Page 29 of Married to a SEAL

“We’ll be infiltrating the camp from the opposite side,” Hunter said, his voice deep. “C-4 and I will head for the hostage in case something goes wrong on your end. The other men will be back-up as we sweep through the camp.”

“If everything goes FUBAR, head for the mountains,” the CO said over the headset. “We’ll track your coordinates via GPS. Black Hawks will be sent in after you hunker down. Priority number one is rescue of the American woman.”

“Roger that,” Patrick ground out.

The two teams moved out, Patrick leading his men in a quick jog to a waiting Black Hawk. They quietly flew through the night, the insurgents’ camp coming into view in the distance through their night vision goggles.

“Two minutes out,” the pilot said over the headsets.

The low “whoosh, whoosh” of the helicopter blades penetrated his thoughts as adrenaline rushed through his veins. Mountains came into close view as the pilot swept close, attempting to avoid detection of the insurgents’ camp. Grinding his teeth, Patrick stood as Evan opened the hatch for them to jump out into the dark night.

They hit the ground running, disconnecting their chutes within seconds. Patrick moved forward in his combat gear, letting his finger hover over the trigger of his HK416 assault rifle as he eyed the insurgents scattering around the camp like ants coming out of their nest.

His narrowed gaze swept the area, tracking everything through his night vision goggles—the buildings surrounded by the wall they were readying to infiltrate. The men moving around. The mountains off to the right.

The sliver of a moon provided the smallest hint of light. And while there was activity buzzing on the outskirts, most of the camp remained asleep. Unaware.

His boots quietly scuffed across the dusty ground, barely making a sound as he and his men silently moved forward. His weapon moved back and forth as he scanned the area, flanked by Mike. The rest of the men on his team moved in groups of two behind him.

Patrick muttered a curse as he scanned the area. “Two guards on the outskirts,” Patrick said quietly into his mouthpiece.

“Both heavily armed,” Mike said. “Assault rifles, looks like grenades and a rocket launcher.”

The other men on the two SEAL teams provided updates on their positions, and then suddenly the word from their CO back in Little Creek came to move in.

Gunfire broke out on the desert side of camp, where the Delta Team was. Matthew and Brent took out the guards on the mountain side as Patrick and Mike swept into the camp area, near where they believed the American hostage was being held.

Patrick’s gaze slid over the ramshackle huts. The scent of gunpowder and burning wood filled the air. Shouts from men on the other side of camp filled his ears.

“We’re making our approach. Third hut over,” Mike said on his headset.

“One guard outside,” Patrick said.

A breeze blew through the otherwise still night air. Gunfire sounded in the distance.

Mike’s laser scope aimed at the guard from one hundred feet away, and a moment later, the man slumped over.

“Man out,” Mike said. “We’re heading for the package.”

Patrick’s gaze swept the area, the view slightly grainy through his night vision goggles. A movement from near the hut caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes. Turned his head slightly to the left.

“I’m going in,” Mike said as he moved to the right, kicking open the flimsy door.

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

Pain pierced Patrick’s side as he was blown off his feet. Air whooshed around him. His head thudded on the hard ground, a few rocks digging into his back through his body armor. He heard the shouts of his men. Gunfire. Rebecca’s face flashed through his mind. And then as his head bounced off the hard earth a second time, everything went black.

***

Rebecca yawned, feeling drowsiness wash over her. The adrenaline of the past few hours had kept her awake at Alison’s side, but now that she was alone in the quiet darkness of her car, she was ready to crawl into bed and fall fast asleep.

Maybe not ever wake up until Patrick came home and pulled her into his strong arms.

She pulled out of the parking garage and onto the deserted road, ready to head a few miles to Patrick’s house near Little Creek. She’d spent hours at the hospital as the doctors had tried to get Alison’s contractions under control. Fortunately, the medicine in the IV drip seemed to finally be working. As the contractions had slowed and eventually stopped, Alison had finally fallen into a deep sleep.

And Rebecca had quietly snuck out, telling the night-shift nurses to call her immediately if anything changed.

It had been a long day and even longer nerve-wracking night, and Rebecca was eager to crawl into bed. She’d sleep better after checking on Abby and Logan, despite knowing they were in good hands with Patrick’s sister. And at the moment, snuggling up under Patrick’s sheets, inhaling his clean, masculine scent, sounded like the next best thing to having him beside her.

---