Kidnapped by a SEAL - Makenna Jameison Page 0,8
we have any word on her condition?” Ryker asked. “Any sat imagery?” he said, referring to the vast array of satellite images the military had access to.
Hunter nodded. “We have photos of the compound where she’s being held and images of a woman we believe to be her arriving. She walked in on her own, which is a good sign.”
Ryker nodded, clenching his fists.
The other men filed into the room, grabbing chairs around the table, and their CO headed to the front and spoke quietly with Hunter for a moment. It was a hell of a change from their joking mood at brunch earlier, but such was the life of a SEAL. They were on call 24/7, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. While the other guys had girlfriends they worried about and left behind, Ryker only had himself.
And damn near preferred it that way.
His gaze slid to Colton, who was pulling out an empty chair to sit down.
“I bet it’s the missing State Department official,” Colton said. “It’s been bugging me all month that we didn’t get her—I mean, just thinking about how Camila could’ve been in a similar situation if we hadn’t rescued her down in Colombia….” He shook his head, clenching his jaw.
“It’s her,” Ryker confirmed. “The official with State. And this time we’re not coming home without her.”
“None of us like that we just missed rescuing her,” Mason said with a frown. “But she wasn’t at the camp we targeted. Hell, all of us know what you feel like, C-4,” he said, calling Colton by his nickname. “We’ve all got a woman now, well, save for Ryker.”
“Fucking hell,” Ryker spat out, sinking down into a chair. “That’s by choice, and it sure as shit doesn’t matter now.”
“He’s right,” Noah agreed, adjusting the aviators perched atop his head. “We focus on the mission. The missing woman.”
Their CO connected a secure video conference on the massive TV screen at the front of the bull pen, and the commander of the SEAL team based in Coronado popped up on the screen. Ryker raised his eyebrows, realizing those guys out in California would likely somehow be involved in this mission. He’d assumed the secure conference would be with State.
“Commander Brinks has some information to share before I brief you on the op” their CO announced, meeting the gazes of the men in the room. “As you know, SEAL Team Alpha is down in Mexico chasing after a drug cartel and some missing women. The Coronado team will be joining us on this op to the Middle East. It’s imperative that we move immediately now that we have a definitive location for the missing woman, and the Pentagon and State have made this a top priority.”
Ryker nodded, his gaze flicking toward Hunter. Some of the men knew the leader of the Coronado team from back when they were in BUD/S—Blake “Raptor” Reynolds was a legend in his own right. He could sneak in anywhere without anyone even knowing he was coming.
And hell.
They needed all the badass dudes they could get on a mission like this. If Patrick “Ice” Foster’s team wasn’t available, Ryker and the other men would be happy to have Raptor and his team.
“My men are readying to go wheels-up within the hour,” Commander Brinks said. “You’ll be arriving several hours before them in Afghanistan. My team was briefed on the unfolding situation moments ago. Troops in our forward-operating bases have been ordered to stand down on this rescue mission until the SEAL teams arrive.”
“Do we have specs on the compound, sir?” Hunter asked.
Commander Brinks nodded. “Yes, which your CO will be briefing you on shortly. I’ve told my men that your team has the lead on this. They’ll be there to provide backup and additional support every step of the way. You may or may not be aware of this yet, but Emily Swenson is a Special Agent with State. She was part of a forward operating team securing the area before State Department officials arrived. She was taken while patrolling the base with some of the U.S. military.”
Ryker exchanged glances with Hunter, surprised by this new piece of information. He’d assumed she was a suit from Washington. Sure, federal agents in DC did in fact wear suits, but she wasn’t some desk jockey who pushed papers all day; she was in law enforcement. Which hopefully meant she could hold her own.
That didn’t mean she stood a chance against multiple armed men though. Or after being held