Page 22 of Kidnapped By a SEAL

“A teenager? No, there weren’t any teenagers. There were mostly just women and children around. And the guards that we shot and killed.”

“Oh.” She puzzled over this new piece of information. Had the girl been killed? Or somehow escaped in the chaos? She shuddered, hoping she hadn’t fallen prey to Izallah. Maybe he’d intended to make the teenager one of his wives, but if he’d cleared out of there, it was possible she’d escaped during all the commotion.

“They have my ID,” she said.

Hunter raised his eyebrows.

“I had my government-issued ID on me in the Humvee. They took all my things, save for the clothes I was wearing.”

“Hmm. Well that’s something to consider. Are you sure they have it and it wasn’t just lost in the scuffle?”

“Pretty sure. I mean they could have discarded it without giving it much attention, I suppose. But they took my weapons and identification when they searched me.”

“All right. I’ll notify the CO. And of course you’ll have the opportunity to give a full report to State officials after we’re back on U.S. soil. I’ll let you get some rest,” he said, standing.

Emily watched him walk back to the rear of the plane. Swagger was really a more apt description—those guys commanded the attention of any room they were in and knew it. She was more than lucky that they’d been sent to rescue her. The question was—would she really be safe when she returned back home?

Chapter 10

Emily watched as Ryker fastened his seatbelt as the plane prepared to descend to Andrew’s AFB. The rest of the SEAL team was taking seats around them, and Emily suddenly felt nervous now that they were almost home.

“You ready for this?” Ryker asked loudly above the roar of the engine.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said. Had he noticed she was worried? That seemed unlikely. And really, there was nothing for her to worry about. She’d be home with family and friends. Life could finally move on. “Hunter said there won’t be any media there,” she said. “I can’t believe what a big deal this has become.”

Noah glanced over at her. “The story didn’t get out until you were rescued. Believe me—if the media had gotten wind of an American woman being held hostage, it would’ve been on CNN twenty-four-seven. And you might not have been treated so well if that had happened.”

She shuddered, noticing that Ryker was still watching her.

“Not that you should’ve had to go through that at all,” Noah added.

“I know,” she said. “It certainly could’ve been worse.”

She supposed it was nice knowing she wouldn’t have journalists hounding her when they landed, but she assumed some of that had to do with the men she was traveling with. They didn’t exactly broadcast the names and faces of Navy SEALs on the nightly news.

So what would happen when they left?

Her name would leak, and she’d be bombarded with calls. Here she’d been talking with Hunter earlier about whether or not the men who’d held her captive knew her identity, and her face would most likely be all over the TV and newspapers within days.

No wonder Ryker had been concerned.

If someone wanted to find her, they could. Easily.

And what would it be like living and sleeping alone back in her condo? True, she’d slept on the plane, but she was surrounded by an entire SEAL team. It was easy to let her guard down here, thousands of feet up in the air with the men who’d rescued her.

Back at home she’d be on her own. Sure she had her friends and family, but she was used to being independent. She’d never worried before—she had locks on her doors, was in a secure building, and was a trained federal agent for God’s sake. She’d probably feel better if she weren’t so damn jumpy now though.

Adrenaline raced through her veins, and even her palms began to sweat. She was excited to be back but scared, too.

And wasn’t that a surprise.

“Here,” she said, passing Ryker his jacket as she rifled through her own things. Ten more minutes, and she’d be on her own. He nodded as he took the jacket back, listening to something over his headset. Were they already readying to go off on another op or something?

Small houses and buildings on the ground began to come into view as the plane descended through the clouds. Tiny cars drove along the highways, looking like children’s toys from high up in the air.

She took a deep breath, wondering who’d be meeting with her when they landed. She assumed her boss would be there, maybe some of the agents she worked with. Hopefully they’d allow her parents to meet the plane, but maybe they’d just go right to the hospital instead?

Civilians didn’t usually just go traipsing through Andrew’s.

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