SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado #1) - Makenna Jameison Page 0,10

worry about terrorist threats coming from the Southern Hemisphere?

There weren’t enough hours in the day to deal with this shit.

Some of his buddies were on the Alpha SEAL team based out of Little Creek, clear across the country. They’d most recently been down in Mexico, dealing with the kidnapping of the CO’s now wife.

He blew out a breath, glancing around the cargo plane. Troy sat with headphones on, thumbing through something on his phone. Ethan was sleeping in his seat, arms crossed and dead to the world. Some of the others were gathered around playing cards.

He glanced back at the imagery.

It was late. He needed to get some shut eye since they’d go over the specs tomorrow and then move in under the cover of night, when most of those assholes were sleeping. They’d have to be cautious not to disturb the small buildings where weapons were being held. And who was he kidding?

Those weren’t buildings, just hastily thrown together huts. One wrong move, and the entire place could be in danger. His team would need masks in the event of a chemical spill.

They’d convene with the Colombian government and military officials. Blake’s team would move in first, but the others would be on standby for backup and securing the weapons. He set everything aside and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. He often wore headphones on flights like this to drown out the noise, but when it was late, the sound of the engines would lull him to sleep.

Chapter 6

Clarissa awoke with a start, her hands numb. She tried to shift positions and then quickly realized she’d fallen asleep slumped over on the ground. Memories of the previous afternoon quickly came rushing back. Collecting water samples. Starting the hike back. The armed men. The camp full of terrorists.

Bile rose in the back of her throat and she shifted uncomfortably on the ground.

The grass she was sitting on was slightly damp, the camp was silent, and it was pitch black inside the tent. The metal pole was cold, and she gave a quick tug, hoping the ropes had somehow miraculously loosened.

Blinking in the darkness, she looked around.

How long had she been asleep for?

No one had come back as far as she knew. Moving her stiff legs, she squeaked as she kicked something. Her heart raced, and she fumbled on the ground, her hands moving across the Earth, and realized it was a plate. Leaning over, she sniffed and smelled food.

Her stomach rumbled.

It would be awkward to eat with her wrists bound together, but there was about two feet of rope between her and the pole, giving her a little bit of leeway to move. She could reach down and lift the food from the plate to her mouth.

What if they’d poisoned it? Or put drugs inside to knock her out? Which would be worse—being weak from hunger or tempting fate to try whatever they’d given her?

She shivered as she realized the food meant someone had come into the tent while she’d been sleeping. She looked around again, unable to tell where the opening was in the darkness. Was anyone inside here now, she wondered with horror?

She stilled but didn’t sense anyone else. She didn’t hear anyone breathing.

She was so tired, she’d been dead to the world. But they could’ve done anything to her while she slept here tied up and helpless. Tears smarted her eyes. She needed to escape. Night time was her best bet since most people would be sleeping. But how would she untie these ropes?

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she hastily swiped them away. She’d gain nothing by sitting here in the dark crying. She needed to be smart. To think. To come up with a plan to escape.

Reaching over, she felt the food on the plate again and lifted something to her mouth. It was a local fruit and sickeningly sweet—overripe. Her body needed fuel though. It didn’t taste rotten, just a day or two past its prime.

She took another bite, knowing she needed the nourishment. She was still dehydrated from their trek through the rainforest. She felt around on the ground again, but it didn’t seem like they’d left her any type of drink or water.

The only other thing on the plate was rice, and she slowly ate that as well, not wanting to upset her stomach if she ate too quickly.

Someone must have noticed that she and her guide never returned to their small camp. Would they notify the authorities?