Forged in Steele (14 page)

Armand’s grip suddenly tightened on her arm and she blinked, realizing that he’d been saying something to her.

“You’re pale,” he murmured, surprising her by offering an opinion. He rarely said anything at all, and usually it was to give her a terse order from Mendoza. “Come with me. After I’ve taken you to your room, I’ll have some hot tea brought to you. I made certain we stocked all your favorites.”

She stared hard, her mind grappling to take it all in. This had been planned. She’d been watched for God only knew how long. Armand knew far too much about her. He knew about KGI. He knew what teas she drank. Who the hell was this man?

Armand urged her forward, and she had no choice but to fall into step with him or be dragged behind him. He didn’t walk with his usual brisk pace, though. He slowed and seemed to wait while she slogged through mud. Every step was like dragging a ton of bricks behind her.

When he got to her door, he opened it and instead of leaving her as he usually did, he ushered her inside and eased her down on the edge of the bed.

“Put your feet up and rest. I’ll have your tea brought to you,” he said shortly.

Her gaze collided with his and she shook off the fog surrounding her. “How do you know so much about me?” she asked quietly. “Who are you?”

One corner of his mouth quirked upward, but it didn’t remotely resemble a smile. It just made him look more dangerous than ever.

“Why me?” she blurted. “I heard what you said to him. You think he shouldn’t involve me. Can’t you convince him to leave me behind?”

Armand’s eyes flickered and then his lips tightened into a firm line. “It’s too late for you, Maren. You know too much. If he leaves you behind at this point, he’ll kill you. Your only option is to go along for the ride and cooperate fully. Don’t do anything to piss him off. I’ll protect you the best I can. But be smart.”

With that he turned and stalked from her room, leaving her openmouthed on the bed where he’d left her.

Protect her? He scared the hell out of her. She was far more scared of him than she was of Mendoza. And he was going to protect her as best as he was able?

This was becoming more bizarre by the minute. She’d be a fool to trust him. She’d be a fool to trust anyone. Armand was right about one thing, though. She had to play this smart.

If only she could send word to Steele. Or Sam. Or anyone with KGI. What she wouldn’t give for them to storm the compound and get her the hell out of here. If Armand was to be believed and they indeed knew about KGI and, as Mendoza had hinted, that there would be a rescue attempt, then maybe, just maybe she could at least leave a clue for them. Not that she had much to offer in the way of information. But she’d tell them all she could.

Her eyes lighted on the pretty floral stationery on her nightstand. It was a long shot, but it beat doing nothing at all. She grabbed a pen and hastily scribbled a note giving as many details as she knew, which, granted, wasn’t much. She outlined the situation, saying that Mendoza planned to have surgery in Paris and then relocate to an undisclosed location.

She hesitated, not knowing if she should say she was pregnant. She mulled it over before deciding it would serve no purpose to put it down. The last thing she wanted was for Steele to find out this way. It would only make things worse, especially if he and his team were the ones to come in and then find her gone with a note saying she was pregnant.

No, she’d leave that part off and just hope to hell she got the opportunity to tell Steele in person that she carried his child.

After finishing the note, she folded it and slid it underneath the mattress. When it came time to leave, she’d place it under her pillow. It wasn’t likely anyone would find it, but if they did a thorough search of the premises, maybe they’d come across it and maybe it would at least lead them in the right direction.

She had to hold on to that hope, as slim as it was, because it was all she had.

She straightened and put a hand to her belly, staring down as her fingers splayed wide over her stomach.

“I’ll do anything to keep you safe,” she whispered. “Even make a deal with the devil himself.”

CHAPTER 16

STEELE
dropped his bag inside the KGI war room and impatiently scanned the room for Sam and Garrett. Their mission had been extended by a few days because of unforeseen complications and he was more than ready to report in and get the hell out. Maren likely thought he’d bailed on her entirely, and he was eager to prove her wrong by returning as he’d promised.

Donovan “Van” Kelly dropped his bag next to Steele’s and rubbed a hand through his hair. Van had gone with them, not surprisingly. The mission had involved recovering two abducted children who had been held for ransom. Van had a soft spot a mile long and a mile wide for women and children, and he participated in every mission having to do with either, but especially kids.

Steele had thought many times that he was surprised Van hadn’t already settled down and had a brood of children. Instead, he was one of only two Kelly brothers who hadn’t married or started having families.

The rest of Steele’s team straggled in behind him and Van. They all looked tired and in need of some downtime. Though Van was notorious for his soft spot for children, the fact was that whenever children were at stake, his team’s emotions became more involved. It was never easy to know they might find the worst when going after a kidnapped child.

Fortunately for them, this time the children had been safely recovered. Their father, a wealthy businessman in New York City, had been targeted, despite his high security measures, and his two children had been kidnapped from school when their nanny had gone with the security detail assigned to the children to pick them up.

The nanny had been shot and was even now in critical condition. One of the guards had taken a bullet to his vest and one of the other men had been killed when he’d attempted to fire on the kidnappers.

It was a clusterfuck from the word
go
, and the kidnappers had made it clear they’d kill the children in a very bloody fashion if the money wasn’t handed over.

Once Steele, along with Van and his team had retrieved the children, they’d been tied up for days with red tape and the FBI. It chapped Steele’s ass, but only when Adam Resnick, their shadowy CIA contact, had pulled some strings, had the dust settled and Steele’s team been released to go on their way.

The media had a field day, saying a top secret “government” agency specializing in the retrieval of abducted children had been commissioned to go in and take the kidnappers out. Thankfully, the FBI was more than willing to take the credit for the mission. Had it gone wrong, Steele wasn’t under any misconception that they wouldn’t have been quick to point the finger.

But the kids’ father had called in KGI. He knew who had gotten his kids out and he’d paid the hefty fee along with expressing his heartfelt thanks to Steele and his team. Steele shoved off and had let Sam take the gratitude. That wasn’t his thing. He liked it better when he worked in anonymity.

And now, he just wanted to be done with the whole thing so he could take the R and R he’d tried to take before. Only this time, he was going to make it clear that unless the world was going to end, he wasn’t taking a mission for at least a month. An entire month with Maren in Costa Rica? Now that the idea had taken root, he was obsessed with seeing it to the end. He was already imagining their evenings together in her garden. And the nights in her bed.

For the first time ever, he had a place to go after a mission. He had other interests other than retreating to his farmhouse and spending his time in solitude. And he liked it. He was eager to spend time with Maren. If he could only hurry the process along with Sam and Garrett. Maybe he could dump the mission report on Van. He’d been there and had taken just as active a role as Steele or any of his team.

He turned to Van as they waited for Sam to get off the phone. Whatever it was Sam was discussing, it wasn’t good and he wanted no part of it. Garrett stood right next to Sam so he could hear what was going on and his expression didn’t look any better than Sam’s.

“Can you tag this one?” he asked Van. “I’ve got places to be.”

Van wasn’t the only one who gave Steele a surprised look. Dolphin, who was right behind Steele and Donovan, arched both eyebrows but remained silent.

“Yeah I’ve got it. You and your team can head out.”

“I’m off the books for the next month,” Steele said shortly. “My team needs the downtime. I need the downtime. Rio can draw the next mission and if he can’t, Nathan and Joe can take it. They’re ready.”

“Steele, I need you to hang out a minute,” Sam called from several feet away.

Steele glanced up to see Sam holding the phone down from his mouth while he stared intently in Steele’s direction. His expression was grim and his entire body was tense. Shit.

“I’m late for some overdue downtime,” Steele said.

Sam held up his hand. “I know,” he said quietly. “But this is important. I wouldn’t hold you up if it weren’t.”

Steele’s team shifted behind him, already in warrior mode. They all tensed, ready to hear what was going down. And he liked that about them. Always ready for action. Alert and attentive. But not now, goddamn it. Sam’s timing sucked ass.

Steele sighed in resignation and then turned to Van. “Guess I’ll give him the report if I have to stick around.”

Van shot him a curious look. “Everything okay with you, man? Not used to seeing you . . . agitated.”

Steele ignored the question, not that it would come as any surprise. He was more glad than ever that he’d never been open with anyone at KGI. He had no desire to get into what was eating at him. Instead he focused on the rest of the occupants of the room.

Nathan and Joe were still training with their team, so all members of it were present and accounted for. Over the last several months, they’d spent most of their time on the training facilities onsite and had bunked in the building built for team housing. Steele had overheard Skylar and Edge talking about their plans to move their permanent residences closer so they’d never be very far from the compound.

So far things were looking very good with the new team. Steele had to give them credit. They were sharp and eager to learn and they didn’t have huge egos, which was a big positive when it came to training. There was nothing more annoying than having some know-it-all rookie convinced he already knew everything there was to know. Those were the kind you couldn’t teach shit to because they were already convinced they had it all down.

Steele liked the newest recruits, which was saying a lot since he didn’t tend to like anyone. Except his own team and the Kellys. They had his loyalty and his regard. That was in stone. But Skylar and Edge were fast earning his hard-won respect. Skylar was a crack shot. P.J. had even taken the time to work with her and P.J. had been impressed, which again was saying a lot since P.J. wasn’t easily impressed by anyone. But Skylar wasn’t a one-trick pony. In addition to her sharpshooting skills, she was lethal in hand-to-hand combat and with a knife. She’d surprised the hell out of all of them when she’d gotten the upper hand in training exercises with Garrett. The much larger man had landed on his back more than once. Felled by a woman half his size. Everyone was still giving him shit over that.

Edge was quiet and reserved and had a sharp eye for detail. Steele appreciated those qualities in anyone. He wasn’t loud, didn’t need to be heard on every matter and he paid attention. He was a mountain of a guy, easily the biggest guy in KGI. Garrett had always been the biggest guy, but Edge made him look small.

Dolphin moved up next to Steele. “What’s going on?” he asked in a low voice.

Steele broke his study of the other team and turned to Dolphin, noticing that P.J., Cole, Baker and Renshaw had all moved closer to hear.

“Hell if I know,” Steele returned. “It must not be good, with the way Sam and Garrett are looking.”

P.J. frowned but didn’t offer comment. Steele’s entire team was studying the room as if searching for some clue.

Most everyone was present and accounted for. Except Rio’s team, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with Rio or his team. They weren’t currently involved in a mission, having drawn one right before Steele and his team had been called up to take the kidnapping case.

Ethan wasn’t here, but that was to be expected. He’d taken leave since the twins were born and was spending his time at home with Rachel and their sons. Which was exactly where he needed to be. Ethan might have made mistakes earlier in his marriage to Rachel, but he was more than making up for those now. It didn’t escape Steele how happy the couple was now, and with the birth of the newest Kelly family members it was generally a festive time in the family and within the organization that extended beyond just the Kelly family.

It might be a little mushy, but Steele did consider himself a part of the family that was KGI. There was nothing sappy about it. They were loyal and they had each other’s backs. Always. Loyalty was everything to Steele. It was an essential part of his makeup. It was instilled in every team member’s training. And P.J. had experienced firsthand just how deep that loyalty ran when she’d tried to go off on her own. He didn’t think she’d ever pull a stunt like that again. And that suited him fine. He might have been a loner in all other aspects of his life, but when it came to his team, they were a solid, unbreakable unit.

So other than Rio and his team, everyone else was accounted for, which meant whatever was going down likely meant another mission he couldn’t say no to. Damn it. The one time he actually wanted the time off to spend on personal interests and he couldn’t catch a break.

Sam got off the phone and murmured quietly to Garrett, whose scowl only got bigger. Then Garrett swore forcefully, something that would get him into trouble with his wife, Sarah, if she was within hearing distance. The big man had tried his best to curb his tongue and the swearing he was infamous for. But when he was away from Sarah, the expletives still flew.

Sam walked over to where the others stood with Steele, his tone grave. “Okay, listen up. Maren is missing.”

The words were like a fist to Steele’s gut. He never imagined that whatever had Sam on edge involved Maren. His blood ran cold and fear, an unfamiliar emotion, gripped him by the balls.

“What the fuck?” Steele demanded.

Nathan and Joe and their team reacted with surprise at Steele’s explosive reaction. They closed in, falling in on Sam’s right side and across from Steele and his team.

“I was just there,” Steele continued before Sam could respond. “That’s where I was when you called me up on this mission. Everything was fine. You’re telling me she’s gone missing since then?”

Sam’s brow furrowed. “You saw her when?”

Ignoring the inquisitive looks from everyone in the room, Steele focused on Sam. “I was there when you called me up. It’s why it took me twelve hours to get here. That was, what, a week ago?”

Sam and Garrett exchanged glances.

“She must have gone missing right after you left,” Garrett said. “Her brother called us. He and their parents are frantic. She typically emails them several times a week. Calls them at least once. They’re in constant contact. Her brother got worried because they hadn’t heard anything from her. Nothing since nine days ago, which was before you left her.”

“She didn’t talk to them on the phone while I was there,” Steele said. “No idea if she was emailing them or not. I was only there two days when I got called up. Has anyone visually confirmed she’s missing, or is this just them being worried?”

Sam dragged a hand through his hair, his expression growing more grim.

“I’ve had someone keep an eye on her ever since we pulled her out of Africa. Nothing major. She wouldn’t have liked it knowing I was using resources to keep tabs on her. I just wanted to make sure she was safe and if anything went down, I wanted to know about it. My guy there says her clinic hasn’t been opened in a week. Looks like she disappeared not long after you left, Steele.”

“What’s being done?” Steele cut in. “Who do we have there? What can they tell us?”

“He’s questioning the locals, but I’m concerned enough that I want to send in a team. Rio makes the most sense because he’s closer.”

“Fuck that,” Steele growled. “Me and my team are taking this.”

Sam’s brow furrowed. Donovan looked equally surprised and Garrett frowned.

Steele’s team stirred beside him. They were on edge, just like he was.

“I agree,” Cole said shortly. “By the time Rio pulls his team in from God knows where, we could already be on the ground. We’re all here and accounted for. We can load and go within an hour.”

Steele nodded, as did all his other team members.

“We could go as well,” Joe spoke up. “We’re ready. Our team is here.”

“No,” Steele bit out again. “This is our mission. With or without your blessing.”

Donovan blew out his breath. “I’m inclined to agree with Steele.” He cast an apologetic look in his brother’s direction. “Sorry, Joe. It’s not that we don’t have confidence in you, but we don’t want your first mission to be something like this where we don’t know shit and are basically flying blind into God only knows what. This is personal. Maren is important to all of us. And we need to move fast.”

Again, Steele nodded. “We can move out now.”

“I’ll go with them,” Donovan said.