Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(18)

“And the girl?” Sam prompted. “How did she end up with a bullet wound?”

Steele’s eyes narrowed at the question.

“She threw herself in front of Garza. Winged her but hit Garza.”

Dolphin nodded and started to speak up, but Steele silenced him with a look. Steele was responsible for the mission. He was responsible for his team. He and only he answered to the Kellys.

Sam sighed. “Her parents are thrilled with her safe return, but they’re less than thrilled over the fact that their daughter got shot by the people charged with her extrication.”

Steele shrugged. “She’s alive.”

Donovan bit back a chuckle. “That’s true enough.”

Garrett nodded. “Considering the situation, we’re damn lucky she didn’t get killed. I’m satisfied with the mission and the results.”

Steele lifted an eyebrow in Garrett’s direction. “Was there any doubt?”

“No,” Sam broke in. “I just wanted your side. Her parents have asked for a full report and I wouldn’t provide one, or an explanation as to how their daughter was injured, until I heard directly from you. As far as I’m concerned it was a righteous mission and it was successful. But I also wanted to be able to provide her parents with in-depth details so they know what kind of man their daughter was mixed up with. Maybe she’ll make better choices in the future once she realizes Garza didn’t give a shit about her or whether she took a bullet for him.”

Garrett snorted. “Not likely.”

Sam glanced Steele’s way again. “You up for training team three a few more weeks? Our schedule is clear for the next while, and I wanted to take advantage. Rio is heading back to Belize for some R and R.”

Reading between the lines, Rio was going back to his wife, Grace, and their adopted daughter Elizabeth, and he’d be off the grid for a while. Which meant Steele pulled training duty. Again.

“As long as the rest of my team gets some time off,” Steele said.

The frowns on his team members’ faces told Steele they weren’t happy with his directive, but he also knew they could use some more downtime. Cole and P.J. were newly married and still working through some heavy shit. He’d never offer P.J. disrespect by saying it in front of the others, but she needed more time to focus on her healing and her relationship with Cole. A happy, well-adjusted team meant a more focused, competent team, and in their line of work, they couldn’t afford f**kups.

The rest of his team could use the downtime as well. They were a tight-knit group and Baker, Renshaw and Dolphin had taken the shit that had gone down with P.J. hard.

Sam nodded. “Done. Time off. Next mission will be drawn by Rio and his team unless we get something on the fly in the next few weeks, and then, depending on what the situation is, Nathan and Joe can take the assignment with either you or one of us as team lead.”

Steele nodded. Though Sam, Garrett and Donovan didn’t officially lead any of the teams, they’d taken the lead plenty of times, often taking missions with Steele and his team or Rio and his. With the addition of the new team, it was doubtful Sam would send them off on their own for some time. Which meant the oldest Kelly brothers would head the newest team on any missions they were assigned.

“We can help with training,” P.J. spoke up, a frown knitting her brows. “We’ve had enough downtime.”

Cole slid an arm around her in support as he looked in Steele’s direction. “You haven’t had any downtime, boss man. The rest of us have. We could help with training while you take some R and R.”

Steele shook his head. “Training is downtime. You don’t get a choice in this. You’re off work until I say differently.”

P.J. rolled her eyes, but there was something else there when she looked at Steele. Gratitude. Loyalty. And shadows still lurked in their depths. Steele wanted those gone. It would take a while. It wouldn’t happen overnight. But he worried about P.J. Even as he understood what she needed most was normalcy. A routine. Working with her team. That was the best medicine. But even the best medicine had to be given in moderation.

“Take a few weeks off,” Steele said. “We just came off a mission. You’re due. I don’t want to see any of you until I call you up again. We clear?”

Dolphin grinned. “Yes, your almightiness. We’ll bug out and get out of your hair.”

“Thank f**k,” Steele muttered.

“Good God, the man is cracking jokes again,” Renshaw said in horror. “What’s this world coming to?”

“If we’re done, I’m bugging out. Got a flight to catch,” Rio said, speaking for the first time. But then that was Rio. Quiet. Reserved. His entire team kept to themselves, quiet and moody just like him. The rest of KGI often joked that Rio and his team were cave dwellers. But Steele could definitely see the positives in that. Everyone had their own version of their caves. Steele’s just happened to be his farmhouse on his hundred-acre spread not far from the KGI compound.

It paid to stick close. It was a bitch having to fly in every time they pulled a mission. It was why he’d bought the acreage in Tennessee. He could have his solitude but never be far from the action. Now that P.J. had married Cole, they lived at Cole’s place just a thirty-minute drive from the compound.

“Give Grace and Elizabeth our love,” Donovan said to Rio.