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“ETA IS SEVEN MINUTES,” Evan said over the headsets, navigating the Humvee Ryan was riding in. It drove over a bump in the dirt road but sped up, passing the outskirts of Mexico City. The Mexican military vehicles were ahead of them, and the Humvee that Matthew was driving was right behind.
Ryan’s heart pounded, his gaze narrowing. “Roger that.” Seven minutes until they’d be storming the large plantation where Sarah was possibly being held prisoner.
The seven damn longest minutes of his life.
He clenched his jaw, meeting Patrick’s cool gaze. Lt. Commander Morris’s voice was suddenly in his ear. “We just got some new sat imagery. We’re sending the images to you now via a secure connection. Two new vehicles have arrived at the plantation within the hour.”
“Fuck, I hope it’s not the buyers,” Brent said, his voice cold.
“Is there any other movement there?” Ryan asked, freezing. If they’d taken her already, he and his men might be too late.
They’d move her somewhere else, and he may never see her again.
“We’re almost there,” Christopher said, glancing over at him. “If they leave, we’ll intercept the vehicles and collect the package.”
Ryan briefly closed his eyes. The package. Holy hell. What a clusterfuck his entire life had become.
“There’s no other movement that’s shown on the new imagery, but as you know, we don’t have drones in the air down there. These were taken thirty minutes ago, but we’re in the dark at the moment.”
“Understood,” Ryan said.
An old pickup truck pulled to the side of the road in the distance to let them race by, and Ryan’s gaze tracked it for a moment as it pulled into a field. Hell. It had been years since he’d been on a mission. Years since he’d sat with men on an op, weapon in hand, gear on as they prepared to breach an enemy compound.
It was equally nerve-wracking running an op from base though.
“ETA is one minute,” Evan said over the headsets.
Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and Ryan shifted in his seat, readying to exit the Humvee and rush in. He could practically feel the energy and testosterone filling the air. “Matthew and Evan, you’ll watch the perimeter while we breach the compound,” Ryan commanded. “The Mexican military will be entering the plantation with us, and we’ll spread out and search. Ice will lead one group, and I’ll head the other.”
“Roger that; we’re right behind you,” Matthew drawled.
The Humvee rolled to a stop, and the men jumped from the vehicles, jogging toward the doors of the plantation. Ryan gripped his assault rifle, scanning the perimeter as the team moved forward. The Mexican military members began yelling at some men standing around near the parked cars, who quickly scattered.
“Damn it,” Patrick said into his headset. “I hope they’re not alerting the others.”
“Well it’s too late now,” Matthew drawled. “We’re already here.”
“We’ll search the house first,” Ryan ordered. “If nothing turns up, then we’ll move to the surrounding area.”
“Roger that,” came the replies.
The Mexican military members smashed through the front door of the large plantation house, bursting inside. A woman screamed, and Ryan looked to the left, seeing two older Mexican women hurrying off. Three members of the Mexican military followed after them.
Ryan nodded to the stairs, and Patrick and his men hustled up.
Ryan met Brent and Christopher’s gazes. “Let’s search the basement,” he said, and they rushed toward the stairs leading down. “The main level seems an unlikely holding spot. Hell. Maybe we should’ve brought Mike down here.” As the medic on the team, Mike could quickly provide medical attention should Sarah or any other kidnapping victims be in grave danger. They’d all been trained in field medicine though.
“What the fuck is this place?” Brent asked, the flashlight on his helmet lighting up chains on the cellar walls as he led the way down.
“A goddamn dungeon,” Ryan spat out.
They passed a pair of handcuffs hanging on another wall, and Ryan’s chest tightened. They’d been trafficking women here. Holding them prisoner until they sold them. He wanted to vomit thinking of Sarah in this Godforsaken place.
“Hello!” Brent shouted from his lead in the front.
His voice echoed in the hall, and the men paused, weapons ready. Ryan’s heart thumped. Would they even find Sarah alive down here? Were they too late to save her?
“Help!” a female voice weakly replied. “Help me.”
Ryan’s heart raced, and he pushed past the others, bursting into the first room they came upon. A frail-looking blonde woman was lying on the ground, ropes around her wrists and ankles. Brent rushed forward, reassuring her, as Ryan’s gaze swept the room.
There was a chain on the wall but nothing else there. No one else.
“It’s all right,” Brent said gruffly. “We’re U.S. military and are here to save you.”
“I’m an American,” she said faintly. Brent pulled his K-BAR knife free and knelt down, slicing the ropes at her ankles, trying to calm her as she trembled.
“What’s your name?” he asked. “I’ll get your hands free.”
“Alyssa.”
Ryan spoke quietly into his headset, notifying the others. “We found a woman being held prisoner down in the cellar. We’re bringing her with us. No sight of Sarah.”
“You’re safe now,” Christopher assured the scared woman. “We were here looking for another American, but we’ll take you with us and get you medical attention. Are you hurt?”
“Yes,” Alyssa whimpered.
Brent freed her wrists, sheathing his knife and then helping her to stand up. Her legs shook, and he finally lifted her into his arms. “Get her to safety,” Ryan ordered.
“Roger that. I’ll leave her with Flip and Gator and come back to resume the search,” he said, referring to Evan and Matthew, who were waiting at the Humvees.
“Are there any other women being held down here?” Ryan asked.
“There’s at least one other woman, yes. She was brought here recently and was with me earlier today. They took her to a different room. Maybe they left. I’m sorry, I’m not sure.”
Ryan was already turning and running toward the door. He turned right and hustled down the hallway, looking down the scope of his rifle as he moved forward. His finger caressed the trigger, ready to fire if anyone attempted to stop him.
“On your six,” Christopher replied, hurrying behind him.
Ryan paused and turned right, looking into an empty room. A dim light was on, and he frowned as he saw what looked to be water all over the floor. There was nothing else inside though.
“Looks like someone was just here,” Christopher said in a low voice.
Turning again, Ryan moved further down the dim hallway. It was cool and damp, and he didn’t like the idea of Sarah being held down here scared and alone. The woman they’d just found looked to be in bad condition, but she had probably been here much longer given how thin she was.
Rage filled his body as he moved forward. He wanted to kill each and every one of those assholes who’d harmed a woman. Who’d held them against their will, not giving them any choice in the matter.
Ice’s voice came over his headset. “The upstairs is clear. We’re heading back down and will search the main level.”
“Roger that,” Christopher said. “Brent’s taking the first woman out to the Humvees. The CO and I are continuing to search the basement.”
Ryan heard a whimper to his left and stopped, seeing a closed doorway several feet away. It was smaller than he others, possibly leading to some sort of storage area or different room. Was the sound coming from there?
He was about to kick the small door open when he heard a scuffle up ahead.
Two men came rushing out of a room at the end of the hall, and he nearly fell over as he saw one of them was holding a necklace and a diamond ring that looked an awful lot like the one he’d given to Sarah.
“Where is she?” he roared, his heart pounding in his chest. Two heads swiveled toward him, but he had already taken one man out and aimed his assault rifle at the next. “Tell me where the hell she is,” he said, aiming directly between the man’s eyes. “I’ve got no qualms about ending your life.”
The man chuckled. “You’re too late. I already fucked her.”
A shot rang out, and the bullet went into his forehead. He fell to the ground, and Ryan was already running forward, bursting into the room. Tears filled his eyes as Sarah looked up from where she’d been handcuffed to the wall.
“Ryan!” she cried, sobbing as he rushed to her.
He knelt down in front of her, collecting her in his arms as best he could. She was wearing a tiny little dress but otherwise appeared to be clean and unharmed. Her skin was cool to the touch though, and he hated that she’d been chained up down her. “Did they—did they touch you?” he choked out.
“No, no,” she said, trying to grab onto him.
“They didn’t hurt you?” he asked in anguish, running his hands lightly over her arms as if to check for any injuries and reassure himself that she was really okay. Christopher burst into the room. He could hear Christopher talking into the headset, giving an update, and the other men’s voices in his ear, but all he could see or hear was Sarah.
His hands shook as he tried to uncuff her, and Christopher knelt beside them, quickly freeing her from the chains.
Ryan lifted her into his arms, holding her close. She shook as her arms wrapped around his neck and she sobbed, but he was already turning and moving to the doorway. “I’m here, baby girl. I’m here. You’re safe now.”
“They kept threatening to hurt me—to rape me. Something happened with whatever buyer was coming. But I gave them my necklace and engagement ring to try to stall them.”
“We got it back,” Christopher said from behind her.
Sarah looked up, and Ryan met her gaze. “Are you sure they didn’t touch you? Didn’t hurt you? That asshole, he said—” Ryan cut off, unable to even finish he sentence.
“He didn’t hurt me—he lied. Where is he?” she asked, looking around. “That guy Juan was just here! He’s down here somewhere; we have to get out!”
“He’s gone,” Ryan assured her.
“Gone?”
“He’s taken care of. He’ll never touch you again.”
Ryan began ascending the stairs, Christopher at his heels, as the other men rushed toward them. “Patrick!” Sarah cried out. Patrick rushed over to hug her awkwardly, as Ryan still held her tightly in his arms, unwilling to ever let her go.
Patrick spoke quietly into his mouthpiece, telling Matthew and Evan to ready the Humvees.
Sarah snuggled even closer against Ryan, clinging onto him for dear life. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said.
Ryan chuckled, the first time he’d laughed or smiled in days. “Yes, let’s get the hell out of here. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
