Kidnapped by a SEAL - Makenna Jameison Page 0,5

them, and she wondered what the hell she was getting herself into.

“Ma’am,” he said, nodding.

“Ms. Swenson is with State,” Commander Williams told the younger man.

“I’m here on TDY,” she said, not relaying any further information. Analysts came and went all the time—he’d probably assume she was one as well.

There was no need to inform him that she was part of the advance team before several top State Department officials arrived in a few days.

The Humvees began to roll out, exiting the base to patrol the perimeter. They bumped along the dirt road, and she looked out into the dark night.

“Let me get you a pair of night-vision goggles,” Commander Williams said.

He rustled around and then handed a pair over to her. Before she could don them, headlights suddenly came into view from the opposite direction.

“Aw hell,” Jacobs said, suddenly leaning out the Humvee window with his weapon.

Her chest clenched, and then gunfire erupted around them.

Emily heard a scuffle of footsteps in the hallway and quickly sat up in bed, instantly alert. So far, the guards had left her alone at night, but that didn’t mean they’d continue that pattern.

Her boots hit the ground as she stood up in the dark. Sleeping in her combat boots wasn’t exactly ideal, but if someone came into her room at night, she wanted a fighting chance. She paused, listening, and stood there in shock as something was slid under her door.

There was a quick shuffle as whoever had been there hurried away.

Walking slowly across the small room in the moonlight, she stared down at the ground. Someone had slid some Afghani bread under the gap in the door. Her gaze flicked back up, but there was no one outside the door anymore. No sound. No movement.

Had one of the women left this for her? The guards would have unlocked the door to shove some food into the room.

Bending down to pick up the bread, she realized it was still warm, and her stomach rumbled. Breaking a piece off, she took a small bite.

God, it was delicious. She wished she had some water, but this was better than nothing. The guards would probably give her something to eat and drink in the morning. Not receiving dinner clearly have been punishment for refusing to sleep with their leader.

She took another small bite of bread and realized she’d have to eat all of it or hide it somewhere. She didn’t want to get whoever had brought it to her in trouble.

Emily sank down onto the bed and hurriedly finished eating, dusting her hands off when she was done. She hadn’t had a thing since breakfast, and she needed the calories. She needed to maintain her strength if she had hopes of escaping, not that her nutrition had been great during her month in captivity.

The jiggling of the lock on her door had her jumping, and a moment later, a woman’s voice urgently whispered to her. “Come on!”

Startled, Emily hurried to the door and did a double take at the young teenage girl standing there. She was wearing a headscarf and traditional dress, but she had a determined look about her, with none of the fear Emily had seen in the other women’s eyes.

The others avoided her gaze and looked down when they moved.

But this girl?

She’d apparently stolen a key to come help her escape.

“You speak English?” Emily asked quietly, stunned.

“Yes, now hurry!”

A flurry of options raced through her mind, none of them good. Deciding not to miss out on what could be her only chance of escape, she quickly followed the teenager into the hallway. She looked left and right, but no one else was around.

“Come on. They circle around at night on their patrol—there’s only one guard inside because they sleep in shifts, but he’s certain to be back soon. And there’s another making the rounds outside. Let’s go!”

Emily quietly pulled the door shut behind her so as not to alert anyone she was missing. All she needed was for a guard to return and her room to be wide open. She hurriedly followed the teenage girl down the hallway, turning right, and then they went down another corridor that led to the back of the building.

The teenager inched the door open, and the desert air filled her lungs as they cautiously stepped outside. There was a small building in front of her that looked more like a house, and another building to the left. A large wall ran along back, and having walked through the