Page 88 of Single Mom's Navy Seals
“You think that’s why she ran?” I ask, meeting Liam’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Maybe she saw something she shouldn’t have.”
Liam’s eyes narrow thoughtfully. “Actually, when I got back yesterday from my run, my phone had missed calls and texts. The notifications were cleared, though. At the time, I didn’t think much about it. I was distracted.”
Cole glances toward Liam, tension tightening his jaw. “You think Ava saw your phone?”
Liam exhales. “It would explain a lot.”
Just then, my phone vibrates in my hand. I glance down, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as a notification flashes across the screen. My mouth curves into an unwilling, proud smile. “Our girl is smarter than we gave her credit for. She just pulled ten thousand off my Amex.”
Liam and Cole exchange quick, appreciative glances. Cole chuckles, shaking his head. “How’d she know your PIN?”
I grin, shrugging. “I told her weeks ago. I never remember PIN numbers, so mine’s always 1234.”
Cole snorts, Liam’s mouth quirking upward despite the situation. Pride briefly softens the tension in the car. Ava’s quick thinking is impressing all of us.
Still, reality returns. Liam’s expression hardens again, focused on the road ahead. “We have to find her. Wherever she’s headed, Randy or Roger won’t be far behind. She’s smart, but not trained. If they find her first?—”
He doesn’t need to finish that sentence. We all understand the stakes clearly. I clench my fists, resolve settling deep into my bones.
“We won’t let them,” I say firmly, voice steady and determined. “We find her first, explain everything, and keep her safe. If she lets us.”
Cole nods quietly. “She probably thinks we betrayed her. She must’ve misunderstood something she saw or read. If we can reach her, talk her through this?—”
Liam’s voice remains calm and certain, cutting smoothly through Cole’s worry. “Then we get the chance to make it right. First things first, we get to her and our son.”
None of us reacts to Liam’s words, but I feel a jolt at his claim over Eli, and not because it doesn’t fit. The opposite, actually. Hearing him be called mine for the first time truly solidifies what I already knew, that woman and that child are ours. They are ours to protect, ours to care for, and ours to keep safe.
I’ll raze down a million Rogers before I let anyone harm a hair on either of their heads.
35
AVA
My pulse pounds like a frantic drumbeat in my ears, loud enough to drown out the low hum of the ancient AC unit struggling to keep this cramped motel room cool. For the past hour, I’ve paced relentlessly across the threadbare carpet, gripping my hair, panic clawing at my chest. I made the call to Morales, hoping to gain clarity, some sense of reassurance. Instead, the second I mentioned I was alone—that the guys weren’t with me—and even worse, that I suspected Randy’s involvement, I could sense the shift in Morales’s voice. Coldness seeped in, his carefully controlled calm slipping for just a fraction of a second too long.
Betrayal. Again. The bitter taste rises in my throat, and I swallow hard, fighting back tears that threaten to spill once more. Morales had promised to protect us. He had looked me directly in the eyes, assuring me that Eli and I would be safe, that the men he’d sent were trustworthy. But his reaction on the call had been undeniable. Morales was in on this, too. Just like Liam, Cole, and Jax. My chest aches, tightening with each painful breath.
I glance nervously at Eli, still peacefully asleep on the creaky motel bed, blissfully unaware of how his small, fragile world is unraveling. His little body rises and falls evenly beneath the thin covers, his peaceful expression momentarily easing the frantic racing of my heart. I have to protect him, whatever it takes.
My gaze shifts to the battered duffel bag on the chair. Inside, there’s exactly ten thousand dollars in cash, courtesy of Jax’s Amex card. I’d broken the card apart earlier, scattering the shards discreetly in the motel dumpster. There was no way to trace us now, not through the card, at least.
My plan feels flimsy, desperate, but it’s something at least. Earlier, at the rundown gas station across the street, I’d grabbed a crinkled map of the Pacific Northwest. Alaska. Far enough away, remote enough that maybe, just maybe, Randy and Morales wouldn’t find us. I trace the route mentally once more, reassuring myself that it can work. It has to work.
I inhale, forcing myself upright. Anxiety pulses through me again, sharp and biting, as I pace toward the tiny motel bathroom. The harsh fluorescent light flickers once overhead as I close the door behind me. I’m just sitting down, barely starting to pee, when a loud knock pounds against the motel room door.
Fear surges through my veins, my body freezing in panic. My breath catches painfully in my throat as adrenaline spikes through me. Standing up, I rush urgently back toward the main room, heart racing.
“Eli!” I hiss, trying to keep my voice quiet enough not to alarm him, but I’m already too late. My small son has scrambled sleepily out of bed, rubbing his eyes as he reaches instinctively toward the door handle.
I lunge forward, panic surging. “Eli, wait!”
But Eli has already turned the knob and swung open the door, stepping back as he yawns. My heart pounds painfully in my chest, fear and dread clutching at me as I rush forward.
But I freeze, mid-stride, my heart slamming painfully against my ribs as Liam, Jax, and Cole stand calmly framed within the doorway. Their expressions are unreadable, yet controlled. Their eyes are sharp and watchful.
My body reacts instinctively. I grab for the door, my fingers closing around the edge, attempting to slam it shut. But Liam’s hand catches it effortlessly, his voice amused yet firm as he pushes the door fully open.
“Not a chance, sweetheart.”
