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Pierce’s jaw clenched, guilt and anger warring inside him. He knew he didn’t deserve Rhiannon, but damn if he was going tolet anyone, even her brother, make him feel ashamed for loving her.
“Hey!” Zak barked, inserting himself between them. “Stand down, both of you. We have bigger problems than your pissing contest right now.”
“Jesus,” Ethan muttered, dragging a hand over his face. “I knew this was a mistake.”
“He’s right,“ the deputy said, her voice calm but firm as she set a hand on Rylan’s arm. Pierce thought her name might be Stella.
No. Isabella. Izzy. That was it.
Her touch seemed to soothe Rylan. He tore his gaze from Pierce to look at Izzy, a muscle ticking in his clenched jaw. After a tense moment, he gave a short nod and took a step back, but the fury still simmered in his multicolored eyes.
Pierce wrapped his arms around Rhiannon and drew her back to him, not willing to let her go. Not when everything inside him screamed to keep her close, to protect her from the danger that seemed to come at them from all sides. Even if that danger was her own brother’s wrath.
“I’m sorry.”
Rhiannon shook her head, her expression softening as she touched his cheek. “You have nothing to apologize for. This is between me and Rylan. He’ll get over it.”
Somehow, Pierce doubted that.
But before he could respond, Ethan cleared his throat pointedly. “If you’re done with the soap opera, we have actual pressing matters to discuss. Every second we waste puts more lives at risk.” He leveled his gaze on Pierce. “You built the damn weapon. We need you to tell us how to destroy it before it’s too late.”
All eyes turned to him, and Pierce felt the weight of their stares like a physical force. He glanced down at Rhiannon, sawthe trust and love shining in her green-gold eyes, and drew strength from it. She gave him a small nod, her hand finding his and lacing their fingers together.
Squaring his shoulders, he began to sign, Rhiannon translating his words for the others.
“Destroying Tectra-X outright might be impossible. Its outer shell is virtually indestructible. But there’s a flaw in the design, a weakness we might be able to exploit.”
Pierce took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before continuing.“The device is powered by a rare isotope called Xenarium-136. It’s highly unstable and the only element capable of generating the immense energy required to trigger seismic waves.”
One of Ethan’s men spoke up. ”I’ve never heard of it.”
Pierce turned toward him. The man had hawkish features. Straight black hair that desperately needed a cut fell into dark, slanted eyes that hinted at Asian ancestry. He had stayed on the outskirts of the group, watching the commotion from a bank of computers in the corner of the room. He must be their version of Sawyer.
“And you are?”
“That’s Oz,” Ethan said before the other man could respond. Then he jerked his chin toward the man who had made the off-color joke about Pierce and Rhiannon having had fun last night. “Nolan, our pilot.” He continued around the circle until he’d named everyone: “Leo, interrogation specialist. Rafe, demolitions. Alistair, medic.”
Each man nodded a hello, except for Nolan, who gave a cheeky two-finger salute, and Oz, who merely grunted, too busy typing on his laptop to acknowledge anything beyond his screen.
“Gage, here, is under our protection,” Ethan continued. “And you know my second-in-command, Trent.”
Cal’s lips compressed into a scowl, which looked weird on the guy’s face. Cal was usually all smiles, with boundless energy like a puppy.
“Yeah, we’ve met,” Cal muttered. “But I knew him as Vigil. I thought the cult killed you.”
Trent’s hard mouth tipped up at the corner. “I’m hard to kill.”
“What about Clarity—Evelyn—and her daughter?”
Trent’s smile vanished. “I got them out of there before the shit hit the fan. They’re safe.”
Cal relaxed a fraction. “Okay.”
Pierce glanced back and forth between them. He’d been at the cult’s compound, too, but he hadn’t seen Trent there. Of course, he hadn’t infiltrated the compound like Cal had. He’d just been on the outskirts in case Cal or Ellie needed help.
Ellie.
He was surprised the thought of her didn’t make his chest ache. He’d liked her but had never made a move on her because he hadn’t wanted to put her in danger. And it was obvious to anyone with a brain that her heart had already belonged firmly to Cal. Still, that knowledge hadn’t stopped the ache of loneliness that filled his chest every time he saw or thought of her.
