SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,67
was able to cut them up to use for cleaning rags within six months.” He grinned. “Best rags ever. They were covered with pictures of race cars.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Two, both older.” He set aside the blanket and stretched out on the couch with the pillow beneath his head. “Keep the curtains closed, and stay away from the windows.”
“All right. Rest now. I’ll wake you if there’s a problem.”
Not necessary. He’d know if she needed him. Rafe fell into a light sleep with Kristi’s movements around the room and the installation team’s work as background noise.
Three hours later, he woke when someone headed down the hall in their direction. Rafe stood up as Santos strode into the room. “Finished?” he asked his friend.
A nod. He turned to Kristi. “You’re all set, Ms. Stewart. If you’ll take a break, I’ll show you how your new security system works.”
She set her scissors aside and straightened with a wince. “Please, call me Kristi.”
Rafe followed her and Santos to the living room where his friend helped Kristi choose a code for her system and showed her how to arm and disarm the alarm. Following a quick tour of the security room set up in an unused closet on the first floor and a demo on how to access the security footage, Santos showed Kristi the screen mounted in her bedroom that allowed her to see the property.
“If anything happens or makes you feel uneasy, check the screen. Fortress monitors the system twenty-four hours a day. If anything happens, they’ll notify the police, Wolf Pack, Rafe, and you.”
“Who will be notified if Wolf Pack is deployed?”
“Maddox and one of the black ops teams in town will respond immediately,” Rafe said. “We have you covered.”
“Maddox and black ops teams respond to alerts under normal circumstances?”
He shook his head. “Because we’re dating, Fortress will take extra precautions.” He’d have to talk to Kristi about what to tell her father and friends about his work, and the safety precautions she had to take from now on. Twenty minutes later, Santos and his team packed up their equipment and left.
“I can’t believe how fast Santos and his crew installed everything.”
“He and his team are the best installers we have.” Rafe drew her into his arms. “Need another shoulder and neck massage?”
She gave a soft laugh. “In the worst way. However, if you work out the knots, I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep, and I still have work to finish.”
“How soon can you stop?”
“Perhaps another hour. I need to cut the material so Jill and I can sew the dress tomorrow. We’ll have Maggie come in the day after to check the fit and make alterations before we apply the pearls and lace. The detail work will take the longest to finish.”
“I’m amazed at how fast this part of the work is going.” He brushed a kiss over her mouth and walked downstairs with her. “Do you need a snack or drink?”
“No food for me while I work with the dress. I can’t risk staining the material.”
“What about water?”
“As long as I drink somewhere besides at the cutting table.”
Rafe nudged Kristi toward the workroom. “I’ll bring water and my laptop so I can work while you finish.”
He walked to the kitchen where Cal stood at the back door, peering into the yard. “Problem?”
“Nope. Regular security check. I’ll do a perimeter sweep soon.” He turned and refilled his mug with coffee. “Kristi asleep?”
“I wish. She’s working on the Marine bride’s wedding dress and needs at least another hour.” He grabbed two bottles of water and his laptop. Although Rafe wanted to give Kristi the treat he’d asked Eli to pick up at the store, he’d wait until she stopped work for the night.
He returned to the workroom and opened one of the bottles of water for Kristi. After she drained the bottle, she returned to cutting fabric pieces while Rafe booted up his laptop.
He clicked on his email and started to read. Rafe should have a chat with Kristi’s former security team, especially Adams. The Special Forces soldier had the skills necessary to pull off the kidnapping and shooting. He hated to think an operator would use his skills to harm an innocent.
Roderick Hale was another matter entirely. Military trained, he could have pulled this off. If so, what motive would he and the others have? Money was one answer. Jon was working night watch with him. Perhaps his teammate would have time to follow unusual money trails.
Two hours later,