Page 6 of SEAL's Resolve

Breathing easier when they reached the safety of the forest without incident, Rafe released Kristi long enough to shrug into his pack, then reclaimed her hand. “Do exactly what I tell you without questions. We don’t have much time before the kidnappers discover you escaped. They’ll search for you.”

“Go.”

Taking that for a promise to obey his orders, Rafe set a brutal pace, frequently checking on Kristi. They needed as much distance as possible between them and the kidnappers. Considering the trauma she’d been through in the last few hours, she was doing remarkably well. Kristi’s kidnappers had underestimated her.

Five minutes later, an angry shout disturbed the peaceful night.

“Was that…?”

“Yeah.” He quickened his pace.

Rafe skirted obstacles Kristi would have difficulty scaling in the dark, especially with running shoes instead of tactical boots like his. As they hurried through the rugged terrain, she began to stumble. Although she hadn’t complained, Kristi was tired. He slowed the pace even though his gut warned him that the kidnappers were closing in on them.

Kristi’s hand pressed against his back. “Go. I’ll keep up.”

“Won’t help us if you sprain an ankle.” He glanced back. Despite her words, one look at Kristi’s face confirmed that her stamina was failing. Unfortunately, the sounds of men pursuing them were increasing by the minute.

Making a split-second decision, Rafe tugged Kristi in a different direction. For her sake, they needed to take a different route to the extraction point. “Are you claustrophobic?”

“Why?”

“The kidnappers are closing in on us. We need to get out of sight while still moving toward our extraction point.”

“Lead on.”

He flashed her a quick grin over his shoulder, then focused on the terrain in front of him, looking for signs that they were near his best option to safeguard Kristi and elude the kidnappers.

To her credit, Kristi didn’t ask questions as she hurried through the forest with Rafe. Callie’s friend had serious grit.

Finally, he spotted the rock formation he’d been looking for. He guided Kristi around the rocks, relieved that they were out of the direct line of sight of their pursuers.

Breaking into a jog, he led her toward the cave that would provide safety and escape from their pursuers. Rafe urged her into the dank and dark interior.

“I hope you have a flashlight,” Kristi murmured. “I’m not a fan of the dark.”

He stopped. “If you can’t handle it, I’ll figure out something else.”

“I’ll deal.” She nudged him. “The faster we’re out of here, the better.”

“Just a little farther before I can safely turn on a flashlight.”

A soft sigh. “I understand.”

She lapsed into silence as Rafe walked deeper into the cave’s interior by feel and memory. Thank God he’d spent several hours exploring this cave system and could navigate the interior with a source of light. Made escaping the kidnappers that much easier. Unfortunately, being underground meant he couldn’t contact Cahill and his team for help if things went south inside the cave.

A muscle in Rafe’s jaw twitched. If anything happened to him, he doubted Kristi would find her way out of the cave. If she did, she still had to elude her kidnappers and trudge two miles to get help. He’d have to stay injury free.

A short time later, he stopped and caught Kristi when she stumbled into him. “I think it’s safe to turn on my flashlight now.” He guided one of her hands to his belt, knowing she was disoriented by the total darkness. “Hold on to me for a minute.”

Rafe shrugged off his pack and unzipped the pouch that held his flashlight. Within seconds, light illuminated the immediate area.

Kristi breathed deep. “Is it safe to talk while we walk?”

“Sure.” He settled the pack on his back again and threaded his fingers through Kristi’s before starting them forward. “How are you holding up?”

“You want the truth?”

He glanced at her. “Always.”