Page 35 of Lyon

“They aren’t going to let you leave today,” River said.

“Then can you please get me three giant hamburgers and a cold beer? Cyclone asked. He looked at me.

“Are you leaving?”

“Just for a few days.

I’m calling the doctor so they can unhook you from all those drips,” Raven said.

“Why is there a tube in my stomach?” he demanded.

“That’s your feeding tube,” River said, laughing at Cyclone’s bewildered expression.

“What kind of food do they put in it? It doesn’t fill me up—I’m starving. Can we stop on the way home and grab some steaks?”

It was obvious he didn’t hear when River said he wouldn’t be going home today.

“By the way, Lyon is in love,” River said.

Cyclone looked at me as he disconnected his IV drips. “Who are you in love with?”

“She loves me too. It’s Niki.”

“Niki. That doesn’t surprise me.”

“She’s in the hospital and will be there for a while,” I explained, recounting what had happened to her.

“Fuck, she was in a homemade casket. God put you in the right place at the right time. She must have been in so much pain— they even pulled her fingers from their sockets. Fuck, that must have made her pass out from the agony.”

“Yes, she said she passed out every time they beat her.”

“Fuck.”

17

Lyon

Oliverand I picked River up at five. Our flight was set for Texas, where we would escort a woman and her two children to North Carolina, reuniting them with her billionaire husband. They had purchased a mountain estate, and she had stayed behind to ensure the movers packed everything properly.

She carried a heavy case—one we knew contained the family’s prized jewelry. She told us at least twenty times. Hopefully, no one else knew. But the way she clutched it, her grip white-knuckled, would make anyone wonder what she was protecting. I positioned myself to block curious onlookers as we made our way to the plane.

Out of the corner of my eye, movement registered—too fast, too deliberate. A hand. A gun. Instinct took over. I pivoted, seizing the man’s wrist before he could fire. A swift strike sent him sprawling, unconscious, just as the airport police arrived.

I gave a brief explanation, ready to move on, letting them take over when an officer stopped me.

“This is a U.S. Air Marshal,” he said, gesturing toward the downed man. “If he pulled a weapon, there was a reason. You say you’re escorting a woman and her kids to North Carolina? Andshe’s carrying all the family’s jewels? Where’s the husband in all of this? You don’t find that odd?”

I had to admit, it was strange that her husband left her to transport millions in jewels alone.

“We’ve been watching her closely,” I replied, heading toward the plane.

“Call me with any updates,” the officer said, then reconsidered. “Never mind. I’m coming with you. We’ll call it extra protection.” He extended a hand. “Stanley.”

I sighed. “Fine. But stay out of our way. We’ll handle this.”

His brows lifted. “Noted.”

My mind was racing. Something wasn’t adding up. When I boarded the plane, I turned to Oliver and River. “Stanley’s coming with us. I think we have a situation.”

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