Page 72 of SEAL's Promise

“Why not?”

“Blake wants to work for Fortress. Tough to convince Brent that he’d make a great operative if he can’t protect himself much less a principal.”

“It’s better than ending up on a slab in the morgue.”

That argument carried more weight if Blake was a civilian. But a SEAL? No, Cal didn’t see his friend accepting protection from Fortress.

Jackson unlocked the door and walked inside carrying four soft drinks. “What did I miss?”

“Contact by my friend at the State Department. He got spooked before he gave me anything. We’re supposed to meet later tonight.”

“You need backup.” He handed Rachelle a green bottle.

“I’ll ask Rafe to go with me.”

“I want to go.”

Cal’s first instinct was to refuse, but Rachelle wasn’t a junior operative who would follow his orders to the letter. She had great instincts, and those instincts were urging her to watch his back.

“No one knows where we are,” she continued. “How would they know I’ll be with you when you visit a friend?”

Jackson flashed him a look of sympathy before he unlocked the sliding glass door and stepped out on the balcony to give them privacy.

“You have a price on your head.”

“Washington, D.C. is a big city. How would anyone know where we’ll be to set up an ambush?”

She had a point. Eli and Rafe had been vigilant in watching for tails. No one had followed them to the hotel. “We’re meeting someplace neutral, but someone could follow Blake.”

“Take a teammate as backup, but please let me accompany you.”

“Why would you put yourself at risk?”

“Blake might be more willing to talk if he meets me.”

Cal didn’t like the risk, but his SEAL buddy had a soft spot for women in trouble. “You have to promise to do everything I tell you without argument.”

“Of course.”

His lips twitched. “You don’t know what I’ll ask you to do.”

“Your orders are for my safety. I’d be a fool to argue.”

He noted the determined gleam in her eyes and suspected she’d find a way to meet with Blake Sims face-to-face whether Cal agreed or not.

He considered and discarded several plans in the space of seconds. He’d prefer to keep Rachelle by his side. Perhaps taking her along was for the best. That way, his team could provide protection for Rachelle and watch his back.

He understood her desire to find answers for herself. He wouldn’t let someone else take the risks if his life was on the line. But Rachelle didn’t have self-protection skills if something went wrong.

“All right. Don’t make me regret it.”

“I’ll be with you. What could go wrong?”

He could think of many things, each one worse than the last, all culminating in her injury or death. “Let’s hope we don’t find out.”

Jackson poked his head in the door. “Is it safe to return?”

“Yeah.” After dropping a light kiss on Rachelle’s lips, he turned to his teammate. “Wolf Pack needs to meet.”

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