KGI [7] Forged in Steele Read online

  “Maya Banks writes the kind of books I love to read!”

  —Lora Leigh, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Secret Sins

  Praise for the novels of Maya Banks

  ECHOES AT DAWN

  “Quick-paced, high-stakes action and plenty of smoldering explicit sex deliver a satisfying one-two punch of entertainment that will leave readers eager for the next book.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Incredible. Just beyond incredible and amazing. That’s how I feel about Echoes at Dawn.”

  —Romance Books Forum

  “I loved Echoes at Dawn, and yes it is now my new favorite . . . a must-read for romantic suspense fans.”

  —Sizzling Hot Books

  WHISPERS IN THE DARK

  “A must-read for . . . Christine Feehan and Lora Leigh fans. The nonstop action and sensuality is a treat not to be missed. I can’t wait for the next installment of the KGI series.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “A deeply emotional, highly satisfying, edge-of-your-seat read . . . Compelling and cutting-edge romance.”

  —Joyfully Reviewed

  “Maya—FREAKING—Banks . . . can do it all. Absolutely nothing is out of this author’s reach.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “You’ll be on the edge of your seat with this one . . . and it’s so worth the ride.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  HIDDEN AWAY

  “If I ever wanted to be adopted into a fictional family, it would be the Kellys . . . I am devoted to the Kelly brothers.”

  —Fiction Vixen Book Reviews

  “[An] action-packed story.”

  —The Mystery Gazette

  NO PLACE TO RUN

  “Fast action is the name of the game . . . If you’re looking for a sexual, sensual, romantic suspense story, look no further.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  “Great twists and turns.”

  —CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

  THE DARKEST HOUR

  “An intriguing mix of military action and sizzling romance.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Suspenseful, sinfully sensuous and straight-up awesome.”

  —Joyfully Reviewed

  “Wrought with a sensual tension.”

  —Romance Junkies

  Titles by Maya Banks

  The Sweet Series

  SWEET SURRENDER

  SWEET PERSUASION

  SWEET SEDUCTION

  SWEET TEMPTATION

  SWEET POSSESSION

  SWEET ADDICTION

  The Kelly/KGI Series

  THE DARKEST HOUR

  NO PLACE TO RUN

  HIDDEN AWAY

  WHISPERS IN THE DARK

  ECHOES AT DAWN

  SHADES OF GRAY

  FORGED IN STEELE

  Colters’ Legacy

  COLTERS’ PROMISE

  The Breathless Trilogy

  RUSH

  FEVER

  FOR HER PLEASURE

  BE WITH ME

  Anthologies

  FOUR PLAY

  (with Shayla Black)

  MEN OUT OF UNIFORM

  (with Karin Tabke and Sylvia Day)

  CHERISHED

  (with Lauren Dane)

  Specials

  PILLOW TALK

  MAYA BANKS

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

  FORGED IN STEELE

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2013 by Maya Banks.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  BERKLEY® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-59998-3

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley mass-market edition / July 2013

  Cover art by Craig White.

  Cover design by Rita Frangie.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Contents

  Praise

  Titles by Maya Banks

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  EPILOGUE

  To my dad.

  For all the softball games, basketball games, tennis tournaments he attended. For buying me a softball bat, my first tennis racket. For always being there and never missing the important stuff.

  Please know I’m with you now.

  CHAPTER 1

  “STATUS,” Steele said in low tones.

  His receiver crackled in his ear and P.J. Rutherford’s response was immediate.

  “No shot yet. Repeat, no clear shot. Give me two minutes to reposition. I’ll get him.”

  Steele’s gaze swept the guard towers and simmered with impatience. They were fifteen minutes past go time and the extrication chopper would land in forty-five. Which gave them almost no time to get in, grab the girl and get out.

  He wasn’t entirely certain this chick wanted out, but her parents were paying KGI a mint to go in and wrest her from the grasp of Matteo Garza. During three days of round-the-clock surveillance, it had not appeared to Steele that Christina Westlake was in any sort of distress. She’d pranced around in a thong and bikini top and five-inch heels, laughing and smiling and looking smugly content. He just hoped to hell she was wearing sensible shoes today because running would be a bitch in the stilettos and he needed her steady on her feet.

  “Make it fast, P.J.,” Steele growled. �
�We’re on a timetable here.”

  “Cool your jets, boss man,” Cole drawled. “My girl will get the job done.”

  Steele rolled his eyes, and he knew damn well P.J. was doing the same. He’d suffer more bickering from the two newlyweds as soon as the mission was completed. P.J. would remove Cole’s balls for that remark.

  “Any sign of our target?” Dolphin broke in. “I haven’t seen her in half an hour. Thought she was supposed to be sunbathing at this time?”

  Miss Westlake had a routine. It was one thing Steele could say for her. Dolphin, Baker and Renshaw had eagerly volunteered for the afternoon surveillance shift so they could see the leggy blonde in her thong. Not to mention she always took her top off when she sunbathed.

  She was a looker, no doubt, but she didn’t do a damn thing for Steele.

  “She’s late,” Baker muttered. “Which means we’ll have to find her ass when we go in.”

  “I’ll go get her,” Renshaw said, an evident grin in his voice.

  “Quiet,” Steele ordered. “I want radio silence until I say differently. Get the damn shot, P.J. Waiting on you to take out the guards so we can get this show on the road.”

  “Done and done,” P.J. said curtly. “Both front towers are clear. Giddy up, cowboys. Let’s rope the goat and get back home.”

  Cole’s chuckle echoed in Steele’s ear. “That’s my girl!”

  “Move in,” Steele barked. “I want a clean in-and-out.”

  Steele slid out from the blind he’d constructed, hoisted his rifle and crept through the thick shrubbery that surrounded the palatial home.

  Usually for a retrieval mission, he’d go in under the cover of night, hit hard and fast and get the hell out. Garza, however, doubled his security at night, almost as if he anticipated a night raid. During the day, he employed few security men and those he had were lazy and inattentive. This should be a piece of cake.

  Should be.

  He’d learned better than to actually utter those damning words, and he didn’t have a superstitious bone in his body.

  He was heading in a direct line to the back of the house when gunfire erupted in the distance.

  “Goddamn it, what the hell is that?” he barked into his mic.

  “Sorry, boss man,” Dolphin said, a huff in his breath. “Couldn’t be avoided. They know we’re here now.”

  Judging by the shrieks that filled the air, Christina Westlake knew they were here too. She wouldn’t have a clue they were here to help her. She just knew bullets were flying, as was blood.

  “Give us some cover, P.J., Cole,” Steele ordered. “I’m going after the girl.”

  “Already cleared you a path,” P.J. said. “They’ll think the queen of bloody England is coming.”

  Steele shook his head at her wit and quickly scaled the stone wall over onto the veranda by the pool. The pool where Christina Westlake was supposed to be sunbathing. The woman had to get unpredictable now of all times?

  Another screech rent the air and Steele turned his head in the direction of the god-awful noise and immediately started for the steps leading to the second-floor balcony. He ducked a knife when he got to the top and rammed his shoulder into the burly guy who’d tried to ambush him.

  Pain slashed through his arm and he gritted his teeth, pushing aside the discomfort as the blade sliced through skin.

  When his attacker stumbled back, Steele swung the butt of his rifle up and crushed the guard’s jaw. He crumpled on the spot, hitting the floor with a resounding thud. Steele’s gaze immediately swept the area, taking in any potential threat. Another sound from inside the double glass doors caught his attention.

  “Stupid bitch! Get out of my way!”

  “You can’t leave me, Matteo!”

  The shriek made Steele wince. Evidently Matteo wasn’t as attached to Christina as she was to him. He was bent on making his escape, but it wasn’t Matteo Steele wanted. Garza could make this as easy or as hard as he wanted. Steele would prefer as little bloodshed as possible, but he was prepared for anything.

  Get the job done. Whatever it takes.

  It was a creed that had damn near gotten his teammates hurt when P.J. had taken off and gone lone wolf, bent on vigilante justice.

  That was done, thankfully, and now they could get back to doing what they did best. Working as a team. Kicking ass. Getting the job done.

  Steele edged toward the door and then kicked it in with his boot. The door flew open and Steele grabbed his pistol with his left hand while holding his rifle with his right.

  Matteo Garza whirled around, dropping the bag that he’d been stuffing full of things from the wall safe. His eyes were wild and crazed. Christina cowered, trying to insert herself between Matteo and the wall, but he was having none of that. He shoved the screaming girl in front of him and wrapped a beefy arm around her neck.

  “What do you want?” he demanded hoarsely.

  Steele viewed him in disgust. Using the girl as a shield. No man used a woman in such a manner.

  “The girl,” Steele said calmly. “We aren’t here to harm you. Let her go and we’ll go in peace.”

  Garza’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Then he glanced at the girl in scorn.

  “Did you do this?” he snarled in her ear.

  “No!” she squeaked out. “Matteo, I have no idea who this man is. You have to believe me!”

  “Her parents sent me,” Steele said. “Now let her go and I’ll be on my way. Or you can refuse to cooperate and I’ll take you apart. Your choice.”

  Garza shoved Christina forward and she stumbled, tripping right in front of Steele. In a lightning move, he slung the shoulder harness over his arm so his rifle wouldn’t fall, and then he made a grab for her with his right hand, pain screaming up his arm as his muscles stretched the already torn flesh.

  He was careful to keep his pistol trained on Garza as he collected the wriggling, protesting woman against him.

  “Let me go!” she shrieked. “I don’t want to go. I’m happy here! Matteo, are you just going to let him take me?”

  There was hurt and confusion in her voice. Garza was completely unaffected.

  “Take the puta,” Garza bit out. “She’s nothing to me.”

  “Liar!” Christina shrieked. “You said you loved me! You said you wanted to be with me forever!”

  Steele tightened his hold as the woman went ballistic in his grasp. Damn it. His arm was hurting like a motherfucker and he had no idea of the extent of his injury.

  “Dolphin, get your ass up here. Second level. Balcony entrance. Double time,” he barked into the mic.

  “On my way,” Dolphin returned.

  Steele backed toward the doors, turning so he could see clear to the entrance but also keep Garza in his periphery. When the man started to move, Steele halted and leveled his gun at Garza.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Steele warned. “I’ve got what I came for. I have no interest in killing you. Don’t give me a reason to change my mind.”

  “I care nothing for the puta,” Garza bit out. “But I won’t suffer the insult of you trespassing and killing my men.”

  “Do yourself a favor and forget any insult you feel,” Steele clipped out. “Don’t fuck with me or I’ll make you very sorry.”

  Garza’s nostrils flared and his eyes glittered with anger and damaged pride.

  Dolphin bounded up the stairs and in that moment, Christina kicked back sharply with her spiked heel, catching Steele right in the knee. She turned like a damn wildcat and stabbed at his eyes with her daggerlike fingernails and pitched backward.

  Steele was forced to let her go or risk hurting her. As she ran back toward Garza, the dumbass pulled a gun, aiming toward Steele. As Christina whirled around, she saw Dolphin raise his gun and in an even dumber move than Garza’s pulling the gun to begin with, she flung herself in front of Garza right as Dolphin took the shot.

  She screamed in pain and Garza was flung against the wall, blood spreading rapidly over his chest. Ch
ristina went utterly white and teetered unsteadily before falling into a dead faint. Right at Garza’s feet.

  “Fuck a duck,” Dolphin swore. “What the hell did she think she was doing?”

  Steele hurried forward, turning the unconscious woman over. His fingers ran up her side and came away with blood. Just a graze. Thank God. Her parents would be pissed if their daughter came home with a bullet hole courtesy of KGI.

  Dolphin squatted beside Steele and put his fingers to Garza’s neck.

  “Our exit has just been moved up,” he said grimly. “Garza’s dead. Word is he has the local police in his pocket. Shit’s going down all over this place. P.J. and Cole are playing ducks in a row, picking off assholes left and right. Baker and Renshaw just set explosives by the back wall because we can’t go out the front. We have three minutes until it blows and then we have to get the hell out, boss man.”

  “She didn’t want to go,” Steele said, shaking his head. “He didn’t give a shit about her. Tried to use her as a shield.”

  “What a dick,” Dolphin said in disgust.

  “Yeah and she still tried to take a bullet for him.”

  Dolphin glanced at Steele and frowned. “You’re bleeding. What the hell happened?”

  “Tangled with a knife,” Steele said shortly. “Get the girl. You’ll have to carry her. I’ll cover you.”

  “Well, fuck. We can’t take her home like this. Her parents will shit a brick.”

  Steele sighed, knowing they weren’t far from Maren Scofield. Fuck it all, but the last thing he wanted to happen was to schedule an unexpected visit to the blond doctor.

  She bugged him. Got under his skin. Hell, it prickled anytime he was near her. Like ants under his skin, crawling from the inside out.

  “As soon as we get to the chopper, get on the horn to our pilot,” Steele bit out. “Tell him we’ll be making an unscheduled stop.”

  Dolphin slung his rifle over his shoulder, shoved his pistol into his holster and then reached down to carefully pick up the still-unconscious woman.

  “Stay close,” Steele said tersely. “You hit the dirt if anything goes down. Don’t try to be a fucking hero with the girl in your arms. If she dies, we’re fucked. I’ve never lost a subject and I’m damn sure not starting now.”