“So I’m what?Your dirty little secret you’re finally airing out?”
“To everyone else, yes.Not to me.Now, let’s get out of here.”
Annabelle had taxied the jet to Heathrow’s Terminal 6, a private terminal for well-heeled travelers who preferred discretion over a crowd.The weather in England was partly sunny at 1010 on that Saturday morning when Jamie descended the jet’s stairway, Kyle trailing after him.Jamie wasn’t surprised at all by the welcoming committee arrayed around their designated arrivals gate.
Three black luxury SUVs with tinted windows were parked on the tarmac nearby, their trunks open, the two drivers who doubled as UMG agents moving to help the ground crew unload the jet’s cargo hold.A Customs officer stood off to the side, ready to sign off on their passports, the cold wind ruffling the collar of his uniform.Jamie ignored them all in favor of the man standing at ease at the bottom of the stairs in a bespoke suit that rivaled Jamie’s in cost, a familiar smirk on his face.
“Bloody hell.It’s been too long since we last saw each other,” Liam said in greeting.
Liam’s dark blond hair was trimmed fashionably short and styled in a casual way that didn’t immediately scream military.The scruff on his face helped with that.He had his mother’s hazel eyes and his father’s height, while his faintly tanned skin was due more to genetics and a great-great-half-Spanish grandmother than from lounging around on a yacht in the sun somewhere.He matched Jamie in age and breadth of body, if not in height, and his voice was pure upper-class London all the way, though Jamie knew Liam could sound like a drunk hooligan with a Cockney accent when the job called for it.
Jamie pulled Liam into a brief, back-pounding hug, the kind of hug you gave a fellow soldier and not a prince.“You didn’t have to meet me all the way out here.I know how much you hate London traffic.”
“Couldn’t let you get lost on the way in, yeah?”
“Donovan would take offense to that.”
“Always like taking the piss out of that one.”
“Of course you do,” Jamie replied as he turned to press his left hand against the Custom officer’s proffered security tablet.
“How long is your stay this time?”
“Depends.You know me.Work hard, play hard.”
Liam’s gaze moved from Jamie to Kyle, who stood next to Jamie with an uncanny stillness Jamie had long ago gotten used to.“Tastes haven’t changed much.Who’s the fellow?”
“Mine,” Jamie said with a lazy, possessive smile, because he could.Because it was expected of him out in the public like this, where anyone could see.
Liam raised an eyebrow, questions in his gaze he knew better than to ask in front of an audience.“Right, then.Let’s get you lot sorted and get going.I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a drink in hand when we chat.”
Between Jamie’s people and the UMG agents, the SUVs were loaded up in record time, and the team split up between the three vehicles.Katie and Sean made sure to join the SUV Jamie was riding in, taking the seats in the far back while Jamie and Kyle claimed the ones in the middle.Liam got behind the wheel, which didn’t surprise Jamie.For all his teasing about not liking to drive, he knew Liam preferred being in the driver’s seat over letting someone with far less tactical driving experience put their hands on the wheel.
Soon as they were in and buckled up, and Liam had disabled the self-driving mode, he led the convoy through the restricted route to the exit tunnel that would take them off the airfield and back out into the public zone.Heathrow’s Terminal 6 had been built with privacy in mind and was the only area of the busy airport that allowed on-tarmac pickups after security clearance was achieved.
“Vehicle is secured for privacy,” Liam said once they’d scanned out of the airport and merged into the traffic congestion on the M4.“Real good to see you, Jamie.Wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Feeling’s mutual,” Jamie replied.
“My team’s been read in on your mission for support purposes and will be available if we need them.The UMG can confirm the target is still in London.”
“Our people weren’t able to discern if Jansen is a metahuman.Has your side had any luck since he hit your radar?”
“Can’t confirm, can’t deny.He’s a slippery bastard and hard to pin down.”
“Wonderful.”
“When are you orchestrating the meet?”
“Tonight.No sense in waiting.”
Liam’s hazel eyes flickered back to him in the rearview mirror.“That puts us on a tight schedule.Best place to start would be Vesuvius.He owns the nightclub, and it’s invite only.Posh place, been inside myself once or twice.Didn’t care for the vibe though.”
“I can get us on the list,” Katie replied.
“No,” Jamie said, shaking his head.“We need to get Jansen’s attention, which means we need to make a scene.”
“You meanyouneed to make a scene.The rest of us get to sit back and watch you be an asshole.I’m kind of looking forward to it,” Kyle said.
