“Damn fools,” Patrick said.
The secure video connection went through a moment later, and Ryan and Patrick were staring at a roomful of generals and admirals in a secure conference room at the Pentagon.
“We’re sending your team in,” Admiral Davis barked. “Team Delta as well. Chatter confirms the hostage is in the camp shown in the sat imagery. It’s all over the damn media. We’re going to retrieve the hostage before they move her to a secondary location or make good on their threats.”
“Understood,” Ryan said.
“Word hasn’t leaked yet that she’s the Senator’s daughter, but with the way this shit storm is brewing, it’s only a matter of time. I want her out of there before that makes the evening news.”
“The Blackhawks are on standby,” Ryan said in a clipped tone. “My SEAL team will be on the next C-17 out of Virginia.”
“Team Delta is already en route,” Admiral Davis continued. “You’ll meet up at base in Afghanistan, and the teams will go in at 2300 tomorrow night.”
“Sir, we’ll retrieve the Senator’s daughter,” Patrick assured him.
“I don’t doubt it,” the Admiral said. “We all know how pressing this matter is.”
The connection disappeared, and Ryan turned to Patrick, who had a frown on his face. “Notify the rest of the team we’re deploying immediately. Flights leaves in two hours. I’ll be watching the takedown of this op live.”
“Understood,” Patrick assured him. “We’ll coordinate with Delta once we land?”
“Affirmative. You’ll have specs and coordinates to review on your flight over. Hash out the final details there. You’ll each be approaching the camp from opposite directions. We don’t want them getting wind of this op and heading out with the hostage.”
“I’ll notify the rest of the men,” Patrick said.
Patrick walked out of the bull pen, and Ryan’s gaze was drawn back to the live newsfeed. Hell of a Monday morning.
Chapter 10
Sarah put her bags of groceries into the back of her mini cruiser and slammed the trunk shut. Spaghetti squash with tofu meatballs sounded amazing for dinner tonight. The vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil she’d grabbed would make a quick and easy sauce. She’d open a bottle of vino and be all set for the night.
Although she preferred shopping at the local farmer’s market, it was only open on the weekends. Still, it was a sacrifice she’d been willing to make for a fun weekend at the beach. Relaxing on the sand yesterday with Morgan had been just what she’d needed—never mind that Morgan had laughed at her for slathering on SPF 55 sunscreen and bringing the biggest umbrella on the beach.
She drove home, pulling into the driveway of her townhouse. Ivy climbed up the wrought-iron trellis she’d put near the steps, and the day lilies bloomed from the flower bed beside it. She’d love a huge yard someday where she could plant tons of flowers and a vegetable garden, but this suited her for now.
It had been a busy day at work, but she loved all the patients she had. Watching the progress some of her kids had made always left her feeling proud.
Her cell phone buzzed as she was carrying her groceries in, and she set her bags down on the counter. As she pulled her phone from her hobo bag, she was surprised to see Rebecca’s name flash across the screen as a missed call.
“Hey! What’s up?” she said when Rebecca answered. “I’m just carrying groceries in.”
“Hey Sarah, I’m so sorry to be calling like this. I was wondering if you could watch the kids tonight?”
“Oh, sure. I can come over. Is everything okay?”
“Alison’s in labor. Evan left this afternoon with the rest of the team—”
“They left?” Sarah asked, pausing. So much for her plan to call Patrick tonight. But they couldn’t really be going after the missing American woman, could they? It had just been on the news this morning. Certainly things like that required planning and preparation. Maybe the team could deploy quickly, but as for actually carrying out a mission? That had to require time.
Still, it would be too much of a coincidence if they deployed today, wouldn’t it?
“They left this afternoon. You know those guys have no warning when they need to deploy. And Alison’s a few weeks early. I guess she was on her feet a lot today in the ER and went into early labor.”
“Oh no. Hopefully they can stop her labor from progressing. Is she at the hospital now?”
“Never even left,” Rebecca said.
“I guess that’s one advantage of working in the ER. Will they send Evan home?”
“Not for something like this I’m afraid—they can’t turn around the plane carrying the entire SEAL team. I can’t even get a hold of Patrick. I spoke with Commander Mitchell, and he’ll get word to Patrick when they land. It will be up to him as to when he tells Evan though—I mean it could very well turn out to be nothing if they can get Alison’s labor to stop. And distractions on the mission can be dangerous to everyone.”
“Of course. I can come over and watch Logan and Abby for you if you want to go be with Alison. I’m sure she’s freaking out right about now. Are you at your house or Patrick’s?”
“Patrick’s.”
“It’ll be at least an hour with traffic, but I’m on my way.”
“I know. And thanks. I really appreciate it!”
The two women disconnected the call, and Sarah looked around her kitchen. She’d put her groceries away. Pack an overnight bag. Then head back the way she’d come less than 24 hours ago.
A knot formed in the bottom of her stomach. Something about this entire thing felt off.
***
Ryan took a sip of the scalding hot coffee at 0300 and rubbed his eyes. Moving this entire operation up was a big fucking mistake. Because the Delta team was there ahead of time, the Pentagon was insisting on moving up the timeline for the mission. As soon as his SEAL team had landed, they’d hopped in an armored convoy to their forward-operating base and geared up to go rather than waiting until the following night.
A middle-of-the night assault would catch the enemy off guard, but hell.
His men needed time to assess the situation and plan accordingly. To go over it all with the men from Delta. To catch a couple hours of shut-eye. Nothing like a fourteen-hour flight to the Middle East and then immediately charging in, guns blazing.
Shit.
He watched the massive screen in front of him as the men strapped on their gear. He was like a goddamn fly on the wall with the sophisticated comms they had. He could hear every word and watch nearly every move they made via the feed from the headsets.
“You checked the coordinates, Flip?” Patrick asked, calling Evan by his nickname.
“Yep, programmed right into everyone’s GPS. We’ve pinpointed the hut the American woman is suspected to be held hostage in within a matter of inches.”
“Good. We can’t leave a damn thing to chance. There’s been a lot of movement around the camp today, and SecDef is worried the insurgents know how valuable their hostage is. He could just be projecting, but recent chatter indicated they were raising the ransom to $100 million.”
“It’s on the news,” Christopher said, walking over in his flak vest and gear. He rested his HK416 assault rifle on the table spread with maps.
“Shit, already?” Evan asked.
“All over fucking CNN,” Patrick confirmed. “They ran a story this morning saying an American woman is being held hostage, but it’s been nonstop coverage all day.”
“Guess we know why they moved up this rodeo,” Matthew drawled, adjusting his headset. He shucked his flak vest on, glancing down at the maps.
“They said a rescue mission is underway,” Christopher confirmed, adjusting his gear.
“Damn it,” Matthew said.
“Is Delta team on their way?” Ryan asked into the headset. “They flew in earlier than you and should be ready to roll out.”
“Affirmative. They’re gearing up and will be here in five f
or a last-minute debrief.”
“Let’s get this fucking show on the road,” Brent said, eyes blazing. “Every minute we waste is another minute harm could come to the hostage.”
Ryan pressed his lips together. Every man on the team knew how precarious the situation was. Any woman taken hostage would be in danger. If the insurgents had ascertained she was a high-value asset, it could either work to her advantage or work against her. Connections to Washington could possibly buy her time as they demanded more from the Pentagon. But it could also put her in greater danger. Make them quicker to pull the trigger or cause her harm if their demands weren’t immediately met.
“Is everyone clear on their roles?” Ryan asked. “Cobra and Gator will sweep the perimeter,” he said, referring to Brent and Matthew. “I want Flip and Blade on the inside. And Patch is with Ice in retrieving the hostage in case immediate medical attention is required.”
“Roger that,” Patrick said coolly into the headset. “Patch, you have all the medic gear?”
“Roger.”
Another group of men came into the room, decked out in most of their tactical gear. Ryan recognized Hunter “Hook” Murdock, the hardened man who led SEAL team Delta. Some of the men on Ryan’s Alpha SEAL team knew Colton from the Delta team and shook hands, and introductions were made to the rest of the men.
“The Alpha team will be sweeping in from the mountains,” Patrick said, pointing to the map. “We believe the hostage is being held right here.”
“We’ll be infiltrating the camp from the opposite side,” Hunter said, his voice deep.
“Hell yeah, we’re our own desert storm!” one of the men shouted.
There were a few grunts of affirmation before Hunter continued. “C-4 and I will head for the hostage in case something goes wrong on your end. The other men will be back-up as we sweep through the camp.”
“If everything goes FUBAR, head for the mountains,” Ryan said. “We’ll track your coordinates via GPS. Black Hawks will be sent in after you hunker down. Priority number one is rescue of the American woman.”
“Any updates on her condition?” Mike asked.
“Negative. Sat images haven’t shown her leaving the tent, but it’s still being guarded 24/7. Drones showed someone entering earlier, possibly bringing food or water. It doesn’t seem like they’re letting anyone near her.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Hunter glowered.
“Hell, I’ll carry her out myself if I goddamn have to,” Patrick said, his voice steel.
“There’s no fucking way we’re leaving without her,” Brent said.
“Roger that,” Hunter spat out. “This shit is ending tonight.”
“The SITREP from 1900 indicated movement of some of the vehicles around the camp. Several are lined up by the perimeter. It’s possible they’re prepping to move out in the morning. We grab her tonight,” Ryan said.
“Understood,” Patrick said.
“Roger that,” the others agreed.
The two teams parted ways, with Patrick leading his team into a waiting Black Hawk. The feed turned grainy as Ryan watched the video through the night vision. The guys jumped into the helo one by one, helmets and headsets on, assault rifles in their hands. Good God there was a lot hanging on this op. Retrieval of the hostage, for one, but pressure from Washington loomed over their heads as well. The Senator wouldn’t be pleased if they fucked up and weren’t able to rescue his daughter. If any harm befell her. No one knew what condition she was in or how she’d been treated during captivity. And with orders sent down from the top to conduct the rescue mission, the weight fell squarely on Ryan’s shoulders.
It was going to be a damn long night.
Chapter 11
“The kids are asleep already,” Rebecca said quietly as she opened the front door, purse slung over her shoulder and keys in hand.
“Okay, great,” Sarah said, dropping her own purse and overnight bag to the floor. “I’ll just crash on the sofa if you end up staying at the hospital overnight. Any word on Alison?”
“She’s on something to slow her contractions—some type of IV drip. They’re hoping to at least stall labor for a few days. They’ll probably keep her overnight for monitoring, but we’re hoping she can head home in the morning.”
“Did they get ahold of Evan?”
“I don’t think so,” Rebecca said, shaking her head. “I haven’t heard from Captain Mitchell either—Ryan,” she amended. “I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“Were you watching the news today?” Sarah asked, eyeing the other woman carefully. She didn’t want to upset Rebecca or say something she shouldn’t, but it seemed pretty obvious where the team was.
“Yeah. I guess you’re thinking the same thing I am?”
“Yep,” Sarah said with a frown. “I don’t like it. I mean I’m glad they’re rescuing her, but the play-by-play on national television? Not cool. I don’t know the first thing about conducting secret ops, but even I can figure out that giving it constant media attention is a no-go.”
Rebecca wrung her hands together. “I flat-out asked Patrick if that’s where they were going.”
“Let me guess—he wouldn’t tell you.”
“He couldn’t. Which I understand, but I’m just beside myself with worry.”
“That’s his job,” Sarah said. “He can’t tell us all the dirty details. And trust me—I doubt we would want to even know half of what those guys do.”
“You’re right; I just get nervous every time he’s gone.” Rebecca glanced down at her phone. “I should get to the hospital. Alison’s been by herself for hours. I know she has friends that work there, but they’re still on their shifts and can’t wait with her in the maternity ward.”
“Of course. Go! Don’t worry about a thing. The kids and I will be fine and whip-up some yummy pancakes in the morning.”
“I’m hoping to be back before then.”
“And if you’re not—it’s not a big deal.”
“All right. Text me if you need anything. Or if you hear anything about—well, you know.” The two women exchanged a knowing look.
“I parked down the block,” Sarah said. “I wasn’t sure which side of the garage you were on and didn’t want to block the driveway.”
“Thanks. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your coming all the way back to watch the kids. I know you just drove back to Norfolk last night.”
“It’s no problem—I’m only an hour away. I’ll talk to you later on—or in the morning.”
The women said their goodbyes, and Sarah shut the door of her brother’s house. She felt on-edge as she paced the front hall. Why did she have such a bad feeling about things? Patrick deployed all the time. This is what the entire team was trained to do. Just because this particular mission seemed to be playing out on the national news didn’t make it any different.
She had half a mind to call up Ryan, but that was crazy. He was busy running things on base. Large and in charge. Wasn’t that where he’d rushed off to Saturday night? Why waste time on the beach with her when he had missions to plan? He may have insisted on giving her a ride back, but he left when she walked back to Morgan.
Besides, she didn’t even know the man’s number. Even if she wanted to call him for reassurances, she couldn’t. He was probably too busy running things at Little Creek to give her a second thought anyway.
***
Ryan clenched his jaw as the images shook on the screen as the men parachuting in hit the ground running. The Black Hawk had flown dangerously close to the mountains, but it didn’t appear that the insurgents at the camp knew they were coming. No more movement than usual was showing on the drone feed. The cover of night was exactly what they needed.
Patrick led the assault, his weapon moving back and forth as he scanned the area, flanked by Mike, who was aiming his own weapon.
“Damn this desert air,” he muttered.
“You boys need to toughen up,” Matthew drawled behind them. �
�I’ll take this over Florida’s humidity any day.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” Brent said. “The desert is goddamn awful.”
“Enough,” Patrick bit out.
The other men followed in groups of two, crouching low to the ground behind Patrick and Mike as they ran toward the terrorist camp. Ryan could watch the feed from anyone on both of the SEAL teams. It was almost like he was right there as the situation unfolded, except he couldn’t do a damn thing to help them if anything went awry.
He clenched his fist as his gaze followed the feed from each of the men. Nothing like watching the big game without being able to join in.
Fucking hell.
“Two guards on the outskirts,” Patrick said quietly into his mouthpiece.
“Both heavily armed,” Mike said. “Assault rifles, looks like grenades and a rocket launcher.”
“Delta team is in position on the desert side,” Hunter said through the headsets. “More heavily guarded here—five, no, make that six insurgents. Although it looks like one of them may be sleeping.”
“Fucking hell,” Brent spat out.
“Are the drones still overhead?” Christopher asked.
“Affirmative,” Ryan said, crossing his arms as he stood watching from Little Creek. “No movement inside the camp.”
“Looks like we’re about to give them a little wake-up call,” Matthew drawled, training his assault rifle on one of the guards.
“Positions?” Ryan asked, clenching his jaw.
The affirmative replies came over the headsets.
“Move in,” he commanded.
Gunfire broke out on the desert side of camp, where Hunter’s Delta Team was. Matthew and Brent took out the guards on the mountain side as Patrick and Mike swept into the camp area. Ryan’s gut clenched as he wondered about the American woman. Had she been fed during her captivity? Injured? Would she be able to run out of camp on her own?
No doubt a group of SEALs rushing in wearing full combat gear, heavily armed, would frighten her more. There was no telling how a hostage would react in a situation like this. Panic, fear, disorientation, adrenaline—anything was within the scope of possibility.
Loved by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs Book 7) Page 8