watching Avery smile, knowing this was all the calm before the storm.
Avery would take care of Grace, would keep her safe. They would become friends—Dare knew that for certain.
It made the rest of his choices that much easier.
* * *
Jem and Gunner cooked, and by midafternoon, they were all eating in the back room with the monitors surrounding them. The mood was surprisingly upbeat, which tended to happen when everyone lived through a mission, no matter what other obstacles abounded. There was laughing and teasing and plenty of food to satisfy them.
Even Grace smiled a few times, seemed to feel as if the group trusted her.
Dare was as worried as hell about her. Held her hand under the table. Wanted to take her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay.
Wanted her to be able to see the future and know that it would. But she didn’t want that gift. Claimed he was the one bringing it out in her.
He finished his gumbo, drank his beer and switched to water. After dessert, which Gunner got from the restaurant he owned, it was time for business. Dare could tell by the way the men got restless and Avery fidgeted. Grace became quiet.
“You really think Darius is with Powell? That he’s the one feeding Powell the intel?” Avery asked finally. Jem pushed his plate away, and Key took a long drink from his beer.
“Yes—he’s doing it purposely,” Dare said after a long moment. “I don’t think he got captured on purpose, and I think he held out as long as he could.”
“What’s Powell’s next move?” Key asked.
“He’s going to ask for a trade,” Gunner said, and Grace paled.
“He’s not getting it,” Dare assured her.
“What is he getting?” Grace asked. Before anyone could answer her, Gunner’s shop phone rang.
“I think that’s for you,” Gunner said to Dare, who braced himself before picking up the phone.
“How does he know where we are if no one followed us?” Grace asked.
“I left the number where he could find it in the underground room,” Dare told her before he spoke into the phone. “Dare speaking.”
“Why don’t you put me on speakerphone so you can all listen?” Richard Powell suggested, and Dare did as he asked, Powell’s voice filling the room. “Hello, everyone. Hi, Gracie—I’ve missed you. I hear you’ve been doing well.”
Grace held tightly to the bottle of beer she’d been drinking—it was slightly raised, as if she was ready to smash it against the phone.
“What’s your endgame?” Dare asked.
“Grace.”
“Forget it.”
“There’s someone I think you’ll be interested in hearing from,” Powell said. “Say hello, Darius.”
Dare’s gut tightened. Avery put a hand over her mouth, and Grace cried silently when Darius’s voice came over the line.
“Dare, I’m fine—”
“He won’t be,” Powell broke in. “And I wouldn’t call the shape he’s in fine, although I know he can handle more than the average man.”
“Don’t hurt him,” Grace said, even as Dare attempted to stop her from talking.
“Grace, you know how I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’ll bet you’ve been,” she said fiercely.
“You come back and it’ll all go away. Dare gets his father back and Dare gets to live, as do the rest of your new friends.”
“I need proof of life,” Dare cut in. “You could’ve taped his voice.” He gave Powell the number to a throwaway cell, and a minute later, Powell said, “Check your phone.”
Darius, holding today’s New York Times. Gunner pulled up the front page on the computer—a match.
Darius looked horrible, but Dare ignored Grace’s gasp of surprise behind him.
“Speak to me, Powell,” Dare told him. “Let’s keep it short and simple.”
“Short and simple? Fine. Grace for Darius. A fair trade.”
Grace shook her head at the impossible decision her stepfather had put out there.
“What’s fair about it?”
“Normally, I’d just take them both. It’s a onetime offer.”
“And what about me?”
“What about you?”
“You keep trying to kill me. And others around me.”
“You want me to call off the dogs? That’s not part of the deal.” Powell said. “Darius for Grace. You have twenty-four hours to decide. Feel free not to take that long—and I’ll feel free to proceed as I’ve been with Darius and hope he holds up.”
The last thing they heard over the line before it cut out was Darius’s screams.
* * *
Grace didn’t realize she’d dropped the bottle until she heard the crash and tinkle of broken glass on the floor. There was a long pause, and until Avery put a hand on her shoulder, she hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath.
She exhaled, held