Page 1 of SEAL's Angel
Chapter 1
“Jake? Thank God. I can’t get a hold of Rafe.” Dawn Randolph’s voice shook with fear and relief when he answered the phone. After trying to reach her brother and only getting his voicemail, she’d given up and called his SEAL team leader, Jake Warner. If anyone could find her brother, it would be him.
“Hold on a sec, it’s too loud in here, and I can’t hear you,” Jake answered, his voice overpowered by the thumping bass from the music and a cacophony of voices in the background.
No wonder she hadn’t been able to reach Rafe. Whenever they returned from a mission, they’d go to the Ready Room, their favorite hangout. He’d called her yesterday to let her know they were back in the country.
The noise echoed through the phone as she pictured the tall, broad-shouldered Navy SEAL making his way through the crowded bar to get outside. Jake’s chiseled jaw and sharp features made him seem unapproachable until he smiled. One look at his blue-gray eyes and the sexy curve of his lips and her heart did a somersault. Over the last few months, she’d seen plenty of those smiles in their video chats.
Finally. Blessed silence.
“Okay, I can hear you now. What’s wrong, angel?”
Dawn tucked a wayward lock of brown hair behind her ear and took a deep breath, trying her best to hold off a full-blown panic attack. From the moment she’d gotten home, she’d called everyone she knew, hoping to find Chase. But none of his friends had seen him since the playground after school, and her worry escalated. Exhausting all her other options, she called the police. The officer took her report and then told her that an officer would be there soon.
Waiting was one of Dawn’s least favorite things, and she was about to lose her mind. Unable to sit still, she paced back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, stopping in each room to check for signs of her missing son.
“Dawn? Talk to me, what’s going on?” Jake asked again, sounding concerned.
“Chase is missing, and I’m terrified something horrible has happened.” Darkness slid over the sky as the sun dropped behind the tree line, and there was still no sign of Chase. What was taking the police so long? Shouldn’t they have been there by now? Another deep breath didn’t help to calm her frayed nerves.
“Missing? For how long?”
“I don’t know—since after school. No one has seen him since the playground.” Forcing herself to stand still, Dawn focused on Chase’s fifth grade school photo. He looked so happy in the picture taken at the beginning of the school year. Had it really only been a few months ago? She’d taken it out of the album, knowing the police would need it for identification. But she couldn’t bring herself to put it down. Instead, she clenched it in her hand like it was a lifeline to her son.
“Are you sure he’s not just playing with some friends?” Jake said gently.
“No, I’ve checked everywhere. I’ve called everyone I can think of, and no one has seen him since the playground. I came straight home when the babysitter called when he didn’t come home after school. He’s never done this before.” Dawn’s voice wobbled as she fought back tears. Fear for her little boy chilled her to the bone.
“I’m so sorry, angel.”
“Do you know where Rafe is? I’ve called him a bunch of times, but he’s not answering. I’m hoping that maybe Chase told him where he likes to hang out.” Dawn couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice.
“Yeah. I’ll get him. It’s reopening night for the Ready Room. The bar was closed for months, and tonight, they’re having a big party and an auction for a local food bank. I’ve never seen so many people. I’m not surprised Rafe didn’t hear his phone. I’ll get him, and we’ll call you right back.”
“Okay. Hurry, Jake, please.” Dawn dropped onto the sofa and stared out the window, willing her son to appear. Chase had just turned eleven, and he was way too young to be out there alone.
“Two minutes. Try to stay positive, angel.”
“I’m trying, but I can’t lose my little boy.” Picking at the sofa fabric as memories of finding out Bob had died flooded her brain, flashing to when she opened the door to see three men in dress uniform in her doorway. She hadn’t needed them to say a word. It was the moment every military family prayed would never happen. Tears slid down her cheeks, and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. Crying wouldn’t help, but she couldn’t keep them from falling either.
“Deep breath. It’ll be okay. Hold tight.” Jake’s deep voice offered her some comfort, even though he was fifteen hundred miles away in Virginia. What she wouldn’t do to have him here right now. And Rafe. Her brother was so good with Chase.
The last time she’d spoken with Jake was the day he’d left on the Black Eagle team’s latest mission. When he’d said goodbye, she had known she’d upset him. Not that she blamed him. After a year and a half of text messages, late-night phone calls, and lots of video chats, he’d wanted to come to Colorado and spend time with her and the kids.
Jake had been trying to get her to agree to let him visit her and the kids. To take their friendship to the next step. But after losing her husband, she didn’t know if she could handle dating someone in the military again. They enjoyed each other’s company even though it was long distance, but it was safer to keep it that way. Dawn worried enough about Rafe and Jake already every time they left on a mission. It would hurt if something happened to him, but she’d get through it. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.
Where was Rafe? And the police still hadn’t come. Why was everything taking so long? Her little boy was out there somewhere—all alone—or worse.Oh, God. A shiver of fear slid down her spine and covered her skin in goosebumps. No way could Dawn let her mind go there.
Adrenaline raced along her nerve endings, and she couldn’t sit still. The need to do something, anything, was too strong. After putting Chase’s photo on the coffee table, she got up and went to check the yard, then went back to the living room to gaze out of the large front window. Praying harder than she had since her husband died, she promised anything if He’d just bring her little guy home.
“What is taking so long,” Dawn mumbled to herself. Then the miniature grandfather clock on the mantle chimed for the top of the hour.Damn. It had only been two minutes since she’d hung up with Jake.
Lost in thought, Dawn forgot she was waiting for Rafe to call and almost dropped the phone when it rang. It took everything she had in her not to break down when she heard her brother’s voice.
“Dawn, I’m so sorry. Jake filled me in. Has Chase come home yet? Are the police there?” Worry filled Rafe’s voice.
“No, he’s not here. The police haven’t gotten here yet. But I’m worried. Why would he do this? Where would he go?” Dawn ran her hand through her wavy hair and tucked it behind her ear when it fell over her face.
