The ride there was silent.
Oh, and there was no doubt why.
In the passenger seats of the Navigator, being driven by Ivan, and watched by Demeter, and Gryphen, the men weren’t really in the mood to talk.
They’d dumped the job of telling Elizabeth on Chris, simply because neither wanted to see their wife break.
More.
There was guilt for that, and how they’d been unable to help Vivian. With the poison on her, even touching her would be a death sentence.
A choice had to be made, and that didn’t sit well with any of them.
Yeah, now, this was the freefall from that mess.
No one wanted to place blame on anyone other than Devon Slater, but there was the big, pink elephant in the room. This was escalating, and with each move Elizabeth made, there would be blowback.
Something had to give, and they were worried it would be her.
Finally, Demeter spoke.
“I liked Miss Vivian,” he said. “But this isn’t Mom’s fault,” he added. “I’m going to hurt whoever says it is,” he warned, as if he already knew what was bouncing around in their heads.
Never let it be said Demeter wasn’t astute.
He was.
“The first person who makes her feel guilty is going to feel my boot in their face. I’m not playing. I don’t care who they are,” he warned.
Ethan patted the big man on the shoulder.
It was sweet that he was trying to protect her, but trust and believe, they were not going to blame her. If anything, they’d dropped the ball by not being more direct about what could happen.
This was on them.
They should have told Vivian nothing in or out. They just didn’t expect him to try that stunt.
It was ballsy.
“It’s not her fault. He’s had years to set this up, and she’s navigating it blindly. We aren’t going to make her feel guilty, Demeter.”
He was glad.
Then, he was to the point.
“I’m going to kill him,” Demeter said, cracking his knuckles. “Just let me find him. I’ll break both of his legs, and feed them to him. I think it’s beyond doing the right thing. I want to do the wrong thing.”
While they appreciated that, there was no doubt that Elizabeth was going to handle this, and the last thing she’d want was a bunch of pissed off Marines going rogue.
They already had that.
They wereThe Hunters, and wrangling them was already a full-time job.
“We just have to support Elizabeth, and hope for the best,” Ethan stated. “That’s all we can do.”
Ivan was to the point.
“I’m not letting her sacrifice herself. She isNOTthrowing herself on her sword to stop this guy. I know what she’s thinking, and I know where this is heading. I’m not letting it happen.”
