Page 52 of SEAL Ever After

Sinking to the ground, she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head for a moment. She needed to think. To decide her options given the shitty situation she was in. Fight the woman when she came back? Get changed and ready for whatever the woman was muttering about?

They probably had to clean her up to sell her off. Wasn’t that how these things worked?

Ryan had absolutely no idea where she was. She didn’t know who these men were or if Juan was even around here. And Ryan and Patrick didn’t even know who Juan was—she hadn’t mentioned him. She’d planned her wedding as if she hadn’t a care in the entire world.

Brushing a tear aside, she looked back at the door. Someone would be coming back. They’d come for her—take her God only knew where to do God only knew what.

Letting out a shaky breath, she pounded on the ground in frustration.

There was no way out of this. No one to help her.

Hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

Although she’d told herself yesterday that she only needed to hold on for twenty-four more hours, she knew that truth was something far worse.

Ryan and his SEAL teams weren’t here. No one was coming to help her.

She could only rely on herself.

Chapter 24

Ryan adjusted his helmet, ensuring his mouthpiece and headset were in place, his eyes narrowing as he looked around the cargo space of the C-17 cargo plane. The Alpha Team was hustling into action, strapping on their gear as they readied to land. He’d grabbed an extra set of gear from Little Creek, rushing onto the plane right along with his men.

“ETA?” Ryan asked into the headset.

“Eleven minutes,” the pilot responded.

“Roger that.” Ryan’s gaze swept the area. Patrick was talking to Evan near the front of the plane, both men dressed in their Kevlar vests, helmets, and protective gear. Brent was securing his sidearm, and Christopher was closing the laptop he’d been working on during the flight, stuffing it into his rucksack.

Christopher spoke into his mouthpiece so everyone could hear him over the roar of the engine. “The latest sat imagery shows a small plane did arrive in Mexico City on Saturday. It fits the description of one that flew out near Richmond.”

“That’s them,” Ryan said in a deadly voice. Richmond was only two hours from Virginia Beach. Lexi had been able to confirm that the vehicle Juan likely left the hotel in passed over the bridge shortly after Lexi went missing on Saturday. And the interstate they’d been driving on led directly to Richmond.

They’d taken her and run, Ryan thought grimly. Sarah had been gone by the time they’d even begun searching.

“Hunter spoke with the police detective,” Patrick said as he walked over to Ryan and some of the other men. “As we expected, they searched Juan’s house in Miami but came up empty.”

“That mother-fucker took her to Mexico,” Ryan said. “I feel it in my bones.”

“And now we’ve got sat imagery confirming it,” Christopher said.

“Are there any surveillance cameras near the small airport?” Ryan asked.

“Lexi’s still looking.”

Mathew sauntered over to them. “All hell’s about to break loose. Word is the Pentagon is not happy about this op.”

“You’re goddamn right all hell is about to break loose. I’ll deal with the Pentagon and Navy when I return. Those assholes who took Sarah are going to wish they were never even born when I get through with them.”

The pilot came over their headsets. “ETA is two minutes. Strap in and ready for landing. The control tower informed me a Mexican military official will be ready to meet with the CO upon arrival.”

“Let’s hope it’s not the same motherfucker that sold our names to the enemy,” Brent muttered, grabbing a seat.

“Remember, not a word about Sarah,” Ryan instructed the men. “As far as they know, we’re here for the other missing American woman. We don’t know who the dirty players are, and we don’t want them to know we’re coming for her.”

“Roger that,” the men replied.

A minute later, they were descending in the sky and rushing along the runway. The back of the plane opened up after they came to a stop, and the men grabbed their gear and strode down the metal ramp, with Ryan leading the way.

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