SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison
Chapter 1
Grayson “Ghost” Douglass jumped out of the Humvee and crossed Bagram Airfield, the dust from the Afghani desert kicking up around his combat boots. He swiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling every bit of the 103-degree heat.
“What do you think?” Ethan “Everglades” Flannigan asked, taking a swig of water from his canteen and swinging his rucksack onto his back. The men were decked out in their desert camo fatigues, Kevlar vests and helmets on, rucksacks full as they returned from their reconnaissance mission. They’d landed at the airfield earlier that day and had almost immediately headed out to survey the area after checking in.
“It doesn’t look good,” Grayson said. “We’ll have to go door-to-door looking for him if he’s holed up in that village. Let’s see if Raptor and the others noticed anything on the ride back.”
“Fucking hell,” Ethan muttered. “This asshole is in the wind.”
“Yep. The timing is shit. We flew halfway around the world only to have him disappear within hours of our arrival.”
“Someone could’ve tipped him off.”
“It’s possible. These guys move around a lot though. It looks like we just missed him based on the abandoned camp near that cave. They’re constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the U.S. forces.”
“And they’ve succeeded so far. That’s why we were brought in. You think the villagers will keep quiet if he’s really hiding out there?”
Grayson lifted a shoulder. “Maybe. Maybe not. But everyone’s got a price.”
He frowned, the image of Abdul Sayed flashing through his mind. Wanted for a recent plot that had killed seven servicemen, he was also head of a newly formed ISIS cell in the area. Bringing him down would cripple the new faction. If they could fucking find him.
The other four men on their Navy SEAL team were coming up behind them, sucking down energy gel packs and chugging water from their canteens. The heat out here was brutal, and after several hours of recon to learn the lay of the land, and discovering the abandoned camp, they weren’t a hell of a lot better off than when they’d arrived.
“Let’s debrief and then hit the chow hall,” Blake “Raptor” Reynolds, their SEAL team leader said. “General Murphy is waiting on our update. Our bags should’ve been sent to the barracks after we landed. It sounds like we’ll be here longer than we thought.”
“Too bad we don’t have a damn lot to tell the general,” Troy “T-Rex” Harrison said. “Rather than confirming the location of Sayed and updating him on our pending op, he’s gone.”
“Hell. I’m hoping the general will have an update for us,” Blake ground out.
Grayson caught his eye. “Did you guys notice anything on the ride back?”
“Negative,” Blake said. “I wish like hell we had. Not even the villagers we passed looked suspicious. He could’ve ducked out before we even got here. Then the rest of the camp quickly packed up today.”
“Fucking hell. So much for moving in tonight and grabbing him.”
“It’s clear that the camp was recently abandoned.” Blake continued. “The ashes from the fire were still warm. That makes me wonder if they knew we were coming.”
“A mole?” Grayson asked, doubtfully. “We just landed hours ago. And most people would’ve assumed we were regular Navy arriving at Bagram, not Special Forces. If Sayed moved out earlier today, either by coincidence or after being tipped off by an informant, we should be able to find him.”
“Agreed,” Blake said. “He’s close by. We’ll go through that whole fucking village if we have to. His goal has been to harm U.S. servicemembers. I don’t think he’d go far.”
They walked into the building where the general’s office was housed on base, nodding at a secretary sitting there. The office was staffed with military personnel, civilian DOD employees, and government contractors. The woman at the front desk flushed slightly, looking at the SEALs, and Grayson did a double-take, meeting her gaze.
She was gorgeous, with long auburn hair, full lips, and fair skin. It was those green eyes that did him in though. They widened in surprise at seeing the six huge men on his team walking in and then shyly looked down after he’d exchanged a glance with her.
“Ma’am,” Blake said, leading the rest of the team past her.
She looked up from her work again, avoiding Grayson’s gaze. His lips quirked. It’s not like she could go unnoticed sitting right there in the front. And he sure the hell had noticed her. He was dirty and sweaty and still wearing his combat gear,