Page 223
Gabriel fired once more, ran for the aircraft, and took the stairs two at a time.
The instant he crossed the threshold, Lucian shouted, “That’s everyone!”
“Rory, door,” Nik ordered.
The broad-shouldered man yanked the door shut, secured it, then sat in the seat closest to it.
We were all on board, but we were still on the ground in El Salvador.
Lachlan finally lowered Ciro’s pistol and slid it back into the holster at his waist. He then dropped into the seat beside mine as Gabriel and the three DarkMatter men took available seats.
Lucian didn’t sit.
He crossed the aisle and stopped beside us, then crouched next to Lachlan’s seat and gripped the back of his brother’s neck.
“Fuck, Lach.”
The words came out rough.
He pulled Lachlan forward into a hard embrace.
Lachlan wrapped one arm around him and tugged him closer.
“Aye, brother. It’s good to see you.”
For a few seconds, neither man moved.
Watching them made my throat tighten. I’d heard the fear in Lucian’s voice on the phone the night before, but seeing his brother battered and bruised in front of him had to be different.
Lucian finally drew back, keeping one hand on Lachlan’s shoulder as his eyes traveled over the cut on his cheek.
His jaw tightened.
“You look like hell.”
Lachlan’s mouth curved faintly. “Been a rough few days.”
Lucian let out a rough breath and squeezed his shoulder again. “No shit.”
Up close, the resemblance between them was even stronger, although Lucian made far less effort to hide whatever he was feeling.
His expression softened.
“It’s good to finally see you, Isabella.”
“You too.”
He reached across Lachlan and took my hand.
“Thank you for bringing my brother back to us.”
The gratitude in his voice caught me off guard.
“Without him, neither of us would be sitting here,” I said softly.
Lucian looked between us. “Then I’m glad you had each other.”
His hand tightened briefly around mine before he released it.
