She grinned. “It’s pretty much an all-star lineup over there.”
Kevin didn’t smile back, nor did he seem appeased. If anything, he looked angrier as he swiveled his head toward Liam. “You’re a gun for hire? Seriously?”
Liam frowned.
“First you’re a narc and now you’re a merc? Jesus Christ. Dad’s gonna shit a brick when he finds out about this.”
“Well, you can tell him all about it later.” Liam slammed an angry hand on the desk. “We’re in the middle of an op here. That bastard’s father sent hit squads after all of us.” He pointed to Cate. “He tried to kill her—twice. If she wasn’t such a wily little thing, she’d be dead already. So please, save your judgment for later. We need to talk to Rivera.” He directed his gaze to his other brother. “Where is he? Conference room one or two?”
“Two,” Denny murmured, which earned him a scathing look from Kevin.
Liam took a step to the door, only to halt in surprise when it opened without warning.
A tall, bulky man in faded jeans and a blue button-down froze in the doorway when he spotted all the bodies crammed in the room. Brown eyes rested briefly on Liam before shifting to Kevin.
And whoever the stranger was, his presence had rattled Liam. Sully watched as his friend’s shoulders instantly tightened, blue eyes narrowing in displeasure.
“What the fuck?” he barked at his brother. “You involved the cops?”
“No. He just involved me,” the stranger answered for Kevin, his sharp gaze continuing to sweep the office.
Yeah, this man was definitely a cop. That heightened awareness just screamed law enforcement.
“Detective Joe Conley,” he told the newcomers. “Boston PD. I’m a friend of the family.”
“Sullivan Port.” Sully shook the man’s hand, all the while fighting his unease.
Conley was undeniably attractive, with rugged features and a hard, toned body, but the way his gaze kept straying toward Liam was really bloody annoying. And his expression . . . there was something in it that made Sullivan’s instincts hum, and not in a good way. Liam didn’t seem to like it either, because his gaze dropped to his boots.
Who the fuck was Joe Conley and why was Liam so uncomfortable in his presence?
“I called Joey for advice,” Kevin said defensively. “It’s not every day that the heir to a drug empire shows up on my doorstep.”
“And what advice did Joe give you?” Liam mocked.
“I told him not to do anything until you showed up.” The cop had a deep voice. It was kind of . . . sexy.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Sully swallowed another rush of annoyance. He wasn’t allowed to evaluate the sexiness of this man’s voice, especially when there was obviously history between Liam and this fucker.
Childhood friends, maybe? Nah. Conley looked to be at least ten years older than Liam, so that didn’t make sense.
Another idea occurred to him, but Sully banished it before it could take root.
“We need to talk to Rivera,” Liam was saying. “So how about you all just get out of our way and let us figure out why he’s here.”
“What, are you gonna torture him?” Kevin asked, sarcasm dripping from his every word. “Who taught you how to do that? The DEA or your mercenary boss?” He glanced at the newcomer. “Little bro’s a soldier of fortune, how about that?”
Nobody missed the condemnation in his voice.
Conley’s lips twitched. “Ah, so he finally told you.”
Betrayal shone in Kevin’s eyes. “You knew?” He angrily turned to his brother. “You told him before you told us?”
The cop answered for Liam. “Hey, go easy on him. It’s not his fault I’m so fuckin’ easy to talk to.”
Liam snickered softly.
Sully’s hackles rose again. Oh yeah, there was definitely something between these two. Liam hadn’t told his own brothers what he did for a living but he’d told this man? This cop? Who the fuck was this guy?
It took every ounce of willpower to extinguish the flames of jealousy heating his blood. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by . . . this. Whatever this was. Besides, he had no reason to be jealous. He was leaving town the second they got Benicio Rivera to talk.
“Okay, enough of this shit.” Clearly tired of the discussion, Liam stalked to the door.
Sully hurried after him, with the others on their tail.
Liam knew exactly where he was going, marching across the office space toward another set of doors. The one he stopped in front of was labeled CONFERENCE TWO and required a key card to unlock it. He impatiently swiped his card, waited for the door to buzz, then pushed his way inside.
Coming up beside him, Sully conducted a cursory sweep of the room. It contained a table with two chairs on either side, a blinking camera in the corner of the ceiling, and nothing else. It was more of an interrogation space than a conference area, which made him wonder what kind of meetings the Macgregors held in here, and with who.
There was a man sitting at the table. He wasn’t bound or gagged and he shot to his feet at their entrance, his gaze flying from Sully to Liam. His clothes looked bedraggled and dusty, as if he’d been wearing them for days. His hair was dark and his eyes were even darker. Nearly black.
“Macgregor. Liam Macgregor.” Benicio Rivera stared at Liam, then nodded to himself. “I recognize you from the pictures.”
“What pictures?” Liam replied in a frosty tone.
“The file. My father compiled a file on you. All of you. But yours was the only one he gave me. I was tasked with eliminating you and your family.”
“I see.” Liam sounded bored, but Sully knew better. Pure, volatile energy radiated from his big frame. “You claim you’re Benicio Rivera?”
“Yes.” Benicio’s expression went sullen, giving him an air of insolent youth. He was in his early twenties, more of a boy than a man. “If you don’t believe me, I’m sure your contacts in the American government can verify my identity. Send them a picture.”
But there was no debate. Sully recognized him from the pictures they’d already received from the DEA. And he had those eyes, those snakelike Rivera eyes. Though while Rivera Senior’s eyes held a deadly, calculated gleam, this pair conveyed obvious fear.
“I’m told you want to talk to me,” Liam said coolly. “What’s this about?”
The young man shook his head. “No, I’m not here to talk to you.”
Liam raised a brow.
When Benicio’s gaze shifted to the side, it took Sullivan a second to realize that Cate had come up beside them.
A chord of desperation rang in Benicio’s voice as he addressed Morga
n’s daughter. “I’m here to talk to her.”
Chapter 32
Cate blinked in surprise, shifting uncomfortably under Benicio Rivera’s unwavering gaze. “Me?” she squeaked.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ash stiffen and waited for him to lodge a protest. To tell everyone in the room that she didn’t belong there. Frankly, as she looked at the armed men all around her, she had to acknowledge that she was more comfortable pointing a camera than a gun. She wasn’t cut out for mercenary work. Had never wanted it.
But Jim had pushed her into a corner and so here she was.
Ash remained silent and grim. He’d barely said a word to her since they’d boarded the plane for Boston, and his lack of words was almost as bad as Jim’s yelling.
“Yes,” Rivera’s son said firmly. “You.”
She straightened her shoulders. “Good thing I’m here, then.”
Benicio lowered himself onto a small metal chair and clasped his unbound hands on the table in front of him. She supposed restraints were unnecessary given the number of armed men in the building.
“Sit,” he urged.
After a moment of hesitation, she strode forward and took the seat across from him. She extended a hand and said, “I’m Cate, which you already know. I’m beginning to think your whole family has a crush on me.”
He gave a halfhearted limp shake in return. “Benicio, as you already know,” he mimicked. His lips curved slightly. “And yes, I think my father likes you. He’s always been attracted to fiery women. My mother is”—he paused, searching for the right word—“incomparable.”
There was reluctant admiration in his voice, along with a tinge of regret. Cate didn’t hold the same warm feelings that he had, not after Camila had led them on a goose chase that resulted in Holden’s brutal murder.
“So terrorists love their mamas. How sweet.” She placed her hand on her chin, trying her hardest to look like she was at ease. “I’m struggling to figure out why I shouldn’t have everyone in this room take turns plugging you with holes.”
Sullivan snorted from the doorway.