SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,84
space between them and the office as possible.
When the time clock in his head hit two seconds, he shoved Kristi to the floor in the corner and covered her body with his. He wrapped his arms around her head.
The bomb exploded, blowing out windows and tossing boxes everywhere with several of them catching fire. Something hard slammed against Rafe’s back. He grunted and shook off the weight.
As soon as the larger debris settled, Rafe tugged Kristi to her feet. Using the wall as a guide, Rafe resumed the journey to the door, coughing every few steps. Smoke billowed and filled the warehouse.
Kristi stumbled. Rafe caught her before she hit the floor and tucked her tight against his side. “Not much farther,” he shouted over the roar of the fire, and prayed he’d spoken the truth. He didn’t know what was in the crates, but they were going up in flames quickly.
“We have to go back for Dad.”
“Didn’t see him.”
By the time Rafe grabbed the knob and shoved open the door, he and Kristi coughed continuously. After they stumbled from the warehouse, Rafe hurried Kristi toward his SUV.
When they reached the vehicle, he opened the passenger door, scooped Kristi into his arms, and set her on the seat. Rafe rounded the hood, climbed behind the steering wheel, and drove farther from the warehouse.
“Are we leaving?” Kristi asked between bouts of coughing.
“I wish. Security cameras caught my license plate, and we were recorded entering the warehouse before the fire. The police will have questions.” He grabbed his phone and called 911, called Eli for backup, then Maddox.
“Yeah, Maddox.”
“It’s Rafe. I may need one of our lawyers soon.”
“Talk to me.”
Rafe summarized events quickly as the sirens from emergency vehicles grew louder. “My backup will arrive in five minutes.” He went through a round of coughing.
“I’ll alert one of the lawyers. Let the EMTs check you and Kristi. If they offer a trip to the hospital, take it.”
He grimaced. He hated hospitals with a white-hot passion. “Yes, sir.” Rafe ended the call and turned to Kristi as a police car followed the fire truck heading for the burning warehouse.
Abruptly, the police car skidded to a stop. Knowing what was coming next, Rafe leaned over and brushed his lips over Kristi’s. “Wolf Pack will be here soon. The police will have questions for us, and they might put us in handcuffs,” he said as he slid his weapons into a lockbox built into the floor of his SUV. Being unarmed made him uncomfortable, but he preferred to keep his weapons if possible. The police would be more suspicious if he was armed. “When the police ask questions, they might separate us. Tell them the truth. We don’t have anything to worry about.”
An officer shined his flashlight into the SUV. “Get out of the vehicle with your hands in plain sight,” he ordered.
Rafe glanced at Kristi. “Ready?”
She nodded and broke into a round of coughing.
They both needed medical attention. “We’ll open our doors at the same time. Move slow and make sure your hands are in sight.”
Knowing further delay would heighten the tension and suspicions of the officers, Rafe opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle with his hands raised. He followed their orders to lay on the ground with his arms and legs spread.
He didn’t protest the weapons search, but Rafe kept close watch on Kristi and the officer searching her for weapons.
When he was allowed to stand, Rafe said, “The EMTs need to check my girlfriend.” He broke into a coughing fit.
“Looks like you got a lungful of smoke yourself. I need to see your license.”
“My identification is in my right side pocket.”
“Move slow.”
Rafe handed the officer his license plus his Fortress identification while Kristi handed hers to the second officer.
“How long have you been with Fortress Security, Mr. Torres?”
“Just over a year.”
“It’s obvious you and your girlfriend were in a warehouse that’s burning to the ground. What were you doing in that building at this time of night?”
“I’ll be happy to answer questions, but Kristi needs medical attention.”
“Yeah, all right.” The officer pointed at Rafe. “Don’t move.” He flagged down the approaching ambulance. Soon, Kristi and Rafe were seated side by side at the back of the ambulance. They answered questions from the police while being checked for injuries by the EMTs.
Fifteen minutes later, one of the EMTs told the officers, “They both need treatment for smoke inhalation.”
The senior officer waved them on. “Ms. Stewart, Mr. Torres, you can expect detectives