Kidnapped by a SEAL

by Makenna Jameison

  He chuckled. “Hell, you can mention Michelle’s name. If she comes back to town to visit Jessica soon, I told her to call me and come spend the night at my place. Both of us knew it was just about some summer fun.”

  Noah let out a low whistle. “That’s what they all say, right before—bam! Some woman smacks into you, and you never even saw it coming.”

  Colton laughed, agreeing with him. “Hoorah—that’s been par for the course so far with most of this group.”

  Ryker shook his head, smirking. It had been one hell of a summer, but he’d already met a pretty brunette since Michelle had left. And a sexy French tourist visiting with friends. He loved a beautiful woman beside him—and in his bed.

  While his buddies might be happy with their women, he was perfectly content to remain single and enjoying all the beautiful ladies he met.

  There was a loud knock on the front door, and their SEAL team leader Hunter “Hook” Murdock and his pregnant girlfriend Emma came in, beaming. “Hook!” Colton called out. “Come grab a drink!”

  They smiled and said hello as they made their way in, and Ryker watched in amazement. Hell, even his SEAL team leader was happily settled down with a woman. About to be a father. Their team was a hell of a lot different than a year ago. Not that any of his buddies seemed to be complaining.

  “Think a shot of whiskey will do you?” Bailey asked Ryker as she held up a bottle.

  “Hell no—not for brunch,” he said with a low chuckle. “I’m good with my coffee. Noah looks ready for some attention though,” he said, nodding toward his buddy.

  “Let’s grab some food, sunshine,” Noah said as Bailey glanced over at him.

  Ryker smirked.

  “I saw that,” Bailey teased. “Maybe Michelle wasn’t destined to be ‘Mrs. Bulls Eye’ but she’s out there somewhere.”

  Noah guffawed. “Mrs. Bull Eye. That does have a nice ring to it. Does that mean I can start calling you Mrs. Viper?”

  “Only if you’re proposing,” she quipped.

  “Wait, who’s proposing?” Hunter asked, sauntering over. “Are you trying to show me up or something?”

  Ryker raised his eyebrows as Emma waggled her fingers, showing off a sparkling diamond ring. Holy hell. Not a total surprise since she was pregnant with his child and they’d moved in together practically the second she’d come here from England, but wow.

  The first man on their SEAL team was finally getting hitched.

  There was a round of whoops and hollers all around, and a moment later, Bailey was popping a bottle of champagne that she’d pulled out of the fridge.

  Noah moved over toward her and said in a low voice, “When I propose, it sure the hell won’t be with my entire SEAL team here.”

  Ryker shook his head and moved toward Hunter. “Congrats, man. That’s fantastic.”

  “I’m a lucky bastard,” Hunter agreed, wrapping his arm around Emma’s shoulders as she stood beside him.

  “Well how about you, Ryker?” she asked in her British accent. “Your entire SEAL team has a girlfriend—or fiancée,” she added, smiling up at Hunter. “Should we find you a woman or what?”

  He chuckled. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t do relationships—not serious ones, anyway.”

  Hunter smirked beside Emma.

  “What the hell is so funny?” Ryker asked. “I mean, sure, I saw the same woman all summer. But that was with a mutual agreement to part ways after we had some fun.”

  “Ryker,” Emma chastised. “Did you think Hunter would ever settle down?”

  “Hell no,” Ryker said, his lips quirking as he looked between Hunter and Emma.

  “Well there you bloody go,” Emma said as Hunter chuckled.

  “There I ‘bloody go’ what?” Ryker asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “The unbelievable can happen sometimes. Did I think I’d waltz into a pub, meet Hunter, move to the States, and get pregnant and engaged?”

  “I sure didn’t,” Hunter said with a chuckle, brushing his lips over her flaming red hair. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Bailey and Noah handed out plastic cups of champagne to everyone, Bailey putting a cup of orange juice instead into Emma’s hand. “All right,” Noah called out, as everyone looked his way. He held his cup up in the air. “We’ve been waiting a damn long time for Hook to settle down. Emma, he’s all yours now,” he added, listening to the laughter throughout the room. “To Hunter and Emma!”

  The others all toasted and sipped their champagne, and Jessica began to tell everyone to get some food.

  Ryker grabbed an empty plate and sauntered over to the buffet table. He was reaching for some scrambled eggs and bacon when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Quirking his brow, he saw his teammates all reaching for their phones at the same time as well.

  Shit.

  It was go time.

  Chapter 3

  EMILY AWOKE WITH A start, her eyes taking in the darkness around her. She blinked and shifted on the lumpy mattress, amazed she’d fallen asleep at all. Moonlight came in through the small window, and from the way the moon had shifted across the sky, she knew she’d been asleep a few hours.

  Tears smarted her eyes as her stomach churned.

  They hadn’t given her anything to eat last night. Did they think she’d give in to the asshole running the place based on hunger alone?

  It had been a month since she’d been taken. At least.

  She knew the U.S. government would be looking for her. The military. Other State Department officials.

  But what if they had no leads?

  As much as she hated her captors, they were smart. They were radio silent at all times, with no cell phones or other devices to track. They huddled together and whispered or called out commands in Arabic. They weren’t exactly typing away on laptops and texting.

  Her mind drifted as she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Swenson! I’m going on patrol around base at twenty-three hundred,” Commander Williams called out. “Care to ride along? See what’s outside this compound from the ground?”

  She nodded, grabbing her helmet and securing the strap beneath her chin. She’d ridden in an armored convoy from the airstrip when she’d arrived. But there was something to be said about driving around at night on patrol, getting a better feel for the lay of the land. “Do you run into trouble at night?” she asked.

  “Negative. They don’t usually come this close to base—we’re too heavily fortified here. Nightly patrols are still conducted hourly though.”

  “Understood.”

  Emily fell in step beside the commander as they walked out of the building, climbing up into the Humvee. “How many vehicles are coming on patrol?”

  “Just the two. The other guys will ride along in front. We’re bringing up the rear. Jacobs will be joining us as well.”

  She nodded, eyeing the heavily armed Marines standing by the checkpoint to enter the base. Another young Marine hopped in the Humvee with them, and she wondered what the hell she was getting herself into.

  “Ma’am,” he said, nodding.

  “Ms. Swenson is with State,” Commander Williams told the younger man.

  “I’m here on TDY,” she said, not relaying any further information. Analysts came and went all the time—he’d probably assume she was one as well.

  There was no need to inform him that she was part of the advance team before several top State Department officials arrived in a few days.

  The Humvees began to roll out, exiting the base to patrol the perimeter. They bumped along the dirt road, and she looked out into the dark night.

  “Let me get you a pair of night-vision goggles,” Commander Williams said.

  He rustled around and then handed a pair over to her. Before she could don them, headlights suddenly came into view from the opposite direction.

  “Aw hell,” Jacobs said, suddenly leaning out the Humvee window with his weapon.

  Her chest clenched, and then gunfire erupted around them.<
br />
  Emily heard a scuffle of footsteps in the hallway and quickly sat up in bed, instantly alert. So far, the guards had left her alone at night, but that didn’t mean they’d continue that pattern.

  Her boots hit the ground as she stood up in the dark. Sleeping in her combat boots wasn’t exactly ideal, but if someone came into her room at night, she wanted a fighting chance. She paused, listening, and stood there in shock as something was slid under her door.

  There was a quick shuffle as whoever had been there hurried away.

  Walking slowly across the small room in the moonlight, she stared down at the ground. Someone had slid some Afghani bread under the gap in the door. Her gaze flicked back up, but there was no one outside the door anymore. No sound. No movement.

  Had one of the women left this for her? The guards would have unlocked the door to shove some food into the room.

  Bending down to pick up the bread, she realized it was still warm, and her stomach rumbled. Breaking a piece off, she took a small bite.

  God, it was delicious. She wished she had some water, but this was better than nothing. The guards would probably give her something to eat and drink in the morning. Not receiving dinner clearly have been punishment for refusing to sleep with their leader.

  She took another small bite of bread and realized she’d have to eat all of it or hide it somewhere. She didn’t want to get whoever had brought it to her in trouble.

  Emily sank down onto the bed and hurriedly finished eating, dusting her hands off when she was done. She hadn’t had a thing since breakfast, and she needed the calories. She needed to maintain her strength if she had hopes of escaping, not that her nutrition had been great during her month in captivity.

  The jiggling of the lock on her door had her jumping, and a moment later, a woman’s voice urgently whispered to her. “Come on!”

  Startled, Emily hurried to the door and did a double take at the young teenage girl standing there. She was wearing a headscarf and traditional dress, but she had a determined look about her, with none of the fear Emily had seen in the other women’s eyes.

  The others avoided her gaze and looked down when they moved.

  But this girl?

  She’d apparently stolen a key to come help her escape.

  “You speak English?” Emily asked quietly, stunned.

  “Yes, now hurry!”

  A flurry of options raced through her mind, none of them good. Deciding not to miss out on what could be her only chance of escape, she quickly followed the teenager into the hallway. She looked left and right, but no one else was around.

  “Come on. They circle around at night on their patrol—there’s only one guard inside because they sleep in shifts, but he’s certain to be back soon. And there’s another making the rounds outside. Let’s go!”

  Emily quietly pulled the door shut behind her so as not to alert anyone she was missing. All she needed was for a guard to return and her room to be wide open. She hurriedly followed the teenage girl down the hallway, turning right, and then they went down another corridor that led to the back of the building.

  The teenager inched the door open, and the desert air filled her lungs as they cautiously stepped outside. There was a small building in front of her that looked more like a house, and another building to the left. A large wall ran along back, and having walked through the compound yesterday, she knew it surrounded the entire place.

  Eyeing the wall, she wondered if she could jump up and haul herself over. Where would she even go if she escaped? She didn’t have a weapon or food. She had no supplies. She didn’t know where she was.

  “We’re going to have to hide in the old supply building,” the teenager said. “They’ll be sweeping this area when they come back around. We’ve only got a few minutes.”

  Emily nodded, confused as she tried to get her whereabouts.

  They heard voices talking in the distance, and the girl grabbed Emily’s arm. “Come on, before they see us!”

  Emily stepped down from the concrete slab at the back door and hurried behind the teenager, crouching down behind some barrels. They paused for a beat and then stayed low to the ground as they snuck to another building at the edge of the compound. The moonlight was just enough to make out where they were going, and Emily held her breath as the girl opened the door to a small building. They both snuck inside just as they began to hear voices again.

  Both women stood still, Emily’s heart thumping in her chest, as they listened to the footsteps that went by only twenty or thirty feet away. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she tried to steady her breathing, and she could sense the teenager hovering nearby.

  She was so frightened she was certain they could hear every shaky breath that she took, but another minute passed, and nothing happened.

  No one called out for them, and the footsteps eventually faded as the guards continued on their patrol. They were safe for the moment, possibly even until morning when they discovered she was gone.

  Then all hell would break loose.

  Emily knew she couldn’t stay hidden here that long. It didn’t matter where they were in relation to base—she had to get out of this compound tonight. She might have only a few hours until they checked the room they’d been holding her in, and she needed to escape and get as far away as possible.

  “I think they’re gone,” the girl said in a low voice. “We’ll have to try to get over the wall, but let’s wait a few minutes until after they circle around again.”

  “Who are you?” Emily whispered in the darkness. “What are you even doing here?”

  “My father sent me here a month ago as some sort of payment,” the girl said angrily. “He was indebted to the guy in charge. I saw them bringing you in a couple of days ago. My sixteenth birthday is next week, and then I’m supposed to be his wife.” She spat on the ground in disgust.

  Emily’s mouth dropped open in shock. “And they just let you roam free here?”

  “Sort of. I’m supposed to be learning from the other wives. That was part of their agreement—they’d wait until I turned sixteen for our sham of a marriage, but I had to do what they said and learn. They were all busy taking care of their kids tonight though, and I stole some of the bread they made from the kitchen.”

  “And no one saw you coming in to where I was being held?”

  “No. The guards don’t really pay us much attention. There’re other women for them somewhere, I’m sure, but the wives are all his. No one would dare touch one of us. No one will notice I’m gone until morning.”

  Emily shuddered. “But how do you speak English so fluently? Did you grow up in the States?”

  “Yes. We traveled back and forth, but my father decided to rejoin his brother in Afghanistan. He brought us all back here and then just handed me off. I need to get out of here—there’s nothing for me in this country.”

  “You’ll come with me back to base,” Emily said. “We can help you.”

  She heard a rustling, which she assumed was the girl shaking her head. “No, I have to find my sister. But I know where an American camp is. I’ll show you the way you should go. After we climb over the wall and escape this compound, we have to part ways.”

  Emily frowned. She didn’t like the idea of letting a teenager run off alone into the night, but what was she supposed to do? Clearly the girl had thought up this whole escape plan. If Emily made it back to base, maybe she could find a way to help her.

  “Do you know what time it is?” Emily asked.

  “Eleven, maybe twelve? I was alone in the kitchen for a couple of hours while the other women were taking care of their children. Then after I’d finished cleaning up, I went back to my room before I snuck out to find you. At first, I was just going to leave you some bread, but one of the guards accidentally dropped a set of keys. I found them in the hallway.”

  “They’ll notice they’re missing,” Emily said in a clipped tone.

  “Yes. But they won’t say anything right away because
they’ll get in trouble for losing them. I’m sure they’ll be searching the perimeter while they do the patrol. We’ve got a little time.”

  Emily nodded, her mind whirling. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. At first, she’d been shocked when the teenager had shown up at her door, but now? She was wide awake and alert, ready to go. Part of her wanted to try and take out the guard patrolling the compound and steal his weapon, but they’d heard two voices before, not just one. She probably couldn’t fight off two armed men—not in her weakened state. And she couldn’t risk this child’s life.

  “They’re coming back around,” Emily said quietly. “I hear voices.”

  “Yes. After they’ve passed and are out of earshot, we need to get over the wall.”

  “Was anything in those barrels we hid behind earlier?” Emily asked.

  “I’m not sure, why?”

  “If they’re light enough, we might be able to carry one and use it to climb over. Or roll it across the ground and then stand it up to climb on. Of course, then they’ll notice that the barrels are out of place and will know right where to come looking for us.”

  “We’ll have to try to get out on our own first,” the girl said. “They would notice if we moved the barrels. There should be places to hide without them seeing us. There has to be another spot to climb over.”

  “Shhh,” Emily whispered. “I hear voices.”

  The voices seemed to be getting louder, and Emily froze.

  Had they heard the two women whispering?

  Her heart pounded in her chest, and her palms began to sweat. This was it, her one chance to get out of here. If they locked her back up, she feared she’d never get free. They’d have eyes on her constantly, and she’d be raped and possibly killed by the bastard running this place.

  She fumbled in the darkness, looking for a weapon. Even if there was one, she couldn’t see a damn thing. She felt helpless. All that separated them from the outside was an unlocked door. One wrong move, and they could burst inside.

  A voice shouted in Arabic, and then suddenly there was the sound of footsteps running in their direction. She glanced around frantically in the dark as the men came closer, but there was nowhere to hide in this small building. Nowhere to go.