Echoes at Dawn (18 page)

Rio shook his head. “No. At least not yet. I have some feelers out. I’m calling in a few favors. Right now what I know is that Titan is after you. I warned Sam so he could make sure that Shea is safe and they’re prepared for anything.”

Her brows came together in a scrunch. “Sam. He’s your boss, right? The one who kind of runs KGI? Isn’t he Nathan’s older brother?” And then a completely unrelated thought occurred to her. It blindsided her and momentarily paralyzed her.

She glanced up at Rio, her fingers knotted into tight balls. “Is Shea married already? You said she and Nathan were together. That he loved her.”

The idea of having missed her sister’s wedding was more than she could bear. It took everything she had not to break down into a torrent of tears. The only thing holding her back was the knowledge that if she started, there would be no stopping. It would be the last straw. Further proof that she and Shea led completely separate lives now.

This time Rio did move to the couch where Grace sat. He eased down, brushing her knees with his thigh. He took one of her hands and gently uncurled her fingers. Then he reached over, slid his hand up her cheek and brushed his thumb across the corner of her eye as if checking for tears. The movement forced her to look up again and meet his gaze.

“She wouldn’t get married without you,” he said in a low voice. “You’re all she’s thought about. She went back to that damn house you had no business going back to because she knew you’d been there, knew you were in trouble, and she would have done anything to save you.

“She felt guilty because she was in a safe place, surrounded by people who cared about her, and she had no idea where you were. If you were scared and alone. Hurting or in danger. She reached for you constantly. When I volunteered to lead my team to find you, she begged me to keep you safe. All she wants is you home. With her.”

Tears burned but she smiled through the anguish, knowing too well how fierce Shea was when it came to people she loved. Shea had been so protective, though Grace was the older by a year. But in a lot of ways Shea was more…Grace wasn’t sure what word she was searching for. The events of the last year had changed Shea dramatically. She was no longer the sweet, naïve, soft woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly. She was harder and more cynical, and Grace had worried endlessly over those changes.

“Tell me about Nathan and his family,” she said, the ache still in her voice. In her very soul. “Are they good to her? Is she happy? I just want the best for her. She deserves so much. I said some unforgivable things to her when our parents were killed. But if it hadn’t been for her, I doubt we would have made it out of that house alive. I just want her to be happy. And loved.”

Rio extended his arm over the back of the couch, wrapped it around her shoulders and pulled her toward him until she was settled underneath his shoulder.

“Nathan adores her. I don’t know a whole lot. I left soon
after he returned with her to Tennessee. Her first concern and priority was you. She didn’t want to leave Oregon because she was so sure you were somewhere close. But Nathan got her the hell out of there, as he should have, and took her to a place where he could keep her safe.

“Nathan, and by extension, Sam, made her a promise. A promise fulfilled by KGI, that we would do whatever necessary to bring you home. That we wouldn’t quit until you were safe. I asked for the assignment.”

“Why?” she whispered.

“Because when I looked at the surveillance footage, I saw a vulnerable woman with fear in her eyes. But I also saw a strong woman who was a fighter. I saw someone I wanted to know better. I saw someone I considered mine from the first moment I laid eyes on her.”

Grace held her breath until she was dizzy and then let it out in a long whoosh that weakened her to her knees.

“As for Nathan, he’s had a rough time. A time that Shea got him through. She saved him. He was held captive in Afghanistan for two months and was finally able to escape with her help. KGI was able to get to him because Shea helped get us information. But he’s solid. He and Shea both have a lot of healing to do, but they’ll do it together. I don’t think you could pry them apart with a crowbar. The concept of soul mates is kind of cheesy when said aloud, but there’s no other word for the bond that exists between them.”

“It doesn’t sound cheesy,” she said softly. “It sounds wonderful.”

“She’s in good hands, Grace. I swear it. Nathan will never let anything happen to her. He’d die for her. He has five older brothers who are more than willing to go to the wall for him, and then there is Steele’s team and my team. I’m pretty damn picky about who I trust and who I call family, but if I ever call anyone family, it would be the Kellys.”

“They sound so awesome,” she said wistfully.

“You’ll love them and they’ll love you.”

She frowned a moment because they didn’t seem real. Just a topic of conversation, but one day…One day she’d see her sister again and they would be by extension her own family of sorts if Shea married Nathan. The idea of having this huge, protective family wasn’t something she could wrap her head around.

But it sounded so nice, it made her chest ache.

They weren’t hers, though. They were Shea’s. Shea had Nathan. Grace was savagely happy for her sister. And relieved. But she was also envious because she wanted so badly to have those things Shea now enjoyed.

Love. Comfort. Stability. A normal life. Laughter. Children. A big family. Being able to breathe. Smile. Life without fear.

She closed her eyes, reaching out again, her longing for her sister a tangible, breathing entity.

Shea. Please be there.

For a brief moment, she swore she heard an echo in her mind. Just a faint call. So much like Shea. As if Shea was saying her name. And just as quickly it was gone.

But the sensation lingered, and Grace could feel the comfort as it seeped into her mind, soothing some of the sadness away.

She opened her eyes to see Rio staring at her, his gaze so soft and understanding.

“She was there,” Grace said, her voice cracking. “For just a moment, I swear I heard her. Maybe I imagined it but I swear I felt her.”

She rubbed her hands up her arms and then wrapped her arms around herself as if by hugging tightly she could prevent the lingering aura of her sister from fading.

Rio pulled her farther into his embrace, holding her firmly against his chest. She rested her cheek on the faded T-shirt, soaking up the warmth and comfort he offered. He laid his cheek against the top of her head.

“You’ll get there, Grace. You’re already making such improvement. You bear no resemblance to the defeated, broken woman who begged me to let her die just a few days
ago. You walked out of those damn mountains under your own power with a broken arm, broken ribs and unimaginable mental and physical strain. I’ve served with men who couldn’t have done what you did, so cut yourself some slack.”

She smiled, absorbing the gruff reprimand as though it were a gentle stroke to her back. She liked Rio when he got growly and bossy.

“So what do we do for now?” she asked, taking the conversation full circle.

Rio stroked his hand through her hair, toying with the strands. “We wait.”

She pushed up so she could meet his gaze. “For what?”

He eyed her seriously, his words as blunt as always.

“We wait until it’s safe to leave or they show their hand. We’ll either bring the fight to them or we’ll let them bring it to us. One way or another, the battle is coming. It’s just a matter of when and where.”

Grace sucked in her breath and tried not to shake but she knew she failed miserably.

“Titan is that dangerous?”

“Titan doesn’t play by the rules,” Rio said matter-of-factly. “In their world the only rules are the ones they make. Failure isn’t an option. They only know how to achieve their objective. In this case their objective is you.”

Helplessness gripped her, squeezing the very breath from her lungs. “Then what is there to do? How can we fight them if they’re so damn undefeatable?”

“I didn’t say they weren’t able to be defeated. I’m just telling you that they’re a serious threat. I want you to understand it. Know it. Live it. Breathe it. Never let your guard down even for a moment.”

“So we can beat them?”

She tried to keep the hope out of her voice because she didn’t want to sound desperate—even if that’s what she was feeling.

“We have no other choice,” Rio said in a grave tone. “KGI has the resources but we’re divided. We can’t leave
Shea, and I’m damn sure not leaving you. Which means that half of us will be pitted against all of Titan. But the other thing you need to know is that KGI doesn’t lose. There’s not another group of men who have more heart, determination and courage. Anywhere. We fight because we believe in what we do. Titan fights because it’s what they’re paid to do.”

The tension that had coiled and pitted in her belly loosened and gradually slid away. She reached up to touch the hard lines of his face.

“You know what I think?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“I think you’re pretty damn special yourself.”

He looked discomfited, as if he had no idea how to respond. And she didn’t really give him a chance to. She leaned up, cupped his cheek and turned him so she could kiss him.

Somehow with him, she was bolder. More confident. She believed all the things he said about her. He made her believe them. He made her feel…worthy.

Nowhere in her life had she really given thought to being with a man beyond simple girlish fantasies and giggly conversations with Shea, who’d been a little more daring in her forays into sex.

Grace had been too timid. Too afraid to get close, only to be yanked up by her parents when it was time to move again. She longed for roots and a relationship but was deathly afraid to try to have one for fear it would be taken away.

Now probably wasn’t the time either, but when had she ever felt as safe as she did now? Rio didn’t just make her feel physically safe and secure. It was more than physical protection. Somehow he made her feel whole. Alive. Vibrant.

He made her feel…cherished.

She inched upward, pressing her mouth more fully over his. It was exhilarating to be the one making the moves. It was freeing after being captive for so long. She was
making the decisions. She had control of her destiny. And right now, what she wanted, more than anything in the world, was to be loved by this man.

She wanted to get lost in his arms for a few hours. Hide from the world. Explore his body and let those wonderful rough hands glide over hers.

The fantasy was so vivid that she nearly moaned at the sheer pleasure coursing through her veins.

Rio pulled away, abruptly dimming some of her euphoria. His eyes blazed and his fingers were tight—painfully so—around her chin as he held her in place so their gazes were locked.

“Grace,” he said hoarsely. “This has to stop. Unless…Unless you don’t want it to. But I need you to know where this is headed. Because unless you tell me right here and now that a kiss is all you wanted, I’m taking you into my bedroom and I’m going to make love to you until neither of us can walk.”

“I want more,” she whispered.

The minute she said it, she was swamped by varying emotions. Fear. Terror. Nervousness. But also the satisfaction that she was speaking up, being courageous. Taking that chance and risking rejection.

Her whole life had been one of uncertainty and holding back. Never taking chances. Not wanting to step, for just a moment, into the sun and reach for what she wanted.

“How much more, Grace?” Rio asked, his gaze so intense that it blistered over her skin like a blowtorch.

“Everything. Anything. Whatever you can give me. Please, Rio. Don’t make me beg. This is hard enough as it is.”

He uttered what sounded like a curse under his breath and then he crushed his mouth to hers in a kiss so intense that she was consumed. His mouth took hers. It was no gentle inquiry. It was a stamp of possession. It was a promise of what was to come.

He dragged his mouth away, his chest heaving for breath. His eyes glittered and his hand shook against her face.

“You’ll never beg. Not me. Not anyone. I’ll give you what you want, Grace. I just want to make damn sure you know what you’re getting into.”

Her lips trembled and her knees wobbled precariously. Her skin was flush with heat. Achy and alive.

“Tell me what you want,” he said in a near growl. “I want to hear you say it.”

It was quite possibly the boldest, hardest thing she’d ever done, but the words came with no hesitation. “I want you to make love to me, Rio.”

IT
took every bit of restraint not to haul her over his shoulder and run toward the bedroom. The very last thing he wanted to do was scare the shit out of her.

Beg? She honestly thought she’d have to beg him to make love to her?

Hell, he hadn’t been far from being on his knees begging her to just let him touch her. Let him show her tenderness she’d long been denied.

He didn’t even know where to start, so overwhelmed was he over this beautiful, brave woman who stood before him looking as though she was afraid he was going to tell her no.

He kissed her again, just because he couldn’t resist. She was sweet and warm and so very soft. He loved the way her lips went pliant against his, like she was soaking up every bit of the moment.

He lowered his hands down her body until his fingers tangled with hers. Then he took a step back, tugging her along with him. He dropped one hand but kept firm hold on the other as he turned and headed toward the bedroom.

She hesitated a moment and he nearly cursed. Damn it, he’d lost her. She’d changed her mind, and it was nothing more than an impulsive declaration made in the heat of the moment.

“What about the others?”

Relief was instant. She wasn’t backing out.

“They know better than to disturb me. They’ll do their own thing until such time as I tell them differently.”

He touched her face, softly stroking the line of her cheekbone. “Trust me, Grace.”