Chapter Nine
“Hey, man, did I thank you for the ride?” Tim settled in beside Ben on the ridiculously extravagant jet that was currently flying over some part of America connected to the Mississippi River.
Tim wasn’t talking to him.
“You did,” Charlotte Taggart said with a gracious smile.
“Several times.” Big Tag eyed Tim like he was a snake that might bite him since Tim had been super flirty with his wife.
Ben had known exactly who to talk to in order to not force Tim to fly commercial to London.
Where they would be meeting with MI6 as a team.
He was officially working with the Americans now, but he wanted his own tech with him.
Lou would always prioritize her own team, so he needed Tim with him, watching out for their interests.
It also wouldn’t hurt to have a reminder that he didn’t belong in this weird-ass, comfortable family thing they had going on.
Tim had been more than happy to join since he’d been sitting in a La Quinta Inn for days waiting to be called in.
The annoying thing was when Tim showed up at the small private airfield, he’d walked in like he was one of them.
He’d strode right up to Lou and given her a hug, but only after he’d handed TJ Taggart a bag from someplace called HEB that apparently had TJ’s favorite snacks.
He’d joked with the twins like they hadn’t lied to them.
He’d joked with Cooper and said hi to Zach when Cooper had called him.
Tim fit in better than he did, and it rankled.
It also rankled that Kenzie was sitting with her twin at the front of the plane instead of in this living room-style setup with him.
He’d rather expected her to follow him and try to get on his lap or make out in front of her parents, which he couldn’t figure out if it was rebellion or real desire she couldn’t control.
Well, she was controlling herself now.
His cell buzzed and he glanced down. Text.
From Dare.
Damn. He sat up straighter and moved to get the message on screen. Like he was a kid with one friend in the world.
He was pathetic at times, but one of the best things to happen to him was meeting Dare Nash.
When he’d started this op, he’d begun by getting a job with the Nash group—a known business associate of Huisman’s legitimate side.
He’d spent months as Brian Peters, getting to know the guy, and he’d liked him.
Hey, what’s going on with Kenz because she is talking to her sisters, if you know what I mean.
He did not. He wished he could call Dare. They hadn’t had real time to talk since he’d been getting married and then going on his honeymoon. Ben didn’t have anyone he could talk to about relationships since Tim’s longest relationship was with his laptop. Dare had briefly been his go-to guy.
He could be again if he played his cards right.
I think we’re fine. But maybe not. Look, we had an incident, and it’s bugging me. She is running completely wild, but I don’t know if I can or should discipline her.
He typed it out and then erased it.
We’re good.
Bubbles appeared immediately.
You are not. Talk to Big Tag. He won’t steer you wrong when it comes to his daughters. I’m serious, man. The emojis are coming in hot and heavy, and none of them are eggplants. Talk to him. Or Coop because Kenzie is questioning if your… What does medovaya lovushka mean? My Russian isn’t great yet.
Damn it.
It’s nothing. A little joke. I’ll handle it.
Was Kenzie telling her sisters she thought he was playing her for information? Had Sosa gotten into her head?
“Something wrong?” Taggart asked, staring at him like he could read minds.
Charlotte took a deep breath. “Hey, Tim, can you come help me? I was going to make us some snacks.”
TJ sat up from where it had looked like he was napping. “Oh, I could eat. I’ll come help.”
Charlotte rumpled his hair like he was a kid she liked. From what Ben had been able to put together, she’d probably been doing it since TJ was a boy since she was his aunt.
They were all related, from what he’d learned. By blood or something else. Something that made Ben… He didn’t even know what to call it. When he thought about this team, some unnamed emotion welled inside him.
It might be longing.
“You stay here. I think your uncle is going to appreciate some backup,” she said.
Tim glanced his way as if to ask if it was okay to follow the gorgeous woman who also happened to be old enough to be his mom.
Ben nodded and the minute Tim was gone, TJ Taggart was in his place and Cooper McKay was taking the fourth seat, the one Charlotte had abandoned.
And here he was. Surrounded by wolves. Lying wolves.
There was a part of him that accepted and understood why they’d done it. And a boy part who wished she’d trusted him from the start.
“Dude, what is going on because the women are all texting and they are silent, and that is never a good sign,” Cooper announced. “When they go silent, you are in trouble.”
“I assume they’re on the group text,” TJ said solemnly. “The one that if a man sees it, he turns straight to stone.”
Ben was confused. “If you’re trying to say I did something to hurt Kenzie, I don’t know what it could be. I’ve been polite. I made sure she had what she needed. I thought I was saving her a seat until she didn’t show up.”
“And you didn’t go get her,” TJ said with a yawn.
“Rookie move,” Cooper agreed.
Yep. Definitely confused. “I’m supposed to go haul her back here with me?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Look, you either go and get her and drag her back or you make a place for yourself,” Cooper explained.
“He has to do it a lot of nights,” TJ said with what seemed like a long-suffering sigh. “He ends up in bed with me most nights.”
“New friends, buddy,” Taggart complained.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He was deeply confused.
“She hasn’t talked to you about how Kala sometimes has bad dreams and tends to get in bed with Lou?
” Cooper was the one who seemed caught off guard.
Like he’d expected Ben to know. When Ben gave him nothing, he continued his explanation.
“The first time she did it when she was sleeping with me, I followed her. She needs the comfort after one of those dreams, so I chose to simply slip in bed beside her. I think Kenz needs to know you’re willing to pick her up and carry her back to you. ”
TJ nodded. “In this case, she’ll think it’s romantic.”
“What surprises me is that you told me off for letting her run wild, but you didn’t even slap her ass for that stunt she pulled today.
She didn’t have cover when she ran for the trees.
If Gabby had been aware of her perimeters, she would have taken Kenz out with one shot,” her father declared.
“She wasn’t dressed for combat either, if you know what I mean.
She should be wearing some damn panties.
Combat panties, none of those thong things.
” He looked around like checking if anyone could hear him.
“What the hell does the word Dom mean to you, son? Because to my mind you’re acting like one of her damn high school boyfriends who let her walk all over them and do crazy shit that could kill her. ”
Ben sat back flummoxed, but Taggart had asked the right question for the clarification he needed.
“I thought we all did that thing where we’re the tops in the bedroom and our subs did what they wanted everywhere else.
I do believe I got a lecture from the man who trained me on not taking more from my sub than she was willing to give, and then there was a bunch of conversations about honoring feminism and consent and stuff.
Also, do you think I was fine with what happened today?
” He was just getting going. Now that he thought about it, this was exactly the chance he’d been waiting for.
“And while we’re on the subject, this is all your fault.
You could have shut this shit down a long time ago.
She learned all of this from you and Charlotte.
You know my sub might have done something dangerous today, but your wife came out when she knew there was a shooter, and she had a baby strapped to her chest.”
“How is Colton going to learn if we never put him in the line of fire? She was watching the security cams. Charlotte knew it was safe,” Big Tag shot back and then waved him off.
“Did you decide to explore D/s and train because you figured out Kenzie was sexually submissive? Or because you wanted to understand my team so you can use us better?” Taggart asked.
He got the feeling if he lied, Taggart would know. “Can’t I have done both? I’m going to be honest, I didn’t start training after the Australia op. After that op, I believed Kara wasn’t a woman I could have real chemistry with since she was very aggressive and also obviously in love with Cooper.”
“Because she was Kala,” Cooper allowed. “And she is becoming more and more of a switch, but only in certain cases.”
“I do not need to hear this,” Taggart complained.
TJ was having none of it. “Then go join Auntie in the galley, Uncle. You’re the one who said we needed a man talk. Coop and I can handle this. We’ve both known Kenz for as long as we can remember, and we understand the complexities of her situation.”
A brow rose over Taggart’s icy blue eyes. “Really, so you know what the actual problem is?”
“He doesn’t understand his role as her Dom,” Cooper replied with pure confidence.
He understood it on an intellectual level.
“He’s trying to figure out when the Dom takes over and when the operative respects his partner’s choices,” TJ added.
And they said TJ was mere muscle. Ben pointed his way. “That. That part. You see, how am I supposed to manage her behavior around danger when going into danger is her literal job? I can’t tell her not to do her job.”