“I know. And we’ll get you there,” he said, looking down at her intently. She knew he was waiting for her, so she crossed her bedroom to the door, Ethan right at her back. They were both in uniform, but somehow, she still felt feminine and fragile beside him. Normally she was okay and could hold her own around the men she worked with, but right now, she appreciated his support more than he’d know.
***
Twenty minutes later, Ethan walked toward the building housing the general’s office with Kimberly at his side. Grayson and Blake were with them, Blake clearing the path in front of them, and Grayson on their heels. It was overkill, perhaps. They were on a supposedly secure base. But Kim had been kidnapped. Even with security at the gate and military personnel all over the place, she’d been taken.
“Welcome back!” a woman said as she rushed by.
Kim nodded but politely continued on, smiling without commenting. It happened a few more times. U.S. servicemembers no doubt recognized her image from the videos. She’d pulled her hair back into a tight bun, but everyone recognized her face. And most people probably assumed his SEAL team had rescued her. They might not know they were SEALs, but no doubt most of the people on base recognized they were Special Forces.
The people watching Kimberly unnerved him. Ethan would feel better when they were wheel’s up, on their way out of the country. Normally, he never felt wary when on an op like this—not on a forward operating base, and certainly not at a large base like Bagram.
Kimberly stuck close to him, much like when they’d hiked down the mountain. This time she kept her chin up, her gaze assessing. He figured it must be uncomfortable for her to be back here. They’d avoided going anywhere near her old building, and if she asked about it later, he hoped to deter her.
He clenched his fists, watching as another group passing by swiveled their heads to look at her. Good God. Didn’t they realize she’d been through a traumatic ordeal? His protective instincts were soaring, and they hadn’t even met with the investigators yet.
A group of Afghanis who worked on base as translators walked by, heading toward a different building. He noticed Kim stiffened slightly but kept walking. Their own group approached the building they were headed toward for Kim to give her statement, when suddenly she gasped and clutched onto his arm, panic crossing her face.
They stopped, and Blake and Grayson instantly moved closer, looking around for any danger.
“What is it?” Ethan asked, following her gaze. There were two women chatting near the corner of the building, both in camo uniforms, but they looked nonthreatening. Other people were walking around, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“I thought I saw someone over there. A man.”
Ethan exchanged a glance with Grayson, and then Grayson was moving toward the women, looking down the narrow gap between the buildings. They briefly looked at him but then continued on with their conversation.
“What do you see?” Blake called out, frowning.
“Clear!” Grayson said.
“I thought—it looked like—” Kimberly shook her head, clearly frustrated. She didn’t let go of Ethan’s arm though, and he didn’t miss the way she slightly trembled.
“Ghost checked it out,” he assured her. “There’s no one there.”
Blake began moving toward Grayson, and the two of them stood there, scanning the area. Other people walking by looked at them curiously, but Ethan didn’t give a fuck. He’d spend however long was needed to make Kimberly feel comfortable. They’d look under every goddamn rock if they had to.
“They’re waiting for me,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “The investigators. We should keep moving.”
Ethan gazed down at her, not liking the look of fear in her blue eyes. “They can wait. Who did you see, sweetheart?”
“It looked like the guy—the one that hurt me,” she whispered.
Understanding washed over him. He was angry as hell that one of the men who’d kidnapped Kimberly had forced himself on her. He knew it could’ve been so much worse, that she could’ve been raped daily or by multiple men. Knowing she’d been hurt by even one of those assholes made his blood boil though. None of them had any right to touch her or hurt her. Now they were safe on base and she was scared just remembering them. “They’re not here,” Ethan assured her. “We left those bastards up on the mountain. Some of them didn’t even escape with