And now?
This guy seemed gruff and larger than life. A force to be reckoned with, who clearly wasn’t leaving until he got his answers. He’d walked right in here like he owned the place. Like he had every right.
She was partly flattered and partly annoyed—she damn well could take care of herself. It was odd having a stranger checking in on her though, especially a rough and assertive military guy like him. She wasn’t the type of woman that needed a man in her life to protect her. She didn’t need to depend on anyone. Something about his interest made her heartbeat quicken though. He seemed worried about her. Invested in her safety.
She probably looked like hell. He was buff and handsome, he’d literally stormed a terrorist compound to rescue her, and she hadn’t seen a mirror in a month. Not that she was a fussy and frilly sort of woman, but geez. At least they’d let her bathe when they’d moved her to the compound.
He must be Special Forces the way they’d stormed in there—a SEAL? Delta Force?
No, the doctor had just mentioned that a SEAL team had rescued her. It didn’t matter anyway since she’d never see him again after today. He’d go off on another mission. She’d eventually return to duty at State. He could be based in Virginia or all the way out in California for all that she knew.
Funny. Maybe they’d been in some of the same places before and didn’t even realize it. She’d provided security in some less than ideal locations. She probably wasn’t where the SEALs usually deployed though—until she had quite literally became their mission that is.
“I’m fine,” she said weakly.
He raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing a word of it.
“I will be,” she amended, glancing at the IV in her arm. The monitors and machines beeped and hummed steadily around her, and she felt dizzy all of a sudden. Exhausted. Like she could sleep for an entire week and it might not be enough.
“She needs her rest,” the doctor said. “And she deserves to get it after everything that she’s been through. I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Ryker.”
“I just need a minute,” he said in a low voice. “There’s something important that I need to speak with her about. It pertains to her rescue.”
The doctor nodded. “One minute. And then I’ll be back.”
“Is something wrong?” Emily asked as the doctor briefly left the room. “I mean aside from the fact that I was kidnapped. Thank you by the way for rescuing me.”
He nodded and took a step closer. “We were just doing our job. Does the name Mohammad Izallah mean anything to you?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head and then wincing at the movement. He frowned. “Should it?” she asked.
His gaze tracked over her motions as she lifted a hand to her forehead. “Shit. Did those bastards do that to you?”
“Yeah. They got me in the ribs, too.”
His gaze lowered, and she flushed slightly. She was wearing a flimsy hospital gown, covered by the thinnest blanket imaginable. She looked like hell. Why that should concern her, she didn’t know. It’s not like she needed to appear attractive to this man. He’d saved her. It’s not like they were out on a date.
His intense gaze met hers again. “He’s the leader of the compound where you were being held—he heads up a smaller terror group in the area. Not one of the bigger names, but they’re coming into their own. We took out some of his men when we went in to rescue you, but we believe he escaped.”
Emily’s heartbeat quickened, and Ryker glanced at the monitors as the line there jumped. “Shit, I didn’t mean to frighten you. We don’t know where he went. And you’re safe here. No more patrolling base though, all right?”
She bristled slightly. “You think I’m going to get up from a hospital bed and go ride on patrol? I don’t even have my weapons.”
“I’m just saying be careful. My understanding is they moved you around for a month, saving you for him. Am I right?”
She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
“He’s a possessive bastard. He thinks you’re his. His other men didn’t touch you because they were under orders to save you for him. Maybe he doesn’t know much information about you, but weren’t you ambushed on patrol? That shouldn’t have ever happened.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, frowning.
“I’m worried you were targeted.”
“Targeted? That’s impossible. They wouldn’t even have knowledge that I was there. I was part of an advanced team that was sent in for security for some officials at State. No one would know....” Her voice trailed off.
“You’re right, he wouldn’t know. He shouldn’t know anything about you. It could have just been a coincidence. Or he could’ve had someone on the inside. It’s possible there was a mole. That someone set you up—an interpreter, local guide, or someone like that. My understanding is that little harm was brought to you.”
“If you’re asking if I was raped or murdered, the answer to both is no.”
His lips quirked slightly at her smartass reply, but then he frowned again. “A beautiful woman arrives, goes out on patrol, and that’s the Humvee that’s ambushed? Seems like more than a coincidence.”
“Knock-knock!” a male voice said, and another SEAL strode in.
Emily was still trying to work out the way he’d nonchalantly called her ‘beautiful’ as the other guy kept talking.
“Hi, I’m Hunter Murdock. I didn’t mean to interrupt, just wanted to see if you were okay. My team was the one in charge of your rescue mission.”
“I’m fine, and thanks for getting me out of there.”
“She’s not fine,” Ryker interjected.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Just ignore this asshole,” Hunter said. “Excuse my language. We’re heading back to the States soon, but it’s possible you’ll be riding along with us.”
“They’re sending me home?” she asked.
“If all goes as planned. We’re based out of Little Creek, down near Virginia Beach. They might have us stop off at Andrew’s to drop you off.”
“Well hell,” Ryker muttered. “Nobody tells me anything.”
“I’m telling you now,” Hunter said. “And I wanted to notify Ms. Swenson before I told the team. It depends if the doctors here give you clearance to fly, but you’re in better condition than any of us could have hoped. I know you’ve been through hell, but that’s a good thing that they’re ready to send you back to the States.”
“Did Raptor and his boys leave?” Ryker asked.
“Raptor?” Emily asked, feeling more and more confused.
“Another SEAL team that was part of the rescue op. And you know nothing about it, catch my drift?” Hunter asked, raising his eyebrows.
Emily blew out a sigh. “Got it. You weren’t ever here. Neither was this Raptor person.”
Ryker chuckled, and Emily felt her cheeks heating. He looked at her far too closely, and she didn’t like feeling fragile and dependent on this man she didn’t even know.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the doctor strode back in. “Goodness, now there are two of you in here? Both of you are going to have to leave. No arguments, Ryker,” she added before he could get a word in. “I need to assess the patient. If she does well today, she may be allowed to fly home tomorrow.”
Hunter chuckled. “I’ll touch base with you later on, Ms. Swenson. I’m working things out with the CO. And of course your charming and lovely doctor here.”
“Not another word,” she said, shooing both men out the door. Ryker cast one last glance at Emily, and she watched in confusion as he reluctantly left. A nurse breezed in with her water, and she found her mind wandering as the doctor began to list the battery of other tests they’d run.
She realized she hadn’t even gotten to call her parents and best friend yet to let them know she was okay. “Can I make a phone call?” she asked.
“Of course,” the doctor replied. “As many as you want. We’ll do the additional tests, like I me
ntioned, and let you rest for the remainder of the day. If all goes well, the SEALs will then escort you all the way back home.”
Chapter 8
RYKER GATHERED WITH his team in the back of the C-17 cargo plane, leaning forward in his seat as they began to discuss the situation. The roar of the engine had them all huddling together to be heard, and he glanced up to where they’d been sitting before.
Emily lay on a makeshift bed near the front of the plane, looking both battered and beautiful. The lump on her forehead had turned an angry purple, but the color had begun to return to her face after getting some fluids and rest over the past twenty-four hours.
Her silky dark hair stood out against the white blanket, and Ryker shifted his gaze back toward his men.
The last thing he needed was to get involved with a hostage they’d rescued.
Not that she’d want to get involved with him, but Jesus Christ. She was gorgeous. Maybe a little thin and frail thanks to her ordeal, but she still had feminine curves and full lips he’d just about kill to feel moving over him. He hadn’t thought of her romantically as he’d carried her to safety two days ago, but now that the adrenaline from the rescue mission had abated and he’d gotten a few moments to actually look at her?
She was fucking gorgeous.
Not to mention sound asleep and under their care until they arrived back in the States. He shouldn’t even be thinking about her that way, let alone watching her sleep with those thoughts in his head.
“So what’s the latest intel?” Colton asked, bringing Ryker’s mind back to the present.
“It’s believed Izallah escaped the compound,” Noah said. “Why the hell he wanted Emily is anyone’s guess. She was probably just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“So what—he just wanted an American woman to add to his collection of wives?” Ryker asked in disbelief.
Hunter shrugged. “Who the fuck knows? It’s about power and control with those assholes. Someone could’ve seen her on base and gotten a nice, hefty fee for ambushing the Humvee and capturing her. It probably didn’t matter who the woman was; they just needed an easy target. The fact that she’s young and beautiful certainly didn’t hurt.”
“It’s disgusting,” Noah said. “That whole backwards mindset is fucked up.”
“Agreed,” Hunter replied. “It’s also well-known that this asshole is vindictive as hell. Men who haven’t done exactly as he wanted have been found dead with their throats slit. He takes out revenge on those who dare cross him. It’s unlikely he’d come after Emily or that he even knows who she is if he wanted to track her down, unless we believe the theory that there was an informant.”
“Seems unlikely,” Mason said. “That jackass would take any woman. She was just in the wrong place.”
“She needs protection,” Ryker said.
Colton raised his eyebrows. “On the chance she was targeted? Normally I’d agree, but she’s not just some helpless woman. She’s a special agent with State. She’s highly trained and capable of defending herself.”
“She’s injured,” Ryker said. “And she was moved from place to place for over a month. That shit can mess with your mind. We should be more concerned about her safety.”
Hunter crossed his arms, leaning back in the hard airplane seat. He glanced toward the front of the plane where Emily was still sound asleep. “So what, you think we should tell the CO she needs a bodyguard or something? That seems crazy. She’ll be back on U.S. soil. And there’s no proof she was specifically targeted.”
“We need to run with the idea that there was a mole,” Ryker insisted.
“What makes you so sure of that?” Mason asked. “There’s no evidence. We work with all kinds of locals—guides, translators. And she’d just gotten there. If she was somehow targeted, it happened awfully damn fast.”
“It did,” Hunter agreed. “But money talks. If Izallah was paying his guys enough to bring him an American woman, they’d probably go along with it. What would they care if their only job was to get her to him? Maybe they couldn’t touch her, but they’d get paid, and they’re other women out there.”
“So if they wanted some pussy they could get it without messing with her,” Jacob said bluntly.
Hunter shrugged. “Exactly. I don’t see it being a big issue that she was being saved just for him—not her specifically anyway. I think his men knew he wanted a woman. Another wife. It could’ve been anyone.”
“Not just Emily,” Ryker said. At her name, she tossed and turned at the front of the plane. It had to be a coincidence, because the engines were so damn loud, there was no way she could’ve heard him say her name.
Ryker stood up anyway. “I’m going to check on her.”
Hunter nodded, and the other men continued to talk as Ryker moved toward her. Her eyelids fluttered as she slept, and his chest clenched as he saw how fragile she really looked. Jesus Christ, she didn’t deserve any of what she’d been through.
Had she been singled out? Or did she just have some shitty luck?
None of that mattered now, because as he crouched down beside her, her beautiful eyes opened.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” she said quietly. “How long was I asleep?”
Ryker lifted a shoulder. “An hour or so? The guys and I moved to the back of the plane so we didn’t bother you.”
She nodded, trying to sit up, and Ryker reached over and helped her. “Damn, your hands are freezing. Do you need another blanket or something? I can see what we have stashed around here.”
“Yeah, I am cold,” she said, shuddering.
“You need to eat more,” he chastised.
“I’ll remember that the next time I’m taken hostage,” she quipped.
Ryker grabbed the first thing he saw, his camo jacket, and draped it across her slender shoulders. “Touché,” he said. “I didn’t mean it like that. What can I say? Sometimes I’m bossy.”
“Sometimes,” she said sarcastically.
He chuckled, realizing that was probably the first time she’d joked with him. A woman like Emily probably wouldn’t appreciate him telling her what to do. Not usually, at any rate. She’d gone along with most of it for now, being injured and out of her element. She was probably used to being in control though, which was just another reason things wouldn’t ever work between them.
“We don’t exactly have meal service on these trans-Atlantic flights, but I can rustle you up an MRE if you think you can stomach it.”
“Yeah, maybe in a few minutes. I haven’t been too hungry lately.”
The plane jostled as it went through some turbulence, and Emily reached out and grabbed Ryker’s hand. He unconsciously let his thumb skim over her knuckles as she held onto him, barely even realizing what he was doing. “It’s all right,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” she said, shakily pulling her hand away. “I didn’t mean to grab onto you. I’ve just been a bit on edge since—well. You know.”
“Since we rescued you,” he said, his voice rough.
Warm brown eyes met his, and she nodded. Hell. They’d rescued people before, but they didn’t typically fly them back home with them. Usually the injured remained in the hospital or were sent off to Landstuhl.
And the men they rescued were usually that—men. American soldiers. Not a beautiful woman that clung to him when she was frightened.
He should move back to where his buddies were and just let her rest. It was a hell of a long flight, and Ryker knew Emily had to be exhausted. The way she looked at him slayed him. She trusted him—of that much he was certain.
But he sure as hell didn’t need to grow attached to a woman like her. Yeah, he wanted to protect her. That was his job. His duty. He’d sworn to protect the innocent, to fight for his country. She was an American citizen. She deserved his protection.
But now?
After they landed, they’d go their separate ways. Why that thought pained him, he didn’t want to examine too closely.
“So wh
at kind of MREs do you guys have anyway?” she asked.
Ryker chuckled, reaching over to grab his rucksack. He rustled around, pulling out two choices. “Beef stew or mac and cheese.”
“Mac and cheese,” she said.
He tossed it toward her, and she fumbled with the package, dropping it. “Shit, sorry,” he said, reaching over. He handed it to her, his fingers brushing against her own cold hands. “Jesus, let me get you a blanket or something,” he said, standing up. She tore open the MRE as he crossed toward some of their gear. Grabbing their emergency supplies, he pulled out one of the thin, reflective blankets intended for warmth.
“Here you go,” he said, handing it over to Emily. “This will keep you nice and warm.”
She laughed, a deep, throaty sound that he felt in his groin. “They’ll see me coming for miles with this covering me.”
“Luckily they’re expecting us at Andrew’s,” he replied.
She took a bite of the mac and cheese, wrinkling her nose. It was cute as hell, not that he thought she’d appreciate his saying that.
“Not exactly a gourmet meal,” he said with a chuckle. “If you hate it, I’ll trade you my beef stew.”
“I already took a bite,” she protested.
Ryker shrugged. “I’m not picky. All MREs begin to taste the same after a while. And hell, you’re the one who’s been without choices for the past month.”
“God, you know what I’ve been craving?” she asked, taking another small bite of her food. He tried to avoid watching those full lips as she chewed. She still had the angry bruise on her forehead, but those rosy lips were doing him in. Not to mention her deep brown eyes.
“What’s that?” he asked, taking a large bite of his own food.
“Mexican. Pretty much all they fed me was rice and naan—that was better than nothing, don’t get me wrong. But it was bland and awful after a while. I ate it to keep up my strength, but I’d be lying there in my little cot, and I’d have killed someone for a burrito and margarita.”
Kidnapped by a SEAL Page 5