Free Echoes at Dawn by Maya Banks

way and they’ll take you down. I’m taking Grace with me. Let Shea know…Hell, lie to her for now. Just tell her Grace is safe and is with me. Tell her whatever you have to. Between you and me, I don’t know how much Grace has left, but Shea doesn’t need to know that.”
    “Christ,” Sam muttered. “Steele and his team are on a mission. Simple in and out. Hostage retrieval. Something they can do in their sleep. I expect them back in two days.”
    “You may not have two days.”
    “Then we’ll do whatever needs to be done,” Sam said in a grim, determined voice. “I’ll let my brothers know and then we’ll get Nathan and Shea the hell out of here.”
    “Good call. I’m doing the same with Grace.”
    There was another distinct pause. “Safe journey, Rio. If you need backup, you got it. Steele will be available in forty-eight hours or so. I’ll send Joe and Swanny with Nathan and Shea so they aren’t unprotected, but you know Van, Garrett or Ethan will come to you at a moment’s notice.”
    “If it’s all the same, we’ll be going to ground. Radio silent. I’ll check in when I think it’s safe to do so and not before.”
    “You don’t fully trust me,” Sam said mildly.
    “I trust you as much as I trust anyone.”
    Sam laughed. “That doesn’t say a whole lot, you bastard. Just don’t get yourself killed.”
    “You just protect your family,” Rio said in a quiet voice. “And I’ll protect what’s mine.”
    GRACE opened her eyes and blinked at the stab of sunlight that shone through a dirty window. Her brow furrowed and she squinted, trying to bring her surroundings into focus. The last thing she remembered was reaching Rio’s teammates and having the last of her strength flee.
    Where was she now?
    She lifted her head, shocked at the effort it took. She was in the backseat of an SUV. Looking forward, Rio and his team were crammed into the middle row and the front two seats. She struggled to sit up, and Rio turned in his seat, his gaze freezing her in her tracks.
    “How are you feeling?” he asked.
    She eased back down, her breath leaving her in a hard whoosh. “I don’t know. Let me get back to you on that.”
    He smiled, warmth flooding those dark eyes.
    “Where are we?” she asked weakly.
    “We rolled into New Mexico a couple of hours ago. Making good time. If we keep pace, we’ll get into El Paso by sundown.”
    “What’s in El Paso?”
    She shifted and tried to sit up again, but Rio reached over the seat and put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t. Just take it easy. Lie there and be as still as possible so you’ll heal.”
    She turned slightly so that she was more on her side then sighed when she was comfortable again.
    “As for what’s in El Paso, I have a friend there who’s getting us on a plane to Belize.”
    Her eyes went wide and she stared up at him, mouth drooping open. “Belize? Why Belize?”
    “My home is there,” he said. “It’s safe. For now. We can at least have a place where you can recover until we figure out our next move.”
    “I don’t have any ID. I mean no passport. No driver’s license. Nothing.”
    Terrence turned, a wide grin on his face. “The kind of transportation we’re taking isn’t exactly American Airlines, if you know what I mean. They won’t be asking you for a ticket to board.”
    “Oh.”
    Rio slid his fingers over her arm. “I don’t want you to worry. All I want you to focus on is healing. Let us do the rest.”
    She nodded, realizing she had no other choice. She was at these men’s mercy. She’d already made her choice to trust them. She certainly knew what the other alternative was, and it wasn’t an option. At least Rio hadn’t locked her up in some cold, sterile room and forced her to heal like a trained puppet. At least not yet.
    She lowered her head to the seat and closed her eyes. Belize. It scared her to death to think of going outside the United States. It seemed so permanent, like the final nail in a