SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado #1) - Makenna Jameison Page 0,11

She assumed eventually they might, but being gone for a day probably wouldn’t cause too much alarm. For all they knew, she could’ve camped somewhere for a night. She’d been with her guide after all, not alone in the jungle.

She paused, food halfway to her mouth, wondering what had happened to him.

She assumed he was dead. Had they gotten rid of the body or left it there for someone to stumble upon? The reality was, whoever found it might not even care. Other unsavory types were all over the place. Part of the reason she’d needed a guide was for her protection.

She finished eating as exhaustion began to overtake her again. Her stomach was full for the moment. She pulled on the pole again, wondering if she could somehow dig it up. It hadn’t budged at all, and she wondered how deeply they’d dug it.

Yawning, she decided to close her eyes for a little while.

Within moments, she’d once again surrendered to sleep.

***

Footsteps caused her to jolt awake the next morning, and an armed man suddenly burst into the tent. He stood in the opening, the bright sunlight streaming in behind him. He looked at her appraisingly for a moment but then took a step closer.

Clarissa scrambled to sit up, wincing when the ropes bit into her wrists. She moved as far away from him as possible, which didn’t mean much in the confines of the small tent.

This was a different man than the ones she was with yesterday. He was slightly older but still had the dark hair and beard of the others. His nose looked like it had been broken in the past and was slightly crooked, as if it hadn’t properly healed.

What concerned her most was the spark of interest and amusement in his dark eyes.

“You are the American,” he said with a low chuckle in a heavily accented voice.

She stared at him, not answering

“An American woman. You are worth a lot of money to us,” he said. “Money that I deserve and am owed. It was quite fortunate that we found you yesterday.”

“What do you want from me?” she asked, hating the tremor in her voice.

“You are my prisoner,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “I can do whatever I want with you. Use you however I want.”

His gaze raked over her body, and she felt her stomach tighten. If this guy came at her, she had no way to fight him off. She was literally tied to a metal pole in the ground. He could rip her clothes off and rape her right here. Hurt her. No one would care if she screamed. No one would help her.

“You want money,” she said.

“Money for my trouble, yes,” he agreed. “My men found you in the jungle, brought you back to my camp. I have given you food and shelter.”

“I won’t cause any trouble,” she said.

He chuckled darkly. “No, you will not. You will be of great use to me, actually. I will be demanding a ransom for your release. A pretty American woman like you? Surely you have a boyfriend back home. A husband. Someone will pay greatly for your safe return.”

“I don’t—I’m not married.”

“Your family then. Your government may not be willing to negotiate for your release, but I know your family will.”

He reached into his pocket, and she cringed, feeling relief when he only took out his cell phone. “I’m going to take a video of you tied up in captivity. Tell them your name. Tell them that you are a prisoner here. I want the entire world to know what I’m capable of.”

“The entire world?” she asked, flabbergasted.

This guy was crazy. He was probably right though. If he posted a video of her online, tied up to a metal pole, news channels would pick it up. It would spread over the Internet. Even if she had no immediate family, her colleagues at the university would see. Would they be able to help her? To raise money to see to her release? She didn’t even know how much money he wanted.

He took a few pictures of her, causing her to jump in surprise at the sudden flash. Pressing a button on the screen, he held the phone up again. “Start talking!” he ordered. “I want a video of you telling the world your name.”

Clarissa swallowed nervously. “Hello. I’m Clarissa Rothschild. I’m a biologist collecting data and samples in the Colombian rainforest. Yesterday, I was taken from my guide. I’m being held hostage here in a camp