Page 13 of SEAL's Angel
Chapter 4
Jake clenched his fists and tried to control his temper. He leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Dawn’s stiff back and sexy ass leave the room. But he waited until he heard her footsteps on the stairs before turning toward Rafe. Sure, Dawn was his sister, but it wasn’t like they’d been screwing on the kitchen table. It was a kiss, for fuck’s sake. He’d only wanted to comfort her after getting upset talking about Chase.
Okay, maybe it had gotten a little out of hand. He’d meant to give her a quick kiss and a hug. But the even a slight touch of her lips fanned the ember of need and set it aflame.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jake asked Rafe. “Can’t you see how much she’s hurting? She’s barely holding it together. Now is not the time for this. We’re adults. I know you’re not happy I’m here, but get over it. She’s a grown woman, not just your sister.” Jake was angry and disappointed in his friend.
Rafe had grabbed his coffee and sat down at the table. The lines around his mouth deepened as he frowned.
When he finally nodded, Jake let out the breath he’d been holding. Hopefully, the nod meant Rafe would deal with this situation like a mission. One of the first things they’d learned in training was to compartmentalize their emotions. This may not be a regular mission, but they needed to treat it as one—Chase’s life might depend upon it. Dawn needed them, and the rest of this could wait till they found the boy.
“You’re right, but I just…fuck.” Rafe ran his hand through his chestnut-brown hair, making it stand up. “When I walked into the kitchen, the last thing I expected to see was you kissing my sister. You’re my boss, and Bob was my best friend. It’s messing with my head. With Chase missing, it just compounds the situation. But I get that it’s none of my business. Both of you deserve to find happiness. I promise, I’ll try to get my head out of my ass.”
Jake grabbed his mug and sat opposite Rafe at the small table. “Good. Because you’re my brother—not by blood, but by what counts. The last thing I want is for this to come between us—whateverthisends up being with Dawn. I care about her. Just hearing her voice and seeing her smile does something to me. She’s changed how I look at the world, has given me hope that there are still good things. I really want to see where this can lead.”
“Does she feel the same way?” Rafe asked.
“I don’t know. Most of our interaction has been texting or video chats. I think she’s too afraid of being hurt again to take the chance. But if friendship is all she can give, I’ll take it.”
“You really do care about her.” Rafe quirked an eyebrow as put his mug down.
“Holy hell. Haven’t you listened to a thing I said? Her happiness means everything to me, and I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen.”
Jake met Rafe’s eyes in a challenge, daring him to doubt his words.
His teammate nodded. “I might not have to kill you after all.” Rafe grinned.
“Actually, I was thinking I might have to kick your ass.” Jake laughed, the tension between them finally dissipating.
Rafe lifted his coffee mug in a salute. “You could try, old man.”
Now, if only Dawn would be as easy to convince. He had his work cut out for him. But he was a Navy SEAL, and they didn’t quit. They always accomplished their mission. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
“Now that we got that out of the way, how about we focus on finding Chase?” Jake asked.
“Yeah. I wanted to talk to Dawn and find out where the police already searched. Let me get the map out of my bag. This whole thing is weird. Chase is a great kid, there’s no way he’d just take off. Something had to trigger him. But when I asked her earlier, she couldn’t figure out why he’d done it.”
While Rafe went to get the map from his bag, Jake refilled their coffee mugs and cleared off the table.
By the time Dawn came downstairs, they had the map open on the table and were discussing potential places Chase might hide. Neither of them thought it was a kidnapping, not without a ransom demand after so many hours. And that the police hadn’t set up a command center at the house meant they didn’t believe it, either. Even though White Pine was a small town, there were standard police procedures if it was a suspected abduction.
“Cindy’s asleep, finally,” Dawn said as she put her daughter’s empty hot cocoa mug into the sink and rinsed it. “What are you up to?”
Rafe looked up from the map. “Trying to figure out where Chase might be hiding.”
“After hearing about the fight Chase and Joey had, Spencer thinks he might have gone to Bristlecone.”
“What’s a Bristlecone?” Jake asked.
Dawn came over to the table, looked at the map, and pointed it out. “It’s where we used to go camping with their father.”
“The state park. You didn’t tell me they had a fight,” Rafe said as he leaned back in the chair.
Dawn sighed, then grabbed her mug off the counter and added some creamer.
Her sigh twisted a knot in Jake’s gut, and it took all of his willpower to stay seated. The desire to pull her into his arms and comfort her almost overwhelmed him.
The dark circles under Dawn’s hazel eyes looked like bruises, and her face was pale and drawn. She needed sleep, but that wouldn’t happen until they brought her son home.
