“Would say nice to see you, but you interrupt honeymoon,” Alexei said.
Liam smiled wryly. “Yes, I do believe I’ll be hearing about that until I’m dead.”
“Good chance.”
“Oliver here thought we should leave you in the dark, but I think it’s prudent you know.”
“Said his name was Charles.”
“Spy,” Sean murmured.
“Oliver Archer,” their escort said, not apologizing for the lie. “I’m a field agent for the British Secret Intelligence Service.”
Alexei frowned. “MI6?”
“Yes, also known as an utter pain in my arse,” Liam said, rolling his eyes.
Alexei arched an eyebrow. “Oliver or MI6?”
“We’ll go with both.” Liam waved them toward the master bedroom. “Come on, let’s chat.”
The three of them followed Liam into the master bedroom, which was more like a mini suite with space for a lounge area where room service had deposited the food trays. Alexei made a beeline for the food, lifting the warming covers off the plates. He sat down and grabbed a plate for Sean and one for himself. The steaks looked amazing, with none of the ridiculous tiny bites per serving Alexei knew rich people preferred. Liam had been SAS and knew how to feed a man.
“What’s going on?” Sean asked.
Liam passed a plate to Oliver after they’d taken their seats on the opposite couch. “Bit of a cockup, really. At first I thought the MDF had sent in a team to partner with the UMG without a proper heads-up, but then I found it was you two. Figured the MDF hadn’t sent anyone, then, because I knew you were getting married, and no one works after a wedding.”
“Point,” Alexei mumbled around a bite of steak. “Get to it.”
“We believe Carter Bennett is on the island to facilitate a black-market arms deal,” Oliver said calmly.
The bite of steak Alexei had swallowed tried to climb back up his throat. He slowly set his fork down on his plate, staring at Oliver and Liam in shocked silence.
Carter Bennett was the former deputy director to the CIA, a man who had betrayed his family, agency, and country to fill his bank accounts. Bennett had been on the run since spring, and no shortage of cooperation had sprung up amongst international agencies hoping to bring him in.
Sean’s left hand settled on Alexei’s knee, the diamond in his ring catching the light. Sean’s touch was a comforting pressure Alexei appreciated through the buzzing anger beginning to course through his veins.
“We’re listening,” Sean said for the both of them.
5
Fortuna-sur-mer
France
If Sean could go backin time and let Jamie know to pick a different island, he would.
Carter Bennett was a man Sean knew Alexei wanted dead and buried, preferably yesterday. The asshole had helped orchestrate the attack in spring, resulting in Kyle almost dying and the rest of them nearly losing Jamie to grief and guilt none of them could help with. Only Kyle surviving being shot through the heart had brought Jamie back from the brink.
Alexei hadn’t been much better.
Nearly losing his brother had reduced Alexei to a shell of himself that week. Watching him try to come to terms with the possibility of Kyle dying had been excruciating. It wasn’t something Sean ever wanted to repeat. He’d thought they were past all that, but Bennett rearing his ugly head now meant Sean knew they wouldn’t be able to ignore him, even on their honeymoon.
There goes our relaxing time together.
He shoved the irritation and anger aside in favor of focusing on the problem. The expression on Alexei’s face told Sean his husband wasn’t going to walk away from this situation despite neither of them currently being active duty.
“Are you sure Bennett is here?” Sean asked.
