Good point. Griffin thought aloud. “What about a BUD/S instructor or trainee? Could Haddad’s people have blackmailed one or somehow compromised one?”

“Like who?” Duquesne demanded.

Griffin hated to name names or point fingers without solid evidence. But the face of Grundy did flash in his mind’s eye immediately. The police had already questioned the guy at length, of course, but he wanted to take a run at the guy himself. What were the odds Grundy wasn’t working alone? Had Abu Haddad gotten to the guy?

There would be time enough to sort that out after Sherri was found.

To that end, Griffin asked the admiral, “We’re making the trade, right? Me for Tate.”

“I don’t know about that,” Duquesne responded skeptically.

Griffin planted both his hands on the desk, not afraid to beg for Sherri’s life. “If this is Haddad’s people, they’ll kill her if they don’t get me. I’m a SEAL. I’ve had all the torture and interrogation training. Sher—Tate hasn’t had any. She’s not prepared to deal with bastards like Haddad.”

“She’s well on her way to being a SEAL,” Duquesne replied. “I think we can expect a certain amount of fortitude out of her. If nothing else, we know she has a strong survival drive.”

“That won’t be enough against Haddad,” Griffin argued. “They won’t hesitate to do the worst to Tate. You have to let me take her place.”

“They’ll have to give us proof of life before I’ll even consider it,” Duquesne declared. “I’m not losing two SEALs when I may already have to lose one.”

He thought of Sherri as a SEAL, huh? Under any other circumstances, Griffin would have been jubilant. But now he was freaking out over the thought of her tortured and dying, alone and terrified.

Griffin fought for control and spoke as evenly as he could. “I get where you’re coming from, sir. But I want to do this. I’m volunteering.”

“Why?”

He stared at the admiral. What the hell was he supposed to say? I love her, and I’ve secretly been in a relationship with her for months? He couldn’t admit that to Cal, let alone to the big boss.

Why Cal chose to dive in at that moment and rescue him, Griffin had no idea, but he was profoundly grateful.

Cal said, “Grif is my lead trainer in Operation Valkyrie. He worked with Tate and the other female trainees for months prior to bringing Tate out here to BUD/S. He knows her very well. We both feel responsible for her being at Coronado and for her being in this predicament. We owe her. She’s family.”