Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(61)
Tyana stole a glance at Eli, who stiffened at Ian’s words. He hadn’t told them that his shifting ability came with birth—a freak aberration in his DNA at conception. And maybe now she understood why. They looked at Eli and Gabe as hope that they too would adapt and survive.
She turned her gaze to Gabe. He was the wildcard. The only one of the entire group who had actually been able to harness his abilities. Why?
He returned her stare with bland indifference.
But the inhibitor worked on him while it hadn’t on Eli. So he wasn’t completely invulnerable.
“Our objective has to be to take Esteban and make him talk,” Eli said, bringing the conversation back to the heart of the matter. “We don’t have room for emotion, rage or revenge.” He looked at Tyana pointedly, and she had an eerie sense of déjà vu, as if Jonah was standing in front of her lecturing her about going off half-cocked. “This is a job. Cut and dried. We go in, extract Esteban from his hidey hole, and then we can address the other issues that concern us and our wellbeing as a team. Understood?”
The others slowly nodded their agreement. Tyana dipped her head in acknowledgement.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It was nearing dusk when they drove into Neu Ulm. Two vehicles drove down the small street toward the house Tits had arranged, lots of useless camera equipment in the back. The more useful equipment like guns and ammo were carefully tucked underneath.
They entered the driveway through a weathered archway covered with ivy. Tyana’s brow rose as she caught sight of the house. She was expecting a cottage. Not a big-ass mini mansion.
It was a two-story stone house covered in the same ivy as the archway. Square and boxy, but more importantly, there was a high fence around the perimeter offering privacy.
Eli parked in the semicircle drive in front of the door, and Gabe pulled in behind him. They all got out, and Tyana reached for her bag after checking to make sure her remaining knives were securely fastened to her person.
She waited for Gabe, Ian and Braden to catch up while Eli headed for the door. They each carried cases or bags.
“Nice digs you got for us, Tyana girl,” Gabe offered with a grin.
She started after Eli with the others trailing behind. Eli opened the door and pulled his pistol. Taking her cue from him, she gripped one of her knives in one hand and reached for her Glock with the other.
Behind her, there was a slight rustle as the others prepared to go in.
They walked into the darkened foyer.
Eli motioned toward the large living room to the right. Tyana stayed close behind him, and when they entered the living room, she flipped her backpack off and dropped it onto one of the chairs.
Eli turned as the others came in behind him. “We need to fan out and make sure the house is secure,” he murmured. “Meet back here in five minutes and we’ll figure out our next move.”
There was no warning for what happened next. Tyana heard Eli grunt, felt Gabe stumble beside her, heard Ian curse and Braden gasp. She whirled, her eyes widening in horror when she saw the multiple darts protruding from the men.
Then she saw Esteban step from the shadows of the dining room, three men with dart guns surrounding him. She yanked up her pistol and prepared to launch her knife with her other hand.
“Nicely done, Miss Berezovsky,” Esteban said as he walked further into the living room.
Beside her, Eli had crumpled to the floor, and he seemed almost paralyzed. But his accusing stare found her. God, he couldn’t think she’d set them up.
And when things couldn’t get any weirder, the front door burst open behind her. She jumped to the side to assess the new threat but froze when she looked into the very angry eyes of Jonah.
Jonah, Mad Dog and Damiano swarmed into the room, assault rifles up. Tyana yanked her pistol back to Esteban.
“What did you do to them?” she demanded.
Jonah stepped in front of her, his gun pointed at Esteban. “You have what you want, Morales. Now we have what we want. I’d say it’s in our best interests to stand down. Or we can shoot each other and shed a lot of blood. Your choice.”
“Take her. She served her purpose,” Esteban said.
Mad Dog grabbed her wrist and Tyana yanked it away. “No! Goddamn it, Jonah, no! You can’t do this!”
Mad Dog yanked Tyana to him and applied enough pressure to her other wrist to make her drop her gun. He knocked her knife out of her hand with the butt of his rifle and then simply threw her over his shoulder and barreled out the front door.
Tyana looked back to see Eli and his men still helpless on the floor, but Eli’s gaze followed her the entire way. Cold rage burned in his dark eyes. Betrayal. Dear God.
Tyana exploded in fury, kicking and flailing at Mad Dog. Jonah backed from the house, his gun still trained on Esteban while Damiano hurried toward the truck that Eli and Tyana had driven to the house.
Mad Dog tried to stuff her into the SUV, and she fought like a deranged woman. She executed a kick to his midsection, knocking him back a foot.
“Damn it, D, hurry up with that shit,” Mad Dog barked out.
Tyana launched herself from the truck, her intention to go in after Eli and the others. Jonah caught her, and she punched him full in the face. His neck snapped back, but he retained his grip on her arm.
In the end, it took the combined efforts of both Mad Dog and Jonah to force her to the ground. Through tears of rage, she saw Damiano approach and then felt the prick of a needle in her arm.
Maya Banks's Books
- Maya Banks
- Undenied (Unspoken #3)
- Overheard (Unspoken #2)
- Understood (Unspoken #1)
- Highlander Most Wanted (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #2)
- Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1)
- The Tycoon's Secret Affair (The Anetakis Tycoons #3)
- The Tycoon's Rebel Bride (The Anetakis Tycoons #2)
- The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress (The Anetakis Tycoons #1)
- Theirs to Keep (Tangled Hearts Trilogy #1)