The SEAL's Surprise Bride_Special Forces_Operation Alpha

by Rachel McNeely

  Cheryl was walking back toward the sofa when her cell phone rang again. The black Lab stayed by her side as she answered.

  Heath clicked off his phone. He hated lying to her, but he couldn’t take the chance anyone might pick up on his call. He was getting close to San Diego. Still, he had to hear her voice.

  I’m so glad the Aubrey’s called and asked me to take Zane when they had to move to the assisted living facility. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. Zane was trained to be a good protector, and he already knew Heath. The black Lab was just what I wanted and needed for Cheryl.

  “Mrs. Kenyon, this is Judge Hayes. I’ve been considering moving this case forward to get it finished. We didn’t get much done today. I wondered if my driver picked you up could you come to my house. We’d discuss the information you’d have given me in court.”

  “Judge, you know that would be illegal without the defense attorney present.” Cheryl wrinkled her forehead at the unusual request.

  “He’s agreeable to coming over if you do. I’d rather be able to discuss the case with you both. This episode has shaken me up more than I thought. After this trial, I’ll retire.”

  “All right. I’ll contact the front gate to let your chauffeur in.”

  As soon as she hung up, she called Captain Buchanan. “I was hoping you kept your phone on at all hours.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Cheryl explained the phone call. “Does it sound weird to you? The Judge is a man who never liked me. In fact, he doesn’t like women much at all.”

  “Where does he live?”

  “In one of San Diego’s very expensive areas with guarded gates.” Cheryl gave him the address.

  “I’m uneasy about this, too. But go with the chauffeur. I’ll have some of my men following you. When you arrive, appear to go along with his scheme. It’s difficult to believe the Judge would be mixed up in this mess. But I tend to not believe in anyone until they’ve proven themselves.”

  “I can wear my necklace that Tex put a speaker in and a tracer. He said it was for very special occasions because of the tiny audio.”

  “Perfect. Wear it and be careful. I haven’t heard from Shadow since this afternoon. I’ll get with the team and let them know somethings up.”

  The phone went silent for a moment. “Are you scared?” Captain Buchanan asked.

  “A little, but mostly I’m mad at these creeps. I’ll insist on taking Zane with me.”

  “Good idea. I’m going to get off the line and arrange to have you followed. When the car pulls up, punch in my number. No need to say anything. I’ll have our old truck nearby. Delay getting inside the Judge’s house for a few minutes if you can.”

  “Will do.”

  “Heath’s lucky to have you,” Captain Buchanan said and hung up.

  Captain Buchanan contacted Jackson. He explained what was going down at their end. “I haven’t heard from Shadow, and now the Judge has called to get Heath’s wife to his house, which to her and I both sounded unusual.”

  “Heath is on his way home, right?”

  “Yes. He’ll arrive at the base within the next hour. The plane had gassed up partway on the trip to pick him up, so they turned right around and left. We’re ready to strike.”

  “This is big. We may be getting the tail and the head of the snake all at once,” Buchanan said and hung up. Then he contacted Alec.

  “Get your full team ready. Things may be happening more quickly than we expected. Send Brice ahead. He’s the best at not being seen. If you see anything unusual, call me immediately.”

  “Will do, Captain.”

  Buchanan put down his phone and headed to headquarters to keep in contact with both teams.

  Chapter 13

  Shadow thought the others would never leave. They’d added the three women to the rest of the ones held in the container. They had little air and not much water. He noted the ones in the back, who’d probably been there longer, looked gaunt and weak.

  “A lot of those women won’t survive the voyage,” Shadow warned.

  Otto looked inside and shrugged. “They don’t look near as appealing as they did when we first brought them in. “Most will live, and we’ll fatten them up at the other end before we try and sell them.”

  I don’t know if I’ll ever feel clean again after dealing with these guys.

  “I think I’ll take the first fun time and try out the tiny blonde,” Otto said. She heard him and started crying and screaming. “I love it when they fight.” He started to pull himself up into the container.

  “Wait, let the anticipation grow. I’m hungry. How about you?”

  “Your right sounds good to me, but there’s nothing around here.”

  “Take your car and get us something to eat and drink.” Shadow handed Otto some big bills. Once Otto’s car was out of sight he called the Captain, who answered immediately.

  “What’s going on?” the Captain asked.

  “I don’t have much time to talk, but they are dealing in human trafficking, and they’re shipping women overseas early tomorrow. We’re to guard the women tonight. Mark where my tracker is, and you’ll know exactly where to come.”

  “The information we got was right. Good work,” Buchanan said. “Your friends are trying to find out who is the head of the snake. We suspect it’s Judge Hayes. He’s asked Cheryl Kenyon to his house. She’s going, but she won’t be alone.

  “Since this involves human trafficking, I called the FBI office, as I said I would. They’ve agreed to not interfere with our plans since it’s all occurring so fast. They’ll take over once we’re finished.”

  “I’ll keep my eyes open here. There may be trouble. The guy with me is planning to rape one of the women. He thinks I will, too. I sent him for food so that I could call you.”

  “Stop him, but don’t let him get suspicious. I’m certain you can think of something.”

  “I hope you’re right, or I’ll have trouble forgiving myself.”

  “I haven’t told you or Blaze’s wife, but I sent for him to come home. I’m sure he’d be upset if he didn’t get back here when she’s in so much danger. He arrived a few minutes ago and left to go to Judge Hayes house.”

  “That’s good, but won’t the rest of our team be short with both of us here?”

  “No, extra men from another team rode out on the plane to replace Blaze and you.”

  “Great, they may need it. We’ll have a fight on our hands, too. I get the feeling these guys suspect they’re nearing the end of this job. They’re in a hurry to make as much money as possible. They brought in three more women before we left the warehouse.”

  “Hmmm, I wish we had a way of getting the women out of there before the raid.”

  “I do, too. Ventilation is poor, and the women have not had much to eat. One of the women they brought in last is feisty. She might be able to help inside with the others.”

  “Tell her as little as possible, but it would help if she can keep the women calm. What time do you expect the rest of the gang members to arrive in the morning?”

  “Not before eight or night. They drink and pop pills. Unless they stay off it tonight, it might be later.”

  “Then let’s set our time for five o’clock. You can take down the guy with you. I have two guys watching the warehouse. But, I prefer to let the rest of the gang come to the dockside, and then when they go to trial, it will show the court they knew about the women and were a part of the gang. Otherwise, some smart lawyer may get them off.”

  “I agree. If anything changes, send me a message. I’ll have my phone on vibrate.”

  “Okay. Let’s get these bastards.”

  Shadow chuckled as he punched off his phone. His boss seldom used foul language, but he was anxious and wanting this to go well. Shadow checked the area around him. No one was in sight.

  He peeked inside the metal container. The women were quiet but cried out when they saw the door open. The feisty woman hissed at him.


  “What’s your name?”

  “Anya. Remember my name. If they kill me, I’ll come back and haunt you.”

  “I respect courage. You have it.” He noted the puzzled look on her face and motioned for her to move closer. “Try to keep the women calm. I can’t explain, but it’s better for them if you can do that.”

  “I’m not helping any of you scum.” She moved quickly back to her spot.

  “Then do it for them.” Shadow shut the door when he saw Otto’s vehicle turn into the boatyard. He leaned casually against the container and waited until Otto got out of the car, to say, “You took your time. Did you stop by your girlfriend’s place or something?”

  “What if I did? She lives nearby. I ate with her. But here’s your food. I’m going to visit the blonde while you eat.”

  “Stop. I’m sure you got pleasured by your girlfriend.”

  “So, what?” Otto shrugged.

  “Murphy called. He’s changed his mind. We aren’t to touch the women. He wants them to stay calm and not be in any worse shape before being shipped out tomorrow. He said those were orders from the big boss, whoever he is.”

  “Damn, I was looking forward to teaching her some new tricks.”

  Shadow took the drink, hamburger, and fries. “At least the food’s still warm. You take over. I’m going to find a shady spot to eat.” He glanced at his watch. Time felt like it was dragging. I’m glad Otto believed me. Otherwise, I’d had to take him down earlier than planned.

  Cheryl took her time getting out of the car. She took hold of Zane’s leash and held him close to her as she walked toward the front door.

  “Judge Hayes isn’t going to let that dog in his house,” the chauffeur said as she started up the steps.

  “If he doesn’t go in, then I don’t. You might as well take me back.”

  The man got on his cellphone. He walked further away, so she didn’t hear what was said. When he clicked off his cell, he shrugged. “The Judge said if the dog messes in his house, he’ll sue you.”

  “I’ll take a chance. If he does, I’ll pay for the cleanup.”

  The door behind her opened. “I hate dogs,” Judge Hayes said.

  Zane growled softly. “Zane doesn’t like you, either.”

  “He’d better not bite me.” The Judge moved away and let her inside. “We’ll go back to my office.”

  “You have an office in the back of your house,” she spoke loudly.

  “Yes. Stop yelling, or the whole neighborhood will hear.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her inside. Before he closed the door, Zane had stepped in front of Cheryl, growling loudly this time.

  Cheryl rubbed his fur. “He’s very gentle, but also protective of me.”

  “So, I see.” The Judge locked the door behind her. “I don’t like leaving my doors unlocked,” he said as he led her down a long hallway beside the stairs.

  At the back of the stairs, he stopped. “I have a wonderful storage area under here. Let me show you.”

  Zane’s fur stood up at the back of his neck, and he started to growl, again. Backing off, Cheryl said, “I don’t have time to see your home, Judge. Has the defense attorney arrived?”

  The grin he gave her made her shiver. “He’ll be here momentarily. My office is the next room on the left.” He led her inside. Zane kept his body close to Cheryl and rubbed against her leg.

  “Can’t you leave that mutt outside?” Judge Hayes snapped.

  Cheryl stopped at the door. “No, I can’t.”

  “Stupid, problem woman. The whole world is full of you.” He stomped to his desk and sat behind it. “The only thing you women are good for is to service us men.”

  Blaze sat hidden across the street with the rest of the SEALs who’d followed Cheryl to the Judge’s house. Tex had the audio, where he was monitoring Blaze’s wife turned up loud, so the SEALs across from the Judge’s house heard what was going on between him and Cheryl. One of the guys grabbed Blaze as he started to run across the street.

  “Cool it,” Alec said. “If you can’t, I’ll make you leave.”

  “You and what army,” Heath snarled.

  “They might kill her if they see us or hear you coming.”

  “You think others are in the house?”

  “Don’t you? You know part of the gang has to be in a basement or maybe under the stairs. Cheryl was smart. She didn’t let Hayes get her in there, and she took Zane with her.”

  “I know you’re right. But it kills me having to sit here and wait.”

  “Trust her. Her safe word is ‘now.’”

  “Okay. You’re right.” He settled back down by the phone, where the other SEALs were listening to the conversation.

  “Judge Hayes, what did you need to speak with me about that was so important?”

  He leaned forward. “Young lady, you’ve made my job more difficult. You are too smart for your own good.”

  “Judge, are you saying you’re head of this gang? I find it hard to believe, but you must be if I’m making your job harder. I’m certainly doing all I can to help in this case, and I already put the first boss in jail.”

  “Yes, you did. I never thought Harry was much of a judge. I expected our attorney to run circles around him and you. When he didn’t, I had to take this case and find my man innocent. Never did I believe they’d put you on this case, too. I hoped you’d refuse. We’d threatened your life once. Did you think we weren’t serious?”

  “You are the head of all these terrible things this gang has been doing. I never liked you, but I thought you were an honest man. You didn’t retire because you needed to know how close the authorities were getting to you.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Yes, you have figured it all out. We’re going to get rid of you, but instead of killing you, I’ll sell you to a friend of mine. He’s promised to let me watch him torture you.”

  Cheryl hid her fear. “You arranged to see that those men with guns got into the courtroom.”

  “A good plan, until it was foiled. I knew you had a SEAL for protection, but I was told me they’d leave their guns outside the courtroom.”

  Cheryl laughed. “It doesn’t always work out in your favor. The SEALs’ commanding officer requested no one know about them carrying guns. I didn’t even know.”

  “Too bad for you. We’d planned to take you somewhere and kill you then, but since you lived, you’ll wish for death many times.” He rubbed his hands together. “This will be much more enjoyable for me. I never liked you. You were too smart and knew it.”

  Alec turned to his men and Blaze. “We need to go in now. Blaze will take out the man standing by the car. We’ll circle the house. Join us as soon as you can, and we’ll find a way inside the back. We need to get them before they can call and warn anyone else.”

  Blaze nodded and made his way up behind the chauffeur-guard. He didn’t make a sound before knocking the man out. Heath gagged his prisoner, tied his hands and feet, and hid him under the bushes. He crept slowly around to the back.

  “I suspect this door set close to the ground is how the men get in and out of the lower level,” Alec said. “It’s unlatched. They must be feeling confident. We’ve sprayed the hinges to keep them from squeaking. Once we enter the room, we’ll do what we must to keep them from making a call. Put silencers on your guns. We don’t want to warn the Judge.”

  They crept down the four stairs and carefully slid the interior door to the side.

  They heard a man’s voice complain, “I don’t know what’s taking the Judge so long. He had a chance to open the door upstairs. We’d have pulled her inside.”

  Another man chuckled and added, “I wouldn’t mind having some party time with her before she joins the others.”

  “That’s a good idea,” a third man spoke up.

  Alec nodded to the others. They surged inside. They grabbed the men, and their guns and phones were gone before they realized what had happened.

  Blaze held one of the men who’d commented about Chery
l. “I’m glad you had such fun discussing my wife and didn’t see or hear us arrive. But, since I overheard what you planned to do, I need to show you a little of what I’d have done to you if you’d succeeded.” He pulled back his arm to hit the first guy. Instead, he stopped and pulled him up by his collar. Blaze put his face up close to the gangster.

  “If you’d touched her, I would have killed you with my bare hands.” He threw the guy to the floor. “Instead, you are going to call the Judge and tell him to come quickly. Say you have a problem. Then I’ll cut off your connection. Any deviation and you won’t like what happens. Understand?”

  The other man, who’d joined in the conversation about Blaze’s wife, edged toward the door. Heath strode across the room and stood toe to toe with him. “Did you hear what I told your friend about the repercussions if anything had happened to my wife?”

  “Yes.” The man’s voice quivered.

  “Then I’ll let you off easy.” Blaze hit him in the gut and then tied his hands and feet.

  Alec motioned for Blaze to join him and the others. The three men were tied-up and laid on the floor. Alec spoke softly, “I know it’s best for us not to hit them, but I wouldn’t have said anything if you had beat the hell out of that first guy.” His men nodded agreeing. “I like your lady. She has lots of spunk.”

  “Maybe the two of us need to go upstairs and get her out this mess,” Blaze said. “After thinking about it more clearly, I don’t trust the guy I tied up not to try and warn him.”

  “I agree.” Alec turned to his men, “Keep your eyes on them, and let us know if you hear anyone else coming in.”

  Chapter 14

  Blaze and Alec stood outside the Judge’s office. Blaze’s hands balled into fists.

  Alec took hold of his arm. “He’s a judge. Remember, he may still have friends who will cry brutality. We don’t want anything to get in the way of him going to prison for a long time.”