Page 24 of Nate Hayes

“Mr. Fraiser. It’s been a long time.”

“Alessandro Ricci,” I said. “I need to speak to your son and daughter-in-law. Now.”

There was a pause.

“They’re not available at the moment. Perhaps you can speak to me instead.”

“No. I’m not playing games. Your grandchildren are being hunted. One’s already missing. If you’ve got anything to do with this—”

“My dear friend, my family would never harm my grandchildren.”

“I hope for your sake that’s true,” I said. “Because if even one hair on their heads is out of place, I will personally come to Italy, and you’ll find out why Delta and SEALs never retire. We evolve.”

I hung up and grabbed my field tablet. I tapped a few keys, encrypting a message to every man on Frasier Mountain.

SEALS—ALL UNITS. CODE ORANGE. NATE AND AXEL ENGAGED. UNKNOWN HOSTILES. CHILDREN INVOLVED. POSSIBLE HUMAN TRAFFICKING ELEMENT. NO MEDIA. NO POLICE. THIS STAYS IN-HOUSE. STAND BY.

I fired off a second message—directly to Chloe and Ethan’s parents.

Your children are in danger. I’ve got men on the ground. Trust me to bring them home. Do not engage anyone or answer strange calls. We’ll handle this.

A third message was already in the works—to Jack and Max.

Time to wake up the wolves.

I wassprinting through the woods, dead set on finding that little girl, when I heard it.

Not a scream.

Not a shout.

But asignal.

A three-beat owl call that wasn’t from any bird.

My blood went hot.

Only one man used that signal.

Fraiser.

I veered toward the sound, instincts on fire. The forest was thick here, the ground wet from yesterday’s rain, and it had the kind of quiet that always came before an ambush.

Then I saw movement up ahead—dark shapes, moving low and fast through the brush. Not enemies. These wereghosts. SEAL ghosts. Faces I knew.

Max. Jack and Tucker.

And dead center, taking point with a silenced rifle slung across his chest, was Fraiser.

The man hadn’t lost an ounce of edge.

He raised two fingers and pointed left. Max broke off instantly, looping around toward a small ravine. That’s when I heard it—muffled cries.

The girl.

Trapped in a hollow, tied to a tree.

A guard stood over her with a radio in one hand and a pistol in the other, scanning the dark like heknewsomething was coming.

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