Jonah.
Before she could spit out a single word, he held up his hand. âThere wonât be any arguments, Ty. Not over this. At the moment I donât even want to ponder the coincidence of this man appearing from nowhere asking us to deliver Eli Chance on a silver platter.â
âButââ
âBut nothing,â he said firmly. âThe subject is closed.â
She sighed, shutting her eyes against the overwhelming urge to throttle him. He was like a freaking steel beam when he made up his mind about something.
She got up and stalked over to the window, watching as the helicopter lifted into the air. Sheâd never felt so damn helpless in her life. Not even during the days in the orphanage when she and D had lived every moment in fear.
Warm hands gripped her shoulders, kneading and soothing.
âWeâll find a way to help D, baby,â Mad Dog murmured. âYouâve got to relax. You canât take on the world by yourself.â
Her shoulders slumped underneath his hands, and her head bowed.
âWhat do you say you and I head to Paris for a little R and R? Itâs been a while since we cut loose and had a little fun together.â
âI canât leave D. He might need me.â
Mad Dog turned her around to face him. âJonah will be here with him, and Marcus is coming out tomorrow to check D over. Heâll be fine.â
Tyana reached out to twirl a strand of Mad Dogâs hair around her finger, indecision wracking her brain. âYou know Paris is my weakness.â
He grinned charmingly. âIâll even take you to Aviation Club de France and let you lose some of my hard-earned cash.â
She looked beyond his shoulder to Jonah. She raised a brow in question.
âIâve never tried to keep you on a leash, Ty,â Jonah said dryly. âYou donât need to ask my permission. You and Mad Dog go and have fun. D will be fine here with me.â
Impulsively, she threw her arms around Mad Dogâs neck and hugged him tight. He wrapped his beefy arms around her waist and squeezed her just as hard. Then he smacked her on the ass.
âGo get packed. Iâll get the chopper ready, and Jonah will call and make sure the jet is fueled and ready when we hit the mainland.â
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Eli watched her across the intimate club setting as she collected chips from another pot sheâd won. Her eyes glowed with excitement as she stacked her winnings. The man at her side grinned and nudged her on the shoulder. She laughed and turned her wide smile on him. The two were obviously close, and Eli wasnât fooled by the manâs easygoing demeanor. He hovered protectively over her.
Which begged the question. If she was intimately involved with the rather large guy glued to her side, what the fuck had she been doing in Eliâs bed just days ago?
He felt a surge of irritation.
He knew exactly why sheâd been in his bed. She was using him. For what he didnât know, but he was going to find out what the hell she wanted. And if she was a threat to his team.
His team. His lips drew into a thin line. He didnât have a team. A team implied an organized unit. Something with a network. Back-up. What he had were three men he felt a deep responsibility for. Members of his former team . A team that used to be recognized by his government.
Now they were a group of men without a country. Cut loose and ignored as long as they played by the unspoken rules. Play dead. Disappear.
Only now, his mystery woman threatened their obscurity.
When he was sure he was unobserved, he recorded a few shots of the couple with the mini camera chip concealed in his palm. Heâd upload them and zap them over to Gabe at the first opportunity.
He picked up a glossy magazine and held it up as he saw her rise from the table and head presumably to the ladiesâ room. With a quick glance to make sure her bodyguard hadnât spotted him, Eli moved in