“What?” Troy barked out.
“Ace got a name from the prints. He pulled an address for the perp somewhere out in the suburbs. We don’t know if she’s there, T, but it’s a hell of a good start. It’ll give us something else to go on at least. Let’s track this motherfucker down.”
Troy was already rushing toward his SUV.
“I’ll drive!” Logan called out, and Troy nodded. Although he wanted to rush there himself, having his teammates with him was for the best. He wouldn’t risk Caitlyn’s life by doing something stupid. His teammates would have his back.
“Ghost and I will take my car,” Raptor said. “Jackson’s with you.”
“Where’s Ethan?” Troy asked.
“With the women at my place,” Raptor said. “We didn’t want to leave them alone.”
“I’ll text him an update,” Ghost said, and then the men were all yanking open the doors.
Troy jumped in Logan’s car, riding shotgun, with Jackson folding his large frame into the backseat. Troy knew his buddies had all arrived armed. He didn’t have any weapons on him since he’d left his townhouse simply assuming that Caitlyn had car trouble or wasn’t feeling well. That didn’t mean he was any less deadly than his teammates though.
Logan peeled out of the lot, drawing the attention of the police officers that were working. Hopefully they wouldn’t come after them with sirens wailing. There was no way in hell the men were stopping. Raptor was right behind him, and the cars flew down the street heading toward the freeway.
“I got a picture of Caitlyn for the police,” Logan said. “Not that it matters much at this point. They’ll put out a missing person report, but while they’re still dicking around searching through her stuff, we’ve got a name and address.”
“How’d you get in touch with Harper?” Troy asked, looking over at his buddy.
“It turns out I still had her cell number from last summer. She wasn’t thrilled to hear from me, but she was freaked out about Caitlyn.”
“You already sent it to the police?” he asked.
“Raptor did. Hell. That’s Harper,” Logan said, glancing at his phone.
Troy swiped the screen and answered it. “It’s Troy. We just got a lead and are on our way to check it out. Logan’s driving and can’t talk now.”
“Holy shit. I’m scared to death. What if Caitlyn’s hurt?”
“I’ll find her,” Troy said. “I don’t know for sure where she is, but we got prints from her things in the car. A buddy of ours from base ID’d the guy. Someone was there with her on the freeway, and we’re tracking that asshole down right now.”
“They set her car on fire on purpose?”
“Possibly. Or sabotaged it somehow. Either way, she was being targeted. We’ll get her back,” Troy assured her. “I’ve got to go, but Logan will update you later.”
“Okay. Be safe.”
Troy hung up, shaking his head. He didn’t like that Harper was worrying about her friend, but she’d helped by getting the picture to them for the police. No matter. Hopefully they’d get to Caitlyn before the missing person alert even went out. They had to rescue her. Any other alternative was simply unfathomable.
Chapter 21
Logan pulled up in front of a house on a suburban street twenty minutes later, Troy jumping out before he’d even turned off the engine. They’d discussed a plan on the drive over, with Raptor and Ghost planning to breach the back of the home while the three of them broke down the front door. Thankfully they’d been able to Google the address and get the street and satellite view on the way over. It wasn’t the same as running an op with military satellite and drone imagery, but it was damn helpful anyway.
Troy didn’t give a shit if they were breaking and entering. Ace had sent them the photos from AFIS, and Troy and the rest of the guys recognized the man from the surveillance footage near the pier. The asshole was the same guy who Caitlyn had seen outside of her office. And he’d been on the freeway with her today. His prints were all over her things. Although he’d been gone in the weeks since the yacht incident, he’d reappeared in San Diego a few days ago.
“I can’t believe this asshole has been running around free for weeks while those other jackasses were killed,” Troy muttered.
Logan glanced over at him. “He’s not going to be free after tonight. As soon as we grab Caitlyn, we’ll call the PD. Raptor told our CO what was up. It’s not exactly sanctioned, but he understood why we’re here.”
“Someone else must’ve trashed her apartment. Whoever this guy was working with is still around.”
“They were already dusting for prints earlier. I have a feeling that all of these motherfuckers are going down tonight,” Logan ground out.
The men moved toward the house, Troy frowning as he glanced over to the garage.
“It sounds like an engine’s running,” Jackson muttered. “Are they planning an escape?”
“Ghost and I are heading around back,” Blake said. “We don’t know who else might be inside. We don’t have our headsets to keep in contact. Be careful.”
“I’m waiting by the garage in case they make a move to leave,” Troy said.
“Negative,” Jackson replied. “You don’t have a weapon. How the hell are you going to stop them? They’ll run you right over.”
“Shit,” Troy muttered. “I’ll go in the front door with Logan then. You wait here in case they open the garage. Shoot the damn tires out if you have to. We need answers, and we need Caitlyn.”
Raptor signaled to them as they moved past the light from the lamp post, and then he and Ghost disappeared around back. Troy felt helpless moving in without any of their tactical gear. If they’d had time to thoroughly plan this, they could’ve grabbed their comms units and weapons from base. Not that the Navy would be happy about an unsanctioned mission such as this on U.S. soil. He and his teammates didn’t care. Their only priority tonight was Caitlyn.
“The neighbors are going to call the cops,” Logan said. “I just saw some dude on his cell phone.”
“Let them. Caitlyn has to be here, and we can’t wait for the police. If emergency vehicles show up, they can arrest the asshole who took her.”
“Roger that,” Logan said. He motioned for Troy to move forward with him. Logan held his Glock as they approached the front door, and then the two of them kicked it down. They swept the front hallway and saw Raptor and Ghost moving in from the back.
Troy coughed, covering his face with his forearm. “Something’s not right. Do you smell that? That car must’ve been running a damn long time for us to smell the fumes in here.”
“Kitchen is clear,” Raptor called out, weapon at the ready as he and Ghost hustled toward them.
“Let’s clear the garage,” Troy said, glancing to the door off the foyer. He and Logan hurried toward it, Logan aiming his weapon in front of him.
“We’re moving upstairs,” Ghost said, and then he and Raptor jogged up the steps.
There was no sound coming from anywhere inside, save for the car running in the garage. What the hell was happening? Troy pulled open the door, nearly choking on the strong fumes. Troy pushed the button to open the garage door, the loud sound of it causing Logan to glance back and make sure no one was coming up behind them.
Troy waved one arm in the air, trying to clear the fumes as he kept his face covered with his other arm.
“Is someone in the car?” Jackson yelled out from the driveway.
Troy narrowed his gaze, seeing that both the driver and passenger seats were empty. “There’s no one in the driver’s seat!” He moved closer, cursing as he saw a woman passed out in the back seat. And not just any woman. A shock of red hair stood out as he pressed his face against the window. “It’s Caitlyn!” he yelled. He yanked on the door, realizing it was locked, then tried the driver’s door as well. “It’s her! It’s Caitlyn! Call 911!”
Troy pounded on the glass, realizing they would have to break it to get to her. He heard Logan saying somet
hing behind him, but he kept pounding with his fists, desperate to get to his girl. Jackson came running inside the garage, grabbing a shovel stashed in the corner. Without a word, he ran and smashed the passenger side window, reaching in to unlock the doors.
Troy was already yanking on the door handle to get to her. He couldn’t be too late. He just couldn’t be. “Caitlyn!”
He reached for her lifeless body, his heart thudding in his chest. Her wrists and ankles were restrained with zip ties, and she looked so damn pale and helpless. It took everything in him to remain calm. He coughed, the fumes still strong from the exhaust, and heard Logan yelling something into the house. Someone finally shut off the car, and just then, a single gunshot sounded from upstairs.
“Roger that!” Logan shouted back to Raptor and Ghost. “They took him out!”
Caitlyn wasn’t moving, and Troy yelled for Jackson’s knife to free her. He knew the rest of his teammates would handle the kidnapper and any other tangoes inside the home. Right now, his only priority was Caitlyn.
***
Caitlyn suddenly jerked awake at the sound of glass smashing. She would’ve screamed if she wasn’t so damn dizzy. She heard voices shouting and realized the lights had been turned on. There was a loud motorized sound coming from somewhere.
Blinking, she tried to make sense of it.
She swore she heard men’s voices shouting her name before she passed out again.
“Butterfly, Butterfly!” someone was saying urgently. It sounded like Troy, but that couldn’t be right. He wasn’t here. She was alone in the back of the SUV and so damn tired. Was she hallucinating? Dreaming?
But now there was a light on above her.
“Turn off the damn car!” a deep voice shouted.
Someone was coughing and yelling about exhaust fumes. Gentle hands were reaching in, tugging her out. “Get a knife to cut the ties. She needs oxygen. Holy shit. Call 911!”
She limply lay in a man’s arms as he carried her out into the cool night. Someone else was cutting her wrists and ankles free. Were these more bad guys? The police? But no, someone had called her Butterfly. She started shaking, trying to gulp in the fresh air.
“Caitlyn. Caitlyn,” a voice murmured as the man held her. “Butterfly.” It felt like Troy, like his arms around her, but she knew he wasn’t here. The only man was that tall guy who’d cased her office. Who’d knocked her out after tying her up. Who’d kidnapped her right from the freeway.
“Damn it, what’s taking them so long?” a voice yelled.
“We took him out,” another man said. “His body is on the floor in one of the bedrooms.”
She slumped against the man holding her, hearing the sounds of sirens in the distance. It felt like she fell asleep again, but then there was an entire crew of EMS personnel and fire fighters gathering around her. Someone strapped an oxygen mask to her face, and suddenly she began to feel better.
“We almost lost her,” Troy muttered. “We were almost too fucking late.”
Looking over from where they lifted her onto the stretcher, she realized Troy really was here. With Logan. And some of the other guys on his SEAL team. Some of them held guns and knives, and all of them looked pissed off. How had they found her?
Whimpering, she reached out for him. Troy squeezed her hand and jumped into the back of the ambulance as the EMS guys lifted her onboard. “I’m coming with her,” he said. His blues eyes met hers, and she blinked.
“Don’t cry,” he said roughly.
“You’re here,” she mouthed. She wasn’t sure if he could understand her because of the oxygen mask, and other people were climbing into the ambulance and attaching various things to her. A blood pressure cuff was wrapped around her bicep. Someone else shined a bright light in her eyes.
The sound of the siren being turned on caused her to jump.
“It’s okay,” Troy soothed. “And yes, I’m really here, Butterfly. I promised I’d keep you safe, and my team and I wouldn’t rest until we found you.”
He took her hand again, gentle as always with her. They began to move, heading toward the hospital, but he leaned closer, even as the EMS workers talked around them. “I thought I lost you, sweetheart.”
Tears smarted her eyes again, and then she couldn’t stop them from streaming down her cheeks. Troy just leaned even closer, wiping them away. Someone had gotten out a reflective blanket, and he helped to wrap it around her, holding her as the ambulance sped down the road. Troy had come for her. He’d kept her safe. She closed her eyes again, knowing he’d watch over her until she woke up once more.
Epilogue
Troy took Caitlyn’s hand and tugged her back from the front door two weeks later. She looked at him questioningly. “We’re going to be late to Blake and Clarissa’s BBQ.”
He grinned down at her, those blue eyes shining, and put his keys back in his pocket. “I know. But seeing you in that dress? Hell, Butterfly. I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself all night.” She giggled as Troy swept her up into his arms, moving toward the bedroom. Their bedroom.
She’d moved in with him a week ago after being released from the hospital. Although he’d offered to move into his guest room while she took over the master bedroom, she knew there was no place she wanted to be more than right by his side. She’d fallen hard and fast for him, but after almost dying from carbon monoxide poisoning and after nearly everything in her apartment had been destroyed, she’d been thrilled that he wanted her to move in with him. It might have been fast, but it also felt right. There was no place she’d rather be than safe in his arms.
Troy playfully growled as he looked down at her and the long blue and white halter dress she had on. “Damn, Butterfly. Is that dress new?”
“Well, yeah. Half my clothes were ruined, remember?”
He frowned for a beat but kept moving, completely focused on taking her to bed. The dress she’d worn tonight was sexy, the halter top hugging her breasts. She’d known Troy liked it when she first put it on earlier, his eyes heating as soon as he’d seen her in it. But with the way he was looking at her now? She felt like she might spontaneously combust.
Troy set her down in front of the bed, and she was taller than usual in front of him in the strappy heeled sandals she’d worn. Yes, they were headed to a somewhat casual BBQ, but she loved dressing up just to see Troy’s reaction. He seemed to love her in dresses, ever since they’d first met on the beach. And now that her ankle was doing so much better, she enjoyed putting on sexy heels sometimes.
He ducked down and kissed her, the scent of his soap and cologne causing her stomach to flutter. His large hands gripped her hips, and then Troy was moving lower, kissing his way from her neck down to her breasts. She inhaled sharply as his mouth moved over her cleavage. Troy seemed to always know exactly what to do to drive her wild. He fumbled with the knot behind her neck and then undid the halter top, tugging it down. His hands immediately went to her breasts—massaging, kneading, and driving her crazy. His thumbs grazed her nipples, and then his mouth soon followed. He lightly nipped at her, finally sucking her nipples into his eager mouth.
“Troy, please!” she panted. How this man could work her up so quickly she’d never know. At the moment, she felt like she’d die if he didn’t get inside her. Her breasts were swollen from his kisses, and she was already slick with arousal. Troy sensed her frenzied state and reached down, tugging her long dress up and over her hips.
He fisted it in one hand, bunching the fabric to the side, and growled again as he realized she hadn’t worn panties. “God damn, Butterfly. I had no idea you were bare under here.” He reached between her thighs, lightly caressing her drenched folds as she whimpered. All too soon, he was removing his hand. Troy unzipped his shorts and freed himself from the confines of his boxer briefs, his thick erection bursting out. “Shit, condom,” he muttered.
“I’m on the pill, remember? It’s okay.”
“I’m clean,” he assured her.
“Then take me,�
� she whispered. Troy shocked the heck out of her by lifting her up into his arms. He sat on the edge of the bed, setting her right down on his lap. Her dress spilled back down around them, and she shifted slightly, and then sunk down, impaling herself on his thick length. Her breasts were bare to him, but their sexes were covered by her dress. It felt wanton and sexy riding him like this—as if they’d been too overcome to even finish undressing.
“God damn, Butterfly, you feel so good,” he said as he finally bottomed out inside her.
She shuddered around him, the sensation almost too much. He was big. Thick. Throbbing. Her dress was pooled around them, and she still had her strappy sandals on. Troy noticed them, too, groaning. “Caitlyn, damn. Next time you’re wearing those and nothing else.”
She whimpered in approval but ground down on him, loving the groan from Troy’s mouth as he couldn’t resist bucking up into her. His eyes were on her breasts, and she knew he loved watching them bounce up and down. At one time she’d felt self-conscious riding him this way, but now she felt sexy. Adored. Her man loved looking at her, and she had no issues with that. Not with the heat filling his eyes.
Troy’s hands slid under her dress, palming her ass, and she cried out as he took complete control. She was sitting astride him, but once again, Troy commanded her body. She gasped as her head fell forward, landing on his broad shoulder. His cock speared upward again and again, claiming her, and she was unable to stop the onslaught of pleasure. Caitlyn cried out his name, nearly sobbing in relief as pleasure overtook her.
He stiffened a beat later and then released inside her, his cock filling her completely. She was sated and dazed when he finally helped her to stand, wobbling only slightly in her heels. The hem of her dress fell back to the ground, and Troy helped her to fix her halter.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, his lips quirking.
She lightly swatted at him. “Give me a few minutes,” she said, excusing herself to go into the bathroom.
SEAL's Promise (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 5) Page 16