Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(62)

Her voice had risen with each word and she’d grown more upset the longer she spoke. He smoothed a hand over her cheek, moving her hair behind her ear.

“I just want you to rest,” he said in a soothing voice. “You don’t have to say or do anything you don’t want. Okay?”

The relief in her eyes was crushing. He pulled her into his arms, not caring if anyone else saw them. She rested her head against his shoulder, her soft breaths pushing her chest against his.

“Thank you,” she choked out. “God, I’m so glad you’re here. I’d begun to lose hope that I’d ever be free again.”

His hold tightened around her. “I would have never stopped searching for you, Maren. I would have found you even if it meant turning the entire goddamn world over.”

She lifted her head to stare up at him, her eyes soft and drooping with fatigue. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

“That you don’t ever have to ask me for,” he said as his mouth descended on hers.

He wasn’t forceful. That wasn’t what she needed. She needed comfort. Reassurance. And so he gave her the tenderest of kisses, gentleness he would have never said he possessed. But for her, he could and would do anything.

She sighed into his mouth and then sagged against him, closing her eyes.

“Lie down,” he said gently. “You need to rest, Maren. I can only imagine how exhausting this has been for you. Sleep now. We have hours yet until we land. I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’ll take care of everything and you.”

She hugged him tightly and then carefully lowered herself, arranging herself on the couch so that her legs extended to the end and her head was pillowed on his lap.

He caressed her forehead and cheeks, running his fingers through her hair in a soothing motion until finally she drifted off and her breathing deepened, signaling her sleep.

He stared at her for the longest time, absorbed in his thoughts, his fears of what she would tell him and what it might mean for them both. He must have drifted off, exhaustion finally overtaking him, because when he opened his eyes, his head was lolled back against the seat and he was staring straight up at the ceiling.

He checked his watch to see that several hours had passed. He lowered his head and reached up with his free hand to work the knots from his neck.

“She still out?” Rio asked. “I checked on y’all earlier, and you were both passed out.”

Steele glanced up to see the other team leader standing in the aisle leading into the seating area. He nodded but didn’t extend an invitation for Rio to join them. Unfortunately Rio either didn’t get the hint or outright ignored it.

Rio plopped down into one of the chairs situated at an angle from the couch where Maren and Steele were. He put one foot up and stared over at Steele.

“Hancock is of the mind we owe him, or rather I owe him now. And he’ll collect. No doubt about that.”

Steele scowled. “He needs to stay the f**k away from us. He’s already caused enough trouble.”

“That’s true enough, but he’s also done us a favor by handing over Maren. I still don’t know why he did it. It’s uncharacteristic of him to give a damn about anything other than his objective. But I swear, for the longest time I couldn’t figure out why he waited so long to take out Farnsworth. It didn’t make any sense to me why he would allow Grace to be taken when he had every opportunity before to take Farnsworth down. He had access and opportunity and yet he didn’t take Farnsworth out until after Grace had healed his daughter. He put Grace at enormous risk and yet he pulled Maren because he thought Caldwell was close to harming her?”

Rio paused and Steele glanced at him. “You figured it out now?”

“It sounds crazy, but the only explanation I can come up with is that he wanted Grace to save Elizabeth before he took Farnsworth out. The minute she healed Elizabeth, he shot Farnsworth.”

Steele sent him a skeptical look. “So you think this guy has a heart under that rigid exterior.”

Rio nodded. “I may have written the thing off with Farnsworth as Hancock just being Hancock. Never know what he’s thinking. He’s like a machine. No emotion. No feelings. But now he gave us Maren because he feared Caldwell was going to make a move on her? That’s two I can’t explain other than to think he actually has a soft spot beneath the icy exterior.”

His eyes gleamed with sudden amusement.

“Might say the same for you too, ice man.”

Steele’s eyes narrowed. “What the f**k is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that behind that cold-as-ice exterior is an actual heart. Not like you to take a mission so personally, but you’ve been pounding the pavement and going without sleep to find Maren.”

“She means something to this organization,” Steele bit out. “She’s not an anonymous mission like so many of our others. We actually know her. She’s helped us out many times. Of course I’m going to take it personally. Just as I did with P.J. when she went AWOL and just like I’d take it personally if any member of my team were in trouble.”

“Uh-huh. Whatever you say,” Rio said with a grin.

“Fuck you, man,” Steele said rudely.

The other team leader just kept grinning and casting that smug, knowing look in Steele’s direction. As if Steele would be spouting personal shit with Rio anyway. The two had to work together, but it didn’t mean Steele had to like it. And he damn sure wasn’t going to have some f**king touchy-feely moment with the other man.