Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(62)

She stared accusingly up at Damiano. “How could you?” she whispered.

“How could I not?” he asked.

The world swayed and blurred around her. She felt herself being lifted and then tossed into the backseat of the SUV. A hot tear slipped down her cheek as her eyes fluttered closed and everything went black.

* * *

Eli lay there, helpless fury blowing through his veins. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t shift. He just lay there like a f**king vegetable as Esteban’s men swarmed around his team.

She’d played him. Played him in the worst way. She’d made him care, and then she’d knifed him in the back.

Because of him and his stupid decision to trust Tyana, his team would likely die. He couldn’t save them this time. He couldn’t even save himself.

A hard boot rammed into his ribs, and he grunted in pain. He felt himself lifted by three men. He was thrown onto the couch, his arms twisted behind him and tied. His feet were bound next.

Gabe, Ian and Braden were receiving similar treatment as they were restrained.

Eli closed his eyes. He hoped to hell it was worth it to Tyana. He hoped whatever she got out of this deal would enable her to sleep at night. If he managed to escape with his life, though, he’d make damn sure she never had another night’s peace.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tyana climbed back to consciousness, her head aching vilely, and her tongue felt like it was three sizes too big. She blinked to try and bring the room into focus, but she wasn’t having much success.

She heard voices. Jonah. Mad Dog. Damiano. And then she remembered.

“How much of that shit did you give her, D? She’s been out like a f**king light for hours.”

She surged upward and immediately regretted it. The room swam around her, and she had the sudden urge to vomit.

“Whoa, not so fast,” Damiano said as he gripped her shoulder to steady her.

She put a shaky hand to her head. God, it hurt. It pounded as she tried to put together what had gone down.

“How long?” she rasped.

“How long what?” D asked.

“How long have I been out?” How long had Eli and his team been in Esteban’s clutches? Nausea rose in her stomach again.

“Exactly six hours and twenty minutes,” came Jonah’s stony reply.

She rocketed to her feet, shrugging off Damiano’s hand. She weaved, and her knees threatened to buckle, but she remained upright by sheer willpower.

“Where are we?” she demanded. She looked around, her vision clearer now, and answered her own question. “Paris.”

She locked gazes with Jonah. “Why? Why did you do it? Goddamn it, Jonah, how could you do that?”

“Now hold on a minute, baby girl,” Mad Dog began.

“Stand down, Mad Dog,” Jonah said in a controlled voice. “Let her say her piece. Then I’ll say mine.” His eyes glittered with anger, and she knew he was simmering beneath his deceptive calm.

“How could you set me up that way? How could you set up Eli and his team? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Jonah walked forward, his features locked in stone. “One, we didn’t set you up. Two, I don’t give a damn about Eli and his team. Three, you brought this on yourself when you blatantly disregarded a direct order from me to stay your ass on the island.

“What the f**k were you going to do, Ty? What were you thinking confronting Esteban like that? What would have happened if we didn’t show up? I’ll tell you what. He would have killed you.”

She shook her head. “Esteban wouldn’t have known we were there if you hadn’t told him. How did you know?” And then it hit her. “Tits. That son of a bitch.”

“Tits doesn’t owe you any loyalty,” Jonah said coldly. “And we didn’t say jack to Esteban. I don’t even know why the f**k you’re so hot to trot for this guy. Why were you there with Eli and his team? Last I heard you were going after Eli, not changing your loyalties, Ty.”

The pounding in her head was vicious. She closed her eyes and swallowed back the rising nausea.

“Jonah, we don’t need to do this now.” Damiano’s concerned voice filtered through the fog surrounding her. “She’s not well.”

Her eyes flew open again. “No, D, now is precisely when we have to do this. We’re losing time.” She turned her attention back to Jonah. “You know why I went after Eli. What you don’t know is why Esteban wanted him too. He’s the bastard who unleashed the chemical agent on Eli and his team. On Damiano. He’s the reason Damiano is the way he is. It was a goddamn experiment. One that didn’t work out too well. I thought Eli might have answers. He’s stable. I thought his team would be stable like him. I was wrong.”

Jonah held up his hand. “I don’t give a damn about Eli and his team. What I care about is the fact that you could have been killed. You don’t get that. I won’t trade your life for some half-assed scheme to try and save D’s ass.”

“You’re not listening to me,” she said in frustration. “You stood there and handed Eli and his men over to Esteban. I went to Germany with Eli and his men because we were going after Esteban. We were going to take him down and make him talk. He created the chemical that turned them into shifters. If nothing else, we could have gained access to the chemical, had it broken down and analyzed, and maybe we could have come up with a way to help them and D. But you sold us out to Esteban. Goddamn it, Jonah, why?”