Page 12 of SEAL of Fate

“Hey! Watch what you’re doing!” Kyle puffed out his chest and sneered.

Travis returned Kyle’s belligerent glare until the other man looked away. His animosity wasn’t anything new. Travis had been trying to find the guy’s good side since the incident with Jordan at the bar, but Kyle hadn’t been happy to learn they’d be working together, and Travis wasn’t ready to turn his back on Brody’s right-hand-man just yet.

Unfortunately for Kyle, Travis was itching to beat the shit out of somebody, and it might as well be him if the fool was stupid enough to throw the first punch. Why did Brody keep the little weasel around, anyway? Kyle had a knack for letting his mouth run until he made one of the other men mad and a fight broke out. Lately, he drank all hours of the day. Add booze and a gun to a man who thought he needed to prove himself, and you’d get a damn shit-show every time.

“Son of a bitch!” Brody’s shout, followed by a string of obscenities, jerked Travis’s attention back to the Jeep.

“What’s going on?” Kyle swung around and jogged toward the vehicle, one stride ahead of Travis.

“That ungrateful little bitch jumped out and took off. Do you believe that shit? Find her.” Brody vibrated with barely contained fury.

Kyle laughed, glancing sideways at Travis. “This’ll be fun.” He reached Brody and stopped beside him. “Which way did she go?”

“Back the way we came. Let’s move.” Brody hopped in the driver’s seat. “Travis, grab the spotlight. Kyle, follow her on foot. We’ll turn around and be right behind you.”

It was too early to count this as a victory, but Travis’s dark mood lifted minimally. Better late than never, Jordan had come to her senses. She’d taken a big chance, and he’d do his part to ensure she got away. Then, if he could get to a spot down the mountain where he’d have cell service, he would alert Coop to her situation. If things went according to plan, Travis could help her while maintaining his cover, and no one would be the wiser.Win/win.

He rummaged in the dark space beneath the passenger seat, sifting through garbage, empty beer cans, and Kyle’s whiskey stash until he located the spotlight. Then, to buy her a little more time, he tossed the empties on the floor in the backseat before pulling out the light and climbing into the front. Unwinding the cord, he plugged it into the lighter as Brody spun the Jeep around. They careened onto the rocky roadbed just as shots rang out somewhere ahead.

“That moron.” Brody slammed his fist on the steering wheel. “I want her alive.”

“I wouldn’t worry. Kyle’s too damn drunk to hit what he’s aiming for.” Travis hoped he was right.

As they rounded a curve, the Jeep’s headlights revealed Kyle standing still, studying the right side of the road, undoubtedly searching for her tracks. Jordan must have slipped into the forest. In the dark, she just might get away. Brody slowed, and Travis turned on the spotlight, shining it into the trees on the hillside above them. Brody reached for the light every few minutes and illuminated the steep drop-off on his side before handing it back. They searched the half-mile section of road for thirty minutes without success. Brody had become sullen and withdrawn. Only his eyes conveyed his intense anger as he braked beside Kyle.

The run and the cold night air had sobered him somewhat, but not enough to recognize the waves of fury radiating from Brody. “I guess that one got away.” Kyle grinned as he straddled a large tree trunk that had fallen and slid down the hillside.

The Jeep lurched as Brody removed his foot from the clutch too fast and jumped from the driver’s seat. He caught the front of Kyle’s coat, jerking him up and onto his toes.

“You’re done when I tell you.” He pushed Kyle away, sending him sprawling into the ditch beside the road.

Kyle pulled himself up by grasping one of the dead tree branches. “We could look for a week and still not find her.” The whine in his voice grated on Travis’s nerves, and from the look of disgust on Brody’s face, he was equally unimpressed.

“For your sake, I hope it doesn’t take you that long.” Brody’s simmering gaze landed on Travis, where he leaned against the front of the Jeep. “You got something to add?”

Travis met his stare, careful to keep his expression indifferent. “Come on, Brody. Give it up. Kyle’s right—we’re not going to find her in the dark. Besides, she doesn’t know anything.”

“She saw the ruts leading to the camp.”

“She’ll never locate this spot again. She’ll be lucky to find her way out of here.”

“I can’t take that chance. Kyle will keep searching until morning. Then we’ll get some of the others out looking too. Brody regarded Kyle with a sneer. “I want her alive. Understood?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. “Let’s go.” He slid behind the steering wheel and glanced impatiently at Travis.

The chances of finding her were slim, but Travis had to do what he could to help her escape, even if that meant following Kyle for a few hours. “You go ahead. I’ll give him a hand.” Travis expected Brody to blow up again. Instead, he shrugged and started the engine.

Before the taillights disappeared, Kyle revived his bravado with a menacing glare. “I don’t need your help, so stay out of my way.”

“Suit yourself.” Travis leaned against the big log and crossed his ankles. “Have a nice hike.”

Kyle’s hostility hung thick in the air as their gazes locked, appraising each other. Hatred and frustration radiated from his tense body as he turned away and stomped a half dozen steps to the center of the roadway.

What’s he waiting for?Travis removed his challenge coin from his pocket and rolled it through his fingers, ignoring the man.

Kyle swung around to face him, an arrogant smile spreading across his face. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks I can find her.”

“Sure you can.” Travis didn’t even look up, but a pinpoint of dread took root in his gut. “How do you plan to do that?”

---