“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.