Page 44 of SEAL's Spitfire
Rafe would have made the same call. Jake was smart and careful. Halo had a camera and they’d be able to see what he saw, and hopefully without being noticed.
As he continued to monitor the guard’s location through the binoculars, he watched Halo slip past two of them and enter the cave. Cam would be watching the progress on his tablet and reporting. But so far, no movement on the outside. A few minutes later Cam’s voice came over their coms.
“Eagle 1, we have confirmation of HVT.”
“Does she look injured?”
“She’s been beaten. They have her tied to a chair with a blanket or something wrapped around her. I can’t tell if she’s wired.”
“Copy that.”
The Taliban were known for booby-trapping their hostages because of missions like this. Murph could disarm anything if he had enough time, the one thing they didn’t have to spare. Jake’s mind worked a lot like his, so he knew that he was deciding on the best option for the breach.
The guards looked restless. It could mean they were waiting for their relief or they were expecting the SEALs. If it was the latter, they wouldn’t have to wait for long. Finally, Halo slipped back out of the cave’s opening and made his way to Cam.
“Eagle 3 and 4 take out the guards, then follow us in. Remember, once we get inside, we need at least one of the tangos alive. We’ll grab HVT and head to EXFIL.”
“Copy, Boss.”
“We go in three.”
SEALs were quick and deadly, and their team was one of the best. As Rafe and Jake approached the cave, Murph and Ryan had already taken out the four tangos and had them on the ground. Jake led the way with Halo and the others at his heels. The five men moved swiftly following the sounds of conversation and flickering light.
The men holding Miranda never even knew they were there until it was too late. They’d taken out three before their leader realized what was happening. The SEALs expected them to put up more of a fight. The whole thing seemed off and made the back of Rafe’s neck tingle.
“I don’t like this, Boss. It was too fuckin’ easy.”
“Agreed. Maybe we just got lucky.” None of them believed it. Once they got the information they needed from the leader, they’d get the hell out of there. They hadn’t needed to fire a shot.
While Jake, Ryan, and Murph questioned the leader who was shrieking in Pashto, Rafe and Cam went to release Miranda. Her captor’s put her in a chair out of hearing range of their conversation. It was common practice, but Rafe doubted the senator’s daughter spoke let alone understood the Afghani language. It was also the coldest, dampest part of the cavern.
As they approached her, the injuries she’d sustained were more evident. Her busted lip and bruised cheeks filled him with rage. He’d never understand how men could beat women. Clenching his fists, he ached to go back and kill the men all over again as punishment for what they’d done to her.
They weren’t sure how much she’d heard, or understood, of what had gone on since she was blindfolded. Rafe expected to hear her crying or whimpering in pain. Blindfolded and wrapped in some kind of dark cloth, there wasn’t a sound coming from the woman. He and Cam exchanged glances, then he spoke softly as he reached out to her hoping to keep her calm.
“Miranda Stanhope? Are you Miranda Stanhope?”
At first, there was nothing, no answer, no movement at all and Rafe was worried that they’d done more damage to the young woman than they’d thought.
“We’re here to take you home, Miranda. I know you’ve got to be scared, but we’re here to help. I’m going to remove your blindfold. Close your eyes so you can get used to the light. Ready?”
Finally, she responded with a soft, “yes, sir.” It was low pitched, but firm, no quivering. Considering her condition, that surprised him. As he removed the blindfold, he revealed a black eye and a long cut from her eyebrow to the outer corner of her right eye. Her left cheek was just one huge purple bruise.Fucking bastards.
“How much pain are you in?”
“I’m okay. I just want to go home.” It was as if their presence finally sank in and she struggled to stand.
“Don’t move, Miranda, we need to see what’s under this blanket. You might be wired to something.” Fear flooded into her face and make the bruises and dried blood stand out even more. Before Rafe could do anything to reassure her, Halo appeared at her side and wagged his tail. The dog was a godsend. “Okay, I’m going to slowly remove the wrap and then we’ll know.”
“Fuck,” Cam said with a low whistle. It didn’t help the situation but it sure as hell fit. It wasn’t a full vest, but they’d rigged some kind of a wide belt around her waist what had C-4 and God knows what else. Rafe walked around to the back of the chair to see if they could move her at all, but it was attached to the chair rungs.
“Don’t move, honey. We’re going to get you out of this.” She nodded. Without the blanket, Rafe checked her carefully for any other injuries. Her wrists were raw and bleeding from being tied too tightly to the chair. He wanted to cut her lose but he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from trying to stand.
“Do you remember them putting this on you?”
She shook her head no. “When we got here, a man asked me all kinds of questions. I didn’t know the answers and he beat me. I don’t remember passing out, but when I woke up, I was blindfolded and couldn’t move.”
“Do you see him here? Is he one of these men?”
