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.