She’d find a way to escape and get home.
She closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter 22
Ryan groaned in his sleep and then awoke with a start, reality slamming back into him. He jumped up from the small cot in his office on base, nearly knocking the damn thing over. Fumbling for his cell phone on his desk, he saw there were no missed calls. His eyes landed on his office phone, but he would’ve heard that ringing. Besides, if anything urgent had come up, his men would’ve woken him.
“Damn it,” he muttered.
He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, knowing the few hours of sleep he’d gotten had done little good. He’d wasted precious time resting when Sarah was out there somewhere, alone.
Dialing the number for the bullpen, he was relieved to hear Hunter answer.
“There are no major updates,” Hunter confirmed. “The name Jesus Lopez was one he used nearly a decade ago. The police were able to pull new sets of prints from the third hotel room. They’ll be giving us an update within the hour.”
“Roger that.”
Ryan hung up, grabbed a clean uniform, and quickly showered in the locker room and changed before hurrying down to where everyone was gathered. Some of the men from both SEAL teams were there as they’d begun working in shifts.
Christopher and Lexi were already seated at laptops wearing fresh clothes, and he hoped they’d gotten a couple hours of sleep, too. Patrick was at the front of the room talking on the phone in a low voice, and some of the other officers and men from base were gathered around.
“Good morning, sir,” Hunter said, handing him a steaming cup of black coffee.
Ryan briefly did a double take but took the cup from him.
“Did we hear from the police yet about the prints?” Ryan asked.
“Negative. Ice is on the phone with the Virginia Beach PD detective though. Several witnesses saw Juan arriving at the hotel on your wedding day. They’re trying to get a better image of the license plates, but it turns out one of the security cameras in the parking garage wasn’t working.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Ryan muttered. He took a sip of the coffee, the black liquid burning down his throat. “What about other surveillance?”
“We’re on it,” Christopher said, looking up from his laptop. “It’s a hell of a lot easier now that we have a vehicle make and model to work with. We can hack into any security system down there and try to see which way they went. Even if the fingerprints give us nothing, this is a new lead we can chase.”
“Good,” Ryan said. “What about the bridges?” he asked, referring to the long stretch of bridges and tunnels that connected Virginia Beach to the rest of the state. “They have cameras there, too.”
“Already on it,” Lexi said. “I hacked into their system and am running through the security cams for the first twelve hours after Sarah went missing. We should be able to locate the car if he went that way.”
Ryan nodded, his chest tightening. They already knew Sarah had been moved to another location, but knowing someone had driven away with her inside their vehicle made his blood boil. They’d taken her away from him—possibly across state lines, possibly out of the country.
“What about flights?” he asked, frowning.
Patrick walked over, pocketing his cell phone. “I notified all the major airports yesterday. That doesn’t mean she couldn’t have been taken out of the area from a smaller airport though. Or they could’ve driven across state lines and flown from somewhere else.”
“She’d never let them do that,” Ryan said, shaking his head.
“We don’t know what she’d do,” Patrick said in a low voice. “What if they threatened to harm you or me if she didn’t cooperate? Or if they threatened my kids? She’d go along with anything to keep them safe.”
Ryan froze, the horrible truth dawning on him.
She would. Sarah would cooperate to keep him safe if she felt he was threatened. And she’d probably do damn near anything to keep her young niece and nephew from harm.
“We’ve got contacts down in Mexico,” Patrick said in a low voice. “Assuming this guy Juan is tied to them, we could start calling in favors, asking people to look into this. Just because we rounded up the heads of that sex-trafficking ring doesn’t mean it stopped. Hell, the leaders are out there somewhere.”
Ryan nodded. “Agreed. I don’t think they’d keep Sarah here for long. We need to get ahead of this even if the police can’t provide us with more information yet. We can’t wait for a name or a license plate when we already have an idea of where else to search.”
Evan looked up from his seat in the bullpen. “I’ll start making some calls. An old buddy of mine that’s DEA is down there. He can give me some other contacts.”
Ryan looked back to Patrick. “How are your parents doing with all of this?”
“They’re a mess, as can be expected. I don’t think they slept at all last night.”
“I should call them,” Ryan said.
Patrick shook his head. “They know you’re doing everything in your power to get Sarah back. Rebecca’s with them at the house and has things under control. They’d want you to focus on finding Sarah as quickly as possible, not worry about them right now.”
“You’re right. It feels like we’re losing her just standing around here though. Let’s make some calls and pull in everyone else that we can. I don’t want to wait for the PD to get back to us.”
Hunter pulled his vibrating cell phone from his pocket, his eyes widening. “That’s the police detective I spoke with earlier.”
Ryan snatched the phone from him. “This is Captain Mitchell.”
“We’ve got a new name,” the detective said. “The prints from the hotel room had a match in AFIS. This guy got arrested for solicitation two years ago but never served any jail time. His name is Juan Gonzalez. He’s been in the States for several years, and his last known address is down in Miami. The Miami PD are already headed to his home.”
“He wouldn’t take Sarah there,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “Not after everything he did to kidnap her.”
“Probably not, but we’ll search the home anyway. Interview his neighbors. Any and all information found could be helpful in tracking her down.”
“We’ll run his name through our databases here,” Ryan said. “I bet he’s tied to a sex-trafficking ring down in Mexico that my men went after.”
“Yes, your team filled me in yesterday,” the detective said. “I understand the other missing American woman was kidnapped from Miami. We’ll work this locally if you want to pursue other avenues.”
“Understood,” Ryan said.
He ended the call as everyone gathered around him. “They got a match on the prints. His name is Juan Gonzalez. He’s been using multiple aliases, but the prints in the hotel room got a hit in AFIS under that name. They’re going to search his home in Miami.”
“That’s where the other women caught up in the sex trafficking ring were kidnapped from,” Patrick said with a frown.
“Exactly. If he lives down in Miami, there’s a strong possibility that he’s involved in that ring of sex traffickers. If they so much as touch one hair on Sarah’s head—”
“We’ll find her before that happens,” Patrick spat out, his voice deadly.
Lexi was already tapping away at her laptop, running the new name for information. Christopher peered over her shoulder for a moment before taking a seat beside her and running his own search.
“Yep, look at that,” Lexi said. “His name comes up in a recent SITREP. He’s got ties to one—no, make that both of the men arrested and released from jail.”
“Sonofabitch,” Christopher muttered.
Ryan and Patrick exchanged a glance.
“Wait—what are you two thinking?” a senior officer who’d just entered the room asked. “You’re going down there? Because we don’t have a specific location yet not to mention the authority to even conduct a mission like that.�
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“Fuck protocol,” Ryan said. “Sarah is my fiancée; she was supposed to be my wife. Patrick’s team was just down there rounding these assholes up. They know the area well. It’s likely they’re still somewhere in or near Mexico City, and that’s exactly where Juan will be headed.”
“We don’t know for certain that’s where Sarah is,” the officer said with a frown. “She could still be in Virginia while you’re flying off on an unauthorized mission. They could move her anywhere.”
“Let’s check the air traffic of all flights to Mexico. If this asshole was part of the ring, that’s where they’d go.”
“Right. Maybe we can intercept the plane,” Ryker said.
“They’re probably already down there,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “Why would they wait around? In operations like that, they move the women as quickly as possible. Sorry, sir,” he added, hastening a glance at Ryan.
“He’s right,” Ryan said, clenching his jaw. “They do move them, which is why we need to be down there ASAP before Sarah is taken to a third location. Patrick, your team knows the area.”
“We’re on it,” he said. “Call up the Mexican officials and tell them we’re making another sweep of the area. Don’t even mention Sarah. They know the other American woman is missing. They’ll assume our intel is based on that.”
Ryan walked over and grabbed the phone in the bullpen, speaking in a low voice as everyone hustled around him. He crossed his arms, glancing at the massive TV screen in the bullpen as Lexi and Christopher pulled up the SITREP for everyone to read.
“I’ve got the maps here, too,” Christopher said, pulling the sat imagery up alongside a map of the town. The Alpha team had just been there a month ago, and it was fresh in all of their minds.
The door to the bullpen burst open, and Admiral Redd stormed into the room. The men immediately snapped to attention as the visiting admiral glared at them. “What the hell is this I hear about an unauthorized pending mission? You have no authority to fly down to Mexico on a Navy plane without strict authorization from the Pentagon.”
Ryan coolly glanced over. “You’ve heard that my fiancée was kidnapped on Saturday, sir. The man who took her has ties to the ring of sex traffickers down in Mexico. We have reason to believe that’s where they’d take Sarah.”
“What reason? A goddamn hunch? That’s not how we operate around here. Let the police conduct their investigation while we conduct ours. Then, and only then, after we have actual intelligence, will a rescue mission be authorized.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “I had Ice notify his team that they’re going wheels up in three hours. The plane is being fueled and prepared now. I’m going with them.”
“Captain Mitchell, I can’t let you do this,” Admiral Redd admonished. “I understand you want to find your fiancée, but this is not the way to go about it. You’ll be risking your entire career with the Navy and facing court martial!”
“No one is stopping me,” Ryan said in a low voice. “They took her from me. Snatched her away on our wedding day. I don’t care if you, the Navy, the MPs or the goddamn president order me to stay in Little Creek. I’m going.”
Patrick’s gaze swept to him.
Ryan saw the question there. “You’re goddamn right I’m going. I’m getting Sarah back and not returning home until she’s safe. Someone else can run things from here. Pack your bags and meet at the airstrip at ten hundred. They’re readying the plane now, and we’ll be on it. Hunter, you take point with the police detectives. I’m going with the Alpha team.”
“Sir,” he said, nodding.
“I can’t protect you from the repercussions of this!” Admiral Redd raged, his face reddening. “I won’t send the MPs to stop you, but when you return, you will be removed from duty.”
“Understood.”
“This could end your career with the Navy!” he bellowed, storming out of the bullpen.
“Hell of a day for the admiral to be visiting base,” Hunter muttered.
“We’ve got your back, sir,” Patrick said, his voice calm and cool. “They took my sister, and I’ll risk my career if need be to rescue her.”
“All of us will,” Evan said. “They could’ve come after any one of our girlfriends or wives.”
“I’ll help the Delta team from here while you guys are gone,” Lexi said, looking over at the men. “Bring Sarah home.”
“Hoorah!” one of the men said gruffly, and the others joined in.
“Ten hundred. Meet at the airstrip. I’m packing my gear.” Ryan turned on his heel and strode out of the bullpen, leaving his men there behind him. He’d quickly grab his things and rush back to base. Sarah had been gone for thirty-six hours now. Thirty-six hours.
She could be dead in an ally somewhere, and bile rose in the back of his throat.
They wouldn’t kill her though. That would be too easy.
They’d taken her for their disgusting sex trafficking ring, and he needed to get her out of there. He refused to do anything else until she was safe, back in his arms right where she belonged.
Chapter 23
“She’s down in the cellar,” a harsh male voice said, and Sarah heard heavy footsteps coming her way. A woman began talking in Spanish, mixed in with the man’s voice, and she strained, trying to catch any words she understood.
Sunlight was coming in through a crack in the wall up near the ceiling, and she realized she’d slept straight through the night. Her best guess was that it was now sometime Monday morning.
Monday.
As in two whole days after her wedding. She should’ve been jetting off on the tropical honeymoon of a lifetime today with Ryan. She should’ve been sitting on an airplane with him at her side.
Would Ryan even know she’d been taken out of the country?
Would he ever be able to find her?
He commanded missions all over the world, but they needed information to go off of. She hadn’t left any clues behind, hadn’t given him any indication something was wrong. She’d just been taken.
Sarah pushed herself up into a sitting position, her muscles weak and aching. Her wrists were still raw from when they’d been bound the first several hours after her kidnapping.
Voices continued talking in Spanish just outside. A key jostled in the door, and then it was opening.
A dim light was flicked on, and Sarah did a double-take as an older Mexican woman walked in, letting the door shut behind her. The heavy footsteps walked off in the direction they’d come. Confused, Sarah watched as the woman approached her carrying a tray of food.
Sarah had been so out of it last night, she hadn’t even searched the room for a light switch or unlocked door. Not that she would’ve gotten far.
“Eat,” the woman admonished her, seeming to be in a hurry as she stepped back from the tray she’d placed on the cold ground. She impatiently watched, the wrinkles on her creased face deepening.
Baffled, Sarah simply stared at her a moment. Looking down at her hands, she realized she wasn’t tied up. “You have to help me!” she pleaded, trying to stand up. “They kidnapped me! I’m an American citizen. I don’t belong here!” She stuttered a few useless words in Spanish, knowing the older woman likely didn’t understand anything that she was saying.
The woman crossed her arms, frowning, before taking rapidly in Spanish again. She waved her hands in the air, gesticulating, and then pointed at the tray.
“Eat and ready! Must get ready.”
Sarah glanced at the door, wondering what she was supposed to get ready for. Was Juan coming back? The buyer he’d mentioned? Whatever male voice she’d heard moments ago?
Glancing down at the food, she hesitated. They’d probably drugged this, too. If they knocked her out again, God knows where they’d take her. What they’d do to her. Maybe she should try to fight this woman—hold her hostage until someone came back. But what could she use as a weapon? Maybe she could knock her out with the tray if she was lucky, but that wouldn’t exactly thr
eaten her life.
Muttering a string of words, the woman turned and started walking to the door.
“Wait, please!” Sarah said, finally getting to her feet. “I have to get out of here—don’t let them hurt me.”
The woman marched back to her and began talking again, grabbing hold of Sarah’s huge sweatshirt and looking at it in disdain. She gestured at Sarah’s face and no-doubt dirty hair. “Need bath. And dress. Must wear dress.”
“I don’t have a dress!” Sarah exclaimed, beginning to get frustrated. What on Earth was this woman talking about? Sarah grabbed onto her arm, pleading, and the woman shooed her away, talking again in Spanish.
Tears smarted her eyes as she saw the woman turning to leave, muttering to herself. Sarah’s gaze fell to the tray on the ground again—there was a metal cup of water she was too afraid to drink and a greasy looking tortilla.
That was probably the safest bet as it appeared cooked—but what if they’d slipped drugs inside of it somehow? They could’ve crushed up something and used it to make them—or would the heat from cooking prevent something like that?
The door opened as the older woman began to leave.
“Wait!” Sarah pleaded.
The door slammed shut as the woman walked into the hallway, and Sarah thought she heard someone else cry out. Were other women being held in this goddamn cellar?
Sinking to the ground, she took a small bite of tortilla. Surprisingly, her stomach rumbled. She actually was hungry. If she ate too quickly, she’d probably get sick though. She hadn’t eaten anything in nearly two days.
She took another small bite but then jumped as she heard a woman’s scream from outside her door, followed by a thumping sound.
“Hello!” she called out.
A male voice shouted in Spanish, and Sarah quickly quieted. Although she wanted the other woman to know she was here, she didn’t want to anger her captors.
She ate a little more, getting thirstier as she did. The cup of water would be a horrible idea though—she’d probably end up sick and even more dehydrated after that. She couldn’t survive without any fluids forever though.
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