Page 77 of Tough as Steele

“That’s all we can ask,” Londyn said.

Aiden pressed his mic for the comms. “Meet me at the vehicle. We have a job to do and little time to do it.”

“Thanks, man.” Nate offered his hand.

Aiden gave a firm handshake. “I’ll call you with the report the second we’re finished. Do you want us to do overwatch for the drop?”

Nate peered at Londyn to get her opinion.

She shook her head. “We can’t take any chances with the kidnapper.”

“How about Brendan on his scope?” Aiden asked. “He could take a stand before the drop occurs, and no one will know he’s there.”

“No,” Nate replied. “If the kidnapper is the shooter, then he’ll have a good range of sight with a scope.”

“Tell you what.” Aiden took a wider stance. “I’ll have Brendan look for a hide while we’re doing recon. If he feels confident he can be concealed, we’ll tell you, and you can make the decision then.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Nate said, liking Aiden’s tenacity, a true SEAL trait. Nate sure didn’t want to send Clarice into the park unprotected, and Brendan on his rifle might just be Nate’s only choice. That didn’t mean Nate would risk it. Only time and recon facts would tell.

As rain spit down on the windows, Londyn sat with Nate in his car to wait for the trace on Jessica’s phone to come through, the atmosphere so tight Londyn marveled at his ability to handle it. Evenifhe was picking at that hangnail, he was likely relying on his training to keep him sane. Sane even though the woman he thought of as a mother would soon be stepping into the unknown, where a shooter could take her out. Sure, the Nighthawk team had taken off to scope out the park, but like any group of warriors, they weren’t infallible and could miss a highly trained sniper.

As the last glimmer of daylight faded into dark, Londyn’s hope was fading as well. Well, too bad. She had to dig deep and find her resolve. She wouldn’t give up just because the clock ticked over a certain number. She would never do that. Especially since the kidnapper knew he needed to keep Mimi alive until he had his money. But once that bag of cash was dropped, then what? Odds were definitely not in Mimi’s favor.

“Enough of waiting for my LT to call.” Nate grabbed his phone from the dash holder. “I need to talk to Clarice again before she leaves.”

“You’re worried.”

“I am, and I want to try to talk her out of going alone.”

“But the kidnapper said no police.”

He looked at her, his eyes narrowed. “I know we can’t go to the drop or even show up at the house right now, but what if we could get the kidnapper to let her bring someone along?”

“Like who?”

Nate shrugged and leaned his head back on the headrest as if defeated. He turned to look at her. His unguarded expression carried the full brunt of his worry. She would do anything to take that burden from him. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, which had to be similar to losing Thomas, though even more devastating. Especially when Nate had been so much younger when his mom and dad died. His developmental years. And he’d lost both of them. Yes, that was worse. Far worse.

She didn’t hesitate but took his hand. “I know loss of family can tie your insides up so tightly that you think you can’t even breathe. It goes on and on, then finally one day it lessens. Not enough so you can notice, but then one day you realize youcango on. You want to do everything within your power never to feel that intense grief again. And yet it happened to you a second time. Your mother. And now—”

“Now I can’t handle Clarice heading into danger without me by her side. Yeah, you pegged me, but what can I do?” For the first time since Londyn had met him, he not only looked defeated but sounded overwhelmed. “I don’t even know if Clarice got the kidnapper’s phone number. He likely has his caller ID blocked, so how can we contact him? And what do I tell Clarice to do?”

He gripped Londyn’s hand as if crushing it would also strangle his fear. She took the pain for him and didn’t call out. He looked down at their hands and suddenly lightened his grip. “Sorry. I…I just…” He shook his head.

She squeezed his hand. “I’m here for you. I don’t know if that helps, but I am.”

“And I appreciate that.” A faint smile turned his mouth up a fraction. He let go of her hand and held up his phone. “Let’s do a video call. Maybe the solution will come up when we talk to her.”

He tapped the screen and held the phone out for Londyn. She scooted nearer to him. Her heart told her to get even closer, but that would be unprofessional. Still, she suddenly felt like God put her with Nate on purpose. For the two of them to learn to move on in life. To help each other figure out how to take that next step. Together. Could she do it? Help him and herself at the same time?

Clarice answered before Londyn could come to terms with her thoughts.

Worry lines etched deep in Clarice’s face. “Did you find Mother? Please tell me you found her.”

“No. Sorry.” Nate’s somber tone sliced into Londyn’s heart.

A sob escaped, and Clarice put a hand over her mouth.

“I’m so sorry,” Nate said, his voice clogged with sadness.

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