Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(71)

Gathering strength he didn’t have, mustering the energy from reserves he hadn’t drawn on since his escape from Adharji, Eli broke into a run.

As they topped the next hill, they saw a chopper touch down in the small valley and a medic hop out with a backboard.

Jonah didn’t waste any time climbing into the helicopter as Eli gently laid her down on the backboard.

“Load and go,” the medic said, and Eli recognized his accent as American. Was he military?

They hustled Tyana into the helicopter, and Eli didn’t ask. He piled in behind them, leaving Mad Dog with the Falcon secondary.

Eli and Jonah exchanged a long look before Jonah finally nodded his acceptance.

The helicopter rose as the two medics worked in unison, one intubating her while the other started dual IVs.

* * *

Eli paced the confines of the waiting room of the private hospital. He’d refused treatment himself, and one of the medics who’d brought Tyana in slapped a bandage on the bloody crease on his arm, but Eli didn’t give it a second glance.

He wanted answers. A lot of them. Gabe was dead. Ian and Braden were being examined by the Falcon doctor, Marcus, so he couldn’t even ask them what went down with Gabe.

And Tyana. He closed his eyes. She was still in surgery. Her prognosis had been grim with the amount of blood loss. Jonah and Mad Dog stood at the far window, their faces locked in stone. Damiano sat with his face in his hands, alone, away from the others.

Several hours into their vigil, Ian and Braden walked into the waiting room accompanied by Marcus. Faint hope glimmered in their eyes. He wanted to ask about Gabe but forced himself to first ask what Marcus had been able to determine.

“He thinks daily injections will work for a while and the inhibitor will work for sudden and uncontrolled shifts,” Ian said as they gathered close to Eli.

“But as I told your men, it could only be temporary. If they become acclimated to the drug, the effectiveness is lost. It could very well be that what has happened with Damiano will happen to them,” Marcus added.

Eli nodded grimly.

“Jonah is in the process of getting me all the data and computer files from the research facility. If there is a way I can find the original chemical composition used in the attack in Adharji, then maybe I can offer a more suitable alternative. Until then, as clichéd as it may sound, you can only take it one day at a time.”

Marcus turned and walked over to sit by Damiano. Eli could hear him ask if Damiano was okay and if he needed another injection. Eli turned his focus on the two brothers.

“What happened to Gabe?”

A mixture of anger and sorrow crossed their features.

“Tyana didn’t betray us, Eli,” Ian said. “Gabe did.”

Eli’s brow twisted, and he leaned in closer. “What?”

“He admitted it right before he died,” Braden said. “We got to him too late to get him out. He has a sister. A sister for God’s sake. He said that Esteban was threatening her, using her to make him sell us out.”

Eli dragged a hand through his hair, caught the strands in a bunch and clenched his fist. “I don’t understand.”

“He pleaded with us to save her,” Ian said quietly. “He said Esteban wants her. Rambled on about how he was stable. It didn’t make a lot of sense. Told us there was information in his laptop on how to find his sister. Said she was all he had.”

Eli swore. Then he closed his eyes. Gabe had betrayed them? It certainly made more sense now. How else would Esteban have known they were in Argentina?

“Why have Tyana go after us, then? It makes no sense.”

Braden shrugged. “Maybe she was insurance in case Gabe flaked. He had to know she had some serious motivation to want to bring us in if it meant helping Damiano.”

“I hate to break up the reunion, but you and I need to talk,” Jonah broke in. His eyes glittered, and behind him, Mad Dog stood, arms crossed, obviously planning to be a party to whatever conversation ensued.

Eli turned to Ian. “Find Gabe’s laptop. Figure out what the hell this stuff is about his sister. We’ll figure out what to do about it later.”

He stepped away from the brothers and eyed Jonah and Mad Dog cautiously.

“Sorry about your man,” Mad Dog said gruffly.

Eli nodded and wondered if they’d overheard Ian’s statement that Gabe had been the one who betrayed them.

“I’m in a huge quandary about what to do about you,” Jonah said. “I should take you out.”

Eli stared levelly at him. “You can try.”

“I’d love to be able to blame you. Place all the blame on you,” Jonah continued, ignoring Eli’s challenge. “But I’m afraid Ty shoulders most of the blame for the situation she got herself into. Personally, I think you’re bad news. If I had my way, you wouldn’t be within a country of Ty.”

“Let’s skip the chitchat, okay?” Eli snapped. “If you want to take this outside, let’s go. But to be perfectly honest, when Tyana wakes up, I don’t want to have to explain to her that I killed her freaking team.”

“You seem awfully confident that she’s going to wake up. She took two bullets for you, Chance.”

“She’ll live,” Eli gritted out. He wouldn’t entertain any alternative. She had to live.