dryly.
She stood, brushing herself off as she looked over to see Jonah sitting in the dark. When he continued to stare at her, she let her shoulders sag and braced herself for a lecture.
When he didnât say anything further, she leaned against the railing and propped her weight on her hands.
âWhat are you doing out here?â she asked.
âWaiting for you.â
She stiffened again.
âI know youâre angry with me, Ty. In your shoes, I would be too.â
She stared uneasily at him. The only thing worse than a brooding, pissed-off Jonah, was dealing with a Jonah she wasnât used to. An understanding, nice Jonah.
âI would have done the same thing you did,â he said quietly.
She went completely still.
âIâm not condoning what you did, but I understand why. Even though I canât allow you to continue this crusade to help D.â
A frustrated sigh spilled from her lips.
âIf this was a mission, if it was anything else, Iâd place my confidence and my trust in you. Youâve never let me down. Youâre damn good. Our team relies on you.â
Even as her cheeks tightened with pleasure from his rare praise, disappointment settled heavy in her stomach. âWhy donât you trust me now?â
He sighed. âItâs not a matter of trust, Ty.â He stood and covered the short distance between them. He stood just inches from her and looked down. In the pale moonlight, she could see tension and fatigue etched into his hard features. âYou, Mad Dog and D are the only family I have. The only people I care about. Iâll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.â
Her fingers curled into tight balls against the coarse wood railing. âBut D needs help. By not allowing me off the island, youâre hurting him.â
Jonah shook his head. âI wonât trade you for D.â His words echoed Mad Dogâs statement of a few days ago. âWeâll find a way to help him that doesnât involve you chasing after Eli Chance or his team of shifters.â
He reached out and gripped her shoulders. âDo you understand that, Ty? Do you honestly think any of us could be happy that Damiano was saved at your expense? It doesnât work like that, and if you think it does, then you donât know us very well.â
Shame crept up her spine. Tentatively she circled Jonahâs waist with her arms and pressed her cheek to his chest. He hesitated for a moment then slid his hands from her shoulders and hugged her tightly against him.
After a few seconds, she shifted uncomfortably and pulled away. He stepped back and shoved a hand to the back of his neck. It was more up close and personal than either of them felt comfortable with. She chuckled softly. Boneheads, the both of them.
âThanks, Jonah,â she said.
He reached out and ruffled her hair. âGet some rest, okay? You look like hell.â
âGee thanks.â
She watched him walk back inside and expelled a pent-up breath when he closed the sliding doors behind him. It was as if heâd read her goddamn mind and knew exactly what to say to make her feel about six inches high.
For a brief moment, she contemplated chucking her carefully thought-out plan, but the image of Damiano writhing on the floor, in so much pain, shut the door on any guilt she felt.
Jonahâs anger, his disapproval, she could face. She couldnât face herself if she let Damiano down. Jonah might well toss her out on her ass once this was all over with, and she wouldnât blame him. No one in FMG crossed him. What he said went. But as long as Damiano got what he needed to survive, she was okay with the fallout over her actions.
Chapter Nine
It wasnât easy to pick a time when either Mad Dog or Jonah wasnât skulking about. Tyana sometimes wondered if they slept at all.
She picked an hour before dawn, typically when Mad Dog had just gone to sleep and Jonah was holed up in
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