Page 37 of SEAL's Resolve
“The men forced me to go inside the cabin to the bedroom where Rafe found me. They tied me to the bed.” Again, she stopped. Why was this so much worse than when she had relayed the story to Rafe the first time around?
She swallowed hard and forced herself to continue. “Once I was restrained, one of the men drugged me. I lost consciousness again seconds later, and woke up when Rafe climbed through the window to rescue me.”
Kristi relayed the flight to safety, including the incident where Bull found her hiding behind the bushes. “I thought he would hurt me and take me away before Rafe returned. Fortunately, Rafe has impeccable timing and knocked Bull out without trouble. Not long after that, Josh and the others arrived to help.”
She continued to tell him about the harrowing ride down the mountainside. “I couldn’t see much,” she admitted. “Rafe wanted me on the floor of the SUV for protection. All I can tell you is I heard gunshots and explosions, and then it was over. Josh drove us to Memorial Hospital where Dr. Anderson examined me.” She grinned. “I fell madly in love with that man. He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”
Marcus chuckled. “All the women say that. My wife says if she hadn’t fallen for me first, she would have fallen hard for Doc Anderson. I don’t know how he does it.” He sobered and shifted his gaze to Rafe. “Any problems in the hospital?”
“Another thug showed up dressed as an orderly to take Kristi for a CT scan. He wasn’t happy when I refused to let him near her. Josh hauled him to the station for questioning. I haven’t heard the results of that yet. After that incident, Anderson released Kristi, and Wolf Pack brought her here until we come up with a plan to keep her safe.”
Marcus frowned. “How did this guy find her at Memorial? You and Durango wouldn’t miss a tail.”
“Our best guess is someone discovered her father had a tracker embedded under her skin, learned the frequency, and followed the signal to Otter Creek. That problem has been resolved. Rio and Jackson removed the tracker.”
“How do you feel about all this, Kristi?”
“Ticked off and afraid at the same time. I’m ticked off that my father tagged me like an endangered animal without my permission or knowledge. I’m also afraid the kidnappers will keep coming at me until they succeed in capturing or killing me.”
“Not happening on my watch,” Rafe said.
She squeezed his fingers. “I’m also afraid that Rafe or one of his teammates will be hurt the next time the kidnappers come at me again. I don’t want them hurt because of me.”
Marcus’s expression softened. “Protecting you is their mission. They are among the best in the business, Kristi. Trust them to do their jobs.”
“They’re not invincible. They can be hurt. I can’t live with that.”
“Any injuries they might have are on the kidnappers, not you. You aren’t responsible for their actions.” He sipped his coffee. “Wolf Pack is highly trained. The military spent millions of dollars training them, and Fortress honed and sharpened the skills Wolf Pack learned throughout their military careers. You saw Rafe and the others in action. They must have made the kidnappers appear to be amateurs.”
Durango and Rafe made the kidnappers look like bumbling idiots.
“Kristi, why were you so reluctant to talk to me?” Marcus’s tone conveyed kindness and gentleness. His eyes, however, seemed to pierce her soul. Did he know about her previous kidnapping?
She glanced at Rafe to find his gaze on her. He gave a slight nod, silently encouraging her to tell Marcus the truth. “I don’t want to do this,” she whispered.
“Talking about the kidnapping reduces its power over you. Fight back.”
Kristi squared her shoulders. She wasn’t a traumatized ten-year-old kid. She was a grown woman capable of talking about her nightmarish past.
Rafe was right. She couldn’t allow the kidnappers to win. If she cowered and hid from her past, she gave the memories power over her present. Kristi had fought too hard to rebuild her strength to let these kidnappers tear her down again.
She faced Marcus. “I was kidnapped when I was ten years old. Three men broke into the house while my father was away on business. They murdered my mother when she tried to stop them, and snatched me from my bed. My father received a ransom demand of $2 million which he paid. The kidnappers drove me to a park and turned me loose.” Kristi began to tremble.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Marcus asked. “What’s making you so afraid even now?”
Telling the counselor the truth took three tries. “They locked me in a closet for three days. I still have trouble with darkness to this day.”
Rafe wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Tears streaked down her face as memories she tried to suppress resurfaced. “One of the kidnappers was a child molester.”
From somewhere, Marcus produced a box of tissues and slid them across the table to her. “Did your father take you to a counselor?”
She nodded as she dabbed her eyes and face with a tissue. The tears wouldn’t stop. “According to Dad, the child psychologist was the best in Nashville with many credentials and high praise from clients. I didn’t like him, and he wasn’t fond of me. He did, however, see me as a subject for his clinical research.”
“What happened?” Marcus asked.
“He insisted on completing a few minutes of each session in total darkness. He justified it as therapy for my new darkness phobia.”