“Are we sure it was me they were shooting at? You were in my line of sight,” Sean pointed out.
Sean didn’t seem to care that he was a possible target, and Alexei made a mental note to schedule some sparring sessions together when they returned home. Sometimes Sean needed a reminder on when to duck.
Liam shrugged. “You’re the likelier target. Bennett didn’t betray anyone in my country.”
“Bennett is still a problem for all of us,” Oliver said as he came into the living area, holding a small case in one hand. “And I’m worried he’ll get off the island somehow.”
“Only quick way out is by air. Going by sea risks them getting caught.”
“That’s if they aren’t backed into a corner. I wouldn’t put it past any of them to blow a hole in the biodome and escape through an aerial pickup. Flight and port plans aren’t needed for that,” Sean said.
Alexei nodded. “Is what I would do.”
Sean shot him a fond, if exasperated look, that Alexei was very familiar with. “Of course you would.”
“Your worst-case scenarios are a headache,” Liam complained.
Oliver ignored him in favor of offering Sean the small black case. “Physical comms for you and your husband. Liam has his. I have no more sets on hand. If you ruin all three, we’ll have no way to keep in contact with you.”
Sean opened the box, and Alexei craned his head around to stare at the two external comms and the corresponding nanotech control strips. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen such hardware, mostly because everyone these days had various forms of nanotech bioware comms embedded in their bodies. They always had Katie to handle communications for the team, and even when Sean had joined them, Trevor could replace the nanotech if they needed him to.
Sean picked a set out before handing Alexei the box. He took the remaining set and slipped the comms into his right ear. He had to wiggle it a little to secure its placement. Then he peeled the transparent nanotech strip off its backing and smoothed it over his left forearm. It activated with a fingerprint, and he set about programming it to the required comms channels. Alexei wasn’t at all surprised to hear that he had several missed calls from Kyle and Jamie.
He stored them to listen to later. Alexei knew if he called now, he’d spend an hour talking Kyle off the murder cliff.
“Feels weird,” Alexei grumbled, tugging at his earlobe.
Sean patted him on the knee, and Alexei swiftly caught his hand to link their fingers together. Sean didn’t try to pull away, which settled Alexei.
“We’ll need to plan out our next move,” Liam said.
“Have next move. Hit card tables.”
“Not tonight,” Sean said.
Oliver nodded. “Tomorrow. The sooner the better, because as much as I hate to say it, Liam is right. We need to make a show that nothing will bother us.”
Liam arched an eyebrow, staring at Oliver with hooded eyes. “Say that again.”
“What?”
“That I’m right.”
Alexei rolled his eyes before getting to his feet and tugging Sean to his. “Argue without us. Go to bed now. Tell us plan in morning.”
“I thought this was a group effort?”
Alexei flipped him off as he pulled Sean toward the master bedroom. Liam and Oliver could figure out who slept where in the rest of the suite. Right now, Alexei was more interested in crawling into bed with his husband.
One of the MI6 agents had helpfully moved the furniture around earlier. The bed was no longer in any easy sight lines, and the curtains had been drawn over darkened plas-glass. Security measures in the Palace Suite had been activated to their highest setting, and the MDF had hacked their way in through a backdoor, piggybacking on the UMG’s efforts. Alexei felt better knowing the war room back home had eyes on them.
Alexei still didn’t feel completelysafe, and probably wouldn’t until they were back in D.C. For now, the safety protocols currently running would have to do. Luckily, Liam had a couple of spare handguns, along with other field gear and weapons. Alexei had claimed a pistol as his own the moment it was offered. The weapon in question was currently resting on the nightstand on his side of the bed.
“I’m sorry,” Sean said once the door slid shut between them and the outside world. “I know this isn’t how either of us expected this trip to go.”
Alexei framed Sean’s face with both his hands before leaning down to kiss away the apology. “Not your fault, Senya. Not know Bennett be here.”
Some part of Alexei wished the cowardly asshole had chosen a different location to attempt his illegal sale at. The rest of him was glad for a break in the long-running hunt for the ex-CIA deputy director.
