Page 36 of SEAL's Resolve
Relieved that she wouldn’t have to dig into the past 48 hours without Rafe for moral support, she told Marcus about Kristi’s Bridal and the story of how she became interested in designing wedding dresses.
Just as she finished, Rafe tapped on the door and walked inside with a tray. He set a to-go cup in front of Kristi along with a bottle of water, then handed Marcus a cup and claimed the last one on the tray for himself.
After he sat, Rafe tapped Kristi’s cup. “Chamomile and mint tea from Nate. He said if that didn’t help to let him know. He has a few other things he can try.”
She smiled. “It’s one of my favorite teas.” One she often used when memories pressed too close and prevented her from sleeping at night, a common occurrence.
Marcus sipped his coffee and sighed. “Nate still has the magic touch. Only Sasha’s coffee is better.”
“Not surprising. She owns a coffee shop,” Rafe said.
The pastor shifted his attention to Kristi. “Are you ready to talk about your experiences the past few days?”
Immediately, her stomach knotted. She set down her tea, afraid she wouldn’t be able to swallow more of the soothing liquid. Under the table, Rafe’s hand wrapped around her own.
She turned her hand over and threaded their fingers together. Kristi drew in a breath and nodded at the counselor. “I’m ready.”
“There’s no rush. Remember that everything you tell me is confidential. No one will hear any of this from me, and Rafe is a vault when it comes to secrets. You can trust him. With that in mind, take as much time as you need to tell me what happened.”
Kristi’s fingers clenched around Rafe’s. His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist, the touch grounding her in reality instead of allowing her mind to be sucked back into her nightmares. How did he do that with one simple touch?
“I drove to the Sandoval Hotel in Gatlinburg to deliver a wedding dress to one of my best friends.” She stopped, her eyes widening as dismay filled her. “Abby’s getting married right now. I promised her I would attend the wedding.”
“She’ll understand,” Rafe murmured. “Abby won’t care that you missed the wedding as long as you’re safe.”
“You delivered Abby’s dress?” Marcus asked.
Kristi dragged her attention back on task. She’d make amends somehow to Abby. Knowing her friend, the ceremony would be recorded. Kristi could watch the ceremony after Abby returned from her honeymoon in a month. “I caught up with her outside the room where her rehearsal dinner was in full swing. She was very relieved to see me.” A smile curved her lips. “Abby was afraid her dress wouldn’t arrive in time even though I never miss a deadline or delivery time.”
“Did you join them for dinner?”
“The hotel staff had dinner waiting for me in the suite. It’s one of the perks of being the owner’s daughter. Anyway, I’ve been working 18-hour days for weeks to finish Abby’s dress and several others. I was too tired to change into formal evening attire and make the social rounds. Abby’s mother took the dress to her suite, and I went to my room to eat dinner. When I finished, I moved the serving cart to the hallway for the wait staff and planned to go to bed. Didn’t quite work out that way.”
“What happened?”
“When I turned to go back inside the suite, I heard a snapping noise behind me. Before I could see what made the noise, pain shot through my body. I blacked out.”
“Stun gun,” Rafe told Marcus.
“Ouch,” he said, his expression filled with sympathy. “What happened when you regained consciousness, Kristi?”
“I woke up when we arrived at the cabin where Rafe found me. The kidnappers dragged me from the van. I fought them, but my coordination was off, and I made them angry.” Her voice broke as fear swamped her anew.
“They expected you to be terrified, cowering at their feet,” Marcus said. “But you didn’t do that. You stood up to them.”
Her lips curved. “A lot of good that did me. I have bruises to show for my efforts.”
“They hurt you.”
The smile faded. “They punched me, kicked me in the ribs, yanked me off the ground, and slammed me against the side of the van. The meanest kidnapper in the bunch told me if I continued to fight, I’d pay with a lot more than bruises.”
Rafe’s grip tightened.
“He threatened to rape you?” Marcus asked.
“An implied threat. I was terrified.”
“Understandably so. What happened next?”