Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5)(17)

When they reached Texas, Rio would have connections. He had people he could count on. Until then, they had to hope like hell they could get there in one piece.

The first call he made after making sure Grace was as comfortable as he could make her was to his buddy Lazaro to let him know he was coming in hot and he needed a plane to Belize.

Then he placed the call to Sam.

“Talk to me, Rio,” Sam said by way of greeting.

“No, I need you to f**king talk to me,” Rio said. “What’s going on with Resnick and how is he involved in all of this?”

There was a long pause and Rio could picture well the deep frown on Sam’s face. He wouldn’t have liked the two team leaders communicating behind his back but oh well. Steele may not be Rio’s favorite person in the world, but the man had his back and he had Steele’s.

“Do you have Grace yet?” Sam asked tersely.

“I need you to tell me what the f**k is going on.”

“There is some ^his aas bad equestion as to Resnick’s involvement,” Sam finally said. “Involved, definitely. He nabbed Shea from the KGI compound because the stupid bastard was trying to protect her and Grace. What he did was get her abducted by the ass**les who want to use her and Grace as their experimental projects. It’s a long, involved story, but Resnick has a connection to the lab where Grace and Shea were born. Or rather they were created by pairing egg and sperm from donors with special gifts or abilities. Resnick was one such failed experiment.”

“What the f**k?”

“Bear with me here. Grace and Shea were taken from the lab by the Petersons. They ran and kept running for most of the girls’ lives. Resnick later funded them, but then the Petersons were killed and Grace and Shea went on the run. So not only was Resnick hunting them down, but so were the ass**les who wanted to harness their powers.”

“So what side does Resnick line up on then?” Rio demanded.

Sam sighed. “Who the hell knows? He says he wants to protect them. He went to bat when we rescued Shea from a compound in New Mexico. He swears he’ll go public before he allows any harm to come to them.”

“Do you trust him?”

Sam snorted. “Do I trust anyone who works for Uncle Sam?”

Relief lightened some of Rio’s edginess. He didn’t want to question any of the Kelly brothers’ motives, but he wasn’t a fool either. They may sign his paychecks, and he gave them a lot of loyalty, but nobody got blind faith from him.

“Now you give me some info,” Sam said in an impatient tone.

“I have Grace,” Rio said in a low voice. “She’s not good. Not good at all.”

Sam swore softly. “This is going to kill Shea and she’s still struggling with her own recovery.”

“Look, Sam. We’re dealing with some heavy-duty shit. There are things you don’t know. About me. My past.”

There was heavy silence. “I know you did a lot off the record,” Sam said quietly.

“Titan. Ask your man Resnick about it. He probably knows what it is. I don’t have the time to explain. But Titan is involved. Black ops. Off the books. These guys are legit. They don’t f**k around. They damn sure aren’t amateurs. They’re some of the most highly trained operatives you’ll ever encounter. And they’ve been called up to bring Grace in.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, f**k. Look, if they want Grace, chances are they aren’t giving Shea a pass. You need to look out for you and yours. Think about moving Shea and then you need to watch your six. These men will do anything to accomplish their mission. The mission is everything. It’s the only thing. Get in their way and they’ll take you down. I’m taking Grace with me. Let Shea know…Hell, lie to her for now. Just tell her Grace is safe and is with me. Tell her whatever you have to. Between you and me, I don’t know how much Grace has left, but Shea doesn’t need to know that.”

“Christ,” Sam muttered. “Steele and his team are on a mission. Simple in and out. Hostage retrieval. Something they can do in their sleep. I expect them back in two days.”

“You may not have two days.”

“Then we’ll do whatever needs to be done,” Sam said in a grim, determined voice. “I’ll let my brothers know and then we’ll get Nathan and Shea the hell out of here.”

“Good call. c1C;Bla I’m doing the same with Grace.”

There was another distinct pause. “Safe journey, Rio. If you need backup, you got it. Steele will be available in forty-eight hours or so. I’ll send Joe and Swanny with Nathan and Shea so they aren’t unprotected, but you know Van, Garrett or Ethan will come to you at a moment’s notice.”

“If it’s all the same, we’ll be going to ground. Radio silent. I’ll check in when I think it’s safe to do so and not before.”

“You don’t fully trust me,” Sam said mildly.

“I trust you as much as I trust anyone.”

Sam laughed. “That doesn’t say a whole lot, you bastard. Just don’t get yourself killed.”

“You just protect your family,” Rio said in a quiet voice. “And I’ll protect what’s mine.”

GRACE opened her eyes and blinked at the stab of sunlight that shone through a dirty window. Her brow furrowed and she squinted, trying to bring her surroundings into focus. The last thing she remembered was reaching Rio’s teammates and having the last of her strength flee.