Page 39 of Loved by a SEAL

“I’m going in,” Mike said, kicking open the flimsy door.

A woman’s scream pierced the air, and suddenly there was a small explosion.

“Shit,” Christopher said as he ran forward. “Ice is down. I repeat, Ice is down.” The camera feed from Christopher’s headset wobbled as he ducked down and hefted Patrick up over his shoulder.

“Damn it,” Ryan said, his gaze narrowing at the screen. “What’s his condition?”

“Fuck, he’s bleeding out!” Evan said. “Get him the hell out of here!”

Mike suddenly emerged from the hut, the woman cowering behind him. She barely came up to his shoulder, and in the commotion, Ryan couldn’t assess her condition.

“We have the package,” Mike said into his headset. “Duck!”

Gunfire suddenly erupted again, and Hunter and one of his men headed their way. “Let’s roll out!” Hunter shouted. “Move!”

“Call in the helo,” Evan said as the men began to move back through the camp. He slung one of Patrick’s arms over his shoulder to help Christopher drag him out. “Ice needs medical attention.”

“Get him out of here so I can patch up his wounds,” Mike grit out. “Apply pressure to the bleeding. Hurry!”

He tucked the small woman under one of his arms and half-dragged her forward as the team headed back toward the mountains they’d come in by. A second explosion filled the air from the far side of camp, and Ryan pounded his fist on the table. The Black Hawks swooped in, hovering low to the ground as the Alpha SEAL team and kidnapped woman ran from the insurgent camp.

“Get them out of here!” Hunter shouted. “My team will cover you!”

A jumble of images filled the screen as the men climbed aboard the helicopter.

Mike jumped in first, bodily carrying the woman, who he put down at his side.

“Oh my God! I can’t believe you saved me!” Alyssa wailed. “I never thought I’d get out of there!”

“Ma’am, calm down,” Brent said.

“I’m scared!” she cried out. “What if they come after us? Don’t let them get me again!”

Christopher and Evan jumped on, dragging Patrick along with them. His body slumped to the ground as they pushed him further in. Matthew ducked on last as Hunter’s team fired from behind them.

“Shit, put that on his wound!” Mike’s voice called out. The images began to flicker as the Black Hawk lifted into the air, but Ryan could see blood gushing from Patrick’s side as Mike hovered over him.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” Mike spat out. “Fuck!”

Ryan’s gaze swept back to the video footage from other SEAL team, still making their way out of the camp. A second Black Hawk landed for Delta team, and Hunter and his men were racing for it, shooting behind them as they ran.

“Delta’s all on board,” Hunter said. “Move out.”

Ryan couldn’t see anything as the Black Hawk’s took off into the night. His gut churned. They’d rescued the woman but had a man down. Condition of both uncertain.

Fucking hell.

***

The sound of the doorbell ringing jarred her from a deep sleep, and Sarah blearily reached for her phone. 4:30 a.m. What the hell? She stood up, throwing a long, loose cardigan over her camisole and boy shorts as someone lightly knocked. Whoever it was probably had the wrong damn house. She doubted her brother usually had visitors at this God-awful hour. If someone from base needed him, no doubt they’d call, not just show up at the front door.

Hell.

Running a hand through her tangled hair, she padded to the door barefoot, peering out the peep hole.

She did a double-take as she saw Ryan standing on Patrick’s front porch, dressed in the fatigues the guys sometimes wore on base, his jaw was set in a hard line. His gaze swept the porch, assessing, and even in the dim porch light, she could tell he hadn’t slept.

What the hell?

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