Safe at Last by Maya Banks
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
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.
“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 w
“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,