There were hundreds who’d gone missing. The DOD didn’t even know half of it.
“Get home and finish packing your gear,” the CO said, glancing down at his phone. “We just got another SITREP. Attempts are being made to run Rodriguez out of his mansion in Bogota. If he’s hiding out, it will be harder to find him. We go wheels up at 0700. Less than two hours from now. Dismissed.”
The men were on their feet in an instant, moving toward the door of the bullpen. And this was why Colton had never been in a serious relationship. Deploying on less than a couple of hours’ notice didn’t sit well with most women. Not when he couldn’t tell them where he’d be going. How long he’d be gone.
Not when he’d up and leave at a moment’s notice.
He walked out of base, the other men talking around him. Colton’s gear had been packed and ready for imminent deployment. He’d grab a shower, gear up, and be back on base in less than an hour. Going to Colombia and leaving without Camila was not a goddamn option though.
Chapter 7
Camila’s head pounded as she blinked and opened her eyes, the darkened room around her slowly coming into focus. Her mouth was dry and her stomach lurched as she tried to sit up from the mat she was lying on, her muscles stiff from the cramped position she’d been sleeping in. She fell back to the ground on her side, whimpering, but realized that she was unbound. Unharmed.
Aside from a slight ache in her upper arm from where her bodyguard had gripped her, she’d been left untouched.
For now.
She shuddered and hugged herself more tightly as her stomach roiled.
She felt too weak to do anything other than lie there, slowly breathing in and out. Slowly letting everything come back into focus. Hoping that the nausea would go away. What kind of chemical had been in that cloth they’d held over her face?
What else had they given her?
She recalled her bodyguards rushing into the café. Turning on her. She may not have been part of her father’s operations, but everyone knew what he did.
Why they kidnapped women.
She clasped her legs tightly together, as if that would somehow prevent anyone from harming her. The silky sundress she was wearing had felt seductive and sexy before. Perfect for an afternoon of shopping and leisure. Maybe catching the eye of an attractive man as it swished around her legs as she moved.
Now she felt practically bare.
Exposed.
The thin material clung to her breasts, accented her shapely hips.
She gasped, panic rising within her. One of those animals could tear it right off her in an instant. And they wouldn’t be gentle. They’d use and abuse her until there was nothing left.
She closed her eyes, blowing out a breath as her heart pounded and alternating waves of hot and cold washed over her. Was she having a panic attack? Responding to whatever they’d drugged her with?
A quiet cough from a few feet away had her opening her eyes once more. Blinking as she again took in the room.
Three other women lay on mats scattered around the floor, one in torn clothing. A purplish bruise was forming around her eye, and Camila’s stomach lurched as the woman turned to the side and vomited. The smallest sliver of light was coming in through the lone window, a dark cloth tacked up over it. It was too high up and too small for any form of escape.
Not that Camila expected to be able to run freely if she somehow did manage to get outside. Aside from the fact that she was clad only in her dress and heeled sandals, no doubt wherever they’d taken her was guarded.
And she was weak. Sick from whatever they’d drugged her with.
The concrete walls and floor and chill in the air made her think they were underground. Beneath a house or building perhaps. The cellar of a home or mansion.
Her own father’s massive estate flashed through her mind. There were armed men constantly coming and going, forming a barrier of protection around the perimeter. None of that mattered now that her father’s men had turned on him. On her. When her bodyguards had rushed into the café, she’d assumed they’d escort her out the back door. That it was unsafe out on the streets, or they saw someone they didn’t like the look of.
Never in a million years did it occur to her that she’d be the one they were after—the biggest prize of them all.
Camila felt someone looking at her, her eyes settling on a young woman to her right. She had on jeans and a thin camisole, and her feet were bare. Dark circles under her eyes made her look even older than she probably was, and her hair was tangled and matted.
“Where are we?” Camila asked, her voice weak.
“Holding cell,” the woman said, pushing herself up into a sitting position and leaning against the wall. She stretched her legs out in front of her, somehow managing to look unfazed by their current situation.
“A holding cell?”
“I’ve seen four women come and go,” the woman said, coughing. “Today. Several others came and went yesterday. And the day before that. Nobody stays here for long.”
Camila again tried to sit up, her body feeling like it was weighted down. Her arms wobbled, unsteady, her muscles refusing to hold her up. She collapsed back down to the mat in a huff of frustration.
“The drugs they gave you will wear off—until the next round. They barely give us any food or water down here, but what they do is laced with something. You’ll be out for hours afterwards. They want us weak and complacent. Not much you can do unless you want to starve to death. Or die of thirst.”
“How long have you been here?” Camila asked, her head spinning. Just that simple act of trying to sit up had left her reeling. If anyone were to come in here and take her?
She’d have no chance of fighting them off.
No hope of escape.
The woman shrugged. “A week maybe? Don’t know. Don’t care. I figure this has got to be better than where those other women were taken. They give me a little food and water, and I spend the day sleeping. No one has touched me.”
Her eyes ran over Camila, taking in her expensive dress and shoes. “How’d you end up here? You don’t seem like the type of woman they’d normally target.”
“Horrible luck,” Camila muttered. “And lots of enemies, apparently.”
“I’ll say. You’ll probably be the next to go. They can make a pretty penny off someone like you.” Her eyes ran over Camila again. “Unless they’re holding you for ransom? Some rich boyfriend or husband to come rescue you?”
Camila’s stomach tightened. “My father,” she murmured.
The woman chuffed out a laugh. “Wonderful. A daddy’s girl. You’ll probably be out of here in no time then. Unless they can make more selling you to the highest bidder.”
Camila pressed her lips together. The women who were sold as sex slaves were usually never seen again. But being held for ransom didn’t mean she’d fare well either. Did they take her for money? Or to lure out her father?
He could pay a ransom, and it’d still be possible they’d never let her go.
Not when she was the bait that all those men would love to claim.
Her lower lip trembled, and she bit down into her flesh, refusing to give in to her despair. Refusing to give the men who’d taken her any of her tears. What had she just told Rosa the other day? She could take care of herself.
Inexplicably, her mind flashed back to Colton. His warm brown eyes, muscled hands, and commanding presence had soothed her in a way she didn’t think was possible. Not when she’d never needed a man in her life before. Someone like him would always make sure she was safe and secure. A man like that would tear down walls and fight wars to get her back.
But right now?
She had no one on her side.
She wasn’t his.
Her father would come—maybe. He’d send some of his men at least. But would that be more about saving face or rescuing her? And if he did show up or send a team in after her, would her captors really let her go?
“How long have I been here?” s
he asked the woman.
“Probably fifteen hours or so. They brought you here yesterday afternoon—the guy carrying you in wanted to rip your dress off you right here in front of everyone. The others wouldn’t let him.”
Camila shuddered.
“I guess you’re too valuable for that. They haven’t touched me yet either—can’t pretend to know why. I don’t know how many women are being held here. Most don’t seem to stay very long. And the men running it like to sample the merchandise, if you know what I mean.”
Camila muttered a curse as a woman a few feet away started sobbing. “I shouldn’t be here!” she wailed. “I need to go home!”
“Shh, sweetheart,” the woman clad in jeans said. “Don’t let them hear you.”
“What’s your name?” Camila asked.
“Mariana. You?”
“Camila.”
“Don’t expect to get out of here,” Mariana said. “One way or another—they own you now. It’s easier to accept that.”
“I’ll never accept that,” Camila said, disgusted.
Mariana shrugged. “Maybe you’re lucky. You’re rich. But the rest of us? We don’t have a chance.”
Chapter 8
Colton sank down into a seat on the C-17 cargo plane, dropping his duffle bag beside him. In his combat boots and fatigues, fueled by caffeine and power bars, he felt ready to take on the whole damn world. To track down the infamous drug lord and find the kingpin’s daughter.
Wherever the hell they’d taken her.
Virginia Beach and Little Creek were far in the distance, thousands of feet down below them. The plane banked slightly to the right, the roar of the engines loud enough to briefly distract him from the thoughts running through his head.
Hunter grabbed the seat across from him, his anchor and snake tattoos peeking out beneath his white tee shirt as he moved. He tossed his camo shirt onto the empty seat in front of him, stretching out his legs.
“One nonstop flight to Bogota, coming up.”
Colton smirked. “Not exactly a vacation.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Did you read that background briefing from the CO? About why cocaine production is up? The Colombian government reduced eradiation of the crop fields to have less fighting with the cartels. Less fighting but more drugs. That shit is fucked up.”
Colton raised his eyebrows. “Guess it backfired. They’re still fighting—just against each other instead of against the government.”
“Hell, maybe that’s what they wanted. Doesn’t exactly bode well for the U.S. with the insane amounts of cocaine being smuggled in.”
“Even if we nab Rodriguez, what the hell good does it do? Some other guy will just take over and run the operation.”
“It sounds like they’re hoping for answers. Bring him in, bring them all down.”
“Yeah. Not sure that’s exactly how it’ll play out. And that sure as shit doesn’t help all the innocent women they’ve taken.”
“You’re fucked,” Hunter said, shooting Colton a knowing look.
“That’s helpful,” Colton muttered, grabbing his noise-cancelling headphones from his gear. Maybe Hunter would take the hint. He wasn’t exactly in the mood to listen to the rest of the team banter. Between rushing to base for their early briefing, heading back home to grab his gear, and hauling ass back to deploy?
He’d barely had time to think, let alone consider all the repercussions of what was happening.
To be so damn close to Camila and unable to help her?
Not tasked to find her?
That shit was eating him alive.
The noise of the plane was a good distraction, but if it meant he’d have to listen to his teammates, he was more than willing to pull on his headphones, close his eyes, and deal with his innermost thoughts.
“We’ll find her,” Hunter assured him.
Colton stuffed his headphones back into his bag. “Don’t see how,” he said. “Those women that are kidnapped are shipped off all over the damn world. There’s no telling where Camila is—she could be on the other side of the planet by now. All those surveillance devices I planted on her things in Miami don’t help a damn now that she’s missing. They left everything of hers behind in the café.”
Hunter scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Hell. You think they’d send off Miguel Rodriguez’s only daughter? Sell her to the highest bidder?”
“How the hell should I know?” Colton asked.
“They’ve got plenty of women for that sort of seedy thing. An entire drug running operation built around it. This was an inside job, and they have him at their fucking mercy. Even a cold-hearted bastard like Miguel isn’t about to let his daughter disappear into some sex-trafficking ring. And he sure as shit won’t let her kidnappers hold her forever. Hell, even if he couldn’t care less about her, it’s about saving face. Keeping his image.”
“Say he does go after her. What then? Our op is tracking down Miguel—taking him out if necessary. We find him and we’re done.”
“He’s out there looking for his daughter. We’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
Colton muttered a curse. “And what about all the other women there? You think we can just grab Camila if we find her and stroll on out? Leave them in harm’s way?”
Ryker moved down the aisle of the cargo plane, his large frame sinking down into a seat by Colton and Hunter. “You know where I stand on this,” he said in a low voice, leaning forward with determination written across his face as he eyed them. “You know where the entire team stands—we’re not leaving innocent women in the hands of those assholes. If we find them, they’re coming with us.”
“Shit,” Hunter muttered. “Not sure how we’re supposed to move out a ton of women. Our team’s rolling in on two Humvees. Not that I’d leave them there either.”
“Who else is down there?” Colton asked.
“The hell if I know. DEA agents were tracking him for months. Following the drug money. Gathering intel on his inner circle. It sounded like there are just a few agents left down there now though. As for grabbing him? We’re it. He’s been spotted out in the open, so the Pentagon gave the go ahead.”
“That’s why we’re moving in. We know. It still doesn’t help me a damn bit in finding Camila.”
“I know how you feel,” Hunter said. “They took Emma, remember? I brought her home with me, and they fucking grabbed her.”
Colton frowned. Hunter had met the British archeologist during a brief trip to London earlier in the year. He and Mason had happened to be in the right place at the right time when she’d bumped into him in a pub. When she’d eventually returned to the U.S. with Hunter and terrorists had still tracked her down, Hunter had been the one to rescue her.
It didn’t make his own situation any damn easier though.
Hell. He barely even knew Camila, but the thought of her in harm’s way, being held against her will, had him seeing red.
“Shit,” he muttered.
Hunter raised his eyebrows.
“I only spent one night with her, and I can’t get her out of my head. The thought that she could’ve been hurt, or raped, or worse—it just fucking kills me.”
Ryker smirked. “You, my friend, are totally fucked. She must have been some woman to have you wrapped around her finger like this. You’re as bad as Hunter now.”
Hunter briefly chuckled before grabbing his gear beside his seat. “You think I’m going to complain about having Emma in my bed every night? Not a fucking chance. I’m going over the maps again. We’ll probably have new intel by the time we land, but I want to be intimately familiar with the terrain we’ll be dealing with. Hell. Once we grab Miguel, maybe he’ll have some leads on where they took his daughter.”
“Do we still think he’s somewhere in the city?”
“Affirmative. But as for how long that’ll last? Not a damn clue. Not if he’s out searching for his daughter. And if it’s true that they’re trying to run him out of town, he could be damn well anywhere.”
“Wonderful,” Colton murmured, grabbing his headphones from his bag again.
“I gotta rest up, too,” Ryker said. “I wasn’t expecting an extra early wake-up call.”
Hunter eyed him in amusement. “Did you even get the name of the woman you left in bed this morning?”
“Nope,” he said with a chuckle.
Colton shook his head in disbelief, putting on his headphones. He leaned back against the uncomfortable seat, shutting his eyes. Letting the darkness take over.
Thoughts whirled through his mind, and he clenched his fists.
There was nothing like being so powerful, part of goddamn Navy SEAL team with weapons and equipment and whatever they needed at their disposal, yet feeling so helpless at the same time.
Chapter 9
The plane descended into a remote area outside of Bogota, coming to a stop at the end of a bumpy dirt runway. DEA had left some equipment around for their flights in and out, and members of the Colombian military had been guarding the site now that the Delta team was arriving.
Colton strode down the metal ramp of the C-17 cargo plane, gear on his back, assault rifle in hand, and into the cool South American air. Although it was the start of spring in the southern hemisphere, the elevation of the city made it cooler than other parts of Colombia. Not to mention a nice damn change from the 100-degree desert heat. They’d been wheels-up to the Middle East more times in recent years than he could count.
Stunning expanses of dark mountains and blue sky filled the horizon, and he stopped, scanning his surroundings. Taking a breath of the cool, refreshing air. At the moment, Colombia looked nothing but peaceful and serene.
Save for the rival drug cartels battling one another, the kidnapping ring run by Camila’s father, and the other hidden dangers waiting for them.
The presence of the military surrounding the remote airstrip proved it was anything but calm and quiet.
“Hell of a change from the desert air,” Noah said as he came up beside him, sliding on his aviators.
Colton glanced off in the distance, to the members of the Colombian military at the other end of the runway. “Yeah. I hate to say it, but I like the break from all that damn heat. Doesn’t mean I like the reason we were sent down here though.”
Seduced by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs Book 10) Page 6