Page 62 of SEAL's Promise
Eli rose. “I’ll go with you. Jackson, Rafe, scout the grounds close to the house. Cal, you and Rachelle work on escape routes. After that, study the satellite images of the Rocking M. The rest of us will do the same once we return to the house.”
When the others left, Rachelle looked at Cal, a puzzled look on her face. “Why does Eli want us to study satellite images?”
“In case you have to run.”
“You said I would be safe here.”
“No place is impregnable. We hope for the best and plan for the worst. You ready to plot escape routes?”
“The sooner I know where to run, the better.”
They crisscrossed the house, memorizing multiple escape routes. Once Rachelle could navigate each route without hesitation, Cal led her to the suite and grabbed his laptop.
After sitting beside her on the couch, he booted up his laptop and clicked on the link of satellite images Zane had sent to his email. For the next two hours, they studied and memorized the landmarks and terrain of the ranch, deciding where she should hide if he told Rachelle to run.
Finally, Cal set the computer aside. “How bad is the pain?”
“On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 15.”
“Ouch. When did you take pain medicine last?”
She dropped her gaze. “I’m not sure.”
His eyes narrowed. He wasn’t buying that. “Guess.”
“Last night,” she admitted.
He tapped the tip of her nose. “Are you trying to be Supergirl?”
“I didn’t want my mind to be fuzzy if we ran into trouble.”
“Operatives use the same pain medicine when we’re in the field if our injuries aren’t serious. Where are the capsules he gave you?”
She patted her front jeans pocket.
Cal opened the mini-refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water, handing one to Rachelle. Once she swallowed two capsules, he eased her against his side. With Rafe and Jackson keeping watch near the house, he allowed himself a few minutes to enjoy holding Rachelle. “Rest a few minutes while the pain medicine starts to work.”
“I can help with research.”
“Jon, Bridget, and Zane have the heavy lifting at the moment. Your job is to rest and heal so you can travel tomorrow.”
“You’re injured, too. How do you feel?”
The corners of his mouth tipped up. “Better with you in my arms.” His arm ached, but he wasn’t giving up this privilege.
“Sweet talker.” She fell silent and minutes later was asleep.
Cal waited twenty minutes before sliding his phone from his pocket. He scrolled down his contact list until he found the name of a former teammate who might have information to end the threat to Rachelle.
He called his friend. A moment later, a clipped, deep voice answered. “Blake, it’s Cal.”
“Hey, buddy. Great to hear from you. It’s been a while.”
“Been busy.” What an understatement. Cal had changed careers for a third time, gone through additional training at PSI to hone his SEAL skills, and deployed on single assignments until he was assigned to a team since he last talked to Blake Sims.
“Still working for MNPD?”
“Not anymore. I’m with Fortress Security full-time now.”