Page 8 of Valiant

She could have hugged him then, but she kept her focus on the task. “Understood. Here’s what I think I should say.” She laid out her ideas, and they took a few minutes to refine and rehearse them so she wouldn’t get distracted if too many questions came at her.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked one last time as they moved toward her front door.

She nodded, steeling her spine. “Let’s get it over with before Eddy wakes up.”

“Stay behind me until they settle down.” Cole pulled the door open and stepped out. Bright camera lights clicked on, and reporters began shouting questions as they surged even closer. From where she waited, she couldn’t see Cole’s face, but she heard his firm orders to stand down. He must have looked like he meant business, because a perimeter was soon established as the reporters and camera operators dropped back ten feet. She’d seen Cole in a lot of contexts, but never quite like this. He was commanding, and it was damn sexy on him.

“Ms. Reeves will make a statement, but she will not be taking questions. Is that clear?” Several reporters nodded and fell silent. Finally, Cole turned to her, a steely glint still in his eyes. “Ready for you.”

Kelsey knew she had to hit the right note with this statement. She needed to garner sympathy from the reporters and the public, so she tamped down her anger at the invasion of her privacy to focus on her role as a missing man’s daughter.

“My father, Lieutenant Commander Edwin Reeves, is the best man I know,” she said. “He’s a dedicated father and grandfather to my son. He’s trained countless men and women in the Navy and has served his country for twenty-eight years, more than my entire lifetime. I’ve never known him to be anything but honorable and loyal. He’s no traitor.” Her voice cracked, and she took a second to compose herself before going on. “No one who knows him or has served with him would believe anything else.”

“You’ve given them enough. Let’s go in,” Cole whispered to her.

But it wasn’t enough. This was her opportunity to say what needed to be said.

“I can’t explain why my father disappeared,” she went on, feeling Cole’s hand on the small of the back. “I’m sure he had a good reason. I’m just hoping for his safe return. Dad, if you’re watching this, please come home, so we can sort this out.” A tear slid down her cheek as she finished, and she flicked it away, but not before she heard the click of cameras. “Thank you.”

She turned and walked into the house with Cole right behind her. She heard a few questions shouted after them as he closed the door, but for the most part, the media seemed satisfied with what she’d said.

“You okay?” he asked. He was close to her and the temptation to rest her head against his shoulder was almost too much. Intentionally, she pulled herself away.

“Yeah. Fine. I’m going to get Eddy up. We’ll be ready to go to the base in twenty minutes.” She fled up the stairs, where she found Eddy awake in his crib watching the pattern of light on the ceiling. He was so sweet and beautiful. “How’s my boy?” she asked in a soft tone as she picked him up and hugged him.

The comfort she’d wanted from Cole she drew from their son. Bending her head, she smelled the scent of his baby shampoo and choked back more tears. She needed to be strong. She was strong. And she had to stay that way for Eddy, her father, and herself.

When she went back downstairs, Cole was watching out the front windows. “Three of the news crews have left, and the others are keeping their distance. I think they’re taping their segments—hopefully, they’ll leave once they’re done. Damn vultures.”

“It’s what they do,” she said, trying to take a pragmatic approach.

“We’ll take my truck. I pulled it into your garage and put his car seat into it,” he said. She noticed that he wasn’t looking directly at Eddy, who was wide awake, his attention focused on Cole as if trying to figure out who he was.

She suppressed a sigh. She couldn’t process the complicated emotions of that relationship right then. There was already too much going on, so she slipped the diaper bag over her shoulder and followed Cole to the garage. She checked the car seat to make sure it was secure, but it seemed Cole had known what he was doing with that. A minute later, she had Eddy strapped in and they were on their way to the base. It was almost time for Cole to report for duty. They were cutting it close, but with minimal traffic, they reached the naval base quickly.

Cole showed his ID at the gate. The MP took a minute examining it before handing it back. “Commander Dobson has requested that you report to his office ASAP. We just received word,” the MP said.

With a nod, Cole pulled forward and continued down the road that led to the center of the base. Kelsey had a bad feeling about that request. She glanced at Cole. The muscles in his jaw were tight as he stared straight ahead.

“Are you in trouble?” she asked as they pulled into a parking space. His knuckles were white as he clutched the steering wheel and he slowly flexed his fingers, but didn’t answer the question. This wasn’t good.

FIVE

Cole didn’t think Commander Dobson was calling him in to praise him. He’d violated protocol that morning when dealing with the press, and he’d have to face the music and take the punishment. So be it. He had no regrets—or at least, not on that score.

“I’m going to leave the two of you at the barracks with Raymond,” Cole said to Kelsey when he killed the engine. He didn’t want to report to a superior for a dressing down with Kelsey and the baby alongside him. There was no reason for them to have to hear that. But he wasn’t going to leave them unprotected, either. “You remember Raymond, right?”

“Of course.”

“He’s not on duty today.” Cole had checked that before leaving her house earlier. He’d planned to talk the situation over with Raymond and he still would, but thanks to the unexpected summons, he needed a favor from his friend instead. He knew Raymond would do anything for him, the same as he would for Raymond and their buddy David. The three of them went way back. Cole and Raymond attended the Naval Academy together. After graduating they decided to test for SEAL training and shipped out to Coronado, where they’d met David on their first day in California. The three of them had stuck together after that. It went without saying that he’d trust them with his life—same as he would with any other SEAL. But he’d trust them with Kelsey and Eddy’s lives, and that was saying a whole lot more.

“Cole, I wish you hadn’t gotten dragged into this,” she said as she unbuckled Eddy. “Truly, I’m sorry. Dad wouldn’t want to hurt your career either.”

“I’m in, so there’s no point in thinking like that.” Edwin wouldn’t have requested him to watch over Kelsey and the baby unless the situation was serious, deadly serious. What if Edwin hadn’t sent that email? Kelsey would be facing unknown danger on her own and with a baby to protect. The thought of that made Cole’s skin crawl. Nothing Dobson threw at him could be worse than that. “Come on.”

He led the way into the barracks to Raymond’s room and knocked on the door. Thankfully, his friend was up and dressed despite it being a day off for him.

“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be on duty today?” Raymond asked as soon as he saw Cole.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com