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No, he didn’t. However, he’d learned over the years as a SEAL and an FBI agent not to leap to conclusions. “No matter what I believe, we need evidence. If Hale is involved, we still don’t know where he might have taken your father since we can’t track his phone.” Adams might be able to give them a hand with that, though. “Do feel up to returning to the kitchen? No one will think less of you if you’re not ready.”
“I’m not giving in to my fear and hiding in a bathroom.” She stood. “Let’s go.”
Rafe’s teammates were still around the table, working on their computers. As soon as Jackson saw them, he stood and came to Kristi. “You okay?”
“I’m better. Sorry for the disruption.”
“No problem. Come sit down. Rafe, the boss wants you to call him.”
Rafe seated Kristi and brushed his mouth over hers. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” After a light brush of his fingers over her cheek, he walked out the back door to the deck railing and called Brent. “It’s Rafe.”
“Someone’s been attempting to access Stewart’s personal financial accounts,” his boss said in lieu of a greeting.
“How do you know?”
“I instructed the techs to keep an eye on his bank accounts when I learned about the warehouse fire.”
“Good call.” One he should have thought of himself. In all fairness, though, Rafe had been more concerned about Kristi’s wellbeing rather than her father’s money. “I’m assuming they haven’t been successful.”
“Nope,” Brent said, amusement in his voice. “The techs watching the accounts said the attempted hacker kept entering the wrong the password. The hacker is locked out.”
“That will make someone angry.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Either Stewart gave the kidnappers the wrong information or he deliberately keyed in the wrong password.”
“Probably the latter. You know what’s coming next.”
“Yes.”
“What will you do?”
“Whatever I have to do to protect Kristi.” No matter the cost to himself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Rafe scanned Angie Hale’s medical file. When Angie had given birth to Roderick at 16 years of age, Travis Cain had been 25. Only one reason why Angie had kept Cain’s identity a secret when she was in high school. Angie thought she was in love with him and had protected him from prosecution for statutory rape.
Sick at heart over the whole situation, he returned to the kitchen. Kristi sat at the table with tears trickling down her face. Jackson had his arm from her shoulders, offering silent comfort. “Kristi?” Rafe started to go to her, but Eli waved him toward Jon. Oh, man. The security feed. What had Kristi seen?
“Show me,” he murmured to his teammate. On Jon’s computer, Rafe watched as Alan Stewart stumbled from an elevator. Blood streamed from a wound on his scalp, streaking down one side of his face. At his side walked a man in a Ward Security uniform with a baseball cap pulled low on his forehead. The guard’s arm was around Stewart’s shoulders as though assisting him to his car. The position of his other hand, though, indicated the guard had a pistol shoved against the executive’s side.
Rafe watched until the two men moved out of camera range. The guard’s baseball cap prevented a positive identification. “Do other cameras show the guard’s face?” He suspected the kidnapper was Hale, but Rafe wanted proof.
“Elevator camera gave me this.” Jon’s fingers danced across the keys and brought up more camera footage.
On screen, Stewart practically fell into the elevator. He spun and tried to shove the guard from the car as the doors started to close. The guard punched Stewart in the face. The executive hit the elevator wall and slid to the floor as his attacker turned with a smirk and jabbed a button on the wall panel.
Rafe scowled. “Run it again in slow motion.”
“This is what you’re looking for,” Jon murmured. He clicked the mouse, and a still shot of the guard’s face filled the screen.
The picture was fuzzy. Why was the picture out of focus? “Can you clean that up?”
A minute later, the man’s image was clear. “Hello, Roderick Hale,” Rafe said. “Is he the only one involved?”
“Nope. Look at this.” Jon opened another file.
