Love and Let Die

Chapter Seventeen

The perpetual buzzing in his ear was starting to get to him.

“All right, that’s Kamdar’s boat pulling up on the beach,” Damon said through the communications device they were using.

“Thanks, I couldn’t tell that was a boat,” Ian shot back.

Damon seemed to think he needed a running commentary. The MI6 boys, Ten, and Simon had taken a perch high above the beach at the Cabo de Rama Fort. The fort was nothing but an interesting set of ruins surrounded by fruit trees and monkeys. It did, however, give them a good view of the beach and the exchange about to take place.

Jesse had been relegated to babysitting the brat and making sure she didn’t find a handy Internet connection. Chelsea seemed to have gone quiet, turning in on herself. He’d expected her to argue with him, but she’d simply nodded and gone back to watching the palm trees outside the hut. Hopefully she wouldn’t give Jesse too much trouble. Of course, he was also supposed to be watching Charlie, but Ian had other plans for his gorgeous wife.

He wasn’t leaving her behind with anyone. But the boys up at the fort didn’t need to know that until the time came.

Sean huffed a little as he sat back, his feet in the sand and the rest of him on a low-slung lounger. He was dressed formally for the beach in khakis and a polo, a camera bag by his side. “Do they think we can’t read?”

His brother’s voice dripped sarcasm. There was only one lightweight speedboat plowing up the sand, and it had an elaborately painted name on the side that read Little Kash.

Ian assumed that the massive yacht in the distance was Big Kash. The king obviously didn’t have self-esteem problems.

“Stop with the whining and listen up.” Baz’s voice came through this time. “According to everything we’ve been able to dig up in a short period of time, you should be safe. Kamdar’s security has always been tight with the exception of the women he sleeps with. However, they apparently don’t wear a lot of clothing so if you see a bird coming at you with an Uzi, you should duck.”

Yes, he needed humor right now. He was already in a bad position because he was running out of time. This was a calculated play on his part. Kamdar’s men were said to be terrifically loyal, and according to MI6 they had all been with the king for a long period of time.

This was his shot. The boat was larger, but contained. As long as the king’s guard was loyal, Charlie would likely be safer on that boat than she was out in the open.

A large man with a poorly concealed pistol in his pocket parked the boat and motioned toward the road. Immediately a group of men started hauling crates of what looked like liquor and food from a truck parked up on the road that ran along the beach.

King Kash didn’t have to pull into port. Port came to him. Men immediately went to work, loading down the speedboat with crates.

Ian waited. His timing had to be perfect. Too soon and there would be too many men around. Too late and he would miss the boat. Literally.

Sean yawned a little, watching the workers scurrying around the tourists. “You seem happier today. Is that because we’re going to get to kill Nelson or do you have other reasons? You seemed determined to sleep in this morning.”

Yep, this was his life now. This was why real Agency men didn’t bring their brothers out into the field. So they didn’t have to have relationship talks in the middle of an op. “I took your advice. Let’s leave it at that.”

But Sean didn’t. A grin spread across his brother’s face. “Are you kidding me? You finally listened? Shit. I owe Adam some cash. I said you would stay stubborn to the end. Hey, big brother, you want to spot me a couple hundred?”

He was so not paying for his brother’s bad habit of betting on his love life. He had a love life. The thought of putting the words love and life together didn’t make him want to vomit. Though he would never say that out loud. Yeah, he bet Sean would have lost a bundle if he’d bet on that.

He was saved from having to reply by Damon’s voice coming over the transmitter in his ear. “All right, mates. So it’s almost time. From what I can tell, he only has a small dedicated security team with him, but you can bet the crew on board that yacht is likely trained as well. We’ve vetted them as much as we can. They all look like loyal Loa Mali citizens. We think he’s got roughly three women with him right now. We have no names on them. Remember your cover. You have to convince this man that you’re reporters who have a meeting to interview the king about his upcoming appearance at the United Nations next month.”

Baz’s voice came through next. “Your man Adam says he’s managed to break into the king’s secretary’s system so when he looks at the calendar, it will tell him he’s scheduled to pick you up here.”

With the liquor. Nice.

“Do you boys have your credentials? Now don’t tell me you got all lazy and left them in the car. You wouldn’t want to disappoint the nice folks who stayed up all night making sure your cover looks good.” The question came out on a lazy drawl, but Ian was pretty sure Ten thought this was his op.

He was about to find out otherwise.

“I have them,” Ian replied. They had gone to a whole lot of trouble to dummy up very respectable-looking credentials. He was supposed to be some reporter named Brian Klein from Newsweek. Sean was his photographer. It was an elaborate plan, the kind agencies like the CIA and MI6 loved to come up with. Ian would swear that most operatives really needed to be writing fiction. They could be so damn overdramatic. He and Sean were supposed to infiltrate the king of Loa Mali’s yacht under the guise of reporters getting a scoop and figure out if Kash knew anything without telling him what they were up to.

It was a stupid plan and it very likely wouldn’t work. Simplicity was really the way to go here. He needed to get the king’s attention. The king wasn’t known for liking reporters. But Ian knew what the man did like.

“So where’s our stowaway?” Sean asked. He’d wholeheartedly agreed to the change of plans, and Simon was up at the fort to make sure no one decided to run down in time to mess things up.

Ian couldn’t help but grin a little as he looked down the beach. Charlie had hopped into their Jeep after the rest had headed up to the fort. She’d kept her head down as they drove a couple of miles down Palolem Road. Now she made her way to them wearing exactly what Ian had asked her to wear. He’d had the bikini delivered along with her other clothes before they left the US. Thank god for personal shoppers. His breath nearly caught as he looked at her. Despite the bikini, she looked innocent, damn near angelic with all that hair and her soft eyes. She didn’t look at him as she approached, merely wandered down to the beach as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She could be so obedient when she wanted to be. “Here she comes. Do you think she’ll do?”

“Ian, we have trouble,” Damon said, his voice rising with urgency. “It looks like your girl got away from the nest. Good god. I think she’s trying to get your attention, mate. This could be very bad. I don’t think you spank her often enough.”

Oh, she had every bit of his attention. His wife. His sub. His. Just his. Fuck, he was in love with her and it felt damn good. It felt so fucking good to just let go of all the shit between them. They weren’t exactly starting over again. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to let go of a minute with her, even the bad stuff. The bad stuff was still theirs. But they did have a clean slate.

She walked toward him wearing a ridiculously small white bikini that showed off her every luscious curve. The beach was full of lovely women, many much more slender and fashionable than his baby, but she reeked of sex to him. Charlie walked with the confidence of a woman who was comfortable in her own skin, and that had every man with eyes following her with their stares.

Sean shook his head a little. “Damn. Yes, I believe she’ll do the job. What is wrong with you? You said she was wearing a bathing suit, not pasties and a thong. If I caught Grace wearing that little clothing outside a club, I would slap her ass red.”

When had his brother become such a prude?

“I’m not worried.” He winked at her as she started to walk by them. Her strawberry blonde hair caught the light as it swung down her back. She was never cutting that hair if he had a say. It nearly reached her ass. It was perfect for holding onto and controlling her during sex. He was getting a hard-on just watching that juicy ass sway as she strolled along. “They can look all they like. I’m confident I can kill anyone who touches her.”

He didn’t mind them looking. He understood it. Charlie’s sex appeal came from far more than her curvy body. There wasn’t any self-consciousness in her movements. She’d accepted herself a long time before. He’d gotten to be the one to usher her into that beautiful state. When he’d first met her, she was gorgeous but shut down. Like a tightly budded flower that just needed a little light to bloom.

She glowed now. She glowed because she loved him.

Something calm had settled in his soul. Some piece of him that had always banged around in his head had finally stopped, finding its natural place because she was here.

“Ian, you need to stop her,” Damon said, his voice tense now. “She’s going to ruin the plan.”

Ian stood up. He was dressed somewhat like his brother. It was comfortable and he had no real intention of swimming this afternoon, so he’d gone along with it. “Plan’s changed, my friends.”

He and Sean made their way across the sand. Following in Charlie’s wake, no one really took notice of them.

“I think that dude is drooling,” Sean pointed out. “You were totally right. They don’t even check the women. What is he thinking?”

“He’s thinking he wants to get laid.” He’d made a quick study of Kamdar. He was known for inviting beautiful women onto his boat. He would find one, likely from watching the shoreline like a Peeping Tom pervert, and then send his men out to bring her to him. But men getting on the boat would likely go through rigorous checks.

The king’s errand boy was, in fact, drooling. He had gotten out of the boat to push it back toward the water, but he’d stopped the minute he’d gotten sight of Charlie.

“So you’re coming from that big yacht out there? Wow, that’s really impressive.” Charlie sounded so sweet and slightly dumb as she pointed out to the mega yacht. So very different from the way she sounded when she was giving him hell. Oddly, he thought she was way sexier when she was mouthing off.

“Yes,” the man replied, his chest puffing out. “This is the boat of my king. It is one of the largest yachts in the world. It is almost one hundred meters in length and has everything you could want. So much luxury. King Kashmir is the greatest king in the world.”

Charlie laughed, a giggly sound. She would make such a naughty schoolgirl. Just put a little skirt on her, put that hair up in pigtails, and he could go to town. “He must be really rich.”

“So very rich. I am very close to the king. Perhaps you would enjoy seeing the boat, meeting him? I could arrange this.”

Yeah, Ian could just bet what that would cost Charlie. The man had stepped up to her, almost touching her. Luckily her husband was here to back her sweet ass up.

He put his arm around his girl as his brother eased behind the man, shoving his SIG in the fucker’s back.

The driver’s eyes widened, but he didn’t scream. “I view the girl as I would a sister. I was only trying to make sure she was safe. So many bad elements around here, you know.”

Yeah, Ian wasn’t buying that, but he was impressed with the man’s calm demeanor. It looked like the king trained his employees properly. “Look, buddy, here’s what’s going to go down. You’re going to float us out to your king, and we’re going to have a nice long talk with him about the fact that his freaking intelligence department is full of idiots.”

The man shook his head. “I do not know what you are talking about, sir. I work for a Hollywood star. Very big star. Sleeps with many women. Likely has many diseases. You do not want to go there. Very bad. That boat is a floating venereal disease.”

Ian nearly rolled his eyes. “Look, I know that’s not George Clooney out there, so let’s drop the BS. That’s the king of Loa Mali and there are CIA operatives and MI6 agents watching him from the fort. If he wants to find out why, you’ll have to take us all there. I like to tell heads of state how fucked they are in person.”

“You’re a bloody bastard, Taggart.” Damon Knight was not impressed with his maneuver, that was for sure. His voice had turned rough and angry in Ian’s ear. “If you fuck this up, our deal’s off. Do you understand me?”

Ian pulled his earpiece out. He didn’t need to hear from the peanut gallery. He shoved it into his pocket though he really wanted to toss it away. He might need the damn thing later. “Yep, they’re pissed as shit at me right now, but I think your king and I can come to some solution without having to involve those busybodies.”

Sean winced a little. He couldn’t pull his earphone out yet. It looked like he was getting the brunt of their frustration. “They’re on their way, brother. Or at least they’re going to try to get down here before we can leave.”

“See, if we don’t head out now, your poor king’s party is going to be swarming with nosy assholes. Does he really want that? We’re kind of the good guys here.” He nodded to Sean who shoved the SIG back in his pocket and let the guy go. “See, that was just to get your attention. Let your boss know that we’ll surrender our weapons when we get to the boat. We just want to talk. He’s in danger from several fronts. If he talks to us, it can be a quiet chat. If he waits for them, well, the government gets involved and that can be a shit storm.”

There was a crackle as the radio in the boat came to life. “Bring them, Taral. You might want to hurry. I am watching the fort and they are certainly right about the level of activity up there. And, Taral, don’t leave the woman behind. I am so looking forward to meeting her.”

The king of Loa Mali would find out that Ian could pull off royal balls just as fast as he could common ones. He helped Charlie into the boat and hopped in after her. Sean and Taral shoved the boat back into the surf. Sean leapt in and Taral hauled himself up with a practiced hand. Now that he had his boss’s permission, it seemed he was all smiles.

“Welcome on board. My king wishes to see you. Thank you so much for coming with us and for not shooting me in the kidneys. I have heard this is very painful."

He turned on the motor and started to ease the boat around.

Sean pulled his earpiece out and pocketed it. “Brother, Ten was just explaining all the ways he’s going to roast your ass. He seems to be very creative when it comes to hot pokers. You should watch your backside. I don’t think he intends to use any lubricant, if you know what I mean. He’s also pissed about the monkeys. According to Simon, they’re as sexually aggressive as Ten himself.”

Charlie smiled slightly. “It sounds like they have as much discrimination as Ten, too.”

Ian turned back, looking at the beach. It was still calm and peaceful. Once Damon and the others realized there was no way to stop him, they would slow down and try to keep their eyes on the ship. He didn’t give a shit that the Agency would be pissed. This was his op. His wife was at risk, his people, and he wouldn’t let Ten or anyone else tell him how to handle it. He needed this man to trust him, and he wouldn’t get that by lying. He had one shot and one shot only at getting King Kash on his side.

Charlie was standing at the front of the boat, her hair whipping behind her. He moved in. Since he’d realized that he was being a stubborn prick, he wanted to touch her all the time, wanted to be close. He didn’t fight the urge. Not anymore. She was his. If she didn’t like the fact that his hands were always on her, then she shouldn’t have chosen him.

When he wrapped his arms around her, she immediately leaned back, her body fitting into his.

“Ian, do you think he’s watching?” She had to raise her voice to combat the sounds of the speedboat as it hit the waves, bringing them closer and closer to the yacht.

Nelson. She wanted to know if Nelson was watching her, probably getting ready to jack off at the sight of her. God, he was going to kill the fucker for making her feel self-conscious. She should always feel safe, always secure knowing that her husband would take care of her. He cuddled her close. God, how had he lived without this feeling? “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to handle him.”

He would have to because he knew damn well Nelson was watching. Now he knew they were here. It would force his hand, and Ian had to be ready. Nelson would come at him and he would come hard. The minute he could, he was going to make sure Charlie was someplace safe. They would talk to the king and then he would hide her away with Sean.

Then he could be the bait.

Her hands came up, covering his, holding him close. “I know you will, Master.”

This time she was trusting him with her life, with her sister’s life. With everything that was important to her. She wasn’t running away from him or trying to control things. She’d trusted him, the way he would trust her when it came to the Russian mob. She was smart and her instincts were good. He would lean on her, but he so needed her to lean on him.

He put his mouth right by her ear. “Do you know how much I love you?”

It was so easy to say now. He loved her with everything he had.

He felt her smile against his cheek. “As much as I love you. God, Ian, I love you so much.”

“And you look ungodly hot in that suit.” He squeezed her tight as the boat pulled up to the yacht.

A group of well-armed security men were waiting above on the lower deck as Taral expertly parked the speedboat. It was tiny compared to the massive yacht. He had the faintest moment of worry in his brain, but Sean was at his back. Sean knew what to do. He turned back to his brother and a long look passed between them. He kissed the top of his wife’s head.

Sean nodded, obviously understanding that Charlie came first. Her life was more important than Ian’s. Sean slapped his brother in a show of affection. They had learned a lot. The brotherly bond they shared now included their wives and children and those precious beings came before everything else.

“Surrender your weapons!” a large guard with a semiautomatic weapon ordered in heavily accented English.

Ian moved Charlie behind him. If they were going to have a heavy finger on the trigger, they would have to go through him, but he doubted they would open fire.

He would never have put his wife in the man’s way if he thought for a second Kamdar would hurt her. No, the king of Loa Mali had a thing for women. All of them. He’d enacted laws against domestic violence that would make the West look misogynistic. He encouraged the women of his country to go to college, to seek high-level jobs.

The king had a reputation as a lover, not a fighter. He routinely ditched his security detail in favor of chasing after a woman.

Ian handed up his SIG, but didn’t bother to mention the knives he had on his body or the small pistol he’d hidden in his boot. He wasn’t going to give up everything.

Sean handed his primary weapon up as well, but then his brother was deadly with knives and he had them all over his person.

“Let the woman come up now,” the guard said.

He shook his head. He couldn’t let Charlie up until he was sure he would be on that boat with her. No way. No how. “I come up first.”

The big guy frowned down at him. “I said hand up the female.”

“Stand down, Kaj.” A softer voice called out. “He’s protecting his lady. It’s a good thing. It makes me believe he’s here for the reasons he’s stated. I’ve found spies don’t tend to care much about their partners. Come. Come.”

The king of Loa Mali pushed his way to the front of the small crowd. There was no way to mistake him. He dominated the other men, though he kept his voice quiet. That man was a Dom and a confident one. He might not be trained, might not even really know what he was, but Ian did. He met Ian’s eyes and a long look passed between them.

“She will be safe. You have safe passage. Please come on board. I wish to hear why the Americans and Brits are so interested in me.”

Ian stepped forward first, allowing himself to be pulled on board. He immediately turned and put his hand down for his wife, hauling her up and back into his arms. He stepped back, keeping her close as Sean climbed on board.

Charlie remained behind him, her hands clasping his waist, letting him know she was there.

King Kash Kamdar stepped toward him. He was a large man, roughly six foot four with a well-defined body and a face that most women would die for. His skin was a golden caramel and perfectly white teeth shone from his smile. “Welcome, Mr…?”

“Taggart. Ian Taggart.”

“Mr. Taggart, you’ve brought a beautiful woman with you. I don’t suppose that she is for me? Perhaps the Agency has changed their tactics and actually figured out that I respond much better to the fairer sex?”

Ian wasn’t surprised that the king had dealt with the Agency before. They really were nosy busybodies. “She’s my wife. She goes where I go. If you want to understand what’s happening, you have to make sure she never leaves my sight.”

The king reached forward, grasping her hand and bringing it to his lips in a gallant kiss. “Mrs. Taggart, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your husband is an interesting man. McKay-Taggart is a private security firm, known for its ex-Special Forces employees.”

So Kamdar did have some smart people working for him. “Facial recognition?”

He shrugged. “I leave that to the intelligent men. I find them deeply annoying. They are sarcastic and unruly. I often think I should let the sharks take them, but they provide good service, do you know what I mean?”

He did. Adam was a pain in his ass, but he got the job done. “They also work quickly.”

“Yes, but then I take it seriously when someone shoves a gun in my employee’s back. I knew your name within moments. I merely wanted to see if you would lie to me. You’ll have to forgive me. Taral’s family has worked for mine for many years. I take all my employees’ safety very seriously. It’s why I have them watched when they leave the boat. The world can be a dangerous place. Please follow me. There is a luncheon laid out on the deck. You can see all my pretty ladies.” He held out a hand gesturing them to move toward the stairs that led to the upper deck. “You are his brother? Sean?”

Sean nodded. “Yes. I’m just along to watch my brother’s back, Your Highness. I’m not in the business anymore.”

“You both have exemplary service records,” the king said. “But I suspect Mr. Taggart has spent some time with the Agency. Well, my obnoxious computer guru suspects this. When did the world turn upside down? Now we are all held hostage by the geeks.”

A thin young man with studious glasses frowned at the king and spoke in rapid-fire Hindi, his entire body spouting sarcasm. He switched to English, which he spoke with a near-perfect British accent. “If my king paid as much attention to security as he does female body parts, we would all be much safer. We should run checks on everyone twice a year. We should check their accounts, see where they are going, who they are meeting with.”

The king shook his head. This was obviously a familiar argument. “I am not spying on my employees, Chapal. We have been over this.”

The young man with glasses threw his hands up in the air and walked off, muttering in Hindi again. Yep, it was good to know Adam had a clone on every continent.

The king rolled his eyes. “He is also my cousin. I am not allowed to execute him. My mother would kill me. Sometimes I long for the old days when a man had his harem and absolute power.”

Unfortunately, Ian was going to have to go with Chapal on this one. The king was being naïve.

Ian reached the upper deck and took a quick inventory. The damn boat was bigger than his house. The king steered them toward the aft of the ship where there was a large outdoor living space complete with couches and chaise lounges. There was a huge buffet to the side that looked to have been recently laid out. Fruit and vibrant greens were on display along with the lovely smell of a curry.

Three beautiful women lay out on the deck, sunning themselves. They all giggled as the king walked by. Two of them weren’t wearing anything but bikini bottoms. The third was a gorgeous Asian woman wearing a sleek one piece, her pitch black hair in a bun. He caught a glimpse of her face, but turned before she could see his.

Damn. He hoped his wife was still all about forgiveness for his past transgressions. He kind of hoped he didn’t have to play that card.

The king gestured them to sit as the yacht began moving again. The boat was so big, Ian barely felt the movement. A tuxedoed servant brought four crystal glasses and a bottle of what appeared to be dark liquor.

“Is that what I think it is?” Sean asked, a little smile on his face.

The king poured liquor into the glasses. “Old Monk. The best rum in the world.” He took a long sniff. “It’s made in India. They do not advertise. I’m surprised you know it. You must have traveled extensively.”

Sean waited until the king had taken a long drink before sampling. Ian was glad his brother wasn’t completely out of practice. “I have a couple of line cooks I work with. They bring bottles back with them when they go home. We can’t get this in Texas.”

Ian took a sip, the rich, almost vanilla-like flavor coating his tongue. But he wasn’t here to drink. “So do you know that you’re being targeted by an ex-CIA agent who I believe now works freelance for various employers?”

The king sat back, his face not showing a moment’s surprise. “Mr. Taggart, I am the king of a small country almost no one knows about. We’re one of the smallest countries in the world.”

“With very important resources,” Charlie pointed out.

“But limited compared to others,” the king argued. “There is no reason to target me. Yes, we have oil, but if you added up the barrels we produce, it’s a drop in the bucket. We have moved to biodiesel on our island. The oil is a nice income, but nothing anyone would fight a war over. Most of our income now comes from tourism. Do you honestly see anyone invading the Arabian Sea equivalent of Hawaii?”

Yes, he could see that plainly. All he would need was one sub, three black ops teams, and a nice quantity of C-4. After he took over the country’s communications systems, the airports, and its central city, he could easily install himself as the new king of Loa Mali. Luckily, he didn’t want a crown. “I think you’re not giving men enough credit or maybe your view of wealth is skewed. The hundreds of millions your oil brings in is certainly enough to start a couple of wars.”

The king waved him off. “Bah, I play the game. I deal with OPEC and the US. They have no reason to come after me. You sound very much like my mother. She keeps begging me to settle down and start producing heirs so the line is secure, but I have a very fine nephew who can take over if they get to me.”

“I don’t think this is about a political coup.”

The king toyed with his glass, his fingers running around the rim. “The Agency would love for me to do something that might bring down the wrath of the democratic world on me, wouldn’t they? Fine. Perhaps they do want my oil. So does India. You have to know they would love to swallow up my little island. So much drama over a resource that will be gone in a hundred years. Perhaps less.”

“You’re worried about peak oil?” It was a term the media and economists used to describe the tipping point, when the world’s supply of oil was consumed to past the fifty percent mark. It was argued that the planet was already there.

The king leaned forward, his face turning serious. “Everyone should be worried about it. The world is run by companies now. If I were, say, to prove to be a horrible dictator, do you know who would be the first in line to petition your government to protect my people from human rights violations? The oil companies. They are likely more dangerous to me than any government.”

The special interest groups didn’t care about the citizens of Loa Mali. They cared that the oil industry was nationalized there. But at least now he and the king were on the same page. “I believe this man is possibly working for an oil company. Can you think of any reason why he would be targeting you if killing you wouldn’t change the state of politics in your country?"

“I have several projects going,” the king admitted. “But I think you’re being overly pessimistic, Mr. Taggart. There is nothing out of the ordinary. If someone is watching me, that is normal. It’s nothing my security team can’t handle.”

He’d only seen a couple of men with guns. Nelson wouldn’t barge onto the ship all by himself.

Fuck. Nelson would send someone to distract the king. Like he’d done before. Chapal was about to get his wish. He was going to do a whole lot of spying in very little time because there was no way Nelson didn’t have a team here.

“How well do you vet your women?”

The king frowned. “What do you mean?”

Apparently the king had one massive weakness. “I’m talking about your sexual partners. The women on this boat have been through a security check, correct?”

The king sighed. “You sound like my guards. These are beautiful women. They are models and actresses. They are completely sweet and harmless to everything except my stamina. Come here, little flower.”

The Asian woman stepped up, a smile on her face. She was graceful and willowy, and Ian remembered just how good she was with a stiletto, and he wasn’t thinking about shoes. She also had awesome aim with a semi, and he had the scar to prove it. “Your Majesty?”

She suddenly turned and looked at Ian, her eyes going hard. She cursed in Mandarin under her breath.

“My parents were married when I was born,” he shot back. She understood English perfectly well. She’d been able to curse him in at least three different languages.

Charlie sat up beside him, obviously feeling the shift in the woman’s mood. Her eyes narrowed. Yeah, his wife didn’t miss much. “Really, Ian?”

“I had a colorful life before I met you, love.”

Sean coughed but there was no way to mistake the word. “Manwhore.”

“She is nothing to be afraid of. Beautiful women need protection. There are so many men out there who would take advantage of them.” The king brought her hand to his lips. “Lin, please say hello to our guests.”

Ian sent her a frown. She was one of the most intelligent operatives he’d ever tangled with, and now she was playing a supermodel and screwing royalty? How the mighty had fallen. Of course, she’d probably gotten her ass demoted because he’d gotten away with the prize. “Lin? Really? And they made you a supermodel? I thought the last time we talked you said all models were idiots without a brain in their heads.” He looked back at the king. “If you had run a deep check on that little flower, you would have discovered that she’s MSS, Chinese intelligence. Her name is Jiang Kun. She’s one of their deadliest operatives, but I suspect she’s here on a gathering mission rather than a hunting one.”

Kun sent him a scowl as a security guard came up behind her. “After everything I did for you, Taggart?”

His wife tensed, an offended huff coming out of her mouth.

“You shot me,” Ian replied. “I don’t think that qualifies as tender treatment.”

Sean snorted beside him. “You let her shoot you?”

He sent his brother his middle finger and looked at the MSS agent. “You’re not here to kill the king, right?”

“Of course not. If I was, he would be dead by now.” Her voice was all arrogance now. “Like you should have been. And yes, I consider leaving you alive at the end of our encounter to be tender treatment.”

The king finally looked a little confused. “Wait. She’s not a supermodel? But she had a portfolio.”

Ian ignored him. He had some questions for the operative. “What do you know about Eli Nelson?”

The faintest grin curled her lips up. “I know he’s a bigger problem than you think.”

No help there. He thought Nelson was a pretty big fucking problem. “What are the Chinese interested in?”

She shook her head. “I’m not answering your questions, Tag. You should know that by now. The king won’t let you torture me so you should just let me go and we’ll call it a day.”

“Torture?” The king stood. “You lied to me?”

Dark brown eyes rolled. “Of course I lied. Although not about everything. You actually were quite a pleasant assignment, Your Highness. I didn’t even have to fake it. And just so you know, I’m certainly not the only one. I think Nelson got his own girl on board, but I haven’t figured out who yet. If I were him, I would have bought a couple of guards, too.”

“Why do you think he already has people on board?” She’d been an operative long enough that if she said she wasn’t the only one, Ian would keep looking. She also wouldn’t want someone else to succeed where she’d failed.

“Someone’s been trying to get into the king’s private office,” Kun explained. “It’s the only room that isn’t keycarded. It’s got a really sturdy lock and he has the only key. Check the door. Someone’s been trying to pick that lock. I should know. I was there for the same thing, but someone had beaten me to it. He keeps five women with him most of the time. He sent two home yesterday. I can’t be certain one of them wasn’t Nelson’s girl. The Swedish blonde is new. The American blonde has been here around two weeks. Either one of them could be on Nelson’s payroll.”

One of the guards started to haul her away.

The king ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe it. I thought she was so sweet. And she was so very good at fellatio. If that isn’t a sign of a generous spirit, I don’t know what else is. Damn it. Chapal will never allow me to live this down. He will gloat for the rest of our days.”

So the king was a little naïve about women. He couldn’t afford to be that way any longer. “You need to have your team dig deep on every woman on board this boat.”

“What do you keep in your private office?” Sean asked.

The king took a long swig of his Old Monk as he watched the guard take away his former lover. “The usual things. Paperwork. My computer.”

Now they were getting somewhere. “That computer has your work on it?”

“It has all the research from my latest project. It is a very secret project, you have to understand. I’ve put a lot of money into it. Only the head of the project and myself keep the documents. I have one set with me and he has the other at the project site. I don’t want it to leak until I’m ready to make a big announcement.”

So that was why Nelson hadn’t made a move yet. He wanted those documents. “It’s already leaked. Your Highness, I have to ask you. What is your project?”

“I can’t talk about it.” But Ian could see he was wavering.

“She’s not the only one on board your ship, and I know the man who’s watching you. He won’t hesitate to use anyone and anything he can to get what he wants.” It was time to manipulate the king a little. What the king wouldn’t tell another man, he might give up to a feminine plea. “Charlie, tell him.”

She put a hand in his as she stood. “He tried to divert us by sending assassins after me and my whole family. He was willing to do just about anything to make sure we didn’t stop him. He put Sean’s daughter on a contract. She’s just a baby. He’s willing to kill women and children to get that research. Is it really so important that it stays a secret, Your Highness? I think it’s only a secret to the people who want to help you.”

The king bowed slightly to her and then made his decision. “I have been working with a very smart scientist. He trained in England and the US. When he came home to Loa Mali, he requested an audience with me. He said he wanted to do something for the world. Something to change everything. This, I was interested in. For the last seven years, I’ve been funding him and giving him a space to work in secret. We’re close to a working prototype.”

The hair on the back of his arms started to stand up. This was it. This was what Nelson wanted. “How are you going to change the world, Your Highness?”

“We’ve found a way to run a combustion engine on salt water.”

Bingo. Fuck. Yes, that would certainly be worth going to war over. And this was bigger than Ian had thought. “Your Highness, we’re going to need to get you to a secure location.”

“What?” King Kash held his hands up as if trying to force the world to slow down. “What are you talking about? I am perfectly safe here. This is my boat. I have my security guards around me. I don’t see how I would be safer somewhere else.”

A massive boom sounded through the air, a crash of sound that could be felt against the skin and the sea. This time the boat rocked as large waves started pounding it.

Ian grabbed his earpiece. It was time for backup again. “Simon, what do you see?”

“Not much. There’s a ton of smoke coming from the west. But it’s too far to see what’s on fire. Wait, Knight says there’s news on the radio. A big explosion. Some oil rig off the coast of Loa Mali.”

Fuck. Fuck. And mega fuck. He turned to the king. “Tell me the research wasn’t being done on your oil rig.”

The king’s mouth dropped open. “I thought no one would know we were working there. I had special rooms built.”

Sean cursed. He’d put his earpiece back in as well. “Your rig is gone.”

If Nelson blew the rig, then he was planning on taking the boat. He would have to get those documents. Either he already had them or he was about to assault the yacht.

“I have more bad news, boss,” Simon said, his voice low. “You’ve got company. Off the starboard. Looks like two fast-moving boats. They’re coming from the west. The same direction as that explosion. I don’t think they’re coming for tea, Tag.”

Ian ran to the right side of the ship, away from the shoreline. Sure enough, there were two boats moving toward them, and there was no way for him to mistake them for anything but what they were.

Somali pirates. He could just bet who was playing the pirate king today.