SEAL at Sunrise (Silver SEALs Book 12)
Page 17
“They didn’t see you?” Silas asked.
“No. I’d opened the side door quiet so I wouldn’t bother the people.”
That made sense, but Silas still wasn’t ready to exonerate this kid of any guilt.
He needed more information. “How many men?”
“Two, I think. I don’t know.”
“What kind of gun did he have?”
“A big gun. I didn’t see the other man.”
“You said you heard him. What was he saying?”
“He told them to get on the floor and put their hands on their head.”
Which was why Maggie couldn’t reply to his text.
One more question, for his own comfort more than anything else. “Was anyone hurt?”
The kid shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t see. I don’t think so. I heard no gunshots.”
Silas blew out a breath. That was the one piece of good news.
He probably had as much information about the attackers as he was going to get out of this kid, but the boy would still be able to help him more.
As an employee, he would know this hotel. All of it. The service areas, not just the public areas. It was a long shot the kid would know about the hotel security but Silas could ask that too.
He heard sirens. Someone had called the police.
The sound of automatic gunfire had him stiffening. The sound didn’t come from the direction of the ballroom, but rather from down the stairs. The lobby.
The police must be here but the bad guys had obviously put a gunman at the entrance to prevent them coming in.
“Are there security guards inside the hotel?” he asked the boy.
He shook his head. “There is one outside.”
“Yeah. At the gate. I know.” Silas sighed.
Think! What could he do with what he had?
His eyes widened when he thought of something that might help him.
The NVGs. It might be daytime but that ballroom had no windows. If the lights went out it would be black as night. The bad guys wouldn’t have night vision goggles for a daytime attack, but Silas did.
There’d be light switches all over the damn room. He couldn’t get inside to kill the lights, but maybe he could do something better. Kill the power.
He loosened his hold on the kid, turning the boy to face him. “Do you know where the electrical panel is?”
The boy’s brows drew together in a frown.
From the recesses of his mind, Silas pulled out his limited knowledge of Arabic. Luckily the word for electricity was one he’d had to learn, given some of the places he’d been.
In a mangled mix of English and Arabic, he repeated the request to the boy. Finally his eyes widened and he nodded.
“You know where it is?” Silas asked, afraid to get excited, all while knowing every second that ticked by could mean lives. And one of those lives at stake was Maggie’s.
He’d lost Jonas. He wasn’t going to lose her too.
“Yes, I know,” the boy said.
“Can you show me?” Silas asked.
“Yes.” He nodded with more vigor than before.
Silas hated having to put his faith in this kid. But he was out of options. He had to trust the kid whether he liked it or not.
Resigned, he said, “Show me.”
The kid pointed toward the door he’d come through. “That way.”
On the second floor where there were at least two gunman? Silas blew out a breath.
Could he trust this kid? He didn’t know if the boy was involved somehow with whoever had taken control of the building. The kid was young but he was fighting age. He could lead Silas right into an ambush.
“Where exactly? Tell me.”
“A room. Small. We keep . . .” The kid pressed his lips together visibly searching for the word that escaped him. Finally he rubbed his fingers on his apron and said, “Cloth?”
“Linens?”
The kid nodded.
“You’ve seen the electrical box there?”
The boy nodded again.
A linen closet near the ballroom. That made sense. It could very well have the electrical panel in it that controlled the lights inside. He’d soon find out.
“Okay. Let’s go. You’re going to take me there. Not one word. Understand?”
Wide-eyed the kid nodded again.
Not completely trusting him, Silas kept a tight hold on the kid’s slim arm as he eased open the door with his free hand.
The boy hung back. He couldn’t blame him. The kid had been running away from the gunman when Silas had grabbed him. And now he was asking the kid to go back toward the danger.
The hallway was empty. Luck was on their side.
Silas motioned the kid forward. “Which way?”
The kid pointed to the right, away from the main doors. Perfect.
They moved fast and quiet. The kid, young and underweight, was quick and light on his feet. Finally they reached a door. The boy glanced at Silas and pointed to the door.
Silas reached out but the knob wouldn’t turn. He looked at the boy.
“They lock it,” he said quietly. “People steal.”
The manager must carry the key and only open it when necessary. That was fine. Silas was carrying his own set of keys.
Swinging his backpack off his shoulder, he dropped to one knee on the floor, pulling the kid down with him.
He had his pack unzipped and his lock pick set out in seconds. It didn’t take much longer than that to open the lock, all as the kid watched, wide-eyed.
With the door open, Silas pulled the boy to his feet as he stood. He flipped on the lights and moved inside the room, taking the boy with him and closing the door behind them.
One glance told him the boy had been correct. Half hidden behind a shelving unit was the electrical panel. He opened the cover and saw the circuit breakers inside.
He set his bag on the shelf and reached inside, pulling out the NVGs. He was going to have to be fast. Kill the power and get into the ballroom through the side door while the gunmen were still disoriented . . . and before they opened fire on the hostages.
Silas slid the rope into his pocket, and slipped the NVGs over his head, leaving the lenses flipped up.
He looked at the boy. “I’m going to turn off the lights then go into the ballroom and take care of the gunmen. You stay here and hide. Okay?”
Nodding, the kid looked terrified as his gaze tracked the knife Silas took out of his backpack. Good. Maybe he was scared enough to do as he was told.
“Okay. Going dark.” After pulling the backpack’s straps over his arms, Silas held the sheathed knife between his teeth and used both hands to flip all the circuit breakers off.
With the night vision goggles flipped down and the knife in his hand, he pulled open the door and headed into the hall, running for the side entrance to the ballroom.
Other Books in the Silver SEALs Series
SEAL Strong - Cat Johnson
SEAL Love's Legacy - Sharon Hamilton
SEAL Together - Maryann Jordan
SEAL in Charge - Donna Michaels
SEAL in a Storm - KaLyn Cooper
SEAL Forever - Kris Michaels
SEAL Out of Water - Abbie Zanders
Sign, SEAL and Deliver - Geri Foster
SEAL Hard - J.M. Madden
SEAL Undercover - Desiree Holt
SEAL for Hire - Trish Loye
SEAL at Sunrise - Caitlyn O'Leary
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Caitlyn O'Leary, adores writing Military Romantic Suspense and Paranormal Romance. She started publishing books in 2014. Storytelling has been a tradition in her family for years, and she still holds on to the letters she has received from family members since her childhood.
Caitlyn lives in California with her husband John of sixteen years who often makes guest appearances in her reader group, Caitlyn's Crew. Getting to know so many people within the reader community is almost as m
uch fun as writing each new novel. So join her reader group so she can get to know you, and see if she and John can make it to year seventeen!
You never know what kind of book she'll write next, it all depends on what strikes her fancy. Be sure to keep in touch.
Keep up with Caitlyn O’Leary:
Website: www.caitlynoleary.com
Email: caitlyn@caitlynoleary.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/c5FqPv
Also by Caitlyn O’Leary
Night Storm Series
Her Ruthless Protector (Book #1)
The Midnight Delta Series
Her Vigilant Seal (Book #1)
Her Loyal Seal (Book #2)
Her Adoring Seal (Book #3)
Seal with a Kiss (Book #4)
Her Daring Seal (Book #5)
Her Fierce Seal (Book #6)
A Seals Vigilant Heart (Book #7)
Her Dominant Seal (Book #8)
Her Relentless Seal (Book #9)
Her Treasured Seal (Book #10)
Black Dawn Series
Her Steadfast Hero (Book #1)
Her Devoted Hero (Book #2)
Her Passionate Hero (Book #3)
Her Wicked Hero (Book #4)
Her Guarded Hero (Book #5)
Her Captivated Hero (Book #6)
Her Honorable Hero (Book #7)
Her Loving Hero (Book #8)
The Found Series
Revealed (Book #1)
Forsaken (Book #2)
Healed (Book #3)
Shadows Alliance Series
Declan
Fate Harbor Series
Trusting Chance (Book #1)
Protecting Olivia (Book #2)
Claiming Kara (Book #3)
Isabella’s Submission (Book #4)
Cherishing Brianna (Book #5)