Eddie was a bully who thrived when other people cowered in his presence. His father believed leadership meant forcing his members and their families into submission.
A genuine leader like Brent Maddox knew that to be effective, you must lead by example. He’d lost count of the number of missions Maddox had joined to keep his skills sharp, but his boss hadn’t lost a step since he left the Navy. No, his real purpose was to shift the odds in their favor. He put his life on the line to help his operatives. That was the mark of a true leader.
Instead of giving his father the respectful greeting he demanded, Elias remained silent. He was asking for repercussions with this tactic. However, he knew something his father didn’t. Echo and Artemis were coming for him. What Elias didn’t know was how far away the teams were.
The goal was to survive, and survive he would. No way had he come this far only to die now that he was on the verge of having everything, including the perfect job and woman. One day, perhaps he’d feel comfortable enough about the safety of children to discuss having a family with Iona. Yes, he was looking a long way into the future. They needed time together as a couple before considering expanding their family. First, he had to make sure his father couldn’t touch their children.
After a perfunctory knock on the door, Dutch walked into the room with one of his cronies. Great. Just great. What was his cousin doing here?
Dutch smiled at Eddie. “Hey, Prez. Good to see you.” He paused, clearly expecting a similar response from Eddie.
Elias rolled his eyes. If Dutch was expecting to be greeted with his uncle’s arms wide open, he was in for a shock. Eddie was more likely to greet you with a punch to the face or gut than offer a hug.
“What are you doing here?” Eddie snapped. “We have a plan in place. You should execute that plan.”
The smile morphed into a frown. Dutch inclined his head toward Elias. “His friends have disappeared. I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible.”
“A simple phone call would have done the job. While you’re here, who is fulfilling your duties since your second-in-command is also here?”
Color stained Dutch’s cheeks. “Trish has a handle on things. I’ve trained her well.”
“She’s not you. You had a job to do, and you left it to your Old Lady. Maybe I should use her instead of you.”
Ouch. Low blow. Then again, his father wasn’t known for playing fair. His current circumstances were a perfect example. Here Elias stood with his wrists encircled by cuffs at the end of two parallel chains hanging from a sturdy beam in the tall ceiling instead of recovering in his cozy home or on his honeymoon.
Oh, yeah. He had to plan a honeymoon. Iona deserved the best.
He needed to get out of here so he could marry Iona Byrne before some other operative moved in on her and stole her away from him. His jaw clenched. Not going to happen while he was still breathing.
“Isn’t that right, Elias?”
He stared. Oh, man. His concentration was terrible. He needed to focus. “Sorry. I can’t focus because of the drug your men gave me.”
Eddie’s hand fisted again. “Is that right? Maybe I should have my men work on you a bit. Pain may help you concentrate.”
“You know he’s always been sensitive to drugs,” Dutch said. “Even as a kid.”
Elias stared at his cousin. What was he doing? If he continued down this path, he might be the one on a steel slab soon.
Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you questioning my judgment?”
“I’m pointing out the facts, like you asked me to do years ago.”
Eddie’s gaze flicked to Elias, then back to Dutch. He gave a slight nod. “Fair enough. Thank you for the reminder. I’ll give you a bit more time to recover, Elias. I’ll return in two hours. We’ll discuss your new role in the Reckoners as my heir in training. Dutch, with me.” Elias’ father motioned for one of his enforcers to stay in the room with Elias.
Not what Elias had wanted to happen. He couldn’t use the handcuff key to free himself if one of his dad’s cronies was in the room on babysitting duty. More importantly, he wouldn’t be able to talk to Fortress and his teammates with the enforcer in the room. The last thing he wanted was to lose his only lifeline if his father moved him before his team arrived. Thankfully, the tracking tag near his shoulder blade was still warm. That heat source gave him hope.
Eddie paused in the doorway. “I believe Elias is reluctant to join our organization, Sarge. Remind him what happens when you don’t fall in line with my wishes.”
Oh, joy. For a minute there, Elias thought he might get a reprieve. Nope. He should have known his father couldn’t resist flaunting his power over those in no position to protest.
Eddie and his entourage left the room and locked the door behind them.
Elias braced himself for what would be a painful wait for his teammates. Although he’d aced SERE training with Fortress, he dreaded the toll it would take on his mind and body.
The enforcer studied Elias for a moment, then reached for a dial on the wall. The chains retracted into the ceiling, increasing the pressure on Elias’ shoulders.
He clenched his teeth, riding the pain that rolled through his body. Nope. The next few hours wouldn’t be fun, but he’d survive. He had plans with Iona as soon as this op was over. A wedding ceremony as fast as he could arrange it, then a month-long honeymoon. He wanted a place that was beautiful but quiet. Definitely no crowds.
