Page 42 of SEAL's Temptation

Chapter 20

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RYAN SWIPED A HANDover his brow, jogging with his teammates at oh-five-hundred the following day.Their workout was the same as many other mornings, and his mind wandered as they ran along the shores of the Pacific, the miles passing by.

Avery’s last email to him had mentioned that she and the nurses were growing suspicious of one of the doctors there.

The doctor she disliked.

Ryan had his own reason for concern.Intelligence reports showed more unrest in the area, with cartels engaging in a turf battle.The Gulf Clan, or Clan de Gulfo, was the most prominent in the region.Other cartels were attempting to gain a larger stake, however, and Ryan didn’t like the implications.The cartels moved drugs, but there’d also been an increase in trafficking women.While the migrants were the most vulnerable, sexual violence and kidnappings of locals weren’t uncommon.Any woman there was at risk, and given that Avery now lived there....

Ryan hated to even have those thoughts but had reminded her to always be cautious.To never go anywhere in the village alone.

And then there was the trouble with Dr.Walters.

Avery had said the other day that he’d accidently seen the pictures she’d sent Ryan and told her she was beautiful.The photos weren’t overtly sexy or inappropriate, but they’d been meant for his eyes only, and he disliked that the other man had not only seen Avery’s pictures but also commented on them.

What a prick.

That combined with the uptick of sex trafficking in the region had him troubled.While Avery was relatively safe compared to the migrants crossing the jungle, she stood out.She was a blonde, white, American.Different from the others.

Would she be safe for the remaining duration of her stay?

He wasn’t sure what bothered him more—the threat of the cartels or the sketchy doctor that made Avery uneasy.She was a good judge of character and used to dealing with the public.If Avery sensed something was off, there was a good chance that she was right.

To add to his worries, Wyatt had informed the team that they may be sent out this coming weekend.They’d brief with their commander when they were on base, but Ryan did appreciate the heads up.Avery tended to have more free time to email him on the weekends, and he’d need to let her know it was possible he’d be gone.

“Yo, Renegade!”Sawyer called out, interrupting his thoughts as he jogged up beside him.

Ryan’s gaze slid his way, but he didn’t slow his pace.“What’s up?”he said, his footing sure as he jogged along the compact sand near the water.Sawyer easily kept pace beside him, neither man missing a beat as they carried on a conversation.

“Aaron’s pissed at you.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Ryan said.

“The ladies love my huge dick,” Sawyer quipped.

Ryan snorted.“Too much information, buddy.Besides, we’ve all seen you in the locker room.Ain’t nothing to write home about.”

Sawyer chortled with laughter.“Now you’re in a better mood.You looked like someone kicked your dog before with the way you’ve been moping around all morning.”

Ryan muttered a curse.“I don’t have a dog.”

“Which makes it even sadder,” Sawyer wisecracked.

Ryan shook his head.“You come here to give me some life advice or something?”

Sawyer smirked.“Nah.I’ve got my own troubles.The volleyball girls are pissed at me.I got both their numbers the other day, and when they realized that, neither of them will return my texts anymore.”

“Can’t say I blame him.”

“Their loss,” Sawyer said, looking unconcerned.“There are women all over the beach every damn weekend.My real problem is that sweet little waitress Riley.I swear I saw her again near base the other morning.”

Ryan’s gaze swung his way.“No kidding?”

“Nope.I parked and was walking in, same as always.I happened to look back at my truck to make sure I didn’t leave anything in the bed of it.When I glanced back, there was a woman who looked just like her.Same hair, same dark sunglasses.She quickly got into a car near me and drove away.”

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