“She’s got Camel and Bailey.”
“She can’t use Camel’s benefits. She’s not his dependent.”
“I get what you’re saying, Dirty, but I’m not getting married just so I can take care of Kayla and her kid. They’re fine right now. Besides, I’d like to actually get married because I want to and not because I have to. Plus I want the woman I’m marrying to want me and not my bennies.”
Ryan picked up another magazine to load. “Fine, whatever.” He’d inserted seven of the fifteen rounds when his phone lit up the pocket of his range bag. Since the range wasn’t in the classified areas of HOT, he could have his phone. He pulled it out and swiped up. There was a text message.
Chloe’s gone. He took her.
Chloe was trussed up in the back seat of Travis’s truck—or not Travis’s truck, but rather the one he was driving since his was quite a bit nicer than this one. She lay on the floor where he’d lifted the seats to create a cargo area, her body jostling with every rut of the dirt road he drove down. He’d tied her like a calf—hands and feet bound and joined by one rope—gagged her, and tossed her back here once they’d left the city limits.
But not before he’d slapped her first. Both cheeks. Hard enough to snap her head from side to side. She had a cut under her eye where his college class ring struck. It burned with the salt from her tears while the bone underneath throbbed from the blow.
“Wasn’t smart what you did,” he said to her. “Taking off in the middle of the night like that. Made me look like a fool when everybody realized you were gone. I’d told them all you were going to be my wife, the queen of my castle, and there you went, running away and shacking up with another man like the dirty whore you are. Your mama would be ashamed of you, Chloe Jean Evans. Your daddy would whip your ass.”
He must have seen Ryan drop her off at the salon after lunch. Anger surged inside her for a moment but it couldn’t overwhelm the fear. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, and she didn’t know where he was taking her—or if she’d ever see Ryan again.
Please, Ryan. Please find me. Please.
Her phone was in her purse, which Travis had made her collect before they’d left the salon, and she prayed fervently that Ryan would somehow be able to track her. Avery, JoJo, and Milly were zip-tied to chairs in the stock room and Travis had locked the front door of the salon, turning the open sign to closed. Somebody would find them eventually, but how long would it take? And how far away would they be by then?
She didn’t know how much time had passed, though it seemed like forever in some ways and not long in others. Was he taking her back to Alabama? But if so, why the dirt road? At least she assumed it was a dirt road the way the truck jolted over the ruts.
Or maybe he wasn’t taking her back at all. Maybe he was going to leave her out here to die—or kill her and dump her body. Anything was possible with Travis.
“You thought you’d gotten away with it, didn’t you? But I’ve known where to find you for months. It wasn’t difficult. I just wasn’t ready to come get you yet.”
Fear rushed over her in waves. He’d known? Oh God.
“I’ve been watching you. Whoring around with that military man. Consorting with a representative of the U.S. Government. That’s treason, Chloe Jean. Treason.”
The truck jerked to a stop and he shoved open his door and got out. A moment later, he opened the back door and grabbed her by the arm, tugging her toward him. Chloe tried to scramble away when she realized he had a hunting knife in his hand, but he only laughed and cut the cord that tethered her hands and feet together. Her wrists were still bound, but her ankles were suddenly free as he jerked the bonds away. Roughly, he removed her gag and dragged her out the door.
Chloe’s legs and arms tingled where blood suddenly rushed into her limbs again. Her shoulders and neck were cramped but she straightened as Travis shoved her toward a gray clapboard shack set back beneath a stand of trees. There were four other cars, and she realized there were also a couple of tents set up near the house.
She didn’t speak, even though he’d taken the gag away, because it might anger him. Might spur him into hitting her again.
Dewey Jackson stood in the shack’s doorway. He spit when he saw her. “Mighty disappointed in you, Chloe Jean. Taking up with a gov’mint man like that.”
Travis pushed her up the stairs and into the shack. Inside, the house was empty except for a rusty iron bed pushed against one wall and a couple of folding chairs—and the rows of AR-15s stacked against the far wall. There were boxes and boxes of ammunition, too. ARs were cheap to shoot and deadly because they were semi-auto, unlike most hunting rifles. She’d never shot one until Ryan and his friends took her to the range.
Travis herded her toward the bed, then kicked her legs out from under her so she stumbled the last few steps and fell face first onto the musty mattress.
When she turned over, he slapped her twice more. Then his fingers went to his belt and she cringed because she knew he was going to take it off and beat her with it. The sound it made coming free was a sound she would never forget as long as she lived. Travis doubled it up in his hands and snapped it together a few times.
“I should beat the hell out of you right now,” he seethed. “Teach you not to defy me ever again.”
He lifted the belt high and started raining down blows on her body. Chloe cried out, using her arms to shield her face and curling into a ball so she could make herself as small as possible. Each blow of the belt stung, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She kept her mind on Ryan, on the gentle way he touched her and treated her, hoping that somehow thoughts of him would get her through this. And maybe, just maybe, if she held him in her mind and her heart for as long as she could, she could lead him to her.
Mama had always said that love was stronger than hate. Love was stronger because it was pure, and love would save you if you let it. But did she love Ryan Callahan? Or was she just scared out of her mind and grasping for straws?
The truth blossomed like a rose in her heart, bright red petals opening to the sun. She was scared—but she loved her big bad Navy SEAL like mad. He was the best man she knew, and he treated her like she was a rare and precious treasure. He was everything that was good in the world while Travis was everything cancerous and ugly. Maybe Ryan didn’t love her back, but that was okay. She had enough love for two. And she knew he could love her eventually.
Ryan, please. She focused on him, on the thought of him coming for her, saving her, kissing her again, loving her again—
And the blows stopped. Travis strode away, his footsteps echoing in the empty room. She hardly dared breathe. But then his evil voice floated across to her, his words holding the promise of more ugliness.
“Rest up, Chloe Jean. I’ve got big plans for you.”
22
“We’ll get her back,” Viking said. “Trust me.”
Ryan paced the conference room like a caged animal. He shoved a hand through his hair, spun around when he reached the end and hurtled back toward the other side. All his teammates were there. Hunkered around a computer screen while Echo Squad’s Hacker tried to get a lock on Chloe.
Ryan had been in hell since he’d gotten JoJo’s text message twenty minutes ago. He hadn’t known who was texting him but he’d called the number immediately. JoJo answered on the first ring and told him what happened. Chloe had written his number down in the salon a few weeks ago so they could call him if anything happened to her. Thank God she had.
Chloe had been gone for over two hours now. It had taken an insistent salon customer calling the police before JoJo, Avery, and Milly were found zip-tied in the stock room. As soon as they were free, JoJo sent the message.
But that meant Travis James had a head start. He could have taken her anywhere, but they were concentrating on Benny Green’s farm at the moment. Or some spot between here and there.
“How did we not know he was here?” Ryan growled.
“He didn’t
drive his own vehicle up from Alabama,” Viking said. “And he didn’t use any credit cards. Our intel had him in Cedarville. By all appearances, he still is in Cedarville. There’s activity at his house, his mail still gets delivered, and witnesses have him there as of two days ago.”
“He planned it,” Ryan said as despair rolled through him. “He fucking knew where she was and he planned it so nobody would know.”
“Seems that way.”
“This means she’s in serious danger. He’s going to kill her.” They all just looked at him, and Ryan exploded. “We’ve got to do something. Now!”
“We are doing something, Dirty. You know it as well as I do. Now calm the fuck down and let Hacker try and find her signal.”
Ryan vibrated with fury as he took out his phone and stared at the screen. They’d gone to an unsecured area of HOT in case he got a message from Chloe, but so far there’d been nothing. He didn’t think there would be. Travis James wasn’t going to let her have her phone.
He shoved his phone into his pocket again and swore. If that bastard hurt her, Ryan was going to fucking kill him. To hell with the militia and any issues that could arise. To hell with his career too, because he didn’t fucking care. If he got kicked out of HOT, he’d survive. So long as Chloe was alive and by his side, nothing else mattered.
Money came over and stood in front of him, blocking his path. “Dirty, I know you’re tense.”
“Tense? Were you tense when Ella’s aunt and uncle kidnapped her and took her to Qu’rim? Or were you out of your fucking mind?”
Money held up a hand. “Definitely option two. But dude, I’m telling you that doesn’t help. At a certain point, you’ve got to shove all that emotion into a bucket and slap a lid on it. Then you go get your woman—and kill any motherfuckers who get in your way.”
Ryan gritted his teeth. He knew Money was right, and yet this whole thing was new to him. Not the part where he had to go rescue somebody from the bad guys.
But the part where he felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest and burned alive while still beating? Yeah, that was totally fucking new.
Money put both hands on Ryan’s shoulders. Held him hard when Ryan would have shrugged away. “Welcome to the dark side, Dirty. You’re in love with her and she’s in danger. You’d do any damned thing to help her. Including sacrifice yourself. But remember when we go get her, she needs you just as much as you need her. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Ryan’s temples throbbed. His heart ached. His gut churned. He’d walk through fire to save Chloe. He’d strap on a suicide bomb and stroll into the heart of Travis James’s militia if it meant Chloe would go free. Then he’d detonate the damned thing to protect her from ever being at James’s mercy again. To keep her safe.
But then what? She’d still be alone. And he’d never get to prove to her that she was his as much as he was hers. Never hear her admit she belonged with him. Because she fucking did, and he was going to make her see it.
“Yeah, okay.”
Money patted his cheek. “Good boy. She’s going to need you. But we need you too. Got it?”
“Roger that.”
Fifteen minutes later, when he was going out of his mind, his phone rang. The number made his heart drop. “Chloe?”
“Worried about her?” a male voice said. Travis James.
Fire swirled in his soul. “Not as worried as you need to be.”
James laughed. “You want to save her? Then do exactly as I tell you.”
“All right. What do you want?”
“I hear you’re a Navy SEAL.”
“I am.”
“Best of the best.”
“That’s what they say.”
“Killed Bin Laden and all that, right?”
“Yep.” He hadn’t been on that team, but whatever. He’d swear he was the devil’s daughter in drag if it helped get Chloe back.
“Think you can rescue her?”
“It’s what I do.”
“Then come get her. Alone, SEAL. If I get any hint you’ve got company, I’ll shoot her. If you can breach my perimeter and get to her without getting shot, then she’s yours.”
“I’ll take those odds. But James?”
“Yeah?”
“Unless you’ve got fifty armed men with special ops training, you’re outgunned.”
Travis James snorted. “We’ll see, won’t we?”
The line went dead.
Ryan looked to his team. Viking, Cage, Cowboy, Money, Camel, Blade, Neo, and Shade all looked back at him. Nobody said a word. Hacker leaned back in his chair. “Got the coordinates, if anybody cares.”
“We care,” Viking said.
“Man oh man, that fucker just committed suicide, didn’t he?” Hacker drawled.
“Oh yeah,” Ryan said coolly. He was dead calm now. Determined. Ready to commit violence for the sake of rescuing Chloe. “Viking?”
Viking shook his head. “We’re gonna fry for this one. But no choice, right?”
“Righty-O,” Money added. “Hey, why don’t we call Ian Black? We can’t use HOT assets—bet we can use his. Ain’t that right, Blade?”
Blade, who’d just done some work for Black, nodded. “I’ll call the fucker. He’ll give us the assets.”
“We can pay if we have to,” Money replied. “My wife is a freaking queen with more money than she knows what to do with. And this is the kind of thing she’d be happy to contribute to.”
Ryan loved these guys. So fucking much. “Thanks, Money.”
“Pretty sure Quinn feels the same,” Blade said.
Ryan’s throat was tight.
Neo came to his rescue. “Then let’s rock and roll. We’ve got to go and get Dirty’s woman. And we’ve got no time to waste.”
Chloe pulled herself to a sitting position on the musty mattress and brought her knees up. It enabled her to work on loosening the restraints on her wrists without arousing any suspicion. Not that anybody spent much time checking on her. She recognized a couple of the guys with Travis, though many were new to her. Dewey mostly spit in her direction, but he didn’t say anything else.
She could hear them outside, talking excitedly about something. Then they came inside and started grabbing ARs and ammo until none were left. Chloe’s heart sank. She’d been hoping she could get free and grab one for herself. She was now confident enough in her ability to use it that she figured she could grab a couple of mags and shoot her way out of here.
Except there were none left. Travis swaggered into the room, an AR-15 slung across his chest, greasepaint on his face. Her heart thumped.
“That SEAL is coming for you, Chloe. And I’m going to kill him. Then I’m going to fuck you in every orifice you’ve got. If you’re lucky, I’ll shoot you when I’m done. If you’re not, I’ll let the guys do the same thing until you’re torn and bleeding from the inside out.”
“You don’t stand a chance,” she said, her heart thundering in her chest. “He’s going to kill you.”
Travis’s face turned red. “Watch it, whore. I’ll kill you now if you sass me. He won’t know the difference because he’s not getting close enough to find out.”
“Travis, think about it. If you kill him—kill me—you’re going to bring the law down on you. You’ve never wanted that.”
He snorted. “I’ve been preparing for it my whole life, Chloe Jean. I’m ready now. Besides, once we take care of the two of you, we’re going home. Nobody can tie me to this because I’m still in Alabama. Sheriff Blake will swear to it.”
Sheriff Blake would swear to anything. He’d been taking kickbacks from Travis for years. A little money to look the other way, and then a giant push come election time since the sheriff’s office was an elected position. Funny enough, he’d had no challengers over the past five years. And he wouldn’t have any for the next five, she’d bet.
Unless Ryan succeeded. Then Travis would be in jail and the sheriff would have to step down because it would all come to light.
Travis closed the distance between them and swung with a closed fist, landing a blow on her cheek that snapped her head around and exploded pain in her jaw. She fell to the bed and covered her face with her arms. She heard the sling on his rifle whip off his body, then he jammed the stock against her side again and again. She curled into a ball and retreated to her happy place inside while he beat her with the gun, jabbing her over and over.
Then he was gone and she lay there breathing hard, tears rolling down her cheeks as her body cried out in pain. This was the end. He was going to kill her before Ryan ever got close.
No. Chloe sucked in breath after breath to calm herself. Stop sniveling. Get up. Do something!
She opened her eyes, peeked at her surroundings. When no one stirred, she shifted her position on the bed until she could see the room. There was no one. She was in agony but she made herself sit up. Her eye was swelling where he’d landed a blow, but the other was open enough to see. Chloe whimpered as she shifted her body. Everything ached. But she had to move, had to help. Had to help save herself. She couldn’t leave it all to Ryan. Travis had laid a trap for him, she just knew it. He was too gleeful, too excited about the prospect of Ryan coming for her.
All those ARs. All that ammo. Ryan wasn’t going to make it through the first line. Not without help. Chloe shoved herself to her feet, swaying as everything hurt. There had to be something. Some weapon they’d left behind. Some miscalculation they’d made. These men weren’t trained warriors. They were wannabes who felt tough because they had guns. Their drills were nothing compared to what Ryan and his SEALs did on a regular basis.
Chloe sucked in a breath as hope filled her. For the first time she felt it, that little trickle of hope draining into her like energy to a dead battery. Ryan had told her she had an entire SEAL team at her back.
It was time to act like it. Because they were coming, and these men didn’t stand a chance.
HOT SEAL Hero Page 19
