Kidnapped by a SEAL

by Makenna Jameison

  “Everybody understand where you’ll go once we land?” Hunter asked.

  There were several grunts of affirmation and “Hoorahs” from the men.

  Hunter nodded. “Comm channels are open. We’ll keep each other apprised of all updates as we search the compound for the missing American. Let’s move out!”

  Ryker and his team jogged to one of the waiting helos, jumping on board. He and the other men crouched down, readying for liftoff. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he clenched his jaw, ready and alert. Nothing like the beginning of an op to make a man feel like he could take on the entire world.

  The chopper began to lift off the ground, and then they were flying toward the compound under the cover of night.

  He looked out at the terrain below using his night vision goggles before glancing around at the other men. They were fully decked out in their gear, ready to charge in, weapons blazing. Hopefully they didn’t scare the hell out of the hostage when they burst into the compound, but she had to be used to military if she’d been at the U.S. base in Afghanistan.

  Hunter’s voice came over his headset. “ETA is five minutes. SITREP?”

  Noah responded. “Aerial surveillance still shows minimal movement. One lone guard was patrolling the interior perimeter of the compound.”

  “Let’s hope everyone is all tucked in for the night,” Hunter quipped.

  There was no movement at the compound as they approached, and then they were jumping out of the helicopters and moving forward. Ryker and Noah headed to their respective vantage points to watch the compound through the scopes of their weapons. The other men on both teams ran off in different directions.

  A voice came over his headset. “All quiet on the south side,” Raptor said. “My team is moving into position.”

  “Roger that,” Hunter replied. “We’re readying to move in here. Are you in position, Bulls Eye?”

  “Affirmative,” Ryker said, crouching down in the sand and setting up his gear. He laid down on the ground, the compound coming into view through his scope. There was no movement around the perimeter, and his own team was approaching from the other side.

  “If any of those mother fuckers come running, you take them out,” Hunter replied.

  “With pleasure,” he said, watching as Noah crouched down twenty yards away.

  Ryker’s gut churned. Normally he relished watching from the distance, taking out hostiles who didn’t even know he was there. Tonight felt different though. He was on edge. Eager to retrieve the woman. He wished like hell that he was charging the compound with the other men. He was the best shot of everyone, but the woman who’d been taken hostage had been niggling at the back of his mind for a month. It was insane, but a part of him wanted to be the one to rescue her. To haul her to safety.

  Which was fucking crazy.

  He didn’t know her. Hadn’t even seen her. Sure, it was intriguing that she was a special agent with the State Department—that was a hell of a lot different than the woman he was usually with. She was probably bossy, brash, and boyish though—not a feminine bone in her body.

  The delicate necklace he’d found suddenly flashed through his mind, contradicting all of that.

  Hell.

  He needed his head in the game, not on some damn fucking mystery woman he’d probably never see again after tonight.

  “We’re in position,” Hunter said in a low voice. “Raptor, are your men ready?”

  “Roger that,” he said as the other men affirmed their positions over the headsets. “Let’s do this.”

  “All right, on my command. Move in!” Hunter said, and Ryker heard rustling as the men charged forward. He clenched his jaw, watching the compound through the scope of his weapon. There was a thump over his headset as the men breached the wall and landed on the ground on the other side. He wished he had eyes on what was happening inside. He had a perfect view of the exterior though. No one who emerged would make it past him.

  Ryker heard the sound of a door being kicked open. “Building one is empty,” Raptor said. “Men, move forward and search the next.”

  “We’re on the other side of the compound. Entering now.” A door was smashed open, and Ryker heard a woman wailing. “Stay down, stay down!” one of the SEALs commanded in Arabic.

  “We’ve got another woman with children here,” Colton said. “Three young kids. Move them over to the side. Let’s keep searching!”

  “Fucking hell,” Ryker muttered.

  Gunshots pierced the air, and the men returned fire. “Two hostiles down,” Hunter said. “Repeat, two hostiles down. Moving in to another building.”

  Ryker narrowed his gaze as he saw movement atop the wall before one of the enemy combatants hauled himself over. Ryker aimed directly at him and took the shot, watching as the man slumped to the ground. “Just took out one guy trying to escape out the east side,” he said in a low voice. “No other movement here.”

  “We’re entering the third building,” Raptor said, and there was a crashing sound as his team breached another door. A child started crying, and someone cursed over the headsets.

  “Mason and I see what looks to be a small storage building close to the perimeter—no windows. Hell, that looks like blood on the ground,” Hunter said. “Moving in.”

  “Damn, that’s definitely fresh blood,” Mason said in a low voice.

  The door was kicked open, and gunshots sounded again. “One hostile down,” Hunter said. There was a scuffle as the men moved in and kicked away the dead man’s weapon.

  Ryker’s gaze swept the exterior of the compound again, fully alert as he waited for additional information. His finger grazed the trigger of his weapon, ready to fire if anyone else came over the wall.

  He held his breath, clenching his jaw. If the kidnapped woman was dead, it would be on them. Their job was to move in and rescue her. To get so close and have her injured or killed now?

  It was unfathomable.

  Hopefully just some jackass terrorist had been injured. But finding fresh blood on the ground? Something was up.

  “Holy shit,” Mason said over the headsets. “We’ve found the hostage. Repeat, we’ve found the hostage.”

  “Condition?” Raptor asked.

  “Unconscious. She’s lying on the ground out cold. Looks like an abrasion and lump on her forehead, and her pulse is weak but steady.”

  Blood pounded through Ryker’s veins, thumping in his ears with every heartbeat. He released his breath, ready to go tearing over that goddamn wall himself if they needed him. “Grab her and go,” he said roughly. “We’ll circle around and meet you at the helicopters.”

  “Damn it,” one of the men on the Coronado team exclaimed into the headsets. “They’ve rigged this section of the compound with explosives. We have to move out another way.”

  “Head over to where we entered on the west side,” Hunter commanded. “We’ll rendezvous there and all exit together.”

  “Negative,” Colton interjected. “They’ve laid a tripwire here—probably that jackass that we just killed. We’ll have to go out where Ryker and Noah are positioned.”

  “Roger that,” came the reply.

  “SITREP?” Hunter asked.

  “No movement here,” Ryker said. “Not a goddamn soul in site. I’ll provide cover when you come over the wall in case some other insurgents approach. There’s one dead body on the ground.”

  Mason grunted over the headsets. “I’ve got the hostage—let’s move on out.”

  There was a muffled sound as the men began moving away, and Ryker heard the sound of a woman and several children wailing in the background.

  Jesus Christ.

  “Did you find the leader of this goddamn place?” he asked into his mouthpiece.

  “Negative,” Colton replied. “He’s either still hunkered down somewhere, hidden, or he managed to escape. No time to stop and check now though—the hostage needs medical treatment.”

  “We’re approaching the wall,” Hunter said
in a clipped tone. “Don’t fucking shoot us when we come over.”

  “Roger that,” Ryker said. “I’ll stand down.”

  “Hook, I see you up ahead of us,” Raptor said, calling Hunter by his nickname. “We’re right behind you.”

  Ryker saw two hands gripping the top of the wall through his night vision goggles as one of the SEALs began to scale it. A moment later, Jacob was hauling himself atop of it and reaching back to assist.

  Ryker glanced over at Noah, who nodded and signaled to him, and then Ryker was running forward to help collect the injured woman. Two other SEALs came flying over the wall, weapons ready, and then Jacob was lowering the woman into Ryker’s arms.

  He grunted, dismayed by the sight of the angry gash and lump on her forehead. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and her face looked far too pale against the shock of her dark brown hair, but then he was turning and moving away with her in his arms. Gunfire sounded in the distance, and he shifted positions, hauling the fragile woman up and over his broad shoulder.

  His arm locked around her slender waist, holding her in place, and he jogged toward the waiting helos, not liking the moans that she made.

  She was alive though. Secure against his shoulder. No one else would fucking touch her.

  And nothing was stopping him from getting her the hell out of there.

  Chapter 7

  EMILY MOANED AND TURNED her head to the side, pain shooting through her with the slight movement. Her head throbbed, and nausea roiled through her. They’d found her hiding in that supply hut. Screamed at her in Arabic. Hit her over the head with something.

  And now?

  Her body jostled with movement, and she whimpered. Were they taking her somewhere else? What has happening?

  Someone was carrying her, she realized, someone big.

  She blinked, her eyelids fluttering. Strong arms cradled her close to a broad chest, jostling her slightly as the man jogged forward, carrying her as if she weighed nothing.

  And what was that strange sound?

  A light shone at them in the middle of the darkness, and she caught a brief glance of a U.S. flag stitched onto a desert camo uniform. Deep male voices shouted around her, and she wanted to cry in relief if she could just muster up the strength. She felt safe for the first time in over a month—relieved.

  She didn’t know who the man was who held her, or where they were going, but she’d been rescued. Saved.

  He held her even tighter as they boarded the helicopter, and he smelled of sweat and the desert and something else distinctively male.

  She shut her eyes tightly against the onslaught of pain as she was laid down on the hard floor. The constant whomp, whomp, whomp of the helicopter blades was exacerbating her headache, but she’d listen to that sound all day and night if it meant she was finally on her way to freedom.

  Something cold was laid over her forehead, and she shuddered and cried out.

  “Easy sweetheart,” a deep voice said. “We’ve got to get the swelling down. It looks like the bleeding has stopped.”

  She opened her eyes and saw a man crouched beside her. He was holding onto her shoulder, she realized, steadying her as the rest of the men jumped on and the helicopter lifted off the ground. She helplessly reached out and clutched onto him, and his large, gloved hand held hers as her eyes watered.

  It was crazy to be clinging onto this man.

  She’d rode in helicopters before, provided security to all sorts of important government officials. But at the moment?

  She was weak. Injured. Scared.

  Helpless and dependent on him.

  This one guy was the calm in the midst of chaos.

  Voices shouted around her, over the loud noise of the helicopter. “ETA is seven minutes,” one man barked out. “Tell them to have a medic waiting when we arrive.”

  The man kneeling beside her lifted up his night vision goggles, and despite the dark interior of the helicopter, she could sense that he was looking at her. Watching her closely. She could barely see him, but she clung onto his hand like he was her lifeline.

  “What’s your name?” he asked urgently.

  “Em—Emily.”

  “Good,” he murmured, ducking down so that she could hear him. “Do you know where you are?”

  “In a helicopter?”

  “That’s right. We’re heading back to base—the same place you were taken from over a month ago. We rescued you from your kidnappers. You’re safe now.”

  She whimpered again, and another man knelt beside her, taking her pulse. “Are you in pain?” he asked gruffly.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Quick, give her some morphine!” the first guy at her side said. “Don’t let her just lie there.”

  “Easy, Ryker,” the second man said. “Let me do my goddamn job first.”

  She blinked, beginning to feel dizzy. Her grip was lessoning on the first man—Ryker’s—hand. She’d feel better if she could just close her eyes for a moment and get some rest. Then she wouldn’t be so damn confused. Then everything wouldn’t hurt so much.

  “Shit, she’s crashing!” Ryker yelled.

  She surrendered to the darkness once more.

  FOOTSTEPS PACED AROUND the room as Emily began to groggily stir. Her head still throbbed, and she was lying on some sort of bed. Where the hell was she? Had she dreamt that she’d been saved, or was she really free from that godforsaken compound? From those horrible men?

  “I think she’s coming to,” a female voice said, coming closer.

  “Well make sure you fucking help her,” a man gruffly replied. “She looks like she’s still in pain.”

  “Easy, Ryker. You shouldn’t even be in here,” the woman said. “You know that as well as I do.”

  “Like hell I shouldn’t. We pulled her out of a fucking terrorist compound. I carried her onto the damn helo myself. I’ve got every goddamn right to see how she’s doing.”

  Other male voices joined in the conversation, and Emily mumbled, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

  “We need to stabilize her, and then I’ll see about you visiting.” the woman said. “Why don’t you go wait in the hallway while I check on the patient. You’re disturbing her.”

  Emily felt something pulling at her arm, and she realized there was an IV stuck into her vein. She blinked, finally opening her eyes, to see a military doctor standing before her. “Welcome back Ms. Swenson,” the woman said. “I know quite a few people will be happy to see you. But first and foremost, how are you feeling?”

  “Awful,” she croaked. “How long have I been out?”

  The doctor cleared her throat. “The SEAL team brought you back to base at oh-four-hundred this morning. You’ve been asleep for six hours.”

  She sputtered, trying to sit up.

  “Easy now,” the doctor said. “You need to rest. You’re dehydrated and malnourished. We’ve run some basic bloodwork but will do some additional tests today. We’ve given you pain medication as well, which is partially why you’re feeling so groggy.”

  “Okay,” Emily murmured. “Can I get some water?”

  “Yes of course,” she said signaling to a nurse who then exited the room. “And I know this is a delicate question, but I need to ask so that we can make sure you get proper medical care—were you sexually assaulted in your captivity?”

  “No,” Emily said, wincing as she shook her head. “Thank God, no.”

  “Other injuries?” the doctor asked.

  “My head—they hit me last night when I almost escaped. And my ribcage. Most of the time, they just moved me from place to place and didn’t really touch me thank God. I didn’t get much to eat or drink and know I lost a ton of weight. I was constantly stressed out and scared.”

  The doctor nodded, making some notes. “We’ll have psychologists available to meet with you, to go over your ordeal.”

  “No,” Emily interrupted. “I don’t need to talk to them.”

  “Not right now, perhaps, b
ut of course State will require it before you can return to duty. You won’t even be allowed to have your issued weapon back until they confirm you’re fit for duty.”

  “Damn it,” Emily muttered. “I don’t even have it anymore—they took everything when I was kidnapped. Bastards.”

  The doctor chuckled. “You’re a fighter—I can tell. Anyone would have to be to survive being held that long. You’re in remarkably good condition though, all things considered. And fortunate in many ways that it wasn’t far worse. I was concerned we’d have to transport you to a military hospital, but it’s possible we can get you on a flight home.”

  “God, home. That would be amazing. They kept moving me from one dark, cramped room to another for weeks—I think they were saving me for that terrorist asshole. They wanted me to become his wife—”

  “Fucking hell,” a deep male voice interrupted as a buff military man stepped through the doorway.

  Emily’s mouth nearly dropped open in shock at the man entering her room. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, and despite her weakened state, she couldn’t help but let her gaze briefly run over him.

  He was tall, with dark cropped hair and stubble across his firm jaw. The slight circles under his gray eyes told her he hadn’t gotten much sleep recently, but his dark gaze bore into hers. He was athletic looking, with lean muscles and tightly leashed strength. Maybe he didn’t have muscles on top of muscles like some of the other military guys she’d seen, but he looked positively lethal, almost like a panther waiting to pounce.

  “Ryker, I told you that you should wait out in the hallway,” the doctor said as she moved toward him. Emily almost laughed. There was no way the slight female could get him out of her room if he didn’t want to leave.

  “I’m just checking on her,” he said, glancing from the doctor back to Emily. Dark eyes penetrated hers. “Are you okay? I can’t believe that mother fucking asshole was trying to make you one of his wives.”

  Ryker.

  As in the guy who’d carried her onto the helicopter, holding her closely against him. Had he rescued her in the compound as well? He’d seemed almost gentle with her as he’d lay her down in the waiting chopper—he’d let her cling to his hand while they lifted off.