Moving silently, Liam finished getting dressed, wishing he had time for a shower. They hadn’t cleaned up last night after sex and dried cum pulled at his pubic hair. It wasn’t any worse than sand in places it should never be when he’d been with the SAS, and Liam ignored the discomfort as he wrestled between waking Oliver up to say goodbye or leaving without saying a word.
In the end, Liam took the coward’s way out, knowing he wouldn’t have time to have the sort of conversation they needed to have when Chapman was expecting him in less than thirty minutes now. Oliver lived farther away than Kensington Palace, and Liam had to get on the road.
Needing to leave didn’t stop him from leaning over Oliver and pressing a gentle kiss to the other man’s temple.
I’ll make it up to you, he promised silently.
Knowing his choices when they were younger had contributed to the years’ long humiliation Oliver had experienced amongst their peers had shamed Liam in a way he wasn’t used to. He knew some things couldn’t be fixed with words, but with actions, and he hoped Oliver would give him the chance to do just that.
He left the house, ensuring the attending computer locked up behind him, and jogged halfway down the block to where he’d parked his car. Starting the engine, Liam pulled onto the street and drove to UMG headquarters, fighting back a yawn every couple blocks that passed. Yesterday’s mess coupled with following Oliver home hadn’t left much time to sleep.
By the time he made it to the briefing room, the cup of tea Samaira had waiting for him was a relief.
“You’re my favorite,” Liam said with a thankful sigh as he took the mug from her and breathed in the heady smell of strong black tea.
“You should know your family have all been moved into Buckingham Palace for security reasons. I oversaw your parents’ transfer and your brother’s,” Samaira said.
Buckingham Palace had gone through an extensive security overhaul during his grandmother’s childhood. If need be, a dome energy shield could be deployed around the premises in defense of the royal family. The same sort of security device had also been built around Parliament. Liam hoped the only reason he hadn’t been ordered behind the shield was because the UMG needed him on the field as a metahuman, not twiddling his thumbs on the sidelines like a prince in need.
Liam nodded, giving her a grateful look. “I appreciate that, but I’m bloody furious it’s come to this. I want to find these bastards and put them down for good.”
“Sounds like my kind of plan,” Jamie said as he and Kyle entered the room sans a Secret Service escort.
They were in casual clothes and as awake as everyone else called out of bed before dawn. Years spent in the military and the MDF meant Jamie and Kyle were used to early morning wake-up calls. Liam just didn’t know who had rang them.
“No minders?”
“We left our security detail at home,” Kyle said.
Liam knew from personal experience that the Secret Service disliked their charges putting themselves in harm’s way, but Jamie and Kyle were used to running toward the threat, not away from it.
“We’ll follow your lead here,” Jamie added as he took a seat at the table.
Jamie’s willingness to put aside his own rank when the situation required it in order to get the job done was one of the things Liam appreciated about the other man. It was never about the glory for Jamie, but about doing what was right and what was needed.
“If I’m allowed on the field,” Liam said as he took a seat.
“Still restricted?”
“Something like that.”
Liam’s team was seated around the table with Jamie and Kyle by the time Chapman made it into the room, trailed by several aides. The UMG chief looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes evidence of too many hours spent awake on a problem none of them had solved yet.
“We’re bringing in several other teams to help with this search. We’ll be splitting you all up to help with coverage,” Chapman said without even a hello. “Greater London is too large of an area for just one team to handle, and I want metahumans available for any problems we might find.”
“You think the Reborn IRA will deploy other metahumans?” Samaira asked.
Chapman pressed his hand to the embedded computer, accessing the main terminal. “According to Finn’s memories, we know they will.”
A map of Greater London snapped into existence in the center holoscreen, duplicates popping up in everyone’s personal terminal. Red dots flowed over the area, bits of information branching out from each location. Liam counted a dozen sites scattered through the megacity he called home.
“These are confirmed locations Finn has either accessed in person or been privy to through conversation. We are clearing and locking them down,” Chapman said, gaze flickering around the table before settling on Liam. “The queen asked if I could keep you off the field, Colonel Wessex.”
Liam bristled, feeling gutted that his grandmother was interfering in his career more overtly than she ever had before. “I’m not leaving my team to fight these bastards without me, sir.”
“The royal family is a target, and you are part of the royal family.”
“I’m never going to sit on the throne, so it shouldn’t matter if I fight or not. I understand everyone is concerned about optics, but I’m concerned that my powers won’t be put to good use. Benching me doesn’t help anyone but the enemy.”
