Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(64)

“I love you,” she said sincerely.

He rolled his eyes and yanked her into his arms. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, Ty. We’re a team. We’re a family. We work together. Always.”

She nodded against his chest. “Yeah, I get it.” And she did.

She pulled away and smiled over at D who was watching the mush fest with an amused expression. “How are you?” she asked. “Really.”

He shrugged. “I’m making it. If I keep a light dose of the sedative in my system all the time and take a larger dose when I go to bed, it seems to keep me calm, and I don’t have the urge to shift like I did before.”

She glanced over at Jonah. “I gave Ian and Braden the inhibitor. It works on them. For now. I promised if you guys didn’t toss me out of Falcon I’d have Marcus examine them and see if he could offer any help.”

“They have to be alive for that, and the longer we sit here yapping and getting in touch with our feelings, the less likely it will be that they stay that way. If they aren’t already dead.”

She shuddered. “They have to be. I won’t let them down.”

“Stop taking the goddamn world on your shoulders, Ty,” Mad Dog growled.

“Enough already,” Jonah said, holding his hand up to stop the bickering that was about to ensue. “I’ve got to gather our secondary. D, you need to get me intel on the most likely location of Esteban and then verify it. Mad Dog, you’re in charge of weapons.”

Then he turned to Tyana. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but you look like shit. Get some rest. We’ll figure this out. If you aren’t up to snuff by go time, then your ass will stay here, so bear that in mind as you argue with me about resting.”

She laughed. Relief made her lightheaded. This was her team. Her family. She had complete faith in their ability to find Eli. And rest sounded pretty good to her aching head.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Tyana slept fitfully and woke to find Damiano sitting on the end of her bed watching her. He seemed thinner, and it reminded her too much of the boy he’d been instead of the bulky man he’d grown up to be.

“Hey,” she said in a husky voice as she sat up and drew her legs to her chest.

“Hey yourself. Feel any better?”

She craned her neck back and forth to work out the kinks, and to her satisfaction, the headache was gone.

“Yeah, I do.”

He studied her, his eyes holding a multitude of questions. And finally he asked one.

“Was Mad Dog right? Do you love him?”

Tyana sighed. “You don’t ask the easy ones, do you?” She reached over and took his hand, twining her fingers with his and squeezing. Just being able to touch him made her feel better. It seemed they’d been separated for too long.

“You were the first person in my life that I loved,” she said honestly. “Jonah and Mad Dog were the second and third. Beyond that, I’ve never loved another human being. Love is…scary. What scares me more than the thought of…loving—” she nearly choked on the word, “—of loving him, is the fact that I need him.” She looked up at Damiano. “I need him, D.”

“Then I’m glad to help you save him,” Damiano said. “You deserve to be happy, Ty. If he can make you happy, then I want that for you.”

She turned her legs over the side of the bed and scooted down against him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her.

“Did they find him yet?” she asked anxiously. “You’re in here and not pecking away on your computer so I can only assume you’ve done your part and Jonah and Mad Dog are off drawing up the tactical plans?”

He nodded.

“Where?” She held her breath.

“My computer skills weren’t really that necessary. Yet. Tits actually came through on this one. He tagged Esteban after the deal went down in Germany. Monitored his movements. He hoofed it into Switzerland immediately. His pharmaceutical company owns a large research facility in a remote region of the Alps. We believe he took Eli and his men there.”

He stroked her hair soothingly as he spoke.

“If he’s there, Ty, we’ll get him. You know when Jonah sets his mind to something, he simply won’t accept any other alternative but success.”

She pulled away from Damiano and looked him in the eye. “Are you angry with me, D?”

His cheeks puffed as he blew out his breath. “No, Ty, I’m not angry. Well, I guess I am in a way. I’m pissed that you’d risk your life for me. You have to know that I could never accept that my recovery came because of your death.”

“And yet you’d do the same for me,” she said softly.

He gave a half laugh. “Yeah, I would. In a heartbeat.”

“Hey you, two,” Mad Dog said from the door. He leaned in, bracing one hand on the frame. “Jonah’s called a meeting. We’re almost ready to roll.”

Tyana surged up and hurried to the door. Mad Dog didn’t move right away to let her pass.

“It’s good to have you back, Ty,” he said in a serious tone.

She punched him in the gut. He grunted and doubled over.

“It’s good to be back,” she said as she walked by.

His chuckle carried after her as she headed toward the living room.