Forged in Steele

CHAPTER 31

“WHAT’S between you and Maren?” Sam asked bluntly.

Steele turned toward Sam’s voice, his brows furrowed at the forcefulness of Sam’s question. Then he gazed around to see if others were close enough to hear. He and Sam were off the deck, down the steps and on the lesser patio that was between the dock and the main deck, where the others were still eating and talking.

“I think it’s obvious what’s between us,” Steele said in a dry voice.

Sam pursed his lips and glanced up to where Maren was surrounded by the Kelly women, laughing and having a good time.

“Maren is a very good friend of mine. I cherish her friendship a lot. She’s one of the dearest friends I have. It goes way beyond a professional relationship. She’s like a sister to me without all the pesky qualities of a real sister.”

The corner of Steele’s mouth quirked up. “You warning me off your ‘sister’?”

Sam shook his head. “No, but I don’t want her hurt either. She’s a good woman, Steele. The best. She’s helped a lot of people.”

“What exactly is it you think I’m going to do to her?” Steele asked in exasperation.

He didn’t want to be having this conversation. Period. Maren was his business. His relationship with Maren was his business. Their child was definitely his business. And none of those were anyone else’s concern but his. He didn’t give a damn what Sam considered her. She was his. Whatever Sam had felt like doing for her in the past, he could just drop it now, because Steele was taking over.

“Look, you’re a hard-ass. Everyone knows that. You know what the others call you. While I don’t agree that you’re some emotionless machine, you’re a nightmare to most women because you’re so tight-lipped all the time and women like men to talk to them.”

Steele nearly laughed at the visible shudder that rolled over Sam’s shoulders.

“Maren is . . . special. I just hope you realize what you’ve got, Steele. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, make sure you do before it’s too late. Take it from someone who damn near waited too long.”

Steele glanced up the walkway to see Garrett and Donovan approaching. He hadn’t planned to get into this with them today, but the opportunity had presented itself and it would save him a trip back over.

As soon as Garrett and Donovan got close enough, Steele took a step back so they could take part in the conversation.

“I’m off the books for a while,” Steele said.

Sam didn’t react. He didn’t seem surprised. “Okay. How long are we talking about here?”

There was caution in his tone, and maybe he worried that Steele would go completely off his rails and walk away now that he had Maren and a child on the way.

“I can’t answer that,” Steele said honestly. “My first priority has to be Maren’s and my child’s safety.”

Garrett nodded. “I get that.”

Donovan nodded too.

“Not fair to my team to take the downtime with me,” Steele said. “They need the action. The longer we’re down, the rustier and more complacent we get. Plus they don’t get paid when we’re not in action.”

Sam lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “You telling us to take your team? That’s not something I ever expected from you.”

Steele ran a hand through his hair. “Look. For a long time my team has been my life. KGI has been my life. They’ve gotten a hundred and ten percent of my loyalty. Maren gets that from me now. She deserves it. Our child deserves it. Not saying I won’t be back. But we have a lot to work out. And that’s why I want to talk to you all. First, I need to be out of action for a while. I don’t trust Caldwell not to make a grab for her.”

“I hear you,” Garrett muttered.

“Second thing is, we have a hell of a lot to figure out. Maren had a practice in Costa Rica. No way in hell I want her going back there or anywhere for a long damn time. But that’s not fair to her. I can’t make that decision for her, no matter how much I’d like to.”

“Smart man,” Sam said, amusement sparking in his eyes.

“I’d like to get her something here so she can stay with me and I can keep an eye on her and our child. KGI could use a doctor, no doubt. But she could also open a practice in this area, at least until our child is old enough for it to be a consideration to go back into the field if that’s what will make Maren happy.”

Donovan cupped his chin and rubbed thoughtfully. “It’s not a bad idea. Doc Campbell has been making noises about retiring. I think he would have done it already if he had a replacement lined up. Maren is a hands-on doctor and Doc Campbell still makes house calls, which is unheard of in this day and age. He’d want someone like him because it worries him what his patients will do when he retires. He’d like Maren a lot and she’d be perfect to replace him.”

Excitement simmered in Steele’s mind. He didn’t want to seem too eager, but he’d do damn near anything to make Maren happy here. With him. Not thousands of miles away.

He never wanted to hold her back, but he was scared shitless over the idea of her being someplace like where she’d been, alone and defenseless. Their child just as vulnerable. Not that she’d be alone. Because if she did insist on going off, he’d damn well pack up and go with her. But it wasn’t his first choice. Not yet.

There’d be plenty of time down the road for them to go wherever the hell she wanted. He didn’t have roots in any one place. He’d made Tennessee his home out of necessity, not because he had ties here.

“It’s worth it to see if she’d think about it,” Steele said. “I’ll bring it up when I get a chance.”

Then he glanced at Sam. “You okay with me taking leave? I can’t even tell you how long. Definitely until the baby is born. Maybe longer if Caldwell is still a threat. If you can’t hold my job that long, I understand.”

Sam held up his hand, his brows drawn together and his lips flat with annoyance. “Your job will be here when you get back. For now, Donovan can take over your team. He’s worked with them more than Garrett or I, so he’d be the logical choice to assume the team leadership role. Van? You got a problem with that?”

“Guess not, since you just volunteered me,” Donovan said dryly.

“They won’t like it,” Garrett interjected. “They aren’t used to following anyone’s orders except yours.”

“They’ll understand,” Steele said. “They’ll do it for me.”

Sam nodded. “You going to tell them?”

“Tomorrow. I invited them to my place. After that, they’re yours, Van.”

“Okay. I’ll give them a shout-out and do a meet-up here at the compound in a few days. They need the time off for now.”

“Yeah, they do,” Steele said. “We all do.”

“The baby,” Sam began. Then he broke off and said, “I shouldn’t ask. It’s none of my business. I just . . .”

“It’s mine,” Steele said in a low voice, correctly guessing where Sam was going with his question.

Garrett and Donovan both looked relieved.

“We thought maybe you stepped up to save Maren from going through everyone knowing Caldwell abused her and got her pregnant,” Donovan said.

“The baby is mine. She was pregnant before Caldwell kidnapped her.”

Sam wasn’t able to hide his surprise at that revelation, but Garrett and Donovan didn’t react.

“Congratulations then,” Sam finally said, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “I guess we’ll get to give you shit for the next while. I figured you’d be the last to fall of any of us. And here Van is going to outlast us all.”

“Footloose and fancy free,” Donovan said smugly. “The rest of you are pussy whipped.”

“And proud of it,” Garrett cut in before Donovan could continue.

“Besides, you all got all the good ones,” Donovan said with a dramatic sigh.

“This is true,” Sam agreed.

“Although if Maren is the highly intelligent woman I know her to be, she’d do a lot better with me,” Donovan said. “We have a lot in common. We could play doctor together.”

“Only if you want your balls removed without the benefit of anesthesia,” Steele growled.

Sam and Garrett burst into laughter.

“Man, when he falls, he falls hard,” Sam said shaking his head. “I thought Rio was bad, but Steele makes him look like a guppy swimming around in the ocean.”

“Can we dispense with discussing my personal life and get back to the pertinent matter here? Such as my leave of absence and my team being headed by nerd boy now?”

Donovan snorted. “At least they’ll finally be handled with intelligence. Maybe by the time you decide to come back, they’ll have decided they like me better. I won’t get them shot as many times as you do.”

Steele scowled while Garrett and Sam laughed this time.

“In light of what we know now, I’m thinking he got them shot on purpose so he’d have an excuse to visit Maren,” Garrett said in a sly voice.

“Fuck you,” Steele muttered.

He glanced back up the walkway to see Maren standing against the wooden rail of the deck, her side turned in his direction so she could look over occasionally. As soon as he looked her way, it was as if she sensed his gaze and she turned, smiling when she saw him watching her.

“If we’re done here,” Steele murmured.

The others traced the direction of his stare and then chuckled.

“Yeah, we’re done,” Sam said. “Not like we’d have your attention any longer anyway.”

Steele made his way up the steps, ignoring everyone else. His focus was on Maren and in getting back to her. It seemed like they’d been apart for hours when in fact it hadn’t been over thirty minutes. But he itched to be close to her. He liked her next to him, where he could touch her or even just see her right there at his side.

Uncaring of who was with her or what they’d think, he moved in behind her and then stepped to her side, wrapped his arm around her waist and slid his hand into her opposing jeans pocket.

She fit him perfectly. Like she was made just for him. Her head came to right underneath his chin, providing a perfect resting place when he wanted to hug her.

He wasn’t a hugger. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged anyone. A few of the Kelly women had experienced mad hugging spells, usually after being rescued or scared out of their minds, and he’d been the recipient of more than one of those, but he hadn’t hugged anyone himself since before his parents died.

With Maren, he just loved touching her. And it wasn’t just sexual. He liked being close to her, having her in his space, occupying his mind. He liked holding her and hugging her. The night before, when they’d watched a movie with her in his lap and eventually falling asleep on him, had been one of the best nights of his life.

If he had any choice in the matter, they’d still be on his couch, snuggled up like two bugs in a rug, and fuck the outside world.

And damn. Speaking of outside world.

He lowered his head to Maren’s ear. “Gotta go talk to Sam about your parents. I forgot to ask him about the jet. You going to be okay here for a minute?”

She turned and shot him a dazzling smile that nearly made his knees give out. “I’m fine, Steele. Go do your thing with Sam.”

She glanced down at her cup and then around as if looking for something.

“What you need?”

“Oh nothing. It’s all right. I was going to get something else to drink.”

He snagged her cup. “Be right back. You want lemonade again or tea?”

She sent him a soft smile that made his heartbeat accelerate.

“Lemonade is good.”

He waded through the crowd of people and noticed Sean and Rusty standing over to one side. Predictably, Rusty was wearing a frown—it was her usual expression when she spent any time around Sean—and Sean looked annoyed and impatient. Again, no surprise there. He’d be more shocked if the two ever had a conversation that didn’t rapidly deteriorate into an argument of some kind.

After filling Maren’s cup with ice and lemonade, he turned and sought her out again. She was back by Rachel, holding one of the babies while she and Rachel spoke. He took a moment to savor the image of her holding the child, and he pretended that it was their baby she cradled in her arms.

The picture was so powerful that it slammed into him, momentarily weakening him. He was flooded by a wave of love, an emotion he hadn’t felt in so very long. With it came memories, the pain of losing people he’d loved more than anything. And he was paralyzed with fear over the idea of ever losing Maren.

Losing his family had brought him low as a child, an event that had taken him years to recover from. But losing Maren or their child would utterly destroy him. There would be no recovering from that kind of loss. It hurt to even think about it.

Was this what the Kellys and even Rio went through every time they left on a mission? The knowledge that their good-bye to their wives might be the last time they saw them and that they might not come back this time? Did they lie awake at night considering all the enemies they’d made over the years and worry that at some point someone would seek revenge and hit KGI where it would hurt the most? Through their wives and children?

He closed his eyes and balled his fingers into tight fists. Fuck it all. If this was what being in love was like, he didn’t want it. How the fuck was he supposed to exist day to day? How was he supposed to breathe when fear made it impossible? He’d never been afraid of anything in his adult life. He performed his job by rote. Mechanically. Just like the machine he was accused of being.

But the idea of losing Maren? Of losing their child? Of leaving one day and never coming home? Or even worse, some asshole taking revenge by taking out his woman and his child?

Fear was so heavy, so thick he could taste it. It pervaded every blood cell, his every thought, seeped deep into his brain until it was all he knew.

Jesus Christ, but this was no way to exist. How the fuck did the rest of them do it? How did they seem so goddamn relaxed all the time? He was a basket case and he’d only been in love for half a damn day.

Okay, so it was a lot longer than half a day, but he’d only made the admission or rather discovery a few hours ago.

He needed to go blow something up. Or pump a few rounds into a target. Beat the shit out of someone while he was at it. Anything to work off this restless, cagey, animalistic sensation that had him by the nuts.

“What’s eating you, boss man?” Cole asked.

Steele whirled around, nearly dropping Maren’s lemonade on the deck. His expression must have been fierce because Cole took a step back, his expression wary.

“Nothing,” Steele muttered. “Just thinking. Can you take this back to Maren? I need to tag Sam right quick.”

“Sure,” Cole said, taking the cup Steele held.

Steele made his way back over to where Sam had rejoined the others on the deck and motioned him aside. Garrett came with Sam, followed closely by Donovan.

“What’s up?” Sam asked. “You look like you swallowed a lemon.”

“Just forgot to mention a very important piece of information and I have a request to make.”

“Name it,” Sam said. Just like that. It was one of the things Steele liked most about who he worked for. Sam had his back, no questions or reservations.

“I want to fly Maren’s parents in on one of the KGI jets and pick them up at Henry County. They’re eager to see her, of course. They’ve been frantic with worry. She spoke to them yesterday and assured them she was okay. And while they’re here we need to see about setting up protection for them so that when they go back home they’ll be safe. I don’t trust Caldwell not to do something stupid.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Sam said. “And of course we can send one of the jets for them. In the meantime I’ll make some calls and get in touch with a local security firm so that when her parents return home, they’ll have round-the-clock surveillance. It would be a good idea for you to discuss frankly with them while they’re here what exactly we’re dealing with so they can be more careful and aware when they go home.”

“Thanks, Sam. This means a lot to Maren. And to me.”

“Even if we weren’t doing it for Maren, we’d do it for you,” Garrett inserted. “You never have to ask. We’ll do whatever we can to help.”

“What about your place?” Donovan asked. “I know you have a pretty tight security net around your house, but if it’s just going to be you and Maren staying there, you might want to consider having some additional manpower.”

“My team is coming out tomorrow and I’m going to have them beef up the perimeter. Planning to add heat sensors and laser detectors that will trigger silent alarms if anyone breaches the cordoned-off area. We’ll set out more cameras and make sure that if a deer so much as farts, I’ll know about it. If I sense anything out of the ordinary, I’ll be on the horn with you.”

Sam nodded his satisfaction. “You know I don’t believe in being too paranoid, so if you even think you need help, don’t hesitate to call it in. I can have a team out there in no time flat. I’m turning Nathan and Joe’s team loose in short order, but they’d be perfect as extra security for you and they can split watches if you’d feel better having extra eyes and ears on the premises.”

“I may just take you up on that,” Steele said. “I want my team to have some time off. They need it. So while they’re taking the downtime, I wouldn’t turn down having the other team check in from time to time. At least until I get my own team back.”

“You got it,” Donovan said. “And Sam and Garrett and I will be more than happy to take a shift as well. Things are quiet now, but we all know that could change on a dime. But if we aren’t taking an assignment, we’re all yours.”

Steele extended his hand, shaking each of the Kelly brothers’ hands in turn. “Maren and I both appreciate this.”

“Anytime. You’re family, Steele, even if your hard ass refuses to acknowledge that. You rode P.J. for not falling back on her family and her team. Just make damn sure you don’t make the same mistake,” Garrett said sternly.

Steele smiled. “Yeah, I hear you. You’ve just been waiting to be able to get in my face about it, haven’t you?”

Sam grinned. “Maybe. I’m definitely not one to let an opportunity to give you shit go by.”

“She’s a terrific woman, Steele. You’re a lucky bastard,” Garrett said. “Not as lucky as I am, but you did good.”

Steele rolled his eyes. “We’re not going to have a pissing match over who got the better woman. Our women are unmatched and that’s a fact.”

“Jesus, but y’all are nauseating me,” Donovan grumbled. “I’m going to walk away now before you start talking about baby booties and knitting and shit.”

Steele laughed. “Maren did say she could totally see me taking up knitting in a rocking chair on my front porch.”

“Pussy,” Garrett muttered.

“You have no room to talk, Mr. I-can’t-say-fuck-around-my-wife-anymore,” Donovan said.

Garrett winced. “Yeah, yeah. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.”

“The rapid manner in which this entire damn organization is becoming domesticated makes me want to move far, far away,” Donovan said.

“Your time is coming. Mark my words,” Sam said, pointing his finger at Donovan. “And when it does? We’re all going to ride you like a mule. You’ll never live it down. I can guaran-damn-tee that much.”

Donovan rolled his eyes and sauntered away, immediately swinging Charlotte into his arms amid screams of “Spin me around, Uncle Van!”