Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(33)

“I want in,” Damiano said in a determined voice.

Mad Dog muttered a no even as Jonah was shaking his head.

“I know how important Ty is to you,” Jonah said. “But we can’t afford any distractions. The best thing you can do for her and us is to stay here and concentrate on beating this thing.”

Damiano’s face twisted in a sneer. “Don’t f**king patronize me, Jonah. I know what I’m dealing with here. There isn’t a cure, no matter what Tyana wants to believe. No serum, no antidote. I’m stuck like this. I have to learn to deal with it. That’s on me. No one can do it for me. For Ty I can do whatever it takes. You’re not leaving me in the dark. Not when it comes to her.”

Jonah and Mad Dog exchanged frustrated glances. It was obvious that if they left him, he’d pull a Tyana and go off on his own. And that wasn’t an option. The last thing they needed was an unstable wild shifter on the loose. He’d get his ass killed.

Goddamn, but there were times when Jonah wished to hell he’d never laid eyes on those two gangly kids.

Mad Dog shrugged. “He’s a big boy, Jonah. Time to cut the apron strings.”

“Hey, f**k you,” Damiano growled. But a glint of humor lit his eyes, the first sign of the old Damiano Jonah had seen in a long time.

In that moment, he realized that maybe this was what D needed. Not to be treated like a freak. To give him back his position on the team and ride his ass just like Jonah had always done.

They’d all been so wrapped up in their worry that they’d started treating him like he was damaged. Less than human. An animal.

Tyana’s accusing eyes and her furious words flashed back to Jonah. She was right. He’d treated D like an animal.

He glanced sharply up at Damiano. “You’ve got a half hour to get your act together and meet us downstairs. I’m going to be on the horn with Tits because I know that bastard was the one who helped Tyana off the island.”

He turned to Mad Dog. “I want all the intel you’ve collected on Eli Chance, and get the chopper out here pronto. If we can get to Chance before Tyana then we can eliminate the threat and be there when she shows up.”

“And if we don’t beat her to him?” Mad Dog asked.

“He dies,” Jonah said simply. “He’s already signed his death warrant. You and I have been over this already. Tyana’s leaving had nothing to do with it. He was going down regardless. As long as he exists, Tyana’s never going to stand down.”

Mad Dog nodded then clasped Damiano’s shoulder. “Glad to have you back, brother. Now get your ass in gear. We’ve got some ass to go kick.”

Jonah turned and walked out, and Mad Dog followed closely behind. As they hit the stairs, Mad Dog bumped Jonah on the arm.

“Now you mind telling me what the hell we’re going to do if he spazzes out on us?”

Jonah sucked in a deep breath. “Call Marcus. Ask him what we need to bring, whether it’s drugs, tranquilizers, sedatives, and ask his advice on how much stress he thinks D can take. We’ll just have to keep a close eye on him.”

Mad Dog nodded and trotted down the remaining steps, disappearing around the corner. Jonah stalked into his office and picked up the phone.

A few moments later, Tits’ distinctive drawl bled over the line.

“Jonah, my man, what can I do you for?”

“Cut the bullshit. Where is she?”

“Where is who? You lose your girlfriend?”

Jonah clenched his jaw. “You know damn well who I’m talking about. What the f**k were you thinking, Tits? She’s going to get her ass killed. And I swear to God, if that happens, I’ll f**king gut you and feed you to the sharks.”

“Ty’s a big girl, dude. Chill the f**k out.”

“You don’t seem to get it,” Jonah snarled. “She’s in way over her head. The guy she’s after has already gotten to her twice. She’s lost all perspective. She’s gone off half-cocked riding high on emotion. You tell me, Tits. Would you want someone like that working under you?”

There was a long pause. Then Jonah heard several indecipherable swear words.

“She’s not going to forgive me for this one, man.”

“I don’t give a shit. All I care about is making sure she stays alive.”

Tits sighed. “I put her on a private jet to Paris. Gave her money, weapons and a fake passport. That’s all I can tell you. She wouldn’t say much more.”

“Much, you said much,” Jonah said, latching onto that little tidbit like a pit bull. “Which means she did say more. You tell me every goddamn word.”

“She was hooking up with Esteban, the guy who wanted to hire you guys to take out Eli Chance and his team.”

Jonah swore. “If you hear from her, if she asks you for anything else, you f**king sit on her until I get there, you read me?”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Tits growled.

Jonah hung up before he hurled any more curse words into the phone. Next on his list was a call to Burkett to find out his connection to Esteban and why Burkett had arranged the meeting between Esteban and Falcon.

He sat down and stared at the phone for a long moment before picking it back up. He punched in Burkett’s private number and waited.

“Jonah, what can I do for you?” Burkett’s gravelly voice bled over the line, harsh, like rocks.