Page 40 of Gray

“Well fuck,” Gray muttered. “Hope it’s not our buddy Ivan.”

He didn’t have time to worry about Ivan now. A rope dropped from the helo, and Gray grabbed hold, knowing he wasn’t wearing the right gear. Normally, they’d hook in with carabiners, securing themselves to the line. “Stand by,” Jett ordered, his voice gruff.

“No! I’m ready to go up!” Gray yelled.

“And risk Lena when you retrieve her?” Jett asked over the headsets.

Gray muttered under his breath as the Coasties threw down a second line with two safety harnesses attached. No doubt Jett had quickly brought the Coast Guard up to speed.

Gray grabbed the harnesses, quickly stepping into the leg loops of one and securing it around his chest. While he wasn’t worried about his own safety, if he rescued Lena, they’d need to be quickly extricated from the still-smoking ship. Gray tightened the harness, securing it to the line, and signaled. He clutched the second harness in his hand, and then he was rising to the top of the stacked containers. Another gun shot sounded, and he cursed, trying to duck as his heartbeat accelerated, the thumping pulsing in his ears. Maybe that sound was the helo. At any rate, Gray was dangling in the air like a fish caught on a line, the perfect target.

“Shots fired! Shots fired!” Gray yelled.

He could see his teammates running on the dock but didn’t see the shooter.

“I’ve got him in my sights,” a deep and deadly voice said over the headsets. “Taking the kill shot.” A single shot rang out before Gray could process what he’d just heard. He looked around, noticing his teammates surrounding a person on the ground. “The tango is down,” the sniper confirmed.

“Shit. Boone, is that really you?” Gray asked.

“Roger that, buddy. Your boys here finally brought me a headset. That’s the second mofo I’ve taken out for you today. Guess you owe me a couple of beers for that.”

Gray laughed, despite the gravity of the situation. That was Boone for you. Calm as hell, a crack shot, and with a dry sense of humor that you never saw coming. “Sure thing, man. As soon as I get my girl.”

“Roger that. And hurry the hell up. My ass is freezing out here.”

The helo shifted, and Gray landed on the top of the blue shipping container. He felt like he was on top of the goddamn world. His girl was hopefully within his reach. His old buddy had literally saved his hide. And Gray was about to rescue the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Gray jogged to the edge of the container, studying the door on the side. He blinked in shock. There was nothing where the padlocks were supposed to be. Either they’d loaded it so fast onto the ship that they’d forgotten to secure the damn thing, or he was in the wrong place.

Gray swung over the side, still secured by the rope on the helo. He almost felt like a fireman conducting a technical rescue, hanging from a line as he breached a vehicle. Except the metal that held Lena seemed more like a coffin. Did she have enough air? Was she coherent? Was Gray even in the right place?

He flipped the tabs back where the padlocks were supposed to be, then turned the handles ninety degrees to open the huge door. Signaling, he unclipped his carabiner and swung inside, his feet thumping on the metal as he landed. Gray slid his flashlight free from his cargo pants, turning it on and aiming it into the dark, cold space.

“Lena.” His voice was low. Hoarse. He hardly dared to hope that she was actually here. Thethump, thump, thumpgrew quieter as the helicopter hovered above, the metal from the cargo container slightly dulling the sound. Gray studied the boxes stacked in there for a moment, his mind flashing back to the armory andinventorying supplies at headquarters. “Lena!” he called out, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he aimed the light around the space. “Are you in here? It’s Gray! Lena! Where are you?”

A whimper sounded from way in the back, and then Gray was shoving boxes aside, scrambling over them in his haste. “Lena!” he called again, shining his flashlight above him to light the way. His rifle was slung over his back, his Kevlar vest shielding him from any stray bullets to the chest, and his heart was thumping wildly.

More whimpers and sounds of pain made his chest clench.

“I’m coming!” He jumped over a box and jogged toward the back, his heart in his throat as his flashlight finally landed on a pale, trembling woman gagged and chained to the wall. He nearly did a double take as he realized it was Lena. She was ghostly white, in shock, wearing a pretty floral dress that wasn’t at all appropriate for the winter morning. The baby shower. The abduction. The past twenty-four hours’ worth of events played like a movie reel in his mind. And despite it all, she was still the prettiest damn thing he’d ever seen.

“Lena!” he yelled out again, rushing to her.

She shook, crying, seemingly not believing he was real.

“Shhhh. It’s me, baby. You’ll be okay now. I’m here.” He gently removed the gag from her mouth and collected her in his arms as she sobbed, her body far too weak and cold. She was chained to the back of the shipping container like a goddamned animal, but she managed to clutch onto him anyway, her head against his chest.

She was alive. Breathing. Clinging onto him like he was her lifeline.

Gray clicked his mic, wondering if his comms would even work from inside the cargo hold. “This is Gray. Repeat. This is Gray. Do you copy?”

Static crackled over his headset, and then he heard Jett’s voice, relief washing over him. “Roger. What’s your status?”

His eyes burned with tears as he held his trembling woman, and he blinked them away, his voice hoarse. “I found her. Repeat. I found her. Lena requires immediate medical attention. Fluids. Warm clothes. Meds. We need to get her medevac’d to the nearest hospital, ASAP. They’ve got her chained to the wall in this goddamn thing.”

“Roger that,” Jett said, his voice hard yet tinged with relief. “The Coast Guard helo is standing by, waiting for extraction. Once you’re both inside it, they’ll give you a lift straight to the closest hospital. I’m sending up the team.”

“Tell the helo to send down a basket,” Gray instructed. “I don’t think she’s strong enough to bring up on the rope.”

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