Forged in Steele (31 page)

CHAPTER 37

AN
hour and a half later, they were in the air. Hancock’s presence had been contentious, and it was clear that no one wanted him there and that they didn’t trust him. But at the moment, Steele didn’t give a fuck who came as long as it meant keeping Maren out of Caldwell’s grasp.

She was sitting on the end of the couch in the lounging area of the jet, feet curled underneath her, silent and pale as she listened to the strategy being discussed.

Sam, Garrett, Donovan and even Ethan had come, as had Nathan, Joe, Swanny, Skylar and Edge. Plenty of muscle. If only they knew what they were up against.

Hancock had taken the floor, giving what information he had on Caldwell. It was his opinion that Caldwell wasn’t operating with a lot of manpower. Only two of his men had disappeared with him the morning Maksimov had lost patience and had moved to take Caldwell out. So if Caldwell had hired more men, it wasn’t likely he’d been able to recruit the most qualified of candidates on such short notice.

It had been only days since Maren had been taken from Caldwell, even though it seemed like weeks had gone by. Caldwell had disappeared only two days before, and finding hired muscle that quickly, while not out of the realm of possibility with the wealth and resources at Caldwell’s disposal, was difficult for a man who’d gone off the deep end.

One point in their favor. Hopefully they were dealing with subpar lackeys who were only looking to score a few quick bucks off Caldwell.

“If we knew where Caldwell was going to have Maren meet him, it would make things a hell of a lot easier,” Donovan muttered. “We’d know if it’s open or if there’s room for us to move in and take position, surround him on all sides.”

“But we can’t do that,” Maren broke in, her tone desperate. “If anything happens to him and he doesn’t make that call, my parents die. I can’t trade my life for theirs. I can’t! It’s obvious he doesn’t want to kill me. He’s talking a long-term relationship here.”

A visible shudder worked over her shoulders. Skylar was sitting beside her on the couch and reached over to squeeze Maren’s hand. Maren clung to it, as if desperate for that connection. Shared strength. So far she was holding up well, but Steele could tell she was teetering on the edge and could lose it at any moment.

“We know, Maren,” Donovan said, his voice low and soothing. “But if I can get in close enough to lock on to his cell signal, I can trace the call to the location where your parents are being held.”

“But he’s not going to make that call until he has Maren,” Sam said grimly.

No one looked pleased with that statement. Steele barely controlled his own reaction. He had to turn it off. He had to think of this as any other mission. Focus. Turn off emotion. Turn off the fact that the thought of Maren being in Caldwell’s possession for even a minute made him want to lose his mind.

Edge sat forward and cleared his throat. Everyone turned in his direction. The man never said much, but it was clear he had something to add.

“Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but as Maren said, he’s not planning to kill her. He’s obsessed with her. And he thinks of her child as his. So he’s not going to do anything that would risk her or the baby unless he feels threatened and decides to take them both out with him.”

Steele scowled, the words evoking images that had his insides so twisted up he could barely breathe.

Turn it off. No matter how many times he told himself to do it, he couldn’t manage the feat. His tightly leashed control that had never failed him, the tight rein he had on his emotions at all times, was frayed and at its breaking point.

“So we send Maren in just long enough that he makes that call. We wire her up, have her demand to speak to her parents. If we keep that line open long enough, Donovan can do his magic and lock onto that location. We split teams. One with Maren, one ready to move out the minute we get a bead on where her parents are. The minute that call ends, we go in, take Caldwell down, and the other team takes out the fuckers who have her parents.”

“Gotta say, that’s not a bad idea,” Donovan said.

“I don’t want her in his hands even for a minute,” Steele ground out.

“We don’t have a choice,” Maren said. “It has to be done, Steele. I trust you. I trust all of you. You’ll have my back. You won’t let him get away with me.”

“What if he doesn’t make that call until he’s on the move with Maren?” Skylar asked. “There’s a fifteen-minute gap between the time he says she has to show and when he has to make that call. That tells me he’s prepared for exactly what we’re planning, and he’s going to make that call on the move.”

“Then we have to make damn sure we don’t lose visual contact at any point, and we move when he moves. We also plant a tracking device on Maren, be prepared for the worst-case scenario if we lose visual or he actually gets away,” Sam said. “This guy is certifiable. He’s nuts. He’s not thinking clearly. That’s obvious. So he can’t have covered all his bases. His sole objective is to get Maren back. He’s discounted us from the beginning, when Hancock first warned him about us. In his mind he’s untouchable. That gives us an edge because even if he’s expecting us to make a move, he’s already thinking that he’s outsmarted us and he won’t be expecting the magnitude of our power and resources.”

“If he’s in a fixed location and isn’t on the move when he makes that call, I want Cole, P.J., Skylar and Joe in position, and when the call is done, I want him taken out,” Steele said.

“And why are you here again, Hancock?” Garrett drawled. “The way I see it, you aren’t offering much of anything unless you’re going to be holding pom-poms and cheering us on.”

Hancock stared coldly at Garrett. “Caldwell is my mission and I’ll be there when he goes down.”

“Yeah, yeah, failure isn’t an option,” Ethan said with a roll of his eyes. “We’ve heard it before. But from where I’m standing, this is one giant F on your report card, Hancock.”

“I don’t give a fuck who gets credit for taking him out,” Hancock snarled. “I just want it done so I can move on to Maksimov.” He rubbed his bruised jaw and then his swollen eye. “I have a personal score to settle with that asshole now.”

“I’m thinking your next performance review is going to suck,” Dolphin drawled.

Ordinarily Steele would be all for letting everyone give Hancock shit. The bastard deserved it for all the grief he’d caused them in the past. But their focus was drifting and they were fast running out of time. They’d land in an hour and then they’d only have a few hours to scope out a vast amount of territory and then wire Maren and wait for the call and hope like hell they’d covered the area where he wanted to meet.

“Cut the crap and let’s focus on the goddamn mission,” Steele snapped.

The cabin went silent. Maren rubbed her hands tiredly over her temples, pressing and massaging, anxiety written all over her face. Steele was in a no-win situation. If he did nothing and didn’t allow Maren to follow through with Caldwell’s instructions, her parents would pay the price and Maren would never forgive Steele for that. She’d live with guilt for the rest of her life and be tortured by the fact that she could have saved them.

But if he let her go, if he placed her in the direct line of danger, he risked losing her and that wasn’t something he could dwell on without losing his mind.

She clutched his cell phone like a lifeline, and from time to time she stared down at it as if replaying that last conversation over and over in her mind. He wanted to comfort her. Wanted to wrap himself around her, a barrier between her and the rest of the world. But his focus had to be on a way to prevent harm to both her and her parents.

They landed at the small airport in St. Augustine, Florida, and quickly gathered at the waiting vehicles Sam had arranged. Donovan had tagged every airport within a hundred-mile radius with aerial photos and he was studying each one, trying to determine where Caldwell would be making his run with Maren.

The problem was, there were simply too many possibilities for them to cover. Until Maren got that phone call, they were flying blind.

Sam made contact with the local city and county police departments and had Resnick pave the way for cooperation. Resnick wanted Caldwell almost as badly as KGI wanted him, and he was eager to facilitate his capture.

“Given the time parameters he gave Maren, the best bet is either Flagler County or Craig Municipal if he’s planning to fly out of here,” Donovan said. “I’ve checked on any private landing strips and there’s one possibility. It’s rural. Only accommodates Cessnas, no jets. Not big enough. My bet is on that one. The other two are too public even though they’re small.”

“How far?” Steele demanded.

“Thirty minutes and that’s hauling ass.”

Steele nodded and then turned to Maren, gathering her in his arms. “Hold tight, Maren. We’ll get through this.”

She gripped him back, clutching desperately at him. “I hope you’re right, Steele.”

The wait was interminable. Everyone was on edge. Restless. Maren checked her watch every few minutes and the closer it got to the eleven-hour mark, the paler she grew and the more agitated she became.

When the phone rang, she jumped, staring down at the phone, stark fear outlined in her features. Conversation ceased and every single eye was on Maren as she shakily brought the phone to her ear.

“Hello,” she said.

Steele was proud of the firm tone she used. He knew she was scared out of her mind, but she sounded crisp and businesslike on the phone.

She listened a long moment and then said, “Don’t fuck me on this, Tristan. I swear to God, if you don’t keep your end of the deal, I’ll kill you in your sleep.”

Steele winced, not wanting her to antagonize Caldwell. But at the same time he felt a surge of pride at her courage.

She quietly lowered the phone, letting it hang in her hand at her side as she faced the others.

“He wants me at the airport in an hour’s time. Fifteen minutes after I’ve turned myself over to him he’ll place the call to free my parents.”

“Which airport?” Donovan asked gently.

“He gave me the address. Didn’t give me a name for it.”

Donovan typed it into his GPS as she recited the information, and he nodded. “Yep, just where I thought. He opted for a private airfield, the one I said couldn’t support a jet. So he’s planning to fly out in a Cessna.”

“Let’s roll,” Sam said. “We can leave Maren in a vehicle a few miles away so the rest of us can move into position. When it’s time—and don’t come in a minute before you have to, Maren—drive to the airport but don’t get in a hurry.”

“I’ll drive Maren,” Steele said quietly. “I’ll hop in with one of you when we get to where we split up.”

Steele gathered her into his arms again, holding her without words as the others began climbing into the vehicles. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then motioned her toward the passenger seat of the SUV before walking around to slide into the driver’s seat.

CHAPTER 38

THEY
pulled to a halt several miles from the airport and the teams piled out, emptying the vehicle Maren would take and gathering to go over their plan of action.

Steele hung back with Maren, quiet and intense, his gaze focused on her. They were quiet, no words passing between them as he gently threaded the tiny transmitter into her hair, weaving it in with the braid. When he was finished, he turned her in his arms and hung them loosely around her hips.

He pressed his forehead to hers and for a long moment closed his eyes, inhaling as they shared the tender moment.

“I love you,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “Every instinct tells me not to do this. Not to let you walk into this situation even as I understand the impossible choice you face.”

“I love you too,” she whispered.

She leaned back so she could better see into his eyes and rested her palms against his hard chest. “Steele, if things go wrong, I mean, if the worst happens and he gets away—”

He shushed her with a finger, his eyes tormented over what she’d said.

“No, let me finish,” she said huskily. “If the worst happens, please know that I love you and that I’ll never give up hope of you coming for me. I’ll protect our child with my life and I’ll never give up hope of us being together and raising our baby together.”

He rubbed his hand over her face, sliding it underneath her chin to cup it as he stared down at her.

“Now you listen to me. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you don’t spend more than the time necessary with him for him to make that call to set your parents free. We’re doing everything we can to protect you and your parents and I need you to believe that and trust in that. But beyond that—and this is important, Maren. I need you to listen to me on this. If something goes wrong, if for whatever reason he gets away with you, you do whatever is necessary to survive. Do you understand?”

She sucked in her breath at the quick surge of tears that stung her eyes.

“I’ll never stop looking for you, Maren. If that bastard gets away with you, despite our best efforts, I will never give up, and I need you to do whatever it takes to survive. I’ll never think badly of you for doing what you have to in order to protect yourself and our child. Don’t anger him. Don’t antagonize him. Cooperate fully and wait for me, because I’m coming. I’ll never rest until you’re back with me where you belong.”

She leaned her forehead against his neck so his chin rested atop her head and she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight as she choked back the emotion welling in her throat.

They both knew what he meant. That if it came down to it, he wanted her to give Caldwell what he wanted if it meant her surviving and not being harmed. There had been torture in his eyes as he’d told her emphatically to do whatever it took to survive. But there was also determination, and she knew that he’d meant every word. He’d never rest until he found her. If it took the rest of his life, he’d come for her. And he was asking her not to give up.

“It’s time,” Sam said gruffly from a few feet away. “The others are in position. There’s a plane on the runway with a pilot inside. We have snipers surrounding the area and we’re ready to go in at a moment’s notice. Maren, sweetheart, I need you to stall. When you get there, I need you to distract Caldwell. Nathan’s going to take out the pilot and fly the plane. But you need to give him time to get in and do his job without Caldwell noticing. So whatever you have to do, do it. Nathan will go through all the motions, but as soon as Caldwell places that call, he’s going to land the plane. If we’re lucky, he’ll make the call before you get into the air. But if not, just know you won’t be alone. Nathan will be inside.”

“Won’t he notice a difference in the pilot?” Maren asked skeptically.

“Well, that’s where you come in. We need his focus to be on you. The pilot has a hair color similar to Nathan’s. If Nathan can get in, put on the headphones and sunglasses, the cockpit only has a narrow opening, so unless Caldwell makes it a point to check the pilot out, we think it’ll work. If he’s more concerned with you and getting you on board, he’s likely not going to pay much attention to the pilot anyway.”

Maren took a deep breath and then turned into Steele’s arms, hugging him tightly as she tried to gather her composure for what was to come.

“I can do this,” she whispered.

Steele’s grip tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to her hair, just above her ear. “Bet your ass you can. You’re tough, Maren. And we have your back. Now let’s go kick some ass and get your parents back.”

Steele rode with Sam and Hancock after they instructed Maren to take it slow and easy. She still had time and they all wanted to be in position before she arrived on the scene. Steele’s nerves were raw and exposed. He’d never felt so goddamn vulnerable in his life. Maren had taken a huge part of him with her, and it ate at him that he had no way of knowing if this was going to go according to plan.

He couldn’t accept that he could lose her. Or that she would be at Caldwell’s mercy when he knew damn well what Caldwell intended. He wanted what was Steele’s. Was claiming what was Steele’s as his own. No way in hell Steele was taking that kind of threat from anyone.

Sam pulled off into a wooded area and they got out, running through the woods until they reached the edge of the clearing where the airport was nestled.

It was indeed small. One, maybe two planes could be hangared here. Small planes.

And as Sam had said, there was a smaller Cessna out on the runway, engine running, and several feet away, a black SUV with tinted windows was parked.

“Anyone have a view into the vehicle?” Steele asked into the radio.

“I have a view through the front windshield,” Skylar reported. “One male in the driver’s seat. No passenger in front.”

“Got one in the back,” P.J. piped in. “Likely Caldwell. I’ve scanned the perimeter and can’t find another damn thing. Either he’s really good or he’s really stupid.”

Steele stared at the Cessna in plain view. It didn’t add up. Caldwell might have lost his shit but he couldn’t be that stupid. Something was wrong here and his gut was screaming at him.

“I’m coming in.”

Maren’s soft voice came over the wire. There was a tremble evident. He wished to hell they’d been able to give her an earpiece so she could hear them like they could hear her. So they could give her instruction. Backup. Even just let her know she wasn’t alone.

The next minutes were the longest of Steele’s life, and then suddenly the SUV Maren was driving appeared. She drove up to the other vehicle but didn’t get out.
Smart girl. Buy them some time. Don’t put yourself at risk before you know the situation.

The door to the black SUV opened and a man stepped out. He walked to Maren’s door and opened it, offering his hand in a gallant gesture that made Steele bare his teeth.

And then voices came over the wire. Caldwell greeted Maren like a long-separated lover. He leaned in to kiss her, and Maren didn’t flinch away. But Steele did. He hated the man touching her. His mouth where Steele’s had been just minutes earlier.

And then Maren wobbled and reached out to brace herself against the hood of the SUV. For a moment Steele’s heart lurched, but then he remembered that she was only doing as they’d told her.

Caldwell bent over with her, his hand rubbing up and down her back. He murmured soothing words that grated on Steele’s every nerve. Steele forced his attention away from Maren and Caldwell long enough to see Nathan come in on the other side of the Cessna. He was accompanied by Edge and a moment later, Edge sprinted double time across the runway, the pilot over one shoulder. He disappeared, the entire exchange taking only a couple of minutes.

He rapidly tuned back in to what was going on with Maren and Caldwell.

“Make the call,” Maren said in a shaky voice. “You promised. I came. Now make the call. I want to talk to them when you do. I want to make sure they’re safe.”

Steele stared at Caldwell, his unease growing by the minute. His brow furrowed in concentration because something was bugging him. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Caldwell glanced repeatedly in the direction of the closed hangar but never once did he look at the waiting plane.

“Here’s the deal,” Caldwell said in a calm voice. “I’ll call and your mother will be set free. Once we’re in the air and have reached our destination, I’ll place another call and your father will go free.”

“That wasn’t the deal!”

“I’m holding the cards, Maren. I’m willing to make a goodwill gesture to show you that you can trust me. I’ll make the call now. Your mother will be set free with an escort. She’ll be instructed not to talk to anyone or your father will be killed. The rest is up to you.”

He reached for Maren’s arm as he pulled out his phone. And still he hadn’t glanced in the direction of the plane. He was turned toward the hangar.

“The plane is a diversion,” Steele said into his mic. “He’s covering himself in case this was a setup.”

Even as he spoke, the roof of the hangar began retracting, sliding away to make a huge opening.

“Fuck, he’s got a chopper in there,” Cole said. “And no clear shot. I’m not high enough. We can’t take him out now anyway if he’s making a second phone call.”

“I’m working on a signal lock,” Donovan said. “If I can trace the call, we won’t need that second phone call. Come on, come on,” he muttered. “Talk to me, baby. Give me what I need.”

It was obvious Donovan was sweet-talking his electronics, and not very successfully. The frustration was evident in his voice.

Caldwell handed the phone to Maren and then started guiding her toward the hangar. The helicopter’s engine roared to life and the rotors began spinning.

“Jesus Christ, if there’s anything loose, debris inside the damn hangar, tools,
anything
, she could be decapitated with the force of the winds from the blades,” Joe said. “Caldwell is a stupid fuck!”

“I’ve got it!” Donovan shouted. “I’ve got a lock. I’m calling it in now.”

“Fuck this. I’m going in,” Steele said. No way in hell he was going to sit there while Caldwell took Maren away from him.

“There’s still one guy in the SUV,” Garrett warned. “Anyone have a bead on him?”

“I got him,” Skylar said.

A moment later the glass shattered on the windshield but Steele was already running as fast as he could toward the hangar, determined to make it before it lifted off. To his surprise, Hancock was close on his heels.

A bullet hit the ground at Steele’s feet, flinging up pieces of concrete.

“Sniper, get down!” Joe roared. “Came in nine o’clock. Someone get on it fast.”

Gunfire erupted as the rest of KGI provided cover for Steele and Hancock as they bolted toward the hangar. They burst through the same door Caldwell had led Maren through just as the helicopter lifted off the ground and rose upward through the gaping opening in the roof.

“Do not shoot,” Steele bellowed. “Maren’s in that helicopter. Do not try to disable it!”

He lunged for the landing rail, barely managing to curl his fingers around it as it lifted higher. Hancock launched himself on the other side and the chopper rose above the roof, the two men hanging precariously from the rails.

As soon as the chopper cleared the roof, it zoomed forward and the ground spun dizzyingly below. Steele swung his legs up and then pulled himself the rest of the way so he was standing on the rail. As soon as his head cleared the opening, he saw Caldwell pointing a gun directly at him.

Before he could take evasive action, Maren launched herself at Caldwell, grabbing his wrist in an effort to prevent him from shooting Steele.

“No!” Steele roared. Goddamn it, he didn’t want her to get herself shot.

Maren grappled with Caldwell and they spun around, each fighting for control. A shot sounded and he and Hancock both ducked. The helicopter dipped precariously, and it was then Steele saw that the bullet had shattered the control panel and the pilot was slumped forward.

Fuck!

Steele propelled himself up and inside the helicopter just as Caldwell shook Maren loose from his wrist.

“Give it up, Caldwell. Your pilot is dead. You aren’t going anywhere and if you want to live, put the goddamn gun down so we can land this bitch.”

He shouted the words so Caldwell would hear, but Caldwell was obviously beyond reason. He swung his arm wildly in Maren’s direction.

“If I can’t have her, neither will you. We’ll all die,” Caldwell screamed.

Steele threw himself at Caldwell, desperate to make the shot go wild, but he was too late. A shot rang out just as Steele collided with Caldwell. But fear for Maren took priority. He shook Caldwell loose and looked frantically in Maren’s direction only to see her standing, pale as a ghost, hand covering her mouth as she looked down in horror.

Hancock was slumped on the floor, blood spreading rapidly over his chest. Holy fuck. Hancock had thrown himself between Maren and Caldwell and had taken the bullet meant for her.

Pain exploded in Steele’s head and he reeled sideways. Caldwell was enraged and he stood silhouetted against the open doors of the helicopter, gun pointed down at Steele, who lay crumpled on the floor.