Into the Mist by Maya Banks Page A

his office doing what he did best. Brood.
    She put on a muscle shirt, a pair of shorts and her running shoes then walked out of her room, prepared with a story that she couldn’t sleep and was going on a run. Something that, as it happened, occurred frequently.
    First she’d swing by and check on D.
    When she found two guards posted outside his door, she frowned. When she tried to move past them and open the door, they moved to block her.
    â€œSorry, Jonah’s orders. No one goes in without his say so.”
    Anger exploded within her. She wanted to kick their asses and then go tear a strip off Jonah’s hide, but she had to remember her objective.
    She glared at them both before she stalked down the hall to the stairs. When she was stopped by another of Jonah’s security team, she let out a hiss of impatience.
    â€œI’m going running. Or is that allowed?”
    â€œLet her go,” Jonah called from his office door where he stood watching Tyana.
    She turned her resentful stare at him and had to make herself forget about the fact he’d barred her from Damiano’s room. Otherwise they’d be in each other’s faces again, and she wouldn’t get anything accomplished.
    Squaring her shoulders, she walked calmly down the stairs and headed for the French doors leading to the back patio. She stepped outside into the cool morning air and jogged down the path that led to the beach.
    She knew despite Jonah’s acquiescence that she was being closely watched. She’d have to be fast.
    As she rounded the northwest corner of the island, she slipped between two large rock outcroppings, inaccessible when the tide rolled in. She dropped to one knee to fiddle with her shoelace and carefully looked around to see how visible she’d be from the house or other lookout points.
    Feeling that she was as obscure as she was going to get while on the island, she reached into her shorts, slid the earpiece into her ear and palmed the tiny receiver, bringing it to her mouth in a casual gesture.
    â€œTits, you there?”
    There was a long moment as she waited for a response.
    â€œTyana, my girl. What brings you knocking?”
    She breathed a sigh of relief. “How much would it be worth to you to annoy the piss out of Jonah?”
    Tits chuckled. “For that pleasure? Consider whatever it is you need on the house.”
    â€œI need a boat on the east side of the lesser island. Tonight. Oh two hundred. Arrange for a helicopter exchange five miles out. I need cash, a fake passport and the first flight you can get me on to Paris.”
    â€œYou got it.” There was a slight pause. “You can catch me up on the whys and wherefores later.”
    â€œWill do,” she said before removing the earpiece and tucking it back into her shorts.
    She set back out on her run, and just to make it look good, she circled the island twice before she headed back up to the house.
    When she walked in, she saw Mad Dog standing at the breakfast bar, rummaging through the M&M bowl.
    â€œYou better not be eating my orange ones,” she grumbled as she walked over. “I saved the green ones for you.”
    â€œAnd I appreciate it,” he said around a mouthful of chocolate as he turned in her direction. “All oranges are accounted for, see?” He pointed at the bowl that now only housed the brown and orange M&Ms.
    She reached for a handful and plopped on a barstool to stare at him. “Don’t you ever sleep? I could swear you just went to bed.”
    He grunted in response and dug back in the bowl, looking for another green one. He gave a disgruntled sigh and snagged a brown one instead. “I got an hour. That’ll do for now. What about you? What’s got your panties in a knot this morning?”
    She lifted an eyebrow. “Can’t I go for a run without you and Jonah on my ass?”
    His eyes widened and then narrowed as he looked her over suspiciously. “Get