SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,18
said.
“Take good care of her. She’s a nice woman who’s been through a great deal in her life. If you need me, call.”
Rafe ignored the curious glances of his teammates, and returned to the room. “As soon as the nurse arrives with your discharge papers, we’re out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
Good question. He preferred to take her somewhere besides PSI, Fortress Security’s bodyguard training school, but PSI was the safest place for her. “A safe place.”
“I’m beginning to think there is no such place.”
“Hey.” Rafe waited until her gaze connected with his. “Everything will be fine. I’ll find out who’s after you.”
“What if you can’t?”
“I won’t stop until you’re safe.”
From the hall, Jackson said, “Rafe, the nurse is here.”
Excellent. He turned, keeping his body in front of Kristi. “Send her in.”
Within minutes, Kristi was free to leave. When another orderly appeared with a wheelchair, Rafe shook his head. “She won’t be needing that.”
“It’s hospital policy, buddy.”
“Not this time.” He grabbed his phone and called Dr. Anderson again. When the physician answered, Rafe explained what he wanted, then handed the phone to the orderly. “Talk to Dr. Anderson.”
After a short conversation, the orderly handed the phone back to Rafe. “The doctor cleared it. You’re free to go, Ms. Stewart.”
Once the orderly left, Rafe glanced at Jon. “My SUV is in the parking lot.” He tossed his key fob to the sniper. “We’ll use the rear exit instead of the ER entrance.”
“I’ll have Eli come up, then I’ll drive your SUV to the back of the hospital.”
Minutes later, Rafe tucked Kristi close to his side and escorted her to his SUV. Once they arrived at PSI, he’d contact Maddox. Decisions had to be made for the good of Kristi’s safety, decisions that would anger the man paying the tab for this operation.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kristi stared at the iron gates looming in front of Rafe’s SUV, blocking entry into a military compound. She couldn’t think of another way to describe the utilitarian buildings. The grounds had no landscaping to speak of, either.
Glancing to the right, her eyes widened at the sight of the small town inside the compound with a group of men and women dressed in black like Rafe and his teammates. The people were heavily armed and intent on infiltrating one of the buildings. They must be some of the Fortress trainees Rafe had told her about on the drive to Personal Security International.
When they approached a scanner outside the gate, Rafe held up an ID card. A second later, the gates slid open and he drove to the back of the main building. When he parked, Rafe murmured, “Wait here.”
She studied her surroundings as he rounded the hood to open her door. After helping her to the asphalt, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tucking Kristi close to his side.
The weight of his arm felt good. Kristi reminded herself that Rafe had been Callie’s boyfriend, and she shouldn’t enjoy his company and touch as much as she did. Although Callie wasn’t here anymore, that didn’t mean Kristi should be so comfortable with the man her friend had loved.
How much Kristi admired and respected Rafe didn’t matter. His job was to keep her safe. Perhaps Kristi felt more comfortable with Rafe than his teammates because she knew him. However, speaking to each other every few months when Rafe was home on leave couldn’t be construed as a relationship.
In fact, she didn’t have a relationship with a man aside from her father and Hugh. Her social life had been lacking since she started Kristi’s Bridal.
When her mind turned toward Hugh, she grimaced. Compared to Rafe Torres, Hugh Ward didn’t measure up. Why had she agreed to consider marrying him? She didn’t love him and deserved a man who only saw her when they were together. Hugh paid more attention to the people who noticed him than he did Kristi.
Their dinners together were usually tedious and boring. Sure, she and Hugh were friends, but they didn’t have much in common. Kristi refused to marry a man she didn’t love, even to please her father. That meant a conversation with Hugh was on her agenda as soon as possible.
At the back door to the building, Rafe waved his card in front of another reader and tapped in a code on the key pad. He ushered Kristi inside, then led her down a long, winding hallway to a large cafeteria. He escorted her to a table at the back of the room. “Do you