SEAL in a Storm

by KaLyn Cooper

  Rita Garcia struggled for a moment to extricate herself from the mattress before she pasted on a smile. “We got rescued!” She extended her arms and herded the three girls in the direction Rayne pointed.

  Next, Rayne found Luna, Sophia, and Gia and took them to the kitchen where she found Mrs. Garcia comforting the other three girls.

  Once everyone was seated, Rayne explained, “In a few minutes, several Navy sailors are going to drive up in SUVs and take you down the hill to where there are three helicopters waiting.”

  “Callie was right,” Elianna declared. “She said the Navy was coming for us in helicopters.”

  As all the girls began to speak at once, Rayne decided to return to the living room and get the last of the hostages. Before she left the kitchen though, she dragged Mrs. Garcia aside. “We have two medics with us. Do any of the girls need immediate medical attention?”

  “Oh, I’m a terrible mother.” She covered her mouth with her fingers. “I should’ve thought of that. We were in a different house before, and the ride was really bumpy in the van. Some of the girls got bounced around.” She glanced down at the girls. “You see, we were in a different house.”

  Shock. Mrs. Garcia was possibly in shock.

  “Mrs. Garcia. Rita. I need you to look at me and concentrate.” When their eyes met, she continued, “Would you please find out if any of the girls need immediate medical attention? I’m going to send one of the medics in here to help you.”

  “Yes, yes, I can do that.” Mrs. Garcia spun around and started with her daughter’s friends. “Are you hurt?”

  On her way back to the living room, Rayne called through her headset. “I need a medic to the kitchen. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Garcia is in shock. During transport from the previous house, a couple of the girls may have been hurt.”

  “Stephen here, I’m on it. Will is outside working on one of the active duty SEALs.” He then added, “All the bad guys in here are dead. Good shooting, men.”

  Damn. An injury. Rayne hoped the young man wasn’t hurt badly.

  Returning to the living room, she started flipping over cushions and mattresses. She finally found Linda Thompson holding her daughter, Charlotte. Cuddled close by, Ms. Rogers held Violet and Brynn.

  As she brought them to the kitchen, she looked back into the living room, not seeing any more humps indicating the last two hostages, Callie and Angelique.

  Don’t panic. They’re here. They’re probably just flattened out so much you can’t distinguish their hiding spot.

  Ms. Rogers grabbed Rayne’s arm as she was about to return to the living room. “I need a word with you in private.” The teacher scanned the girls and chaperones before she pulled Rayne around the corner.

  Both of them glanced toward the mattresses and pillows scattered around the room.

  “They’re not in there.” Ms. Rogers explained, “About two hours ago, Mr. Jaja pulled Callie and Angelique down that hallway. We haven’t seen them since.”

  Did Jaja hide them somewhere else in the house? Or did he take them away?

  Rayne’s heart sank. “Dex, we’re missing two hostages.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Fuck! Hostages were missing.

  Not what any team leader ever wanted to hear in the middle of a rescue.

  “I need everyone on the initial breach to search the house…again. Every closet, every dark corner, under beds. Rip this place apart.” Dex had wanted to shout the order but held his emotions in check.

  “Silas, check the—”

  “We’re already on it, Dex,” his current boss affirmed. “Pulling live feed now.”

  The screech of tires and rumble of powerful vehicles turned his focus to the nine girls and three chaperones. “Rayne, I know your job is the Sedgewick family, but I want you to escort the women and children to the helicopters. They know and trust you. Help get them off the island.”

  Her nod and lack of argument surprised and pleased him.

  When she grabbed his bicep, heat exuded from her touch. “Keep me informed. Let me know where to meet you.”

  He leaned in close to the opposite ear from her comm unit and whispered as softly as he could. “Stay safe. We’re not sure how many men Jaja has working with him on the island.” He watched her beautiful backside as she strutted into the kitchen. He couldn’t bear to think she might get hurt.

  Dex shook his head to clear that horrible idea from his brain and focused on the hunt for Callie and Angelique Sedgewick. His mission wasn’t over until all the hostages were safe.

  After twenty minutes of searching, he flipped personnel to gain new eyes. Dex sent the active duty SEALs through the interior of the house and his breaching team to check the exterior. The rain had returned with vengeance, washing away any possibility of tracking them.

  Stepping out onto the massive porch, he watched the three helicopters silhouetted against the gray dawn as the pilots took advantage of the lighter rain. In the morning haze, Dex scanned the houses nearby. Both teams had already searched every inch of the empty homes.

  Where the fuck would that damn terrorist have taken them? Jaja had a two-hour head start. With a tired sigh, Dex knew they were back to square one. He dropped his chin to his chest.

  He felt her presence before he heard her light footsteps.

  “That was a deep sigh.” Rayne rubbed her hand up and down his back. “In the famous words of Dex Carson, team leader extraordinaire, we’ll find them.”

  “I should be the one comforting you,” he confessed as he wrapped his arm around her and mirrored her movement.

  “Yeah, but you’re the one with the perfect rescue record. That’s why I have faith we’ll find Jaja and the Sedgewicks.”

  Her confidence in him bolstered his conviction. “Back to the War Room,” he ordered. Dropping his hand from her back, he strode to the SUVs.

  On their way down the hill, his secure cell phone rang. “Dex. This line is secure.”

  “Silas here. Sorry, Dex, but you’re losing your SEAL team. They need to meet the choppers at the baseball fields and bug out. The admiral of the fleet off Venezuela is running away from the hurricane, which is now a category two with indications of intensifying. He wants his crews on his decks to assist with the aftermath if needed. Teleconference as soon as you’re back in your secure room. Homeland out.”

  Fuck! Dex had mentally planned to use everyone available to him to start at one end of the island and check every house. That process would now take three times as long.

  The SEAL behind the wheel took a short phone call as the first SUV in the caravan peeled off to the right. “Sir, I know you heard we’re leaving. The other Jeep is headed back to the resort to collect our gear. We’ve been instructed to head straight to the ballfield.”

  “Thank you, lieutenant, for all your help.” Dex wondered if he called the admiral himself if he could convince the man to allow at least a few SEALs to stay, but as a former SEAL commanding officer, he would’ve made the same decision. “We wouldn’t have found these twelve as quickly without you.”

  Dex called SSA Vanessa Overholt to update her on the hurricane.

  “We’re already packing and taking this after-party to Quantico,” she informed him. “The agency plane is prepping now, but I’m not leaving you.”

  “You should go back with everyone else,” he insisted. “They’ll be evacuating the islands soon.”

  “The other counselors can handle these hostages. I’m on your team which means if you’re staying here, so am I.”

  He liked her tenacity, and deep down, he was thankful for her offer. He had no idea what condition the last two hostages would be in once they were rescued, especially after spending extended time with that monster, Jaja. There’s no telling what he’s doing to them, either physically or mentally. He didn’t want to throw all of that at the seasoned counselor, so he kept it light. “You’re just hanging around for that raise, aren’t you?”

  Her boisterous laugh lifted his heart. “If
after this is over you want to give me a raise, I’m not going to argue. In the meantime, I’m going to do my job. You go do yours.”

  As soon as he hung up with his new favorite FBI agent, his Guardian Security phone rang.

  “I heard you’re in need of a new team.” Damn. Alex had some high up connections.

  “Yeah, you volunteering to come play in the mud with me?” Dex chuckled.

  “Sure as hell beats the sand,” Alex replied. “And before you ask, I talked with Silas’s boss. We’re sanctioned and getting paid to assist with your mission…since we were already here vacationing on St. Thomas.”

  “Fucking sneaky of you,” Dex accused.

  Alex laughed. “It’s all about right time, right place. Besides, I would never leave one of my men hanging alone in the middle of a mission, and yours isn’t over until those last two are found. Now, what can I do to help you?”

  “We have a war room set up over here on St. John. Can you get the team here?” Without a helicopter maybe they could get there by boat. He gazed over the rough seas and knew any SEAL team worth its salt would tackle it, but Alex’s mercenaries weren’t all SEALs. Some were Army Special Forces and they even had a few Marine Recon and SpecOps guys.

  “Are you still headed to the ball fields?” Alex asked.

  “Pulling in, now.” Dex looked across the chain-link fence to where the three Seahawks were landing.

  “See your SEAL team off and hang tight. We’ll be there shortly after they take off,” Alex ordered. “Make sure all those civilians guards are gone.”

  Dex chuckled. “You don’t trust anyone, do you?”

  “Not unless they’re on my payroll,” Alex confirmed.

  It only took a few minutes for the SEALs to load their equipment and bags. After personally thanking each one, Dex made the rounds of the civilians, requesting that they keep the SUVs until the other two hostages were found. Several volunteered to help with the hunt but Dex didn’t want to be bothered dealing with civilians so he suggested they contact John, the police chief. That man had his hands full.

  Dex gathered his team together and explained that more help was on the way and they should get out of the rain and wait in the vehicles.

  Sitting behind the wheel made him antsy. He had always hated the sit-and-wait part of any mission. He felt as though he needed to be doing something more.

  Dex yawned and stretched, fighting off fatigue. He wondered if he could sneak in a twenty-minute combat nap. He laid his head back and closed his eyes.

  Rayne drifted into his mind every time he tried to clear it. She sat in the next vehicle over carrying on an animated conversation with Will and Stephen. Having her so close during this mission brought back so many memories of their time together in Nigeria. They had become such good friends during those months prior to the failed op to capture Jaja.

  Then there was their kiss on the beach filling him with warmth and desire for more. He wanted to touch those firm breasts of hers, take them in his mouth and suck hard, then kiss his way down her naked body. Finally, he would kiss her hard bud of desire before taking it in his mouth. In his dream, she tasted the same as she had over a decade ago. He could practically feel her scrape her nails over his scalp as she called out his name when she came.

  “Dex.”

  Her voice sounded so real.

  “Dex. You need to wake up.”

  He bolted upright and glanced at the passenger seat. Rayne was in his SUV.

  When the hell did she crawl in? How the fuck did he miss her opening the door? Christ. He was completely losing his edge. Maybe it was a good thing he retired.

  Concern written all over her face, she asked, “Dex, are you okay?”

  With his big hand, he swiped the sleep from his face. “Yeah. Guess I fell asleep for a few minutes.”

  “We’re all exhausted.” She glanced down the line of vehicles. “Which is why I’m here. Do you know how many people are coming? Or how soon? Can some of the guys go back and get some sleep?”

  They heard the loud whomp whomp whomp of a large helicopter in the distance.

  “Sounds like the cavalry is arriving,” Dex noted as he opened the door and got out of the vehicle. He couldn’t stop smiling as an old Army Black Hawk headed straight for the ballfield. As soon as it landed, Alex was the first one out the side door.

  “Damn, it’s good to see you.” Dex smacked his other boss on the back and pointed toward the vehicles. “There’s space in each one. We’ll pull out as soon as everyone is loaded.”

  “Which are we in?” Alex’s question assured Dex that they were going to be riding together.

  In just a few minutes, they were at the resort and, once again, sorting out accommodations. Alex’s crew took over the spaces recently vacated by the active duty SEALs.

  Back in the War Room, the hotel had once again provided a buffet. Just as they were finishing brunch, the Department of Homeland Security logo began to spin on the flat screen and conversation ceased.

  Silas appeared at the now-familiar desk. “Alex, thanks for picking up the slack. We really don’t have much to update. The team here in Washington is working directly with Assistant Police Chief John Winslow. They are checking every house under the guise of warning everyone of the impending hurricane and encouraging them to evacuate. As we identify homes that should be vacant but aren’t, he has a second team approaching those homes with the same spiel. If no one answers the door, we are marking it as a possible hideout for Jaja. St. John is a small island, but so is the police force. Alex, if your men are rested, we’d really appreciate it if you would help them.”

  “We’d be happy to take on that duty, Silas. We all slept last night.” The corners of Alex’s mouth kicked up. “Why don’t you let us check out the homes where the satellites show people who shouldn’t be there. We’re better-equipped to handle those situations than the local police.”

  Silas grinned. “Agreed. Dex, I’d like you and your team to grab a few hours of sleep. Be ready to roll in minutes because when we find this fucker, you’re going after him.”

  Dex stifled a yawn. “Thank you, Si. Believe me, sleep would be truly appreciated.”

  “Gentlemen, you have your assignments. Homeland out.” The screen went black just before the homeland security logo reappeared.

  “So, Alex, where did you find that old Black Hawk?” Dex asked as he stood.

  “We’d hunted down two small sightseeing birds flown by a couple of guys out of St. Croix. They were experienced enough, both with several tours in Afghanistan, but they weren’t sure how those light little choppers would do in this kind of wind. They told us about this crazy old guy and his son in Puerto Rico who were rebuilding Black Hawks. We finally found Rodney and Randy Oster.” Alex took a sip of his coffee before he continued.

  “Rodney flew choppers in Vietnam and some of the first Black Hawks in Grenada, and Randy retired about five years ago from the Army after commanding a Black Hawk squadron.” Alex shook his head. “Randy had to practically tie his father down, the old man wanted to come on this mission so bad.”

  “I’m just glad you found us some transportation off this island,” Dex admitted. He looked around the gathering. “I want everybody to move in for introductions.”

  Each team stood huddled together. Inwardly, Dex smiled. He knew how to make these people talk to each other. “Breaching team, I want you to meet Remi Steel, Flynn O’Rourke, and Gage Ramsey.” He looked across the space at Ethan Steadman and Liam Bridger. “They are former SEALs.”

  Instantly recognizing frog brothers, they genuinely smiled at each other.

  Dex moved on. “Jake Jamison and Zeb Fletcher, Special Forces.” Immediately the four Army Green Berets from the Department of Justice—William Edge, Stephen Clayborn, Devin Martindale, and Robert Taylor—all grinned.

  Moving right along, Dex pointed to the last two men. “This is Nolan Turner, Air Force para-jumper and exceptional medic, and last but not least, Blake Wallace, Marine SpecOps
.”

  “I’d like you to meet my current team.” Dex introduced each man, announcing their branch of service. His gaze stopped on Rayne.

  A shot of jealousy raced through him. He didn’t want her introduced to all these young, virile, available men. It wasn’t as though he had any claim on her. Except there was that kiss last night.

  He had obviously hesitated too long because when he glanced back at her, she looked furious.

  Holding out her hand to the newcomers, she announced, “I’m Rayne Yoshida, Senior Special Agent with the Secret Service. I’m hoping you’ve been briefed on the two remaining hostages, Callie and Angelique Sedgwick. They are the daughter and wife of Congressman Robert Sedgwick, the Speaker of the House. I am the agent in charge of his personal protection detail, and I’m here to assist in the rescue of his family. Dex and I worked together over a decade ago in Nigeria capturing several of the highest-ranking members of the Boco Haram.” She gave Dex an eat-shit-and-die smile showing two rows of white teeth. “This time, I intend to get that son of a bitch.”

  All Dex could do was watch as each man on his former team from the Venezuela mission shook her hand. He noticed as several scanned her slight, but powerful, little body. He quelled the need to run over and throw his arms around her, kissing her in front of everyone, declaring she was his.

  But she wasn’t.

  The satellite phone buzzed in his pocket. Checking the caller ID, it was Silas. Before he could get out his name, his boss for this mission started talking. “Don’t say a word and don’t mention my name. If you’re near people, walk far enough away so no one can overhear our conversation.”

  To anyone who was looking, Dex pointed to the phone, turned his back and walked toward the door. The multiple discussions continued inside the building. Glancing over his shoulder before he stepped outside, he was happy to see that his former team and his new team were bonding. He tried to ignore the fact that several of the men were chatting with Rayne.

  “What’s up, Si?” Dex asked as soon as he was out of hearing range.