Kidnapped by a SEAL - Makenna Jameison Page 0,3
last barbecue here where we man the grill. But apparently, the kitchen is her territory.”
“Women.” Ryker paused a beat and then eyed his teammate. “Did Mason tell you what I found the other day during training?”
Jacob nodded. “The necklace. Surprised you still had it, man. We’ll find her. We can’t exactly go traipsing all over Afghanistan without any solid intel. We need a rescue operation, not a suicide mission.”
“It’s been a month,” Ryker said. “I don’t fucking like it.”
“You know as well as I do that a woman in harm’s way doesn’t sit well with any of us. Frankly, I’m surprised she hasn’t been all over the news. She’s with State, right? I’m guessing they don’t know that. You’d think she’d be considered a high-value target and they’d be broadcasting videos of her all over the damn place.”
Ryker nodded, glancing over at the doors to the house. One of the women, Taylor, was walking toward them, gesturing for them to come inside. “I don’t know what to make of it, but I still have that damn necklace I found, and I can’t just sit around any longer and do nothing. I’ll talk to the CO on Monday and see if he has any updates.”
“You never know,” Jacob said, turning to the door. “You know as well as anyone that we could be wheels-up in hours.”
“Yeah. We just need the fucking intel,” Ryker muttered, following him inside.
The other guys on his SEAL team and their girlfriends were gathered around the kitchen and dining area, grabbing food and drinks. “Hey, you want a Bloody Mary?” Bailey asked. Her eyebrow ring glinted in the light as she glanced over at him, and her boyfriend Noah “Viper” Miller sauntered over and slung his arm around her waist.
“Nah, not my drink,” Ryker said. “Thanks anyway.”
“Oh come on,” his other teammate Colton “C-4” Ferguson said, taking a sip. “It’s got alcohol. What’s not to like?”
His girlfriend Camila walked over with two plates of food, handing one to Colton. “Some men like a stiff drink, no?” she asked in her Colombian accent.
Bailey grinned at them. “I’ll make you something stronger. Let me check and see what Jessica has here. I think Michelle bought some….” Her voice trailed off as she mentioned the woman Ryker had previously been seeing.
He chuckled. “Hell, you can mention Michelle’s name. If she comes back to town to visit Jessica soon, I told her to call me and come spend the night at my place. Both of us knew it was just about some summer fun.”
Noah let out a low whistle. “That’s what they all say, right before—bam! Some woman smacks into you, and you never even saw it coming.”
Colton laughed, agreeing with him. “Hoorah—that’s been par for the course so far with most of this group.”
Ryker shook his head, smirking. It had been one hell of a summer, but he’d already met a pretty brunette since Michelle had left. And a sexy French tourist visiting with friends. He loved a beautiful woman beside him—and in his bed.
While his buddies might be happy with their women, he was perfectly content to remain single and enjoying all the beautiful ladies he met.
There was a loud knock on the front door, and their SEAL team leader Hunter “Hook” Murdock and his pregnant girlfriend Emma came in, beaming. “Hook!” Colton called out. “Come grab a drink!”
They smiled and said hello as they made their way in, and Ryker watched in amazement. Hell, even his SEAL team leader was happily settled down with a woman. About to be a father. Their team was a hell of a lot different than a year ago. Not that any of his buddies seemed to be complaining.
“Think a shot of whiskey will do you?” Bailey asked Ryker as she held up a bottle.
“Hell no—not for brunch,” he said with a low chuckle. “I’m good with my coffee. Noah looks ready for some attention though,” he said, nodding toward his buddy.
“Let’s grab some food, sunshine,” Noah said as Bailey glanced over at him.
Ryker smirked.
“I saw that,” Bailey teased. “Maybe Michelle wasn’t destined to be ‘Mrs. Bulls Eye’ but she’s out there somewhere.”
Noah guffawed. “Mrs. Bull Eye. That does have a nice ring to it. Does that mean I can start calling you Mrs. Viper?”
“Only if you’re proposing,” she quipped.
“Wait, who’s proposing?” Hunter asked, sauntering over. “Are you trying to show me up or something?”
Ryker raised his eyebrows as Emma waggled her fingers, showing off a sparkling diamond ring. Holy hell. Not a