“I would ask you to put me down, but something tells me you're the type of man who doesn’t listen.”
“Nah. I listen. I wanted you to see what it was like to be in the arms of a real man.” He winks, sits her down, and takes her bag out of her hand. “Seriously, it’s nice to meet you. I told this crazy idiot he needed to tuck tail and go get the girl. Glad he listened.”
“Right. Dickhead. Because I always do what you say. Come on, before you have her wanting to dump my ass over having an idiot for a friend.” I take her hand, guiding her through the small airport and out to Jackson’s waiting truck.
“Have you heard anything more?” Grace asks from the backseat before Jackson even has the truck out of park. Her mind is right back on the situation at hand.
“No. We’ll go right to the office when we get there. I know Kaleb has called in a few of the guys, so shit is about to get real.” He pulls out into the light traffic, gives me a side glanced look. He knows how private I am with my personal life, but I can see him dying to know if things are better with me.
“It seems like this is all taking forever. I need to get over there now.” Grace exhales and is obviously frustrated with the technicalities we have to jump through before we can leave.
“Not sure what all he’s told you about us.” He jerks his head my way, where I give him a slight shake of my head, letting him know I’ve barely scratched the surface about telling her about the Elite Forces. “We don’t lose, Grace. We will get your friends out of there, that I can guarantee you.”
“I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, Jackson. However, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Trevor. I’m not an idiot, and I would appreciate if none of you would treat me as if I were. You may want to call ahead and tell everyone on your team this before we get there. I won’t be lied to, either. I want to know everything you all know.” I can picture her now sitting back there with thoughts stewing through her head. She’s headed into unknown territory here. Into a place where secrets are hidden, identities are buried, and if she goes in with an attitude like she has now, then Kaleb will eat her alive. She has to learn, though. I’ll admit this isn’t the way I wanted her to. Not with her emotions running high and her anger boiling over because she knows we haven’t told her everything. It’s not my call. I may be an equal to this team as much as everyone else, but the bottom line is, the final decision comes from Kaleb.
“You need to calm down and trust me before we go in there.” I help her out of the truck. She looks at me with those innocent eyes in the same way she did when we first met. She’s scared, feels all alone, only this time she isn’t. “Trust me, please. I would never steer you wrong. I told you we all know what we're doing.”
“I trust you.”
“Good. Let’s find out what’s going on, and then I’ll show you my house.” I guide her up the stairs, through the door where everyone is.
“Hey, you must be Grace.” Jade makes her way around the table to greet us, her eyes lighting up the minute she sees Grace. I feel her entire body relax through the palm of my hand when Jade draws her in for a hug. This woman right here is one of the toughest people I know. She can kill her target from a mile away. Her focus is spot-on when she’s doing her job, but when she’s here where she can be herself, the delicate side of her comes out—unless she’s fighting with Kaleb, then all hell breaks loose. Jade is one the of kindest people I know. She’ll be good for Grace. Make her understand and see things through a woman’s perspective.
“Nice to meet you, Jade.”
“This guy here is Kaleb. My fiancé.” She pauses. “And if he doesn’t take his eyes off the computer screen to come and meet you, he’s going to be single.”
Kaleb lifts his head, gives Jade one of those looks that only the two of them understand, and shifts his gaze to Grace. I can tell by the way he’s standing he’s prepared to go toe-to-toe with her if he has to, but his eyes are soft in understanding.
“Pleasure’s all mine, Grace. Although I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”
“Me, too. Can you please tell me what’s going on?”
“I’d like to ask you some questions before we get in too deep. Let’s have a seat.” He gestures to the table where we all usually go over every aspect of our missions and plan our method of attack.
“What do you want to know?” she says when she takes her seat beside me.
“How well do you know this Rachel Young?” Grace answers quickly and calmly.
“I know her pretty well; do you mind telling me why you are asking?” The need to protect her hits me as if a strong ocean wave has plowed me over. I place my hand on her knee the same way I did at the ranch. She needs to stay calm and listen. Her body relaxes then stiffens right back up when Kaleb answers her in his no-bullshit way.
“What are the chances this Rachel has something to do with the kidnappings?” Grace places her hands on the table, her body starts to shake, and just when she’s ready to push herself up to stand, I squeeze with enough pressure to keep her in her seat.
“That’s impossible. She would never do something like that.” She turns to look at me as if I’m the one betraying her.
“Cut to the damn point, Kaleb. Tell us why you think that.” Jade places her hand on Kaleb’s arm. I’m not sure what the hell is going on here. Kaleb can be a hardass motherfucker when he’s leading up this team. That’s why he’s a pro at what he does.
“I’m doing my job. Protecting my people. And I need to know how much you know.”
She swallows, listening carefully to him. I can see respect on her face, yet there’s still a level of uncertainty. I’m sure that comes with her not knowing anyone here except me and not knowing the fate of her friends.
“Is there anything you’ve done in the past that would have someone looking for revenge?” Kaleb continues with his questions; she’s still shaking her head, denying any knowledge.
“No.”
“You need to think, Grace, because they’ve asked for you. And we have reason to believe your friend Rachel has not been truthful with you or your father. It looks as if her license has been suspended. Wouldn’t that make her have to quit working at the clinic?”
“They’ve asked for me? Why?” It all hits her hard as she tries to process everything he’s telling her.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out here.” Kaleb raises his voice a couple of notches. I’ll give it to Grace; she holds his stare and doesn’t flinch.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
GRACE
I’m sitting here staring this big man down, wondering if and how I could have missed the signs that Rachel is who he says she is. I guess I didn’t really know her at all. We worked together, but outside of that, we didn’t do anything to make a special effort to bond.
“We need answers quick, Grace. People’s lives are in danger.” Kaleb’s shortness is blunt and it’s obvious in the way he’s grilling me that he’s not a fan of me; and to be honest, I’m not a fan of him either.
“What more can I tell you?” I force myself to remain seated, fighting back the will to leave here and scramble on my own to save my friends.
I don’t know what to say and who to trust right now. The way this cult-like team of Steele’s is looking at me only makes me even more weary of allowing them to help me. I don’t know what to do. One thing I’m not going to do is back down from this condescending man who’s trying to find something that simply isn’t there.
“I’m sorry for drilling you like I did, Grace. Before we continue, I want you to understand that I have to do what needs to be done to ensure the safety of my team. I may be a son of a bitch at times, but I want you to know before I tell you everything that we don’t cut corners. Our angles are sharp and defined when it comes to our jobs. We leave nothing out. That’s why this team here and the other two men on their way are hand-picked to go in and get the job done and return home before any of our loved ones have the chance to miss us. We do not fuck aroun
d here.” Kaleb paces back and forth as he speaks to me. Telling me of this team of brothers that work on private and government missions. Missions that are life threatening and dangerous to Steele’s survival.
“I understand that you want to be thorough.” He continues to tell me more about the team in the next five minutes of meeting him than Trevor has in the entire time I’ve known him. I could tell he was a part of the military side of things, but to hear he’s literally an elite member, trained to be the best of the best…I’m literally surrounded by a team of specialists who have a past so tremendous, it would put a black mood in my life if I had to see even a fraction of what they’ve seen. Yet here they stand, ready to go back for more.
I just wish Steele had told me the details of this team that were just thrown at me by Kaleb.
“Thorough is all I know.” Kaleb moves closer to me, drawing my attention to his strong facial expression before he continues. “I’ve had you checked out as well.” His words sear through my core.
“Why would you look into my character when I’m the one who was called for all of this?”
“Oh, honey, my research had nothing to do with this situation. I had you analyzed before you ever set foot on the first helicopter ride you took with one of my men.” He leans over to stare me in the eyes. I’m not sure if this is his attempt at intimidating me or not, but it’s not working.
“Did you find anything?”
“You’re here, aren’t you. One of my men has spent days with you; believe me, that wouldn’t have happened if we had.” Frustration and anger flow through me immediately. He’s leaning over the table, glaring at me with his cocky persona, trying to accomplish what? To make the missionary girl feel inferior in a room of men and a single woman that should terrify me to death.
I finally stand, infuriated and ready to walk out of here and tell them all where to go. “I’ve done nothing to deserve the way you’re treating me, and I won’t sit here another second longer. My friends are in danger, and you’re here revealing all the ways you’re an insane person. I’m the daughter of a doctor who has spent her life saving others. You’ve received your information on me, yet I know nothing about any of you. Why would I trust you with my friends, or my own life for that matter? You, Mr. Maverick, can take your team and the way you’re talking to me, and you can fuck off.” My anger consumes me and makes it nearly impossible to have a plan of action now that I’ve just pissed off the leader of the team that is supposed to be helping me. Not to mention he has me cursing and sounding like one of them.
Steele’s large hand squeezes my leg again, keeping me in place as I wait for anyone to react to my stern response to the way things are going here.
“Kaleb Maverick, you’re being an ass.” Jade moves him to the side and faces me. Her icy demeanor seems to soften as she stands in front of me. “Look, you’ll have to forgive my future husband. He’s very protective of his family and those he loves. Steele falls into that category. Don’t take the way he’s treating you personally; you should’ve seen the research he did on me before he even laid eyes on me.”
I watch Kaleb switch his hardened exterior just slightly as she takes over.
“We want you safe. We want our team safe as we go in to find your friends. We will always be thorough when it comes to those we allow around us, and he will never apologize for that. I think that’s something you may actually relate to if you dig deep enough into the way you feel about your own friends and family.” She moves a few feet to the right before she paces back in front of me. “I need you to think about every single person who has died under you or your father’s care. Every person that came into your clinic who became unhappy. You see, we have to know what we’re up against, and if anything can lead us to those who have them, then we need to start pulling information now.”
The door opens before she can go on. “Alright, I have something. We need to move now. I just received a video feed of the two hostages being taken.” We all shift our attention to another strong male walking into this meeting.
“That’s Pierce,” Steele whispers in my ear quickly. I’m angry with Trevor right now, but I remain calm. What I have to say to him needs to be said in private.
“We’re working on narrowing down a better picture of the two individuals. Don’t worry, though, I have connections, and I think we’ll have what we need shortly.” He walks over to Kaleb and looks him straight in the face. “I’m going in on this one. I now have a personal agenda.”
“What did you see?” Kaleb questions, and Pierce looks to me, instantly ignoring his questions. I’m sure this is his barbaric way of saying he can’t say in front of the weak girl. Little do they know I’m far from weak. I may not fight and kill people like they do. However, I’ve seen my share of violence over there. Enough to last me the rest of my life.
“I’d like to see this video,” I say. Every single one of them switches their attention to me as I speak. I know with every bone in my body that I don’t really want to see this video if it’s filled with some of the vile things I’ve seen and heard of in the past, but if I can find a clue about where they are, then why wouldn’t I watch it?
“Good. I want you to pay attention to every detail. Every movement, their voices, all of it,” Pierce tells me, grabs a remote, and types a few things on a laptop before I’m paralyzed by the sight before my eyes. Leslie is walking down one of the short hallways when she’s approached by two men with hats on their heads, scarves completely covering their face, and dark sunglasses concealing their eyes.
“Grace Birch no longer lives here. I can’t help you find her.” My eyes burn with moisture as I watch her face morph into fear when the men approach her, their English muffled by their native tongue.
“What’s going on here?” Dr. Stapleton comes into view behind her as one of the men points a gun to his head, not even answering him, while the other walks into the storage room, takes his elbow, and breaks glass after glass while he rages through the clinic’s supplies. Shoving everything into big garbage bags.
I flinch when they punch Leslie in her face, her body falling to the floor before the feed goes black, and I’m instantly overtaken by the sound of my own heartbeat in my head. I can’t hear anything but the repetitive thump that’s slamming me in my head.
“That’s it? Is that all you have?” I ask, both hoping it’s the last of the torture I have to witness, but also wanting more in hopes of finding a clue.
“At the moment, it is; we're still waiting on the footage from the entrance of the building. Do you recognize anything about them? The way they stand, clothes, their hands? Anything?” I can’t think straight. All I see in my mind are those two men abusing my friends, the fear in Leslie’s eyes. The way she lied to them about not knowing where I am.
“I don’t,” I say truthfully.
“You need to watch it again, focus on the men, not on your friends.” Trevor places his hand on my shoulder for comfort. I’m angry, bitter, and on the verge of losing my mind, but I remain strong.
“Okay.”
I watch it again and again. Nothing. These men are rebels to their own country. The war has been over for years, and yet they’re going in there as if they’re taking prisoners of war.
For the life of me I can’t come up with a single reason why they would ask for me.
“Let’s take a breather. Hopefully by then we’ll have the other footage,” Kaleb says, his eyes directed at me.
“You don’t believe me?” I blurt out in Kaleb’s direction, feeling broken and no guilt for standing up to him.
“I do believe you. I’m very good at reading people. I knew you didn’t have anything to do with it the minute you walked in my door, but I had to be sure. That’s why I came at you the way I did.”
“I see.” I look him square in the eyes. I have respect for him for protecting those he cares about. I guess what hurts the most is what hangs over my head with Trevor more than anything.
“No, I don’t think you re
ally do see. You want to claw my eyes out right now. I can see it. You don’t know who to trust or what the hell is happening. I understand. I do. For what it’s worth, you can trust us, every single one of us, when I say we don’t and we won’t give up until we know you are safe; and hopefully, in the process we can get your friends back safely. But do understand we will find who did this. Go grab something to eat. If we hear anything more, I’ll call Steele. Do me a favor and keep thinking of anyone or anything that would make those men ask for you, Grace.” My mind tells me to scream at him, to demand that we leave right now, while my heart tells me to get out of here. To go deal with the way my blood went from being warm and cared for to it turning cold and bitter when I found out Trevor didn’t say anything to me.
“Let’s go, Grace.” Trevor extends his hand for me to take. I stand on my own, ignoring him and everyone else's eyes on me as if they’re dissecting my wits. I can feel them watching to see if I’ll fall apart. I walk to the door, and the minute I exit, I inhale a deep breath, my heart squeezing and my lungs constricting over all of this.
“Don’t,” I tell Trevor when he comes up behind me and places his hand on my shoulder.
“Get in that truck,” he orders and points to a black truck as if he’s the one who should be pissed. I’m not going to lash out at him here or make a fool of myself. I do as he asks, but I do it with the knowledge that for the first time since I lost my father, I truly feel alone.
“Whatever you have running through that pretty little head of yours is way off base, Grace.” Trevor finally speaks after we make the short drive to his house. I feel as if I’m driving through a small community hidden away deep in the middle of a forest with several homes, a few buildings, and what looks as if it might be a giant barn of sorts, maybe a hanger to hold a plane or helicopter. I don’t know. I suppose it is if you look at it from what I assume very few people know this place or that this team exists.
Steele (The Elite Forces Book 4) Page 13