Page 60 of Raven

“Human trafficking,” Cyclone said darkly. “They’re selling our men.”

Samira nodded. “And others. Soldiers. Civilians. They’ve got connections all the way into Europe. It’s not just one compound. It’s a chain.”

My stomach turned. I reached for my radio, tapping into a secure line.

“This is Guardian One. We have a partial recovery of the SEAL team. One killed in action, one critical, one civilian with intel. Mission parameters have changed. We’re not just looking at a rescue. This is a takedown op.”

A long pause. Then a response crackled in: “Copy, Guardian One. Hold location. Reinforcements inbound in twenty-four. You are not to engage further until then. Repeat: Do not move.”

I stared at the radio. Every instinct in me screamed don’t wait.

Beatrice’s voice whispered through my memory:“Bring them home, Raven.”

But bringing them all home meant not rushing into something bigger than they could handle alone.

I stood, rolling my shoulders. “We wait for the general. We are no longer in the military. We will take these men home, and the general can take it from there.”

Cyclone exhaled slowly. “If she’s right, this goes way past a missing team.”

“Unless you reenlist, there is nothing more we can do. Let’s concentrate on making it home alive,” I said, even though I wanted to do more for all the other missing men.

30

Beatrice

I glancedaround at the firehouse. It felt good to be back at work. Everyone welcomed me, and then we all started talking at once and burst into laughter.

“You could have knocked me over when I got back from vacation and heard what was happening. Was she always crazy?” Allen asked.

“I always said she acted crazy,” Larry said.

“Do you remember the guy she dated a few years ago? He told me he was going to break up with her, and then he was missing. What was his name?” Allen asked.

“Paul, his parents came here hunting for him,” the captain said, “I wish I had done something back then. They found his body a few weeks later. Why wasn’t his being missing causing more commotion? Do you think she killed him?”

“She must have. His body was found at the bottom of the cliff,” Daniel said.

“I’m calling the police and bringing up the fact that he and Katherine were dating,” Larry said.

“It’s great to be back with you all. Can we stop talking about Katherine, and you can tell me what’s been going on here while I was gone?” I said.

We have a new fire inspector. He’s from Northern California, Chico, I think he said. He has a family with five kids. So you don’t have to worry about him being jealous of you,” Larry said.

I hoped this kind of talk didn’t keep going on. It still scared me when I thought about how close I was to dying. I felt safe being here with these guys. I’m sure it would take Raven being home for me to feel safe all the time. Mandy sat beside me, and Mike was sprawled out on the floor. There was no way I would leave them home. It’s been almost a month since Raven left to find the missing Seals. I missed him so much.

The bells went off and we jumped up and took off. Mandy didn’t leave my side. She jumped into the truck with me while Mike stayed at the firehouse.

It was an apartment fire. The top floor was on fire. I knew there were at least three apartments on fire. We also needed to ensure that everyone was accounted for and safe.

We were busy putting the fire out when Mandy dashed past me. I sucked in my breath when I saw her run into one of the burning apartment. I knew she must have heard the cry for help.

I turned and saw my brother shaking his head. I ran as fast as I could when I heard her barking. Mandy’s bark led me to her and two little kids. I didn’t hesitate; I grabbed a blanket, threw it over the kids, and ran with them.

My brother and the captain took the kids and got to work on them. They were so small. Where were their parents? I glanced around, and Mandy stood by, as if she belonged here with us. We didn’t get the fire out until way past sundown, and still no parent showed up to check on their kids.

The captain lectured me about running into a burning building. And he congratulated me and Mandy on saving those kids. We were back at the firehouse when the captain informed us that those kids were from missing children cases in Utah. “The police believe that it was the kidnappers who set the fire. Thank God Mandy was with us. She is our hero.”

“Do they know who the kidnappers were?”

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