He nodded. “That’s the long and short of it. You took a round to the leg and lost a lot of blood. You’re on the mend now, but you’re not going anywhere for a while.”
“Where are my men?” I repeated. “And Vic?”
“Vic’s whereabouts are unknown. And…I can’t tell you where the men are.”
Rage pulsed through me at the idea of Vic still being held.
“What the hell? Why not?”
“Brother told me not to. Said he didn’t want you risking your life with that injury.”
“You kidding? It’s a thigh wound; I can walk just fine on this.”
Without waiting for another word, I threw off the covers, exposing the leg wrapped in gauze.
“Pyke don’t do it,” he said.
I didn’t listen, of course. Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I threw my legs over the side of the bed. The moment of truth came when I put my weight on my feet, pushing myself off the bed. Bryan winced but seemed resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to stop me.
It hurt—it felt like a giant bug had bitten me on both sides of my legs and wasn’t taking its teeth out. However, I was able to take one step, then another. With a little bit of stretching and getting used to the pain, I was able to walk normally.
I glanced over at Bryan, a smirk on my face.
“Mind calling the nurse in? I’m ready to get the hell out of here.”
* * *
“You know what AMA means, right?”Bryan asked as he drove me to the airport.
“I was there when the doctor told me.”
“Ajax told me to be there for the specific purpose of talking you out of trying to leave. Looks like I failed miserably.”
“Let me ask this—did he give you another reason to be there? I know Ajax, and he’s always got a backup plan.”
Bryan smiled wryly, shaking his head as if he’d been busted.
“Yeah, he did.”
“And what was it?”
“Said that if I wasn’t able to talk you out of it, which I probably wouldn’t, to tell you where they were going and drive your dumb ass to the airport.”
I laughed. “Sounds like Ajax. I was planning on flying into Germany and taking it from there. But if you’ve got a better idea…”
“They went to Germany first to try to find him there. Turns out he’d flown the coop. Some intel from the king traced this Jurgen prick to Amalfi.”
“Amalfi? As in Italy? The place with that picturesque coast?”
“That’s the one. I’ve got the name of the hotel where they’re staying. You get moving now, and you might be able to make it before they execute the mission.”
I grinned. I was ready.
“Now, I’m not going to mommy you, but the last thing I want is to send you off with a case of gangrene. Change that shit four times a day, and don’t push yourself too hard.” He raised a finger. “And when this op’s over, get some damn rest—two months’ worth, at least.”
I laughed. “If I didn’t know you were Ajax’s brother already, that would’ve confirmed it.”
“I’m serious. I’m sure I don’t need to tell a fellow brother in arms how serious a gunshot wound is.”