Page 13 of Kidnapped By a SEAL

Ryker’s gaze swept the exterior of the compound again, fully alert as he waited for additional information. His finger grazed the trigger of his weapon, ready to fire if anyone else came over the wall.

He held his breath, clenching his jaw. If the kidnapped woman was dead, it would be on them. Their job was to move in and rescue her. To get so close and have her injured or killed now?

It was unfathomable.

Hopefully just some jackass terrorist had been injured. But finding fresh blood on the ground? Something was up.

“Holy shit,” Mason said over the headsets. “We’ve found the hostage. Repeat, we’ve found the hostage.”

“Condition?” Raptor asked.

“Unconscious. She’s lying on the ground out cold. Looks like an abrasion and lump on her forehead, and her pulse is weak but steady.”

Blood pounded through Ryker’s veins, thumping in his ears with every heartbeat. He released his breath, ready to go tearing over that goddamn wall himself if they needed him. “Grab her and go,” he said roughly. “We’ll circle around and meet you at the helicopters.”

“Damn it,” one of the men on the Coronado team exclaimed into the headsets. “They’ve rigged this section of the compound with explosives. We have to move out another way.”

“Head over to where we entered on the west side,” Hunter commanded. “We’ll rendezvous there and all exit together.”

“Negative,” Colton interjected. “They’ve laid a tripwire here—probably that jackass that we just killed. We’ll have to go out where Ryker and Noah are positioned.”

“Roger that,” came the reply.

“SITREP?” Hunter asked.

“No movement here,” Ryker said. “Not a goddamn soul in site. I’ll provide cover when you come over the wall in case some other insurgents approach. There’s one dead body on the ground.”

Mason grunted over the headsets. “I’ve got the hostage—let’s move on out.”

There was a muffled sound as the men began moving away, and Ryker heard the sound of a woman and several children wailing in the background.

Jesus Christ.

“Did you find the leader of this goddamn place?” he asked into his mouthpiece.

“Negative,” Colton replied. “He’s either still hunkered down somewhere, hidden, or he managed to escape. No time to stop and check now though—the hostage needs medical treatment.”

“We’re approaching the wall,” Hunter said in a clipped tone. “Don’t fucking shoot us when we come over.”

“Roger that,” Ryker said. “I’ll stand down.”

“Hook, I see you up ahead of us,” Raptor said, calling Hunter by his nickname. “We’re right behind you.”

Ryker saw two hands gripping the top of the wall through his night vision goggles as one of the SEALs began to scale it. A moment later, Jacob was hauling himself atop of it and reaching back to assist.

Ryker glanced over at Noah, who nodded and signaled to him, and then Ryker was running forward to help collect the injured woman. Two other SEALs came flying over the wall, weapons ready, and then Jacob was lowering the woman into Ryker’s arms.

He grunted, dismayed by the sight of the angry gash and lump on her forehead. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and her face looked far too pale against the shock of her dark brown hair, but then he was turning and moving away with her in his arms. Gunfire sounded in the distance, and he shifted positions, hauling the fragile woman up and over his broad shoulder.

His arm locked around her slender waist, holding her in place, and he jogged toward the waiting helos, not liking the moans that she made.

She was alive though. Secure against his shoulder. No one else would fucking touch her.

And nothing was stopping him from getting her the hell out of there.

Chapter 7

Emily moaned and turned her head to the side, pain shooting through her with the slight movement. Her head throbbed, and nausea roiled through her. They’d found her hiding in that supply hut. Screamed at her in Arabic. Hit her over the head with something.

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