“You have no idea what I’m thinking right now. You may be a lot of things, Trevor, but you can’t read my mind,” I tell him as I open the door, climb out, and wait for him.
On the plane ride here, I tried to take my mind off what was happening and think about finally being able to see his home. How he lives. To understand the man who finally opened up to me and let me in only to slam the door in my face when I find out he hasn’t even begun to. It’s as if I know nothing about this man.
He pulls out a set of keys, climbs up the stairs, and opens the door allowing me to step in before him. Instantly, I’m assaulted with his smell, his surroundings, and everything him.
“Why are you pissed at me?” He drops his keys on a table, the sound echoing and startling me out of my trance.
“I truly know nothing about you, yet I’ve told you everything about me. You think it’s normal practice to investigate someone with your high and mighty team, but you don’t give me a shred of information about yourself.” I turn away from him and swallow as I spout out the realization of what has me angry. “I feel violated. I’ve been stripped bare, and you have all my memories at your doorstep, but you refuse to let me know any of yours willingly. I have to pry things out of you. How is this a fair situation?”
“I kept it from you, because it’s my job to do so. I knew about your entire life before we even left Iraq. At that point, it seemed irrelevant to say anything. You didn’t know me; I didn’t know you. It’s standard for us to research who we work for. I care about you, and if you need to take all your fear and anger out on me, then do it. And if you decide you can’t deal with this kind of life, then we both know I’ll have to say good-bye.”
Oh god. His words sting and cut me to the bone. Not over the fact that I’m angry with him; he drained all that anger out of me with what he just said. I feel as if we’re back to square one.
I turn to face him. He’s standing in his open doorway with his hands braced behind his neck, the strong muscles in his forearms straining against the short sleeves of his t-shirt. All these men are huge here. Even Jade is toned and muscular in a feminine way. It’s no wonder I felt trapped with nowhere to go and no way to escape.
I find myself suddenly not caring that he didn’t tell me anymore; he probably knows everything there is to know about me.
“When’s your birthday?” I say out of the blue.
“What?” He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind and I’m giving him whiplash with our conversation.
“You heard me.”
“February 2nd. And yours is July 1st. You were born Grace Ann Richards at 3:55AM in St. Louis, Missouri. You lived with your mother until you were adopted by your father. Moved to Iraq with your family at the age of twelve and were home schooled for the remainder of your years.” It all clicks in his eyes and mine. He knows everything about me. I know nothing about him except for the things I’ve pulled from him to share.
“I’m not mad at you, Trevor. I know you care. We came into each other’s lives in a fury. We both felt an undeniable attraction and reacted on it. Well, I did more than you, since you kept pulling and I pushed. None of that matters to me. What matters is that I want to know you, the small things, the big things. Everything.” He takes a step toward me, but I hold my hand up to finish. I’m ready to fall apart, and before I do, I want to get this off my chest. He might think I’m silly, and maybe I am. But I want him to know this is important to me.
“Please don’t coddle me anymore. Don’t keep things from me. What might not seem important to you may be important to me. We’re both walking in unknown territory when it comes to relationships, but I need to be able to feel equal to you and to feel as if I know you. You're this big, bad elite forces guy with a group of people who care about you. I’m alone.”
“You're not alone, baby. I’m here.” I close my eyes, fighting off the tears that want to consume me.
“I know and that’s not how I meant it. I understand why you didn’t tell me who you are. You’ve explained why you couldn’t. It’s just…I feel as if I’m in water way over my head, floating downstream with heavy rapids ahead. I don’t know what to think or what to do.”
“You know who I am, Grace. I’m a man who has secrets. Some of them I’ll never be able to tell you. I can’t. It’s the way these operations go. There are times I’m going to leave, and you will have no idea where I am. Now that you know the gist of what I do, it’s up to you to figure out if you can handle it, but first, we have to find out why these fuckers want you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
STEELE
“Come here.” I pull her closer to me because she’s about to lose it. I can see the terrified expression rush over her face once again. She’s going to fall apart, and when she does, it needs to be with my arms wrapped around her.
I felt her pull away from me every time Kaleb spoke. He was a little harsh at times, but like I said, if she’s going to be with me, she has to understand that not only does she get me, but she gets them as well. I think she gets that; it’s her trying to cope with what I do. Trying to understand the dangers of my job.
When she nearly leaps at me, her arms curling around my neck, her body pressing up against mine, I feel I can breathe again. That seems to happen when I’m around her.
“I’m so scared. Scared for them, for you, for me. I’m sorry,” she cries. I feel her tears break free as she clings to my chest, her body shaking, her mind probably hanging on for dear life.
I lift her in my arms, kick the door shut with my boot, and carry her to the couch where I sit us down so she can get this all out.
She has no idea how strong she truly is. Most people would have cracked and freaked out when receiving news like this. Not Grace. Not the woman who has sliced me open wide, pushed me until I bled out my darkest secret. The one I’ve had buried for years.
I’m not sure how long we stay this way, me stroking her hair and her back, but I know I need to feed her and get her something to drink to prepare her for more. Because I know Kaleb will be combing through shit in her life like he always does.
“Grace. Let me see what I have to eat, get you some water. You know we don’t mess around. They will have that other tape and any other information they can find soon.”
“I’m not hungry. Water sounds good, though.” I want to argue with her that she needs to eat. That I want to take care of her and comfort her as long as I can. I can’t do that, either.
I stand and sit her on the couch. Her bright, shiny eyes look up at me. “We good?” I ask.
“Yes. It will take some getting used to. If you promise to always tell me when you're leaving and promise to return, then I can handle it.”
“Think I already told you that. I can say it again. I’ll say it as many times as you want. I promise.” I say it even though we both know there’s never really a way I can keep a promise like that.
I walk into the kitchen to grab two bottles of water. I would love to show her around the place, take her into my room and remind her she is not alone, but this isn’t the time for any of that. My phone chirps with a text, pulling me from my musings. She looks at me quickly, swallowing as if she’s ready to go to battle again.
“We have to go.”
“Do I have a minute to splash water on my face? I must be a mess.”
“Down the hall to the left. Hurry, though. I’ll be waiting in the truck.” Fuck. I hope these crazy fuckers show their damn faces so we can get back to normal. I can guarantee their time here on Earth will be cut short the second I find out who wants her.
She rushes outside, looking beautifully frazzled, and I want nothing more than to make all of this go away just so I can get us both back to the ranch, where we had a sense of normalcy even if it was only short-lived.
We take our seats again, Pierce already reviewing the new footage. Her eyes are glued to the men walking in slow motion as he tries to capture the best-angled picture of them that’s close enough to possibly recognize somet
hing.
“Stop.” Grace stands and slowly walks toward the screen. “I know this one. He’s a father to one of the boys my father couldn’t save.” Tears fill her eyes before she continues. “My father did everything he could.”
“What about this one?” Pierce moves through the video feed so that the other man is visible. She inhales sharply.
“Who gave you this video?” She turns to Kaleb instantly, questioning.
“We had Vice fly over there to get what we needed.”
“Is he still there?”
“Yes. He’s all we have to protect everyone else until we get over there. He’s in hiding, but he can see anyone who walks in and out that door.”
“That’s great, thank you.” Her gratitude not only shows in her voice, but in the way her shoulders lift.
“This guy”—she points at the screen—“is Rachel’s boyfriend.” The look of shock when she turns to face me has me standing. “Why would he be there for this?” she asks, looking dumbfounded.
“Is this the same Rachel who called you saying the kidnappers want you?” I know the answer before I ask, but I do any way just to make sure.
“Yes.”
“Vice expressed a concern about Rachel’s behavior when he was inside the clinic. Which is why we dug deeper on her specifically.” The confusion on her face tells me she has no idea who to trust as she prepares to hear what Kaleb is about to say.
“It looks as though she has a boyfriend who she’s been living with. We were going to investigate him more, but if you’re telling me you recognize him as one of the guys in the video, then I know we’re on the right track.” Kaleb walks around the room, signaling for Jackson to start researching this lead.
“We need as much information about the men as you can think of. Do you remember names?”
“Rachel’s boyfriend is named Nasim Abassi. I can’t remember the dad’s name, but our records will have that information at the clinic. The boy died about two months ago.”
“Let me get Vice on a call so you can talk to him and tell us how to get the files we need.” I move behind her, placing my hand on her shoulder as if it’ll help calm her.
“I can’t believe all of this is really happening.” She turns to speak quietly to me, while Kaleb works to get Vice on the line.
I pull her against my chest and hug her briefly before Vice answers the call. Kaleb puts him on speaker, and I stand back while she helps guide him through getting the files. If this were our country, that place would be locked down so fucking tight no one would get in, which is more of a reason she should never go back there. Files would’ve been taken into custody while they investigate the kidnappings. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that they haven’t done that there.
“Look at Mr. Cold As Steele, falling for a woman and looking all soft when she’s near.” Jade steps next to me, quickly whispering in my ear, pointing out my new weakness. It’s not as though I don’t see what she’s doing to me.
“Yeah. She’s getting to me.” That’s a fucking understatement, but Jade can see right through anything I say anyway. She has a knack for that shit.
“It looks good on you. Just don’t fuck up.” She leaves me standing with her words of advice. I can’t help but smile knowing Grace has Jade’s approval. Truth is, if Jade likes you, then Kaleb has no choice but to accept you. I listen as Grace asks about Ace while she waits for Vice to get inside to get the file we need.
“Three-year-old boy, died this past September. Father’s name is Hakim Amari.”
Kaleb interrupts Vice to get Pierce started on his part of researching all of this. “Get us screenshots of everything in that file. Send it over asap. Also look for personnel files and send us what you can on Rachel.” I guess I don’t need to convince the team to help me. It appears that they’re all diving right in and thriving while they take on this challenge. I knew they’d help, though, if I expressed how important this is to me. How important she is to me.
“We’ll take this intel and go in to get your friends out, but only on the condition that you stay here where it’s safe.” Kaleb stands over Grace and waits for her to reply.
“Not a chance. I’m going. She’s my friend.” Grace stands strong in front of him, never turning away while he tries to persuade her.
“Steele, handle this. Fucking stubborn-ass women,” he mutters as he passes us by to sit at his desk. I read that warning from our fearless leader loud and clear. He knows how crazy things can get when a woman is upset. Besides, she’s mine to deal with, not his, regardless if he runs this business or not.
“Grace. Come outside with me.” She looks pissed when I call her out of the room, just like I knew she would when I heard the words come out of his mouth. Even though she follows me outside, I can feel the unspoken words she’s holding in as she joins me. “You can’t go there. For fuck’s sake, they are looking for you.”
“And I’m safest when I’m with you.” She steps closer to me, trying to get me to cave to her request.
“I agree with Kaleb on this. There’s no room for negotiation. I want you safe, and this is the only way to guarantee that.”
“So this is how you talk to people? You just expect me to bend to your rules because you say I need to?” She’s just as stubborn as I knew she’d be, and fuck my life, I’m going to have a hell of a time getting her to listen even when she knows I’m right.
“Why would I take you when we can go in there and get out? My team can do this with their fucking eyes closed. I want you safe, and if I’m worried about your ass, I can’t do what I need to there.” She stands looking defeated and just as frustrated now as she was when she was speaking to Kaleb.
“You’d take me because this is my friend we’re talking about. You’d take me because I’ve lived there for years and know more about the situation than all of you combined. Doing your research doesn’t give you the reality of how it is there.”
“I’m very aware of how it is there, which is why there is no way I can take you with us. You have to stay behind where it’s safe.” I interrupt her for many reasons. My mind is going crazy thinking about how I’ll be able to focus if she goes. She’s not trained like we are. She’ll be a distraction to the entire team if we have to make sure she’s safe while we try to get in and get out.
“Trevor, I’m free to do what I want. Don’t spout out orders trying to control me. If the roles were reversed, you’d demand to go, too.” She turns away from me, no longer looking into my eyes to plead her case.
“I would, but I’m trained to do this. If it were a medical mission where we need your knowledge, then I’d have a reason to push to take you, but I have to agree with Kaleb on this one.”
“And who’s to say it won’t turn into something where I can help?”
“You may be right, but it all comes back to the fact that you are safest here. Period.”
“I guess you leave me no choice, then.” Finally, she agrees to what I’m saying.
“I’ll have Kaleb work out a plan for you to stay here until we know these guys are not an issue anymore.”
“I can stay at Ivy’s,” she’s quick to respond, instantly sending my heart into a frenzy once again.
“Not a fucking chance.” She exhales the second I begin to fight her again. “Stop. They are looking for you. There’s no way I’m sending you to the one place they’ll come looking for you if they get brave enough.”
“Both men are poor. They don’t have the means to come here to find me.”
“Never underestimate a person who in his fucked-up head is trying to get revenge. You have to take this seriously.” I run my hands down her arms, and she inhales sharply in frustration.
“I am taking this seriously, Trevor. That’s the exact reason why I want to go. This is my friend. This is my life. This is my fight.”
Squeezing tightly on her arms, I get her to stop. “You are not alone in this.”
“You’re right. It’s just hard for me to get used to these
people wanting to help me.” She looks down as she acknowledges how alone she thinks she is. Little does she know she’s so far away from being alone with this group on her side.
“The house is in Ivy’s name. They won’t expect me to be there even if they did find the means to get here. I’d rather stay there than here where I don’t know anyone. Please, just give me that.” I know compromise is important to her, so I bite my tongue and agree to get her back to St. Louis.
“I’ll have someone take you home, and don’t be pissed when I have security outside the house to make sure you’re safe.” I’ll have to call one of the teams near St. Louis and see if they can have a few of their guys help us for a few days. At least then I’ll feel like I can leave her there while I travel across the world.
She turns away from me again to walk inside, and I have a hard time feeling like I won that little battle, but she needs to understand this is not something we can do with her. Our team is a unified group that knows and trusts everyone in it. Bringing anyone else on a mission will only mess that up and create distractions, which is exactly when we would fail.
“Please tell me when you’ll be leaving.” She approaches Kaleb with a continued strength about her.
“We’ll pull out first thing in the morning. I’m working on getting some eyes on your friends and will be forming our exact plan today.”
“Thank you for agreeing to help. It means more to me than you know.” She holds out her hand in an effort to shake his, gaining a smile from him.
“Sweetheart. No need to thank me. If one of my guys holds you close, then you become family to this entire team. We do anything for family here.” I watch her lip slightly twitch with his words, even though he’s smiling at her. I get it. We’re an overwhelming group, but it seems like she did great holding her own.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Steele (The Elite Forces Book 4) Page 14