Evan nodded, and Patrick recalled how on their last hostage rescue, Evan’s Humvee had gotten blown into the air after driving over an IED, leaving Evan injured for nearly a month. Hell of a way to conduct a rescue op, he thought, clenching his jaw. They hadn’t sustained any serious injuries since then, and Patrick intended to keep it that way.
He sank down into his own seat and buckled in, pulling his headphones on to drown out the noise in the cargo plane. One non-stop flight to the Afghani desert, coming up.
REBECCA TOOK A SIP of her decaf tea, pulling up the legal documents she needed on her computer. Juggling multiple clients proved a challenge some days, but with her cases in different stages of divorce proceedings, there was no way to avoid it.
Her gaze was drawn to the sunny blue skies and view of the distant Atlantic Ocean from her office window. The men had probably taken off on a helicopter from Little Creek hours ago. Multiple military jets were always screaming across the Virginia Beach sky on training drills from Naval Air Station Oceana. It usually awed the tourists and provided little more than background noise to the locals, who were used to hearing the sounds of the fighter jets and seeing them fly in formation.
The SEAL team flew out on bigger cargo planes with they deployed, but she wasn’t privy to details aside from that.
There were lots of children with parents in the military around the Virginia Beach and Norfolk areas. Until Patrick retired and got out of the Navy, Logan would have to be used to his frequent deployments. And even then, it was hard for Rebecca to imagine Patrick ever leaving the service.
He’d probably end up the next CO at Little Creek or something—maybe he wouldn’t be deploying on ops, but he’d be down there 24/7 running them. Patrick thrived on adrenaline, was a man who seemed to need the physical nature of his career, and she couldn’t imagine him ever wanting to miss out on all the action.
Her cell phone buzzing on her desk caught her attention, and she glanced down, seeing Alison’s name flash on the screen.
“Hey hun, how are you holding up?” she asked. “It’s never easy when they go, is it?”
“I’m in Labor and Delivery,” Alison said.
“Why’d they send you there when you’re an ER nurse?” Rebecca asked, clicking on her screen to open the newest email from her client.
“They didn’t send me up here to work. I’m in labor!”
“Holy crap,” Rebecca said, nearly dropping the phone. “Early as in the baby is coming now? Or pre-term and they’ll stop it? Does Evan know? You’ve still got another month to go!”
“It’s pre-term labor, so they’re trying to stop my contractions. And no, I can’t get ahold of Evan,” Alison said. “I talked to their CO—Captain Ryan Mitchell. He said he’d try to get word to the team, but honestly, he didn’t sound too hopeful that Evan could be sent back in time if the baby decides to come early. They’re probably halfway over the Atlantic by now.”
“Wow. Yeah, they wouldn’t turn the entire plane around. They can’t. Maybe when they land, Evan can come back?”
“I don’t know,” Alison said with a sigh. “I don’t want to mess up their mission. And I’m not supposed to be in labor right now anyway, so what if he did manage to fly all the way back here for nothing? They’re trying to stop the labor, not let me have the baby today. I’m on steroids to help the baby’s lungs develop in case he does arrive early though.”
“I’ll come to the hospital,” Rebecca said, closing the email that was still open on her screen. “I’m just finishing up some stuff in the office, but I can finish it tonight if need be. Or whenever, if you need me to stay there with you. I’m just doing some paperwork and correspondence—no court cases today, thankfully.”
“What about Abby? And don’t you watch Logan when Patrick is gone?”
“I’ll see if his sister can come over and watch them. Both kids are in summer camp this week. Unfortunately, my nanny has the week off—she’s going to be full-time with us this summer, so this is her vacation. Naturally it happened to be when Patrick deployed, but we never know when that’ll be. It’s not like we could plan around that. I’ll have to wait until Sarah gets to Patrick’s house before I can come see you though. I’m picking up the kids from camp in a little while.”
“All right, if you’re sure she can watch the kids later on. I’m kind of freaking out at the moment.”
“Of course I don’t mind coming to wait with you. And I’m sure the stress of the guys leaving didn’t exactly help. I was a wreck when Patrick came to say goodbye this morning.”
“Sorry, hun. Believe me when I can say that I relate. I’m drinking tons of water, and they’ve got me on an IV drip. Hopefully it’s just a false alarm and this little guy will stay cooking longer.”
“All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Call me ASAP if anything changes before I get there.”
Rebecca called Sarah, and a couple of hours later she was finally heading to the hospital. Goodness. It was always something, wasn’t it? Patrick and Evan were deployed, her nanny was out of town, and now her best friend was in labor.
She parked in the garage closest to the maternity ward and hurried inside the building. How ironic that she knew every in and out of the hospital since her first husband had worked here. Their life together seemed like a million years ago now—the accident and everything in the aftermath was pushed to the back of her mind.
It was amazing how Patrick and Logan had changed her life for the better. Only a year ago, she was content to live her life devoted to raising Abby. And now?
She blew out a breath.
Overwhelming was one way to describe it, but she was happier than she’d been in years.
After checking in at the nurses’ station, she rounded the corner to find Alison’s room. Her best friend was lying in a hospital bed, her strawberry-blonde hair pulled up in a top-knot, hospital gown on.
“It’s the latest in fashion,” Alison said with a grin. “Can you believe they made me change out of my scrubs into this?”
“Well, it’d be hard to deliver a baby in pants,” Rebecca said, sinking down into the chair beside her. “How are you doing?”
“The contractions have slowed, which is good. They’ll probably have to keep me overnight hooked up to all these monitors and the IV drip. Good thing I’m not afraid of needles,” she joked, glancing at the IV inserted into her hand.
“And you say I never leave work,” Rebecca teased.
“Ha. I might have to start my maternity leave early if we can stall labor. Even with changing my shifts around, too much time on my feet isn’t good for the baby. I will say it was convenient only having to take the elevator upstairs though. I guess I’ll never be one of those women who give birth on the side of the highway or something.”
“Never say never,” Rebecca quipped. “And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
“Evan’s CO called to check on me.”
“Ryan? That was sweet.”
“Yeah, I think he feels guilty, which is crazy. I mean, Evan’s job is being a Navy SEAL. Deploying to God knows where. He’s just doing what he’s paid to do.”
“I think Ryan knows that Evan would worry about you. The entire team looks out for one another. And Ryan’s just as protective as the rest of them. They’re not around, so he feels like he should step in or something.”
“He’s not stepping foot in the delivery room.”
Rebecca burst into laughter. “I don’t think he’d literally step in, but he’s trying to be supportive. That’s what I’m here for. And besides, doesn’t he have a mission to run or something?”
“Something like that,” Alison agreed. She rubbed her hand over her stomach. “I’m absolutely starving, and they won’t let me eat anything since I’m in labor. It’s so annoying.”
“Sorry, hun. I’m still in the phase of early pregnancy where I’m sipping on tea and eating crackers all day long. At the moment, I’m pretty sure I’ll never want to eat most foods ever again.”
“Just wait, after the first trimester is over, you’ll be starving.”
Rebecca shuddered.
“Sorry. I guess it’s hard to even think about food right now.”
Rebecca pulled her phone from her purse. “That was Patrick’s sister texting me. The kids are both sound asleep, so I can stay here as long as you need.”
Alison groaned. “Thanks, sweetie. Although I’m hoping we can both bust out of this joint sooner rather than later.”
Chapter 9
PATRICK STRETCHED HIS tight muscles as he stood, adjusting his communications gear and putting on his flak vest and helmet. Nothing like an uncomfortable fourteen-hour flight across the Atlantic in a cargo plane. Next he’d hop on an armored convoy with the rest of his men to the forward-operating base deep in the Afghani desert. He’d gotten only a few hours of shut-eye, dreaming he was on the beach with Rebecca and the kids. His gaze scanned the cabin, watching the other men on his team gearing up. He clenched his jaw.
He was about as far from Virginia Beach as he could be at the moment.
Just the other damn side of the world.
He took one last glance at the maps of the insurgents’ camp before pocketing them. He’d already memorized the details of where the buildings were located, his mind calculating all the possible scenarios of how the rescue op would play out.
One thing was certain—they wouldn’t be leaving without the American woman.
His gut churned at the idea of her being held hostage for over a week. When Rebecca had a stalker last year, he’d been beside himself with worry, needing to assure her safety at all costs. Every man on the team had stepped up, watching her 24/7. Imagining harm coming to this other woman had him seeing red.
He grabbed the rest of his gear, readying to disembark, but the CO’s voice in his ear instantly had him on alert.
“Understood,” he said quietly into his headset as he received some instructions from Little Creek.
“Listen up, men,” Patrick rumbled. All eyes swept to him. “We’re going in sooner than planned. The Pentagon moved up the timeline since Delta is already on the ground.”
“We’re moving in immediately, Ice?” Christopher asked.
“Affirmative. As soon as we rendezvous with Delta and go over the last-minute specs. These guys will get us to base,” he said, cocking his head toward the opened ramp on the cargo plane and the armored vehicles waiting below, “but once we’re there, we’re gearing up to go in and rescue the hostage. Two Black Hawks are already standing by.”
“Thank fuck for that,” Brent muttered, his eyes heating. “The sooner we get her out of there, the better.”
Patrick nodded, his blood pressure rising. Brent’s own sister had been killed years ago by a jilted ex-boyfriend, but none of the men took the idea of harm coming to a woman lightly. She’d been held captive for over a week, and there was no telling what her condition was.
He slid on his night-vision goggles and deplaned, his boots pounding on the metal ramp before walking across the dusty ground. A couple of strides more and he was hopping into one of the Humvees.
Their eyes swept the desert as the convoy rolled out, scanning the area for any signs of trouble. It would be a suicide mission for any of the locals to attempt to attack a large convoy, but that sure as hell hadn’t stopped them before.
After thirty minutes of speeding across the quiet desert, they were hustling into base and strapping on their gear.
“You checked the coordinates, Flip?” Patrick asked, calling Evan by his nickname.
“Yep, programmed right into everyone’s GPS. We’ve pinpointed the hut the American woman is suspected to be held hostage in within a matter of inches.”
“Good. We can’t leave a damn thing to chance. There’s been a lot of movement around the camp today, and SecDef is worried the insurgents know how valuable their hostage is. He could just be projecting, but recent chatter indicated they were raising the ransom to $100 million.”
“It’s on the news,” Christopher said, walking over in his flak vest and gear. He rested his HK416 assault rifle on the table spread with maps.
“Shit, already?” Evan asked.
“All over fucking CNN,” Patrick confirmed. “They ran a story this morning saying an American woman is being held hostage, but it’s been nonstop coverage all day. Hell, even Rebecca knew about it when I went to say goodbye to her this morning. It’d be too much of a damn coincidence for them not to figure out where we are. Operational security or not, the media handed this info to everyone on a silver platter.”
“Damn it,” Evan muttered. “Ali’s always worried enough when I deploy. It sure as shit doesn’t help that it’s splashed all over the news. They can practically watch it unfold in real time.”
“Guess we know why they moved up this rodeo,” Matthew drawled, adjusting his headset. He shucked his flak vest on, glancing down at the maps.
“Let’s get this fucking show on the road,” Brent said, eyes blazing. “Every minute we waste is another minute harm could come to the hostage.”
Patrick nodded, his gut churning. He didn’t like the idea of a woman in harm’s way, but the fact that the media had latched on to this story didn’t bode well for any of them. The insurgents holding her hostage could’ve realized she was a high-value target. Maybe they thought it would help them in negotiating with Washington, but maybe it would have the opposite effect. They could be all the more eager to harm her, knowing just how valuable she was.
The CO addressed them over the headsets from back in Little Creek. “Delta should be ready to roll out. They’re on the move now.”
Patrick’s gaze swept to the door as Delta team came into the room, already dressed in their tactical gear. He shook hands with Hunter, the leader of the Delta team. Some of the men on Patrick’s team already knew Colton, another member of Delta. Introductions were made amongst the two SEAL teams, and then they got down to business.
“The Alpha team will be sweeping in from the mountains,” Patrick said, pointing to the map. His gaze slid over the coordinates, his face hardening. “We believe the hostage is being held right here.”
“We’ll be infiltrating the camp from the opposite side,” Hunter said, his voice deep. “C-4 and I will head for the hostage in case something goes wrong on your end. The other men will be back-up as we sweep through the camp.”
“If everything goes FUBAR, head for the mountains,” the CO said over the headset. “We’ll track your coordinates via GPS. Black Hawks will be sent in after you hunker down. Priority number one is rescue of the American woman.”
“Roger that,” Patrick ground out.
The two teams moved out, Patrick leading his men in a quick jog to a waiting Black Hawk. They quietly flew through the night, the insurgents’ camp coming into view in the distance through their night vision goggles.
“Two minutes out,” the pilot said over the headsets.
The low “whoosh, whoosh” of the helicopter blades penetrated his thoughts as adrenaline rushed through his veins. Mountains came into close view as the pilot swept close, attempting to avoid detection of the insurgents’ camp. Grinding his teeth, Patrick stood as Evan opened the hatch for them to jump out into the dark night.
They hit the ground running, disconnecting their chutes within seconds. Patrick moved forward in his combat gear, letting his finger hover over the trigger of his HK416 assault rifle as he eyed the insurgents scattering around the camp like ants coming out of their nest.
His narrowed gaze swept the area, tracking everything through his night vision goggles—the buildings surrounded by the wall they were readying to infiltrate. The men moving around. The mountains off to the right.
The sliver of a moon provided the smallest hint of light. And while there was activity buzzing on the outskirts, most of the camp remained asleep. Unaware.
His boots quietly scuffed across the dusty ground, barely making a sound as he and his men silently moved forward. His weapon
moved back and forth as he scanned the area, flanked by Mike. The rest of the men on his team moved in groups of two behind him.
Patrick muttered a curse as he scanned the area. “Two guards on the outskirts,” Patrick said quietly into his mouthpiece.
“Both heavily armed,” Mike said. “Assault rifles, looks like grenades and a rocket launcher.”
The other men on the two SEAL teams provided updates on their positions, and then suddenly the word from their CO back in Little Creek came to move in.
Gunfire broke out on the desert side of camp, where the Delta Team was. Matthew and Brent took out the guards on the mountain side as Patrick and Mike swept into the camp area, near where they believed the American hostage was being held.
Patrick’s gaze slid over the ramshackle huts. The scent of gunpowder and burning wood filled the air. Shouts from men on the other side of camp filled his ears.
“We’re making our approach. Third hut over,” Mike said on his headset.
“One guard outside,” Patrick said.
A breeze blew through the otherwise still night air. Gunfire sounded in the distance.
Mike’s laser scope aimed at the guard from one hundred feet away, and a moment later, the man slumped over.
“Man out,” Mike said. “We’re heading for the package.”
Patrick’s gaze swept the area, the view slightly grainy through his night vision goggles. A movement from near the hut caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes. Turned his head slightly to the left.
“I’m going in,” Mike said as he moved to the right, kicking open the flimsy door.
A woman’s scream pierced the air, and suddenly there was an explosion.
Pain pierced Patrick’s side as he was blown off his feet. Air whooshed around him. His head thudded on the hard ground, a few rocks digging into his back through his body armor. He heard the shouts of his men. Gunfire. Rebecca’s face flashed through his mind. And then as his head bounced off the hard earth a second time, everything went black.
Married to a SEAL Page 7
