Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(102)

Maren took a deep breath and then turned into Steele’s arms, hugging him tightly as she tried to gather her composure for what was to come.

“I can do this,” she whispered.

Steele’s grip tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to her hair, just above her ear. “Bet your ass you can. You’re tough, Maren. And we have your back. Now let’s go kick some ass and get your parents back.”

Steele rode with Sam and Hancock after they instructed Maren to take it slow and easy. She still had time and they all wanted to be in position before she arrived on the scene. Steele’s nerves were raw and exposed. He’d never felt so goddamn vulnerable in his life. Maren had taken a huge part of him with her, and it ate at him that he had no way of knowing if this was going to go according to plan.

He couldn’t accept that he could lose her. Or that she would be at Caldwell’s mercy when he knew damn well what Caldwell intended. He wanted what was Steele’s. Was claiming what was Steele’s as his own. No way in hell Steele was taking that kind of threat from anyone.

Sam pulled off into a wooded area and they got out, running through the woods until they reached the edge of the clearing where the airport was nestled.

It was indeed small. One, maybe two planes could be hangared here. Small planes.

And as Sam had said, there was a smaller Cessna out on the runway, engine running, and several feet away, a black SUV with tinted windows was parked.

“Anyone have a view into the vehicle?” Steele asked into the radio.

“I have a view through the front windshield,” Skylar reported. “One male in the driver’s seat. No passenger in front.”

“Got one in the back,” P.J. piped in. “Likely Caldwell. I’ve scanned the perimeter and can’t find another damn thing. Either he’s really good or he’s really stupid.”

Steele stared at the Cessna in plain view. It didn’t add up. Caldwell might have lost his shit but he couldn’t be that stupid. Something was wrong here and his gut was screaming at him.

“I’m coming in.”

Maren’s soft voice came over the wire. There was a tremble evident. He wished to hell they’d been able to give her an earpiece so she could hear them like they could hear her. So they could give her instruction. Backup. Even just let her know she wasn’t alone.

The next minutes were the longest of Steele’s life, and then suddenly the SUV Maren was driving appeared. She drove up to the other vehicle but didn’t get out. Smart girl. Buy them some time. Don’t put yourself at risk before you know the situation.

The door to the black SUV opened and a man stepped out. He walked to Maren’s door and opened it, offering his hand in a gallant gesture that made Steele bare his teeth.

And then voices came over the wire. Caldwell greeted Maren like a long-separated lover. He leaned in to kiss her, and Maren didn’t flinch away. But Steele did. He hated the man touching her. His mouth where Steele’s had been just minutes earlier.

And then Maren wobbled and reached out to brace herself against the hood of the SUV. For a moment Steele’s heart lurched, but then he remembered that she was only doing as they’d told her.

Caldwell bent over with her, his hand rubbing up and down her back. He murmured soothing words that grated on Steele’s every nerve. Steele forced his attention away from Maren and Caldwell long enough to see Nathan come in on the other side of the Cessna. He was accompanied by Edge and a moment later, Edge sprinted double time across the runway, the pilot over one shoulder. He disappeared, the entire exchange taking only a couple of minutes.

He rapidly tuned back in to what was going on with Maren and Caldwell.

“Make the call,” Maren said in a shaky voice. “You promised. I came. Now make the call. I want to talk to them when you do. I want to make sure they’re safe.”

Steele stared at Caldwell, his unease growing by the minute. His brow furrowed in concentration because something was bugging him. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Caldwell glanced repeatedly in the direction of the closed hangar but never once did he look at the waiting plane.

“Here’s the deal,” Caldwell said in a calm voice. “I’ll call and your mother will be set free. Once we’re in the air and have reached our destination, I’ll place another call and your father will go free.”

“That wasn’t the deal!”

“I’m holding the cards, Maren. I’m willing to make a goodwill gesture to show you that you can trust me. I’ll make the call now. Your mother will be set free with an escort. She’ll be instructed not to talk to anyone or your father will be killed. The rest is up to you.”

He reached for Maren’s arm as he pulled out his phone. And still he hadn’t glanced in the direction of the plane. He was turned toward the hangar.

“The plane is a diversion,” Steele said into his mic. “He’s covering himself in case this was a setup.”

Even as he spoke, the roof of the hangar began retracting, sliding away to make a huge opening.

“Fuck, he’s got a chopper in there,” Cole said. “And no clear shot. I’m not high enough. We can’t take him out now anyway if he’s making a second phone call.”

“I’m working on a signal lock,” Donovan said. “If I can trace the call, we won’t need that second phone call. Come on, come on,” he muttered. “Talk to me, baby. Give me what I need.”