Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(61)

For the longest moment he simply held her, his relief at having her safe in his arms overwhelming. He felt unhinged. Shaky and emotional, two things that he never experienced on a mission. God, he couldn’t even form the words to ask her all he wanted to ask.

He tipped her face up, his fingers gentle underneath her chin. “Are you all right? What did he do to you, Maren?”

She stared fearfully up at him, her eyes stricken. “Please, not here,” she whispered. “Not now. It can wait. Please, not in front of the others.”

He collected himself and eased her away from him but kept her close, tucked against his side as he turned his attention to Rio.

“What’s the deal?” he asked, his thoughts still firmly occupied with the woman he held to his side.

He wanted to know everything. He feared the look in Maren’s eyes, how stricken she looked and how afraid she was. But she was right. It didn’t need to be aired in front of the others, but the fact that she was so desperate not to reveal anything made his gut tighten with god-awful fear for what she’d endured.

His hand shook at her side, and his entire arm quivered as he anchored it around her. He hadn’t realized just how scared he was until now. Relief that she was here and seemingly okay, even if she’d endured the unimaginable at that bastard’s hands, was rendering him incapable of even the simplest thought process. He had to get his shit together and be strong for Maren and for whatever discoveries lay ahead.

“No deal,” Rio said shortly. “Let’s move out. Hancock handed her over. Wants us to lay off Caldwell until he brings him down. I have no idea why he’s waiting, but he must be tracking something big Caldwell is working on. I told him we didn’t give a shit about Caldwell. We just wanted Maren back.”

Steele nodded, though he couldn’t make any guarantees about dropping the pursuit of Caldwell until he knew exactly what the ass**le had made Maren suffer. Later, when he and Maren were alone, he’d find out exactly what he needed to know.

P.J., Cole and Diego appeared a moment later and immediately sought Maren out.

“Glad to have you back with us, Dr. Scofield,” Cole said when his gaze found her.

Maren smiled faintly. “It’s good to be back. But if y’all don’t mind, I’d rather get the hell out of here.”

“That gets a hooyah from me,” Dolphin said.

The others muttered their agreement.

P.J. walked up to Maren and put her hand on Maren’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Maren pulled away from Steele long enough to enfold P.J. in a huge hug. P.J. looked surprised, but her hug was just as fierce as Maren’s. P.J. caught Steele’s eye over Maren’s shoulder as she hugged the other woman, and she lifted an eyebrow in question. Steele gave a short negative motion with his head to tell P.J. he didn’t yet know what had gone on while Maren had been held prisoner.

“I’m fine now that I’m with you guys,” Maren said as she pulled away from P.J. “For once, it’s not me patching you guys up but rather the other way around.”

P.J.’s gaze immediately sharpened to one of concern. She touched Maren on the arm. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Steele’s arm automatically circled her waist again, once more securing her firmly to his side. He too looked at Maren in question, but she gave a shaky laugh and said, “No, I’m fine. Really. It was just a figure of speech.”

P.J. cast a doubtful look in Steele’s direction, but she backed off.

Steele turned Maren in the direction of the path to the waiting helicopter. “Let’s roll. We have a plane to catch.”

Steele walked slowly so he didn’t rush Maren through the uneven terrain. It took twice the time to get back to the chopper that it had for them to get from the chopper to the rendezvous point. The teams surrounded Steele and Maren, providing a protective barrier as they trekked farther into the dense forest.

She shivered at one point, and Steele stopped to strip off his jacket. He wrapped it around her, providing another layer of clothing as a barrier to the chill. It wasn’t terribly cold, and the jacket she wore would ordinarily provide more than enough warmth in the current temps, but she was likely in shock. Relieved. Reeling from the sudden rescue.

When they reached the helo, Steele helped her inside and positioned her between himself and Dolphin so she’d be plenty warm during the ride. They lifted off a few minutes later and flew toward the airfield where the Kelly jet waited to take off.

Everyone was silent, but then no conversation was possible over the roar of the rotors. The chopper landed at the airfield outside of Prishtina and they hurried onto the jet. Within the hour, they had taken off and were headed back to the United States. Maren hadn’t asked where they were going, which was just as well, because Steele had already decided he was taking her to his home. She’d remain there until he was certain Caldwell no longer posed a threat to her.

CHAPTER 23

MAREN sat next to Steele on the couch in the sitting area of the jet where they’d relocated as soon as they had taken off and gotten into the air. Her anxiety was clear and the minute they’d gotten from their seats and moved to the back, she turned to Steele, agitation clear in her eyes.

“I know you have a lot of questions,” she said in a low tone. “I have a lot I need to tell you. Just you,” she emphasized. “I know Sam and the others will want—deserve—answers, but what I have to say is for you and you alone, and I don’t want to talk about it where we could be overheard.”