105
THERON
I was going to kill Graham for cutting off my communications with Emersyn. I glared murderously at him as I turned my unit back on.
“Yeah, yeah,” Graham said. “You can berate me later. You know she would have gone regardless, and she needed that information. Plus, she’s not alone. The others will be waiting for her.”
I scowled, but he was right.
“Knight, come in,” I said over comms.
“Go for it, boss,” Knight said.
“Emersyn is in pursuit of Mahoney—” I cut off as Nyx put additional pressure on the wound. I ground my teeth together and turned my glare on him.
Nyx didn’t even look up. “Suck it up, buttercup.”
“North?” Knight said.
“Mahoney is inbound to you,” Graham crouched next to me as he took over comms again. “Emersyn is in pursuit. North was hit. We’re going to evac him now—”
“Like hell you are,” I snapped.
Graham and Nyx completely ignored my growled protest and shared a concerned look. That wouldn’t do. I shoved Nyx’s hand away.
“Boss—” He warned, but cut off at the deadly look on my face.
“Help me, or shut the fuck up,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Nyx sighed.
It took both him and Graham to get me to my feet, but once I was there, I gritted my teeth and looked around.
Tex and Sakari had gone into the hallway to hold the room, and Knox watched the window.
Nyx tightened the bandage around my stomach.
I wasn’t going to die immediately, but it was bad enough that I knew I needed to hurry.
“Atlas, is the inflatable still on the beach?”
“Affirmative,” Atlas answered over comms.
I nodded. “Alright, here’s what I want to happen,” I said firmly. “Tex, Sakari, Knox—hold the estate. Nyx, Graham—you’re with me. We’re going to take the long way around—”
“I don’t think—”
“Do it, Nyx,” I commanded.
My tone left no room to argue and he knew it. He stepped away to relay the orders and coordinate with Knight. I went to the bar cart by Mahoney’s desk and poured a generous amount of whiskey into a glass. I threw it back and poured another.
After the second shot, the pain had dulled to a throb—not because of the alcohol, but because the anger pushed it out.
I turned and threw the glass violently against the wall, then winced as it aggravated my wound.
Graham leaned against Mahoney’s desk with his arms crossed over his chest, and the look on his face wasn’t approval.
I glared at him and ran a hand over my jaw. “I’m not leaving this island without her.”
Graham shrugged. “Getting yourself killed isn’t going to help anything.”
“That’s why you two are involved,” I said. “Let’s go. Nyx!”
Nyx shook his head subtly at Graham. “It’s better if you just go along with it.” he whispered loudly.
I strode for the door, ignoring the pain that jabbed like a knife in my side. Short of dying, there was nothing that was going to stop me from going after my daughter. I’d failed her once, and it sure as fuck wasn’t going to happen again while I still had breath in my lungs.