Alec's Royal Assignment (Man on a Mission 3)

“I was.” Her chin tilted up.

“Then how is it Special Agent Jones knows about Aleksandrov Vishenko and the Bratva?”

“Because I told him,” McKinnon said, moving toward them with an unhurried air.

Angelina could see Major Branko was torn. He obviously wanted to question her, possibly even reprimand her, but hadn’t expected the king’s brother-in-law to interfere. She glanced from one man to the other. If this wasn’t such a serious issue, she could have laughed. Both men were sizing each other up, looking for weaknesses in the other’s defenses as automatically as they breathed.

Part of her yearned to be like them. Intrepid. Nearly invincible. A challenge to other men just by their presence. But part of her was glad she wasn’t like them. Would either of them have been able to trick a confession out of Boris Tabor? No. Being a woman had its advantages.

The sound of the conference room door opening abruptly made Angelina turn toward it, just as Alec walked through the door. That is another advantage of being a woman, she thought with a secret smile. She loved how he made her intensely aware of her feminine side. A side of herself she’d repressed for years, hidden from everyone except Alec. A wave of longing surged through her that she was hard-pressed to suppress, but she managed it.

He crossed the wide hallway to Angelina and McKinnon. “Thanks for waiting for me,” he told them. “Is there something I can do for you, Major? Because if not, the king is alone now, and I don’t think he should be.”

Major Branko cast Angelina a look that said, We will continue this discussion another time, Lieutenant. When your protectors aren’t around.

Her returning glance said, Anytime, Major. Anywhere.

“So what’s up?” McKinnon asked after Major Branko left. “Why’d you want me to wait for you?” He glanced at his watch. “Mara’s just about to put the twins to bed, and I like to be there when I can.” He grinned at Alec. “Fatherhood’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me...not counting the princess, of course. I highly recommend it.”

An enigmatic expression crossed Alec’s face, a look that intrigued Angelina, and she wondered what it meant. But all he said was, “I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to set up a time and place for us to meet. Tomorrow morning okay with you? My office at the embassy, say, 8 a.m.?”

“Sure. Anything you want me to do ahead of time?”

“No, I’ll get the ball rolling on those seven names. Speaking of which, did you mean what you said in there about Keira?” He indicated the conference room with a thumb over his shoulder. “Will the agency really give us whatever we need, without the DSS or the State Department having to fill out reams of paperwork?”

The grin faded from McKinnon’s face. “I’ve known Nick D’Arcy since I got out of the Corps and joined the US Marshals Service,” he said. “Worked for him a lot of years, first as a marshal, then as a special agent when the agency was created, before he went to DC to head up the entire agency. I can’t think of anything D’Arcy would like more than to put Vishenko behind bars for a long time—preferably for life.

“I’ll call him to satisfy the legalities, ask him to send the official word through channels to Keira, delegating her to assist you and me in this investigation. But yeah. Keira, and anything else we ask for from the agency will be forthcoming. No problem.”

Alec watched McKinnon walk away at a pace that told him the other man was in a hurry to be there for his children’s bedtime. And just as the king’s words earlier had sent a pang through Alec’s heart at the unexpected vision of children—his children, Angel’s children—he realized with another shaft of pain he had no idea where Angelina stood on that subject. They’d never discussed it.

He could rationalize their relationship was too new—it wasn’t the sort of topic that popped up in conversation between a man and woman who were just beginning an intimate liaison. Oh, by the way, how do you feel about kids? wasn’t the question a man asked a woman right after he made love to her, even if he could manage to speak, which wasn’t all that likely. Rationalization aside, though, he didn’t know what Angelina’s answer would be, didn’t know if children factored into her future plans.

But even if she wanted them—even if she wanted them with him—he could never be an absentee father. And that was a huge deterrent. He might be able to reconcile having a long-distance relationship with Angelina after he was transferred—assuming she’d agree to something like that—but his conscience would never accept bringing children into the world who didn’t know they were wanted. Cherished. Loved. Study after study had proven fathers played a crucial role in the behavioral and mental development of children. And that meant being there for his children.