Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(12)

Today, they’d gather intel. He was happy to accompany Carly to the police station. He needed to know what the hell the cops were doing about Luke and what their next steps were. If he didn’t think they were adequate, he and his team, including Baker Rawlins, would take matters into their own hands. He had no idea what that would entail, but he’d do whatever it took to free Carly from the threat still hanging over her head.





CHAPTER FOUR





Carly sat next to Jag in his Jetta and tried not to panic. She didn’t like being outside. Not in a car. Not at work. Not anywhere. She hated that Shawn and Luke had done that to her. Made her terrified to go about her everyday business.

As if Jag knew what she was thinking, he reached out and took one of her hands in his. He rested their clasped hands on the console between them.

It was crazy how he could make her feel protected with such a simple gesture. She wasn’t safe, she knew that. Luke could just as easily take Jag out as he could her. But somehow, Jag’s confidence and the way his eyes constantly scanned his surroundings made her feel as if she at least might have a chance.

“So…Baker?” she asked after a moment.

Jag glanced at her, then back at the road in front of him. “What do you want to know?”

“I heard Kenna talking about him at the wedding, bummed that he wasn’t there. Who is he?”

“Baker Rawlins is a former SEAL who lives up on the North Shore. He spends his free time surfing.”

When Jag didn’t say anything else, Carly asked, “And? There has to be more to him than that.”

His lips twitched. “Well, if you ask the girls, they’ll all tell you how hot he is.”

Carly’s brows lowered in surprise. “Really? But they’re…not single,” she finished lamely.

“Well, they claim they’re allowed to look, and that there’s nothing wrong with saying someone is good-looking.”

“That’s true,” she admitted. “And that’s it? He’s a good-looking former SEAL who likes to surf? And that somehow makes you and your friends want him involved in finding Luke?”

“No,” Jag said, all teasing gone from his tone now. “He’s deadly as hell. Not a man I’d want to piss off, but who I absolutely want on my side when I’m trying to track down someone who doesn’t want to be found. He’s intense, a little scary, but an honorable man. He was pissed when Kenna was taken hostage. Vowed to find Luke. I’m guessing the fact that he hasn’t yet makes him very much not happy. What do you know about what happened to Monica?”

Carly blinked at the seemingly abrupt change of topic. She wanted to mention that if Jag thought Baker was scary, she absolutely did not want to meet him—because in reality, he was probably terrifying. Instead, she shrugged and said, “Nothing.”

“She was kidnapped by a man who used her as bait to lure Baker to the Big Island. The guy used to be on Baker’s SEAL team and was kicked off for being mentally unstable. His plan was for both Monica and Baker to be burned alive by Kailua’s lava flow, but he underestimated his former team leader.”

“Holy shit,” Carly breathed, squeezing Jag’s hand. “They’re all okay?”

“If you mean Monica and Baker, yes. The other guy, not so much. He got a dose of his own medicine. My point is, Baker didn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done to make sure Monica was safe. He also flew to New York to meet with frickin’ mobsters to make sure Elodie would be safe from any retribution from a certain family. He should be relaxing in his retirement and worrying about nothing more than surf forecasts, but he’s not. He’s as much a part of our team as the rest of us, even if he’s not active duty anymore.”

“So, he wants to make sure Kenna’s safe,” Carly said softly.

“Yes,” Jag said without hesitation.

For some reason, his answer made Carly’s chest tighten.

“But also, he wants to mitigate the danger to you, angel,” Jag continued.

Carly looked over at him, skeptical. “But this Baker guy doesn’t even know me.”

“Doesn’t matter. He knows you’re important to me, and that until Luke is neutralized, no one is safe.”

She licked her lips. “Important to you?” She blurted the question without thought. Carly immediately wished she could take it back.

“Yes,” Jag said, seemingly unconcerned. “I’ve spent every minute of my free time checking up on you and bugging him ceaselessly about what he might’ve found out.”

Carly honestly wasn’t sure what to say about that. She only knew how his words made her feel. Like she mattered. Like she wasn’t invisible. Like someone cared if she lived or died. All of it made her want to cry.

As if he realized she needed a moment, he kept talking. “After we meet with the detective, how would you feel about going over to see Kenna? I know she’d love to see you.”

Carly wanted to say no. Being around Kenna felt…weird now. It was Carly’s fault her friend had been taken hostage and almost blown to pieces.

“Okay,” she whispered instead, after a long moment.

“If you need more time, that’s all right, but I know for a fact she misses you terribly,” Jag said gently. “Aleck said she talks about you all the time and complains that work isn’t as much fun as it used to be because you aren’t there. If you aren’t ready to see her, maybe we could go down to Barbers Point and see if Lexie, Elodie, and Ashlyn need any help at Food For All.”