Page 125 of SEAL's Resolve

“I need to hold you a minute.” Rafe’s gut twisted into a knot as he contemplated the likely scenarios that could occur over the next few hours. None of the outcomes were acceptable.

“They want money, not me.”

“You don’t know that. So many things could go wrong.”

“You’ll protect me.” She kissed his jaw. “I know you have my back.”

Fair enough, he supposed. She had his heart. Rafe wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn’t want that revelation tainted by uncertainty and fear. “When this is over, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me now.”

He chuckled at her impatience. “No way, Ms. Stewart. My secret gives you something good to wonder about and anticipate.”

“All right. I have something to tell you when Dad’s been rescued.”

Rafe stilled, heart leaping into his throat. Was Kristi in love with him? “Something good, I hope.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Now you have something to think about other than worrying over my safety.”

He cupped her nape and drew Kristi closer for a long, deep kiss that conveyed the depth of his feelings. Rafe reluctantly broke the kiss. He wanted a lifetime with her. “We need to go inside.” They had plans to make.

Inside the kitchen, Rafe sat beside Kristi at the table. “What did Adams say, Eli?”

“Call him. He’s willing to tell you what he knows.”

“Did he talk to Hale or Fleming?”

Eli shook his head. “Calls to both men went straight to voice mail. The phones have been turned off.”

“How will we find my father?” Kristi asked.

“Adams may have some ideas.” They would locate Stewart. The problem was protecting Kristi and rescuing her father before Hale or Fleming killed him. No matter how much money Kristi paid, Hale’s end game was Stewart’s death and probably Kristi’s as well. Rafe’s hands fisted. That wouldn’t happen on his watch.

Eli called Adams. “It’s Eli. You’re on speaker with Wolf Pack and Kristi. Rafe has questions.”

“How can I help?” the Ranger asked.

“Do you know where Hale and Fleming might take Stewart? They’ll want an isolated place without nosy neighbors. Can’t be a property in their names. Maybe property under a relative or friend’s name. They used a rental cabin on Hart Mountain to hold Kristi, but they won’t take Stewart back there with us in the picture. They know we’re hunting for him.”

“Hale doesn’t have a place like that. His circle of friends is small, and he told me his mother’s family disowned her when she became pregnant with him. He never knew his father’s name.”

“We think he knows who his father is now. Did you notice a change in his behavior in the past two months?”

“Hale’s been more aggressive and sullen.”

“Did the change start before or after his mother’s death?”

“A few weeks before. That was also when Ward started showing up to talk to Hale.”

Rafe frowned. Had Ward told Hale about his birth father? If so, what purpose would that serve except to stir up Hale against Stewart? Perhaps he used Hale’s anger to solicit the guard’s help. “What about Fleming? Does he have family or friends who would let him stay in an isolated place for a few days without asking questions?”

“He comes from a family of low-income workers who don’t have extra cash to buy a vacation place.”

That left Ward as a source for a hiding place. Rafe wrapped his arm around Kristi’s shoulders. Stewart was a dead man if Wolf Pack didn’t find him soon. If Ward was the mastermind behind this scheme, he couldn’t afford to let Stewart live. “All right. Thanks.”

“I want to help, Rafe. I’m trained and available. Use me.”

He glanced at Eli who nodded. “As soon as we make a plan, we’ll be in touch.” He ended the call, then grabbed his own phone to text the Fortress tech who sent Angie Hale’s medical file.

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