Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(63)

“The others getting some rest?” Steele asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from its current topic.

Rio nodded, but amusement still glittered brightly in his eyes.

“My team needs the downtime,” Steele said. “They’ve been working nonstop over the last months turning over every stone in our search for Maren. We were overdue before this mission came up.”

Too late he realized he’d put the focus squarely back on his obsessive, exhaustive search for Maren. Fuck it all. But he was going to make it clear that he was off the books for a long damn time. No way in hell he was going to leave Maren when she needed him most.

Rio nodded. “My team is rested up. And Nathan and Joe’s should be turned loose anytime. They’re competent. We’ll pick up the slack while your team gets some R and R. Just make sure to include yourself in that scenario. But then Maren could probably use some help in the short term. I don’t see her going back to Costa Rica after what happened.”

Steele scowled again. “Hell no, she’s not.”

He didn’t know exactly what the short term held. He knew he needed to get Maren back stateside and give her time to recover from her ordeal. Her family was frantic with worry, and they’d want to see her as soon as possible, but no way in hell was Steele going to allow her to run off on her own. It was highly likely Caldwell would be watching her family, if he wasn’t already. And now that Maren had escaped him, who was to say he wouldn’t go off the rails and try to get her back?

Beside him, Maren stirred and he looked down to see her eyes flutter open. For a moment there was confusion and her eyes were cloudy from sleep. Then she blinked and relief flooded her gaze when it connected with his.

“Hey,” he said softly.

She glanced around the small sitting area and when she saw Rio, she froze.

As if sensing her discomfort, or maybe just opting to leave them alone, Rio stood and made a hasty departure back to where the others were sitting.

“Where are we?” she murmured.

She struggled to sit up and he helped her, keeping the blanket tucked around her.

“We’re over U.S. soil,” Steele said. “Should be landing in less than an hour.”

Relief once again settled into her blue eyes. Her shoulders sagged and then she wiped her face with both hands, scrubbing back and forth.

“You can use the bathroom to freshen up if you need to,” Steele said. “Or if you’ll tell me what you want, I can get it for you.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Really. Nothing a really long bath won’t cure. I’d kill to be able to soak for about an hour.”

“Done,” he said gruffly.

She bit her bottom lip and glanced nervously at him. He hated that look. Like she was afraid of his judgment somehow. Or that she was afraid to tell him something she feared would change his opinion of her somehow. Did she think he’d hold anything Caldwell had done to her against her? Fuck that.

“Can you take me somewhere, maybe a hotel after we land? I really don’t feel like being at the KGI compound right now. I know Sam and the others will have lots of questions, but honestly right now I just want to take a really hot bath, call my family and sort this out for myself before I have to explain it to anyone else.”

He frowned at the mention of a hotel. “You’re coming home with me. You can have your bath and make your phone calls there. Sam can wait until you’re ready. For that matter, there’s nothing he really needs to know unless you want to tell him.”

Her eyes widened. “That isn’t necessary, Steele. Really. I don’t want to be a bother. I know you value your privacy. A hotel is just fine. I can call my parents and then go there. I’m sure they have to be worried out of their minds.”

He shook his head. “My place. No arguments. Besides, no way in hell you’re going to your parents. Not yet anyway.”

“What?”

“It’s very possible that Caldwell will be monitoring your family. Especially since you escaped. It’s too dangerous for you to be in the open until Caldwell has been taken down. Your parents and your brother have been notified of your safe return. Sam is also arranging for protection for your parents and your brother in case Caldwell does something stupid. They’ve been told that you’ll be in touch as soon as you get back to the U.S.”

“You really think they could be in danger?” she asked anxiously.

He hated the fear and the worry in her eyes. She’d experienced far too much of both already. But he wouldn’t lie to her either.

He nodded. “It’s a good possibility. We can’t afford not to assume the worst.”

She sighed and her face fell. “I’m sorry, Steele. I hate to be such a bother to you and to the rest of KGI.”

He nudged her chin up with his fingers. “You aren’t a bother and you’re damn sure not going to apologize to me. We clear?”

A small smile flirted with the edges of her mouth. “We’re clear.”

“Good. Now when we land, I’ll drive you out to my house. Sam can wait for whenever you’re ready. After you’ve had a chance to rest and get your bearings, you can call your folks so they know you’re okay. And you and I will deal with everything else.”

Anxiety crept into her gaze again, and his stomach knotted as he wondered what she had to tell him that worried her so much. He wanted her to feel safe telling him anything at all, but there was no magic wand for him to wave to make her trust completely in him. All he could do was make it clear with his words and his actions that nothing she said would change one damn thing about the way he felt about her.