Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3) (31 page)

Her pacing sped up and she turned quick turns, walking back and forth in a short line, her mind trying to come up with a possible solution. If she just blurted out to Isaac that she used to be able to read minds, but then couldn’t—but oh wait, now all of a sudden she seemed to be regaining her power, and oh, by the way, I think Eliza is in great danger—he’d think she was a raving lunatic.

Not to mention if she got them all hot and bothered and focused on Eliza and something did happen, Gracie would be responsible.

And yet the growing dread wouldn’t leave her. It only swelled until her chest was constricted and she could barely draw breath. The images of Eliza had horrified her. Was that what she was enduring even now?

She shook her head. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—simply shake this off. Eliza had been kind to her, had put her life on the line to protect someone she didn’t even know. She was loyal to Gracie because, in her words, Gracie was important to Zack, thus it made Gracie important to the rest of DSS. Gracie wouldn’t reward such selflessness by remaining silent out of fear of being wrong or thought a lunatic.

An idea popped into her head, so crazy and ridiculous that it was absolutely . . . brilliant. Her breath hitched in excitement. Of course! She knew exactly how it could be determined if Eliza had been kidnapped, if she was suffering. And they certainly had the tools to mount a full-scale assault and take out every single person responsible for the harm that had come to DSS, as well as take out anyone associated with them.

And it had nothing to do with a single DSS agent. No, the real power and skill for this operation was in the women who’d married DSS agents: Ramie, who could discern Eliza’s location by simply touching an object belonging to Eliza; and Ari, whose powers were enormous and not even fully tapped yet. There was no telling just what she was capable of, but she’d already taken on these men once, and annihilated an entire compound in the process. And Gracie . . . Her powers weren’t as awe-inspiring or as helpful as Ramie’s and Ari’s, but she could read minds, and if there was pertinent information to be had, a way to bring about the complete end to this madness, then she could be of some small help.

Her gaze leapt to Isaac. From all Eliza had imparted, getting to Ramie was as hopeless as getting into Fort Knox undetected. She bit her teeth into her lip and then glanced Wade’s way. Wade’s allegiance wasn’t with DSS. It was with her. It was why he was here. And . . . Gracie knew in her heart, though she chose to deny it, Wade was not always a good man. He was steeped in shadows and had connections no ordinary man should ever have.

But she’d never questioned him. In truth, she didn’t want the answers. She preferred to live in ignorant bliss and consider him the friend he’d indeed become.

Wade turned as if sensing her gaze and his eyes sharpened as he stared at her. Then he glanced Isaac’s way, as if knowing Gracie had something on her mind she wouldn’t want the DSS agent to hear.

He headed toward Gracie and tucked his hand underneath her elbow and gently guided her into the bedroom he occupied, leaving Isaac alone in the living room. He didn’t shut the door. It would likely arouse suspicion, but he took Gracie into the bathroom, to the farthest point away from others.

“What’s wrong?” he asked bluntly.

Gracie swallowed. “Wade, if I asked you . . .” She sucked in a deep breath. “If I asked you to do something no questions asked, would you do it?”

His gaze narrowed even further as he studied her. Then, as if reaching a decision, he simply said, “Yes, of course. Name it.”

Her shoulders sagged in relief. “I need to get in touch with Ramie and Ari Devereaux. Eliza is in great danger, Wade. I shouldn’t have waited this long. God, if she’s been hurt or killed, it’s my fault. But I didn’t believe that my power had come back. I questioned it. But I can’t wait another minute and the only two people who can help are Ramie and Ari. And their husbands can’t know about it, because they would never allow them to be involved in what I plan to do.”

Wade frowned. “I’d very much like to know exactly what it is you plan to do.”

She placed her hand on his arm and squeezed gently, a gesture of friendship and gratitude for all he’d done for her.

“I need you to trust me,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t have time to explain it a dozen times. I’d rather do it once so we can act as quickly as possible. I know I’m asking a lot, but Wade, I know Eliza is in trouble and that she’s hurting. And I can’t—won’t—just sit here and do nothing because it might put me in harm’s way,” she said fiercely.

Wade cupped her jaw and tenderly caressed her cheek. “Yes, all right. As long as you fill me in before you act on whatever this plan of yours is, then I’ll get you what you need.”

“I swear it,” she said. “But hurry, please. I’m so worried about her, Wade. You know how dependable she is. She said she’d be gone two hours at the most and that was now over four hours ago. She wouldn’t just flake like that.”

Wade’s expression grew grim. “I know. I’ve been worried as well.”

Relief made her sag a little more. Okay, so she wasn’t the only one that suspected Eliza was in very real danger. Even though she knew, it was nice to have validation.

“I’ll need you to tell them how to get here,” Anna-Grace said in a low voice.

Wade nodded. “Not a problem. I can send transportation to get them since the chances of them getting out on their own past their husbands is zero.”

She squeezed him again. “Thank you for believing me, Wade. For not thinking I’m crazy.”

His entire expression softened. “I’ll never not believe in you, Anna-Grace. Now, let me go and make some calls so that we can go find our Eliza.”

TWENTY-NINE

RAMIE
and Ari Devereaux stared curiously at Gracie as they took a seat in the living room of the safe house. Isaac had been apoplectic when the two women had shown up, escorted by three burly bodyguards who were
not
employed by DSS. Wade had taken proper precautions, but then, Gracie would have expected no less.

And Isaac was most assuredly on the phone with either Caleb or Beau or both this very minute, so Anna-Grace figured she had fifteen minutes tops to convince these women she wasn’t crazy and to help her—help Eliza—before their husbands burst in losing their minds that the women had escaped their temporary safety restrictions.

Though there was a hint of impatience that Anna-Grace picked up from both women, neither had malevolent thoughts about her cryptic call to them. There was only concern for Eliza and puzzlement over why they were called and not their husbands.

Anna-Grace nervously put her hands together, clenching them until her knuckles were white. “We don’t have much time, so I’ll explain quickly. I’m not crazy. You two of all people should have the easiest time believing me. And you two are the only ones who can help Eliza now.”

Concern darkened Ramie’s eyes. “Are you sure she’s in danger?”

Anna-Grace hesitated a brief second and then scolded herself. She was not crazy. She knew what she’d heard. What she’d seen in the other man’s head. And then Eliza disappeared mere hours later? There was no such thing as coincidence. Eliza was being held prisoner and she was hurting.

Her stomach clenched, remembering her own pain and terror at their hands. Her beating had been a message. Not an intention to kill her. But could she say the same for Eliza? The hatred in the man’s thoughts didn’t give Anna-Grace any reassurance they wouldn’t kill Eliza just to prove that DSS wasn’t impervious to the threat they posed.

“I’m positive,” Anna-Grace murmured.

In as few words as possible and as to the point as she could make it, she explained everything: her ability to read minds, the loss of that power when she’d been so brutally attacked and her belief that her mind had simply shut out the power as a protective measure. Why it was reasserting itself now she wasn’t sure, but then she realized it was because she’d come to care about Eliza. She’d relaxed around the other woman. And her consciousness had picked up on the threat to her.

“She’s been missing for three hours,” Anna-Grace said grimly. “Does this sound like the Eliza you all know so well?”

She received worried answering frowns from both the other women.

“No,” Ramie muttered. “Eliza is as solid as they come. She’s gone to the wall for us all. What’s your plan? I’m in.”

Anna-Grace blinked. She hadn’t even outlined her plan or explained that it could cause Ramie immeasurable pain. And yet Ramie had signed on with no reservations.

“I am too,” Ari said with a growl. “I still owe those bastards some serious payback and I’m dying to reek some serious havoc.”

Anna-Grace almost smiled.

Then she looked at Ramie. “I’m asking for a lot. I know. I know what using your powers does to you. The price you pay. But I also believe it’s the only way we can locate Eliza in time to save her. I believe they mean to kill her to send a stronger message than the one they sent using me.”

Ramie merely nodded. “I’ll do it. Is there anything here belonging to Eliza?”

“There has to be something in her room,” Wade said, speaking up for the first time. “I’ll go find something.”

Anna-Grace leveled a look at Ari. “You are powerful. Magnificently so. They don’t stand a chance against you.” Then she lifted her shoulders in a rueful shrug. “My gift isn’t as intuitive or as powerful as yours. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be. But I can read minds, and if there is information that helps us locate the other members of this . . . organization . . . then they can be taken out and will pose no further threat to any of us.”

Ari stepped forward and slid her cool hand over Anna-Grace’s arm. Then she squeezed it in silent solidarity. “Your gift is as powerful as mine and Ramie’s. We just have different powers, and that’s a good thing, because the three of us together? Those assholes don’t stand a chance.”

“No one is going anywhere, goddamn it!” Isaac roared.

He’d reappeared from the adjoining room, where he was no doubt calling in the troops. Fury was radiating from him in waves.

“Do you honest to God think that any of us would put the three of you in harm’s way? Caleb’s and Beau’s heads just exploded when I told them they better get their asses over here pronto because their wives were
not
where they were supposed to be.”

Anna-Grace looked helplessly at the two women whose husbands would likely burst through the door any moment now. Would they buckle under pressure from their husbands, who only wanted to keep them safe? Anna-Grace didn’t fault them for that. But she refused to leave Eliza to her fate, and only Ramie could help locate her, because she could be anywhere.

The impressions that Anna-Grace had lifted from the man’s mind hadn’t given a location. Any recognizable place. All she’d seen was Eliza with that cloth over her face and the water being dumped over it repeatedly.

“We’re not bailing on this,” Ramie said softly. “We’re going to find and rescue Eliza no matter what our well-meaning husbands think or say. Besides, if they give us too much grief, Ari can take care of that matter for us.”

A slight mischievous gleam entered her eyes while Ari outright laughed. She turned a smug smile toward Anna-Grace.

“She’s right, so stop fretting. As soon as we get a lock on her location, we’re out of here. With or without the husbands.”

Isaac let out an inarticulate string of what Anna-Grace assumed was a combination of curses and protests but none of the women paid him any heed.

Just as Wade strode from Eliza’s room carrying the item of clothing she’d worn last, before what she had on today, Caleb and Beau did indeed burst into the house, their expressions black, fear stark in their eyes.

“Don’t you dare give that to her,” Caleb barked, inserting himself between his wife and Wade.

Wade stared back at Caleb just as hard as Caleb was staring him down and neither man gave an inch.

Anna-Grace could admit being intimidated by Caleb Devereaux. Even Beau to an extent, although he’d been nothing but gentle and kind to her. But Wade was clearly unruffled by the dangerous glitter in Caleb’s eyes. And, well, he did have three huge mountains for men, who were loyal to him and not DSS, so the odds were even. The victor would be decided by which side Ari aligned with since she could incapacitate them all if she wanted.

Anna-Grace shot a quick look Ari’s way just to see if she’d faltered upon her husband’s arrival. But what she saw was a good sign. Or at least she hoped.

Ari looked annoyed, though she tried to mask it. But Anna-Grace could pick up fleeting impressions from Ari’s mind, including her repeated efforts to demonstrate that she was more than Beau’s equal and she resented that he put her in a gilded cage where nothing could ever hurt her when in fact, it was she who could prevent anyone from ever hurting him. Or any other DSS agent, for that matter.

And part of her thought pattern was hurt, because a tiny part of her regarded his obstinance as lack of trust in her and her abilities, and she’d demonstrated on numerous occasions that she wasn’t weak. She was capable of awe-inspiring things.

She could protect Eliza better than any man in this room. The women knew it, acknowledged it. But the men couldn’t see past their fear to accept that.

Ramie shoved Caleb aside forcefully so she was once more standing in front of Wade. She didn’t immediately take it from him but her lips were in a determined line even as Caleb pushed forward again.

She turned to her husband, her eyes hard.

“Do
not
interfere,” she said in a voice that could possibly crack stone. “Eliza is in trouble. She could die. She could be dead already. And I’m the only one who can track her quickly enough to give us a chance of saving her. You do not make my decisions for me. Eliza helped me, no questions asked. She’s never asked for a single thing in return. I will not abandon her because of your misguided notion that I’m too weak to suffer temporary agony in order to get back someone who is very dear to us all.”

Caleb went stock-still. Anna-Grace wasn’t even sure he was breathing. He seemed to be waging an internal war with himself because his thoughts were so chaotic and jumbled that Anna-Grace couldn’t get a clear sense of what he was thinking. The only word that came from his subconscious was
no
! In a litany. Over and over. As if he couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering even for a moment.