SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,97
Rafe said, “If you try to lock me out of this operation, I’ll resign from Fortress. No one will stop me from protecting her.”
“Did I mention kicking you off this op?” Eli snapped.
Rafe straightened. “No, sir.”
“I’ve been where you are. I won’t order you to stand down. History won’t repeat itself. Callie didn’t have Wolf Pack at her back. Kristi does.” He inclined his head toward Dan. “We also have Adams to tip the odds in our favor.”
“We don’t know how many men might be involved in this kidnapping. Odds are good that we’ll be outnumbered again.”
“We’re better trained and more disciplined than anyone Fleming and Hale con into helping them and Ward pull this off. We also have backup. Brent has a team on standby.”
Kristi’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen. “Unknown number again.”
“On speaker,” Jon said.
When Rafe gave her the signal to answer the call, she swiped the screen and tapped the speaker button. “This is Kristi.”
The mechanical voice rattled off an address. “You have two hours to bring the money. If you’re one minute late, we’ll kill your father. Come alone. No cops. No boyfriend. If anyone else but you shows up, all of you will die.” The call ended.
“Too short.” Jon shut the lid of his laptop.
“No surprise. Gear up,” Eli said. “Adams, do you have what you need?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get your gear. You’ll ride with me and Jon. We’ll set you up with one of our comm devices. Rafe, help Kristi get ready. We don’t have much time.”
While the team scattered to carry out Eli’s orders, Rafe walked with Kristi to the second floor. He led her into his bedroom and grabbed his bag from the floor. Rafe showed her a small electronic device, then slid the gadget into her ear and tapped it.
Voices of Rafe’s teammates came through the device. She smiled. “I can hear your teammates.” Several of them chuckled.
“Music to your ears,” Jackson teased.
“They can also hear you.” Rafe’s gaze swept over her quickly. “You need a dark, long-sleeved shirt that buttons and isn’t form-fitting. Don’t put it on yet. If you have black jeans and tennis shoes, change into them while I gear up.”
Kristi hurried to her room, found what she needed, and changed. She returned to Rafe. “Will this work?”
“That’s perfect.” He shouldered his pack and threaded his fingers through hers. “Let’s go. You need one more item before you’re ready.”
They left the house, locking up behind them since the rest of the men were waiting in the vehicles. Rafe stopped at the back of his SUV and pulled out a black vest. “Hold still,” he murmured and settled the heavy vest over Kristi’s shoulders. He adjusted the straps, then helped her slip on the button-up black shirt. Rafe eyed her critically. “That’s the best I can do. I should have asked Brent to send a vest your size.”
“Do you have a backup vest for yourself, Rafe? You aren’t going into a dangerous situation without all your gear.”
Rafe lifted his shirt enough for her to see that he wore a vest, too. “You’re wearing my backup.”
“Time to go, Rafe,” Eli said. “We’ll park one block from the house. Kristi, you drive. Fleming might tap into your father’s security system to see if you follow orders.”
“He’ll see Rafe in the SUV.”
“I’ll drop to the floor when we’re a few blocks from your father’s home.” Rafe closed the hatch and climbed into the backseat while Kristi settled behind the steering wheel.
“You can talk to Rafe, but remember the rest of us can hear every word you say,” Jackson warned. “Don’t make me blush.”
“Shut up, Conner,” Rafe said as his teammates chuckled. “I’ll get you back when you have your own woman to worry about.”
“From the way things look at the moment, buddy, I won’t have to worry about a woman for a long time.”
“It’s just a matter of time and the right woman.”
“Watch your speed as you drive, Kristi,” Jon said. “We don’t need a traffic stop, especially with the equipment Rafe and the rest of us carry. No time for long explanations.”
Kristi eased up on the accelerator. Twenty miles over the speed limit would draw the wrong attention from the local police.
She drove as fast as she dared to the other side of Bakerhill where her father lived in a large house on a twenty-acre estate. Thankfully, at this early hour, sparse traffic cut the commute time in half.
When she turned onto the street where her father’s home was located, Rafe