Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(19)

“Today was a good day,” Jonah said.

“Yeah.”

Damiano turned back to the view of the ocean. He set the beer down on the railing. He glanced over at Jonah and voiced what was uppermost on his mind. “She went after him, didn’t she?”

Jonah’s breath came out in a hiss, but he didn’t look at Damiano. “You know me better than that, D. I’m not going to discuss what Ty may or may not have done.”

Damiano ground his teeth together in anger. “Damn it, Jonah. Don’t f**k with me. Not over this. She has no business risking herself like that. If you can’t control her then by God, I will.”

Jonah turned, his eyes glittering dangerously. “Stand down, D. Last time I checked, I was still responsible for Falcon…for this family.”

“I was responsible for Ty—and myself—way before you were. I won’t let her go down for me.”

Jonah’s anger eased, and he laid a hand on Damiano’s shoulder. “Ty cares about you, D. She’d do anything for you. Put yourself in her shoes. If she needed it, you know you’d put yourself out there, no hesitation.”

Damiano turned with a growl and grabbed Jonah’s shirt in his fist. “Tell me you haven’t gone along with some crazy scheme of hers. Damn it, Jonah, I’ll kill you for this.”

Jonah grasped Damiano’s wrist and pulled his hand away from his chest. “You go too far, brother,” he said quietly. “Do not think to question my authority. As long as I’m the head of this family, you won’t challenge me.”

Damiano stumbled back and felt the uneasy crawl of change creep over his skin. He closed his eyes and sucked in air as he tried to control the urge to change to something wild and feral. Frightening images flashed in his mind. Wild beasts. Predatory creatures. A low snarl escaped him.

Strong arms surrounded him, hauled him toward the door. “Focus, D. Don’t leave me. Hang on. Don’t give in.”

A few minutes later, he felt the prick of a needle and warm oblivion seeped into his veins. The fiery itch eased, and the urge to claw at his skin in an effort to free the predator inside abated.

“Listen to me,” Jonah said close to his ear. “You insult me by suggesting I’d ever let Ty place herself in harm’s way. She won’t be going after Eli Chance. If I have to tie her down and drug her ass, I’ll do it. Your only concentration needs to be on defeating this thing that has you in its grip. Do it for yourself and for those of us who love you.”

“I won’t…let her sacrifice…herself…for me.”

“Neither will I. Now sleep, D. You need your strength.”

Chapter Six

Tyana scanned the occupants of the outdoor café until her gaze alighted on her target. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips formed a tight line as she strode toward the table on the far end of the patio.

Two bodyguards stood on either side of the man, and Tyana sneered as she approached.

“Not exactly subtle, are you?” she said as she slid into the chair opposite the man who had phoned her.

He flashed her a sleazy grin and raised his hand to snap his fingers. Pete and Repeat slunk away and stood at a distance.

“Take off the sunglasses,” she directed. “I like to see who I’m speaking to.”

He paused for a moment before he slowly raised his hand to remove the expensive shades. Dark, soulless eyes stared back at her, and she resisted the urge to shiver.

“So glad you could make it, Miss Berezovsky.”

“You have me at a disadvantage,” she said sweetly. “We were never introduced.”

“Esteban Morales. You may call me Esteban.”

“I may call you ass**le,” she muttered.

He laughed and sat back in his chair. “You’re fortunate I have a sense of humor, my dear. Another man might not be so tolerant of your snideness.”

She made a show of checking her watch. “Look, can we get on with this?”

“By all means,” he said smoothly.

She leaned forward. “How the hell do you know anything about Damiano Ruiz?”

His eyes glittered with amusement. “Ah, your shifter friend. Not doing well, is he?”

“How do you know anything about him or how he’s doing?”

His teeth flashed again in a smirk. “Because my company engineered the chemical that made him into what he is.”

Tyana exploded across the table, her hands wrapping in the collar of his shirt as she yanked him toward her. “You son of a bitch!”

“Get your hands off me at once,” he said calmly. “Or I’ll have my friends give you a few lessons in manners.”

“Fuck you and your friends,” she snarled.

“Remove yourself or I don’t give you the information you need.”

She slowly uncurled her fingers from his shirt. Then she shoved him back in his seat before retaking her own.

“Talk and make it fast.”

He chuckled. “Quite demanding aren’t you? You see, Miss Berezovsky, I hold all the cards. If I were you, I’d be very nice. And exercise some restraint.”

She sucked in a breath through her nose and blew it out around tightly clenched teeth.

“There, much better. Now, I have something you want, and you have skills that I want to utilize. I see no reason we can’t come to an agreement.”