Sara Blackard's Blog - Posts Tagged "discovering-rafe"

Discovering Rafe is releasing in less than a month!! I'm a little excited.

Here's a sneak peek:
Chapter 1
A ping sounded beside Rafe Malone, and he groaned. Not now. Not when victory stood a few clicks away. He jerked his thumb and rapidly pressed the buttons on his controller.
“You’re not going to get me today.” He flicked his finger as another ping sounded.
He chanced a peek at the flashing icon on one of the computer screens lined on his desk. A smile pushed up his bearded cheeks. Today looked to be a great day.
He turned his focus back to the screen that demanded his priority. His eyes widened as pink flashed on his screen. How the heck did—
“No …” Rafe frantically pressed buttons, his heart rate increasing. “No, no, no, noooo.”
He tossed the controller onto his desk as Princess Peach beat his Mario in the race. He’d been so close, only to lose again.
Story of his life.
“Ha, ha, ha, sucker.” The high-pitched voice arrogantly laughed in his earpiece. “Just admit it, old man. You’re never gonna beat me, even with this prehistoric game you force me to play.”
He leaned close to the video feed on his monitor and gave his sternest look into the camera. “You shouldn’t talk to your elders like that.”
His niece Sammy tipped back her head and laughed. Her auburn ponytail swayed as the tinkling laughter continued. Rafe leaned back in his office chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His lips twitched to let his smile free as the screen revealed her cheeks pinking with joy.
How could the nine-year-old keep whipping his butt? He’d been playing this stupid game for longer than she’d been alive, yet she managed to beat him every single time. She snorted, sighed, and wiped the tears from beneath her eyes. Rafe found it difficult to keep the straight face.
“Uncle Rafe, you crack me up.” Samantha leaned forward so her Pepto-Bismol pink room disappeared from behind her. Her smug expression filled the screen. “What do you think? Best two out of three? Bet I could spank you in those too.”
Rafe cocked his eyebrow. “Does your mom know you talk like that?”
“Psh.” She leaned back with a smile. “She’d say you deserve it for still playing video games when you’re ancient.”
“Ancient?” Rafe pointed at her freckled nose. “Ancient? I’ll have you know I’m not even thirty yet.”
“But you’re close.” She shrugged and twirled her controller in her hand. “That’s ancient. So, what do you say? You game or are you going to tuck your tail and run?”
He let his laugh free and shook his head. “Girl, you are too much. You may have nothing better to do than sit and play games all day, but I have important work that needs to get done.”
“Boring.” She slumped in her sparkly pink bean bag with a look of utter dejection.
“You better be ready, Sammy.” Rafe pointed at her. “I’m going to beat you next time.”
“You wish. You always say that, but I only ever see checkered floor in front of me.” She sat forward, her face lighting up. “When can we play next?”
“I’ll have to text you.” The computer pinged again. “Until later, Queen of Mario Kart.”
“Farewell, King of Loserville.”
“I’m telling.” Rafe used his whiny kid voice she always got a kick out of.
Her eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Yeah, right. Then you’d just get a lecture on playing games again.”
“You’re right.” Rafe sighed. His sister could be a real downer sometimes. “Love you, Sam.”
“Love you too, Uncle Rafe.” She blew him a kiss as he signed off.
Rafe turned to the notification that interrupted his first chance at beating his niece in months. He scowled.
“It’s all your fault,” he grumbled as he clicked a few icons to pull up the report. A smile spread across his face. “But I guess I’ll forgive you.”
He’d finally done it. He’d slaved over the last month, working alongside June Rivas, a.k.a. Reagan MacArthur, his friend Sosimo’s wife. They’d worked tirelessly trying to figure out how to get her Eyes Beyond tech to work on a larger scale. Her original invention allowed soldiers to have x-ray vision and see beyond the walls and vehicles in front of them. It’d helped them on countless missions and would’ve saved their friend Ethan Stryker on the mission that changed all their lives if some bureaucrats hadn’t screwed them all over.
His hands trembled on the keyboard.
He didn’t think about that day.
Ever.
It was the only way he could keep the ghosts away.
He shook his hands out and focused on the data before him. He and June had come up against glitch after glitch as they tried to expand the program. He’d approached her with the idea after a group had strapped a bomb to the underside of the nanny’s car. Nothing like some C-4 exploding next to the pond in the backyard to wake one up.
After that little hoopla, he had wanted a way to be able to scan every vehicle, bike, or person who ventured onto their property, and the Eyes Beyond seemed just the ticket. If they could just get it to work, they could minimize the risk to other places besides their own, like The White House, military bases, and embassies. It’d put one more layer of protection between the soldiers and people who guarded those places and the people determined to attack them.
Rafe hooted and lifted his arms up in victory. So what if he couldn’t gloat at his niece over a Mario Kart victory. He’d finally figured out what had tripped them up. He grabbed his phone and texted June.
RAFE: I figured it out.
June’s reply came quick and to the point.
JUNE: It’s working?
He smiled as he typed back.
RAFE: It’s running as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
Rafe checked his other screens, making sure he didn’t have anything else that needed his attention. The three dots popped up on his phone indicating June was typing something.
JUNE: You’re a stud.
RAFE: I won’t tell Sosimo you said that.
An eyeroll emoji appeared followed by her text.
JUNE: He knows I’m just fluffing your sensitive ego.
RAFE: Woman, there is no fluffing needed here.
JUNE: That’s the truth.
Rafe guffawed as he turned in his chair. Sosimo had found an amazing woman when he married June. Sos deserved happiness after everything that had happened. Rafe, on the other hand, didn’t deserve to find love. Not after what he’d done. Rafe stood before the memories could crash over him. His phone pinged, and he glanced down.
JUNE: All joking aside, good job, Rafe. I’m so glad we figured out how to make it work. It’s going to help so much.
Rafe moved his fingers to type back when his phone rang. His forehead furrowed. Restricted number?
“Hello? Rafe here.”
“Rafe? It’s Davis.” His best friend’s voice sounded strained.
“Davis, you on leave, or what?” Rafe couldn’t believe it’d been so long since he’d talked to his childhood friend. Since he’d left the Army, he and Davis didn’t have the chance to cross paths like they used to.
Rafe logged out of his personal computer and left to go to the kitchen and grab a snack.
“No, getting ready to leave on an extended mission. Listen, I need your help. Chloe and Piper are in some kind of trouble.” Davis’s agitation grew.
“What do you mean?”
“Some dude has been leaving strange messages for Chloe down in Texas.” He huffed. “They’re up in Steamboat Springs for a concert and just found a note taped to their door.” He growled. “Rafe, you should’ve heard how scared they sounded.”
“Dude, I’ll leave right now. I’ll be there in less than an hour.” Rafe rushed out of the room.
“Man, thank you. I’m glad you’re there.” Davis’s sigh sounded as if it came all the way from his toes. “I’m getting tired of being so far away, Rafe. Think I might be ready to follow you out and be done with the military.”
“We could always use another hand here.” Rafe took the stairs two at a time. He’d do anything for the Fields family. He’d spent as much time or more at Davis’s aunt and uncle’s house where Davis and Piper lived after their parents died. They were like family. “Don’t worry, Davis. I won’t let anything happen to the girls.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll call when I can.”
“Keep your head down.” Rafe shoved his phone in his pocket after Davis agreed and hung up.
Rafe strode into the office, interrupting Zeke Greene and his wife Samantha from kissing. Rafe would’ve cracked a joke about interoffice relationships, but he didn’t have time to screw around. Samantha jumped away from Zeke and placed her fingers over her cheeks before straightening her hair.
Rafe couldn’t help himself. “Stop making out. We’ve got some serious business here.”
“Knock much?” Zeke scowled as he flexed his fingers.
“Hey. If you want privacy, you should close the door.” Rafe pointed his thumb behind him at the open doorway. “Listen, I need to go to Steamboat, and I need to take your plane.”
“Okay.” Zeke crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”
“Just got a call from Davis. His cousin and sister have a stalker issue. His cousin is performing in Steamboat this weekend.” Rafe ran a hand over his beard and tugged. “The dude followed them up there from Texas. Left a note on their door.”
“Take Jake. He’s a better pilot.”
Rafe nodded and headed for the door. Zeke was right. Jake could fly a plane through the eye of a needle if it fit.
“I’ll send you the girls’ info so you can call them,” Rafe called over his shoulder. “Tell them to hang tight until we get there.”
Rafe didn’t wait for a response. Zeke knew what to do. Rafe pictured Piper and Chloe the last time he’d seen them. Five or six years had to have passed since he had gone back with Davis for the girls’ high school graduation.
Back then Chloe had just gotten out of the hospital and still had the dark shadows on her face of someone who’d gone to hell and back. Piper had smiled from ear to ear, still swimming in the oversized shirts she always wore. She hadn’t changed much since they’d first moved into the neighborhood when she was twelve. He remembered laughing at how she’d looked back and forth between him, Davis, and Chloe, like at any moment one of them might disappear.
Piper had always been a worrier. Rafe couldn’t imagine how crazed she must be with all of this. He’d not only keep the girls safe, but he’d also find out who this creep was. Piper didn’t need any more worry piled on her shoulders. Rafe picked up his pace. He couldn’t get to Steamboat fast enough.
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