Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3) (32 page)

“That explains why Ramie is here,” Beau said gruffly as he stared his wife down. “It does not explain why
you
are here.”

She sent him a breezy smile as her words, though lightly said, still sent a chill down Anna-Grace’s spine as they filled the room.

“Because I’m going to take these bastards out. They are no match for me and my powers. They have one of our own. I would no sooner remain behind than I would allow harm to come to any person who is important to me.”

Beau opened his mouth to argue, but Ari turned her back to him to look at Ramie.

At first, Ramie’s movements were hesitant and then more forceful as she reached for the piece of clothing from Mathew’s hand.

But Anna-Grace quickly caught the shared thought between Caleb and Beau, that once Ramie determined where Eliza was, they were in no way allowing any of the women to go anywhere and would have their men sit on them. Which was pretty stupid considering no one could keep Ari anywhere she didn’t want to be. Anna-Grace rolled her eyes but she too sent the women a look and hoped they could sense what she was saying with her expression.

A small smile flirted at the corners of Ari’s mouth. She was far enough away from Beau that she could whisper to Anna-Grace and not be heard.

“I may not be able to read minds, but I know my husband very well, and I knew from the beginning he was going to throw the mother of all hissy fits about me going anywhere. Even though I’m far more capable of death and destruction than any of his men are.”

Her expression softened a brief moment as she looked over at her husband.

“It’s just that . . .” Her expression became wry. “I can’t fault him for his fear. I fear for him every time he goes out on a dangerous assignment. I almost didn’t make it out alive when we last encountered these fanatics. So I understand his fear. But I’ve grown stronger since then. I’m more self-aware. I know my limitations, or at least the ones I’ve discovered so far. But I also know that there is more that I don’t even know about, that I haven’t discovered yet. He’s just going to have to deal because I’m not staying home on this one.”

Anna-Grace’s admiration for Ari grew even greater. And she only had to look at the resolve in Ramie’s features to know that she would present a united front with Anna-Grace and Ari.

If only Zack were back.

Anna-Grace went still. For a moment she didn’t even breathe as the shock of the unconscious thought floated through her mind. When had she shifted from hatred and fear to a sense of not feeling safe when he was gone?

She rubbed at her temple, but quickly lowered her hand when she realized it was shaking. The thought had rattled her. And right now she couldn’t afford to be shaken. Not when Eliza’s life was at stake.

It seemed the entire room sucked in their breaths, the moment Ramie finally took the article of clothing from Wade’s hand. Caleb immediately stepped forward, inserting himself between his wife and Wade. And becoming a barrier to the rest of those assembled as well.

“Do not do anything to distract her,” Caleb hissed out quietly. “Do not touch her or speak to her. It won’t be easy, particularly if it’s bad for Eliza, but everyone has to keep their cool or Ramie suffers more.”

A chill ran down Anna-Grace’s spine. It was one thing to imagine the horrors Eliza might be facing. Anna-Grace had gotten a glimpse of something she didn’t quite understand. All she’d known was that Eliza was suffering. But it was a thought, or rather a fantasy held by the man. One not yet performed, so there was no way of knowing if what she had glimpsed would even become reality.

It was another matter entirely to see in real time precisely what was happening to Eliza—and Ramie—and know that it was real. Not hypothetical.

Ramie let out a strangled gasp. Both hands went to her face and she struggled violently. She staggered and would have fallen had Caleb not caught her and eased her gently to the floor.

She lay on her back and it was evident she wasn’t breathing. She struggled wildly, making choking, gurgling sounds. Anna-Grace froze in place as dread took over her entire body. It was eerily reminiscent of the image she’d picked up from the man’s mind. Eliza had a cloth over her face. A wet cloth. What did it mean?

“Goddamn it,” Caleb swore viciously. “Breath, goddamn it. Breathe Ramie!”

Just when it seemed Ramie would succumb and pass out, she suddenly sucked in a huge gasping breath. Her entire body heaved as if she were starved for oxygen.

“Go fuck yourself,” Ramie said hoarsely, her voice odd sounding. She sounded almost like . . . Eliza. As though she were Eliza in this moment and transmitting to everyone present precisely what Eliza was experiencing, feeling, hearing and saying.

No sooner had the words escape her lips than she began struggling again and making those awful choking sounds, her hands raking at her face until Caleb defied his own order and held her hands back to prevent her from harming herself.

Her body writhed. Her chest arched upward and tears streaked from the sides of her eyes, disappearing into her hair.

“What the fuck is happening to Eliza?” Beau whispered, his rage terrible to look at.

“I can’t tell you much,” Anna-Grace said quietly. “But earlier today, when we were in the clinic, I picked up on the thoughts of the other man who was in the waiting room.”

For a moment, everyone’s attention focused solidly on her, their expressions intent. It made her uncomfortable, but she pushed past it because Eliza needed their help before it was too late.

“He hated Eliza. He was focused entirely on her. And his thoughts were not good ones. They were full of violence. And through his mind, I saw Eliza, lying on the floor as Ramie is now, but she had a cloth over her face. A wet cloth. And she struggled to breathe. I don’t know what that means but it seems to match with what Ramie is currently experiencing.”

“They’re fucking waterboarding a woman?” Wade roared.

His reaction startled Anna-Grace and her gaze quickly swept to him. He was bristling with fury, his jaw set in a hard line, his eyes as cold as ice. His hands clenched and unclenched into fists at his sides. For a man who was always in control, he appeared to be on the very verge of losing it right now.

“Jesus,” Isaac muttered. “Fuck!”

“Ramie. Ramie!” Caleb said more forcefully. “Come back to me, baby. I need you to come back and tell us where to find Eliza.”

He gently stroked her hair, his expression worried and furious all at the same time.

From the moment Anna-Grace had explained what she’d seen, the entire room vibrated with terrible anger. And fear. For Eliza. There was a heightened sense of urgency. Everyone was tense and ready to explode into action.

It took several more long moments before Caleb was able to get through to Ramie and pull her from the grasp of Eliza’s nightmare. Slowly her eyes focused on Caleb and then sorrow swamped her entire face, and the tears came faster than before.

“We have to go
now
,” Ramie said hoarsely.

Even as she spoke, she shoved away from Caleb and scrambled to her feet.

Beau’s face froze into an implacable expression even as he held his hands out.

“Tell us where, Ramie. We’ll get her, but you, Ari and Gracie are staying here where it’s safe.”

The three women exchanged quick looks, once again confirming their solidarity. Then Ramie’s chin came up.

“We aren’t staying here or anywhere else,” she said calmly. “We’re going to get Eliza. She needs us, and we aren’t going to let her down.”

THIRTY

ONE
could break a stone on the faces of all the men assembled, including Wade’s, which surprised Anna-Grace because she’d thought he was accepting of the women’s plan. But then maybe he, like Beau, had thought that the women would only provide pertinent information and then be left behind wrapped in cotton while the menfolk handled the dangerous stuff.

Annoyance gripped her but she shook it off. It didn’t matter what the men wanted. Ramie would know where Eliza was and no one was going to keep Ari where she didn’t want to be, so regardless of whether the men gave in gracefully or pitched a fit, the end result would be the same.

“I don’t think you understand,” Ramie said in a measured tone. “We aren’t asking to go. We are going. Furthermore, I am the only person who has the knowledge of her location, so without me, you—and Eliza—are fucked.”

“You’re weak and hurting,” Caleb said bluntly. “You need to rest and recover from your ordeal. I can’t—I won’t—put you in harm’s way, Ramie. I can’t do it. It scares the hell out of me.”

“My gift may not be as powerful as Ari’s or as intuitive as Gracie’s, but I can read things by touching items and you may need me to see, to discern information that we otherwise wouldn’t have access to. And we need to pool all our resources so that we take out every last person in this organization so that no more people are hunted, tortured or murdered.”

Ramie moved to stand beside Anna-Grace and Ari and they all stared resolutely at the men.

“They are no match for my powers,” Ari said in a calm, confident tone. “They cannot hurt me.”

“Bullshit!” Beau exploded. “They
did
hurt you! Or don’t you remember the fact that you almost died! I was this close to losing you.”

His eyes were so haunted that it hurt to look at him. It was then she grasped Ari’s words about understanding Beau’s concern for her. It was written all over his face. Fear. Abject terror.

“And I can read their thoughts,” Anna-Grace said quietly, taking the focus from Beau’s imminent meltdown. “Which means I can gather valuable information that we may otherwise not be able to get.”

“And this is all why we’re going,” Ramie said firmly. “With or without you. It’s your choice. But only I know where Eliza is and none of you are a match for Ari. Walking out of here will be a piece of cake with minimal effort on her part.”

Caleb closed his eyes. “Fuck.”

Wade shot him an incredulous look. “You aren’t seriously considering this insanity, are you? Isn’t one woman hurt enough? Hell, make that two since they already got to Gracie.”

Beau’s expression went utterly grim. “Oh, they got to Ari as well. They are due some serious payback.”

“Then why the hell would you risk them again?” Wade roared.

“Okay, Superman,” Isaac drawled sarcastically. “You lead the way. Tell us where Lizzie is. We’re more than happy to take them out and keep our women out of harm’s way.”

Wade’s eyes narrowed as he stared pointedly at Ramie. “Every minute you withhold the information you have is another minute Eliza undergoes indescribable pain. A minute that could mean the difference between her life and death. This is not the time to make a stand against the confines your husband places on you.”

Ari bristled next to Anna-Grace, who flinched, wondering just how close Wade was skating the line. A pissed-off Ari certainly couldn’t be good news. For Wade.

Ramie stared coldly back at Wade. “I don’t give a damn what you think or think you know about my relationship, but get it through your head. We are not the ones wasting time. It’s every one of you men. We’re going. Right now. With or without you. So make your choice. And make it fast. Because Eliza is our friend, and we aren’t leaving anything to chance when we get her back.”

There was resignation in the eyes of every man present.

“Fuck,” Beau muttered. “Goddamn it.”

Anna-Grace shared a look of triumph with her new partners in crime. They all knew they’d won.

“Whoa, Superman,” Isaac said, holding out a hand when Wade would have gathered with the others. “The women may have us by the balls but you don’t and you aren’t part of this mission. You aren’t going.”

“Fuck off,” Wade said crudely. “Anna-Grace goes nowhere without me. Now stop wasting fucking time and let’s go. I won’t be a hindrance. I think you’ll find me to be a valuable asset.”

Wade’s eyes grew cold. “I suffer no fits of conscience over killing a man who would waterboard a woman, who would beat a woman as they beat Gracie. In fact, I would relish it.”

The other men exchanged raised eyebrows. Anna-Grace picked up on the current of surprise and unease as the men absorbed Wade’s blunt statement.

“Okay, you’re in,” Beau said. Then he turned his stare to Ramie. “You win. It’s a fucking rescue party. Everyone is going. So
now
can you tell us where we’re going?”

As soon as the plane touched down in Houston, Zack turned on his cell phone and then frowned when he saw his screen light up with more than a dozen notifications. Unease gripped him as he saw they were all from Beau. Beau knew he was traveling, in the air, so if he’d been blowing up Zack’s phone it wasn’t good news.

He didn’t bother reading texts or listening to voice mails. He went straight to the source and punched the call button.

“Come on, come on,” Zack muttered when Beau didn’t pick up on the first ring.

His gut was churning like hell and he had a tight grip on the handrest with his free hand. His knuckles were completely white and he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t end up breaking the damn piece of plastic.

“You on the ground?” Beau demanded after the third ring.

“Just landed.”

“Fuck.”

Zack didn’t like this at all.

“What the hell is going on?” Zack demanded.

“It’s Anna-Grace.” Beau cursed again. “And Ari and Ramie. It’s a fucking mutiny and there’s not a damn thing any of us can do about it.”

“You better start talking,” Zack said in a deadly voice.

Beau sighed. “They got to Eliza. And there was this guy at the clinic when we took Gracie in for her checkup. Gracie said she was able to read his mind.”

Zack frowned. Hadn’t she said she’d lost that ability?

“What she saw, it wasn’t good, and worse, it turned out to be true. The guy was imagining waterboarding Eliza. Ramie confirmed that when she touched an item of Eliza’s. The women hatched this plan, you see. They pooled their resources and are hell-bent on getting Eliza back. Not that I’m not with them on that count, but goddamn it! I don’t want them anywhere near these bastards.”