Camellia shrugged. She didn’t know who was in the room once she began working on someone. The healer in her blocked everyone else out for the most part.
“You’re certain, Kaden?” Ryland asked. “If something goes wrong, there’s no taking this back.”
“I’m certain. Her touch feels delicate, but when she’s working inside me, she’s a powerhouse, Rye. I know there isn’t any of the chemical left. Doctors said I’d be dead in a few days, a couple of weeks at the most, from the poison. If that didn’t get me, the bullet was going to. It still will, unless a psychic surgeon gets here in time. With a war going on, I doubt that’s going to happen.”
“Jonas, I’m going to sit down for a while. Are you finished searching?”
“Yeah, babe. I’m with you.”
It was Ryland who wrapped his arm around her waist and helped Camellia to a chair just as the door opened and Tansy came in, followed by a woman of average height with sable-colored hair and deep blue eyes.
Tansy went straight to the cot to take Kaden’s hand. The woman looked around the room with a slight frown, and then her gaze came back to land on Ryland and Camellia.
“Ryland? What’s going on in here?”
12
Jonas turned at the sound of that feminine voice. Before he could ask how many more were going to be joining them, Ryland glanced up with a slight scowl on his face.
“Lily, what are doing in here? Tansy? Didn’t Kaden make it clear this was a closed meeting?”
Jonas had never heard Ryland speak to his wife in that particular voice before. Never. Cold as ice. He didn’t sound like a husband. He sounded like a commanding officer, and a very pissed-off one at that.
“Rye.” Lily not only looked but sounded hurt. “I followed Tansy. It isn’t her fault. Clearly, something was happening with Kaden and I was afraid for her. He is my patient. Who is this woman? What is she doing in here?”
“You’ll be briefed when I see fit to brief you,” Ryland said. “Right now, you need to leave.”
“When you see fit to brief me? On my own patient?” Lily poured outrage into her voice.
Jonas could see she was genuinely shocked at Ryland’s response. She looked around the room, taking in everyone, her gaze resting on Camellia, who looked pale and worn. Ryland stood, looking menacing, filling the room with anger.
“Yes, Lily, this is a military matter. Just like the soldiers coming up the mountain to kidnap you and Daniel and wipe the rest of our team and Team Two out. Do you want to know why they’re coming? Why they would come?”
Jonas winced. Ryland’s voice was very low, never a good sign with him. He could infuse more fury into his tone than anyone could by raising their voice. He stalked her across the room, looking so menacing Lily actually backed away from him.
“Because you decided you didn’t have to listen to your husband and could do whatever the hell you wanted to do with our son. So now I’ve got a prisoner I’ve got to interrogate. Do you have any idea what that means? When one interrogates a prisoner quickly? One that refuses to give up information we need fast? Perhaps I should have you observe.”
Jonas’s heart nearly stopped beating. He’d never seen Ryland like this. Never. They’d lost men. They’d been hunted. They’d been trapped in cages with men drugging them, taking them to hospitals and murdering members of their team, and still, Jonas had never seen Ryland like this. He didn’t know whether or not to intervene. He could feel the absolute shock of the other men in the room as well.
He feels absolutely betrayed by her. He can’t conceive of what she’s done and the consequences to all of you,Camellia observed.Or the consequences to their relationship.
Jonas felt her understanding of what Ryland was feeling. She knew betrayal intimately. Once trust was broken, how did one get it back? Jonas looked at his commanding officer. He’d known himfor years. He followed him because he believed in him. There were few men better than Ryland Miller.
Ryland was a simple man in that he was utterly loyal when it came to those he loved—just as Jonas was. Jonas had no idea what he’d do if Camellia had gone behind his back when they’d both agreed on a way to keep their child safe and done just the opposite. Wring her neck?
“I don’t think you would like the way we get information, Lily, but then right now, your opinion doesn’t matter very much to me one way or the other. As for this woman, she’s doing her best to save Kaden because we don’t have time to wait for a psychic surgeon because there is an army on the way to wipe us out.”
Lily shook her head. “That can’t be true.”
“I assure you, it’s all true,” Ryland said. “Especially the part where you betrayed your husband.” Ryland’s voice had dropped even lower. His eyes had gone almost pure silver, fixed on his wife.
Jonas moved to get into a better position to intercept just in case. Gator did as well. Ryland ignored both of them.
Lily put a defensive hand to her throat. “Ryland, no, it isn’t like that.”
“It’s exactly like that. There isn’t a way to put a spin on it, Lily. We had a discussion, we both agreed and you went behind my back anyway. You figured you could outsmart everyone, but you didn’t. There was a traitor planted in our home. Your good friend, Dr.Adams’s assistant, Lydia Fenamore, was paid to build up your trust and observe everything she could, including mapping what parts of Jeff’s brain were active and when.”
Lily kept shaking her head.
