gotten wind of the story.
They must’ve tracked her down from whatever government ID they’d taken from her. But why?
His phone buzzed, and he answered the call in a low voice.
“I hate to admit it, but you were right,” Hunter said. “Emily is in danger.”
“God damn it,” Ryker said. “How do you know? Who are these guys?”
“Contacts of Izallah’s. One of them used to live in the U.S.—he’s American. He moved his entire family to Afghanistan. He’s probably the guy with the teenage daughter that Emily told me about. Apparently, he’s developed a strong dislike of westerners—especially western women. Although we still don’t know if someone sold them out when they were on patrol that night, leading to Emily’s capture, we do know they’re after her now.”
“He doesn’t like that we rescued her?” Ryker asked.
“Fuck no. He wants to bring her back there. They held her for an entire month to get her to Izallah. She’s worth a lot of money to them. They’re not willing to just let her go now.”
“That’s bullshit. It’s hard to believe anyone would go to such crazy lengths over a woman.”
“They’re extremists,” Hunter said. “There is no rhyme or reason to anything they do.”
“I know, it’s just—Jesus. I had a bad feeling, and I hoped I was wrong. But you’re right—they were saving her for a month for that asshole, moving her from camp to camp, so I guess they didn’t like that we swooped in right before he was going to make her his wife.”
“Apparently not,” Hunter said. “They must not have gotten paid yet for taking her.”
“I should get her out of here,” Ryker said, his gaze sweeping around the living room. He glanced out the window of her condo overlooking Georgetown, and quickly crossed over to it. He shut the blinds. “I need to take her somewhere that’s safe.”
“Are you bringing her down here?”
“I don’t know. It might be safer to keep her away from other military right now—not that they know who specifically rescued her. They shouldn’t know that.”
“We still don’t know if there was a mole on base,” Hunter said. “Or there could’ve been a shady informant. If there was, it’s possible he or she could’ve slipped Izallah’s men intel that she was rescued by a SEAL team. It’s too hard to track us down, even if they don’t have our specific names.”
Ryker muttered a curse, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “You’re right. We might just hole away somewhere up here for now. Is State tracking them down? They should have surveillance from Dulles if these two are suspects.”
“I’ll find out who’s taking the lead on that,” Hunter replied. “My guess is the FBI since they’re on U.S. soil. Not that that would stop any of us from taking them out if they show up trying to harm Emily.”
“Damn straight it wouldn’t,” Ryker spat out. His eyes swept the room once more, and he wondered if he should pack up some of Emily’s things before he woke her. He needed to get her far away from Georgetown.
Jesus.
The poor woman was finally planning to get a night’s sleep in her own bed, and he was going to move her. The FBI could lay in wait though. He wanted her far, far away from anyone intending to do her harm.
Rage surge through him at the thought of those assholes’ hands on Emily. He hadn’t seen the bruising on her ribs, but the lump on her forehead was enough to make him see red. There was no telling what they’d do if they got a hold of her once more. If they dare touched her or harmed her, he’d end them.
“Keep me updated,” Hunter said. “I talked to the CO and told him you’d be gone longer than expected.”
“Roger that,” Ryker replied. “I’ll stay with her until we’re certain it’s safe. I’ll update you later with our location.”
Ryker ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket. Stuffing his few belongings back into his bag, his gaze landed on the groceries in the kitchen. He should bring some food and supplies with them as well. There was no way of knowing how long it would take for this to end.
Presumably the FBI could track and detain the two men, but what if they’d gone underground? He wasn’t going to rely on someone else to protect his—
A sudden scream had him turning in an instant and rushing down the hallway, weapon drawn. He edged into Emily’s room and quickly holstered his gun