Walker could see Doyle wanted to bristle at the package questioning his orders, but he merely nodded.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Mark muttered. “I’m the target. Rees and Wright failed which leaves….”
“Joey?”
Not again. Not fucking again. He turned to see Jamie in the arms of a man he didn’t know. This man was beautiful, in an older blond, twinky way.
“Where’s your dad, Jamie?”
“He hit dad with his rifle.” Her voice broke on a sob. Being held hostage twice in one day was clearly too much.
Walker gritted his teeth.
“He’ll be fine,” the stranger said. “He’ll wake up with a headache, that’s all. If I let him live.”
“Who are you?” Doyle demanded.
“Leon?” Mark said, obviously shocked.
Walker blinked. “The guy from the club?”
Leon broke out into a huge smile, but his attention didn’t relax for a fraction. “I see Peterson’s been talking about me.”
“You’re not agency,” Mark said.
“Of course not. I gave the orders, but they didn’t know it was me.”
“But we saved you from the Russian mob,” Mark said. Then, “Oh, for fuck’s sake, you’re the mob.”
Leon beamed at him. “You always were the brightest one of a very poor bunch.”
“Shoot me then and get it over. Presumably you’re going after Lukas next.”
“Yes, I have the crew ready for that.”
“You’re going on the mission?” Mark asked.
“He goes on all the missions,” Walker guessed. He could imagine this psycho loved being part of the action while no one knew who he was.
Leon raised a blond, sculpted eyebrow. “You’re his new fuckbuddy, yes?”
“Yes.”
“You admitted it this time,” Collins muttered behind him.
“And more pretty boys for the agency,” Leon cooed.
Walker turned to Mark. “Seriously, you fucked him?”
Mark shrugged. “What can I say? I was young. I just wanted to get laid.”
“It wasn’t bad…for a Yank.”
They were trading insults now. This was good. Walker wanted Leon to focus on him, and maybe they could get Jamie out of his arms. He’d kill Mark if he rushed Leon.
“You don’t want to hurt Jamie,” Walker said. “You proved that earlier. Why don’t you let her go?”
“Because as long as I have her, you’re not going to shoot me,” Leon said. “If I’d gotten a clear shot earlier, he’d be dead, and I’d be on my way. Now I’ve got to clear up their mess first.”
‘Their’ presumably being the two dead operatives.
“Give Jamie to me and you can take Mark,” Walker said.
“Geez, is he that crap in bed?” Collins said behind him.
Leon sneered at Walker. “Yeah, he’s not into big lunks like you. You’ve met Lukas, haven’t you?”
Walker really hoped his team got the message because otherwise it was going to get very messy.
Costa shot Leon through the broken windows of a Prius. At the same time Collins yanked Mark away and did not stop going despite his protests. Walker grabbed Jamie and pushed her to the ground as Doyle covered his six.
It was textbook and anti-climactic.
Walker grabbed Leon’s rifle and handed it to Doyle. He leaned over Leon, sprawled on the ground, his eyes glazing over.
“You’re wrong,” Walker said to the dying man. “I’m exactly his type.”
“Yeah, but he’s never gonna speak to you again,” Jamie gasped out.
Walker scooped her up off the floor. “I know. I’ve got some making up to do.”
“The family…”
He forced a smile, wiped a long, dirty smudge off her cheek. “I know that too.”
“They’ll come around,” she assured him.
Walker hoped so or he could be without family and boyfriend.
“I’ve got to up the security,” she muttered. “I’d better go find Dad. See if he’s awake yet. You know he’s gonna be pissed. You should get outta here before he comes around.”
She didn’t wait for Walker’s response. He turned to see Doyle on the phone. He was talking to Mitch. Walker could tell by the not-quite-bordering-on-insolent tone he always used.
“We’ll get a flight tonight,” Doyle said. He looked at Walker. “Walker will follow in the morning. He’ll put his report in tonight.”
Walker sighed.
Chapter 16
One look at Mark, and his boyfriend talking to him was the least of Walker’s concerns. He’d expected to find Collins and Mark by the agency vehicle. Instead, he found Mark pushed over the hood of the SUV with his hands bound behind his back and his feet zip tied, Collins keeping him in place with one hand on his back as he struggled.
“What the fuck?” Walker barked out and ran to the two men, hauling Collins off Mark. “Let him go.”
“The package was uncooperative. He needed to be restrained,” Collins said, as if it was obvious.
“Untie me,” Mark barked, struggling to stand up.
“Give me your knife,” Walker demanded.
Collins deliberately took his own sweet time, and Walker was ready to pin him down and find the knife himself, but eventually Collins handed it to Mark. Walker sliced through the ties and helped Mark to a standing position. Mark was furious, his skin ashen, his eyes blazing with fury.
Walker kept a firm grip around Mark’s bicep, feeling the thrumming tension coursing through the man. Mark was ready to explode.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Let me go.” Mark tried to wrench his arm out of Walker’s grasp, but Walker refused to loosen his hold.
“Calm down,” Walker said, knowing it was the wrong thing to say when fury rekindled in Mark’s eyes. “Tell me what the fuck happened.”
“He—” Mark stabbed a finger at Collins who stood back, his lips curling, “—dragged me away. I should have been there to help you. We were supposed to be a fucking team, Walker. Did you forget that?”
This was Walker’s fuck up. He knew it. He’d reacted to the situation and not thought of Mark’s feelings. He’d treated Mark as the package.
Which he was.
Fuck, this was why he wasn’t the fucking man in charge. He wasn’t the right one to be making decisions.
He took a deep breath. “If I let you go are you gonna keep it together?”
Mark nodded and Walker let him go cautiously, ready to intervene if necessary. Mark massaged the deep red-hot marks on the skin around his wrists. Collins had made the zip ties far too tight as usual. Walker wanted to kiss the inflamed skin, but he knew it wouldn’t be appreciated.
“If you’re gonna be angry, be angry at me. I ordered Collins to get you out of there.”
“Told you I was just doing what your fuckbuddy told me to do,” Collins sneered.
“Shut the fuck up, Collins,” Doyle said.
He and Costa appeared from around one of the stacks of cars. Collins subsided with a huff.