Page 57 of SEAL's Spitfire
After Murph set the charge, they stood back while it blew then checked only to find another empty cell. “Fuck. Are we sure they didn’t move them after the last drone check?” Murph asked.
“They’re here, but it could be any one of these cells. Keep looking.” There were two other open cells, then they came to another locked door. Except this time when they peeked through the opening, they found the hostages.
“Back away from the door,” Murph yelled and Rafe watched to make sure they moved as far as possible.
“Blow it.”
They got the door open and all nine of the remaining missionary group was there but not Meghan. His heart twisted. He’d prayed they’d have put her with the others but maybe they hadn’t had a chance to figure out her connection to the group.
“We’re here to rescue you. Anyone injured? Unable to walk?” They looked rough, dirty and tired, but mostly unharmed.
“No, we’re okay. All of us can walk. But where’s my sister? Did you find Meghan?” It had to be Charlie.
“Not yet. But she was here with you, right?”
“She was but they took her away a few hours ago and didn’t bring her back. You have to find her. I’m not leaving without her.”
“Is everyone else accounted for?” Jake asked, cutting off Charlie.
“Miranda is gone too. They took her a few days ago.”
“We have her. She’s okay.”
“We’ll find her, Charlie, I promise,” Rafe said. The man looked inconsolable and they needed to get them out of there so he could find Meghan.
“Rafe, enough, we need to move. Now,” Jake interjected. “Cam take point, we’ll pull up the rear. Keep your eyes open.”
“We’re going to get you out of here. Follow behind him and keep going no matter what.” A couple of the women were crying, but they listened and lined up behind Cam to follow him to safety.
“Rafe, take Murph and find Meghan. I’ll go with Cam. Once we’ve got them to the EXFIL we’ll be back.”
“Copy that.”
“You’ll find her.”
“I know,” Rafe gave his friend and boss a grim smile. He’d find her, he just prayed she’d still be alive when he did.
After checking the remaining cells, they still hadn’t found Meghan. What the fuck had they done with her?
“Eagle 1, all cells checked no sign of the HVT.”
“Hold on.” Rafe heard him asking the hostages if they’d been held anywhere else in the compound.
“No, they kept us in the cell except when they were making the videos. Then we were on the other side of the building.”
“Did you hear that? Go back to the main hallway, then turn left. It’s the living area.”
“Copy that.” Rafe took off down the hallway and Murph followed. They were running out of time but there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell he was leaving without Meghan.
The living quarters had been the part of the building that had taken the biggest hit from the bombs. As they made their way through the rubble, they came across a few bodies, but none of them were Meghan. They cleared room after room and Rafe’s despair was growing by the moment.
“Rafe, I found her,” Murph called to him from the recording studio. There had been some damage, but the room wasn’t toast like some of the others.
“Meghan,” Rafe asked gently as he touched her swollen face and checked for a pulse. She was alive, thank God, but her pulse was weak. She looked nothing like the woman who’d kissed him goodbye in the Atlanta airport. Just seeing her like this filled him with rage and he wanted to kill everyone all over again.
“Let’s get her untied. Ryan will work on her when we get to the helo. It might be a blessing if she doesn’t wake up until we get there,” Murph said and sliced through the ropes tying her hands at the back of the chair. Rafe cursed himself for losing focus, and silently sliced through the ropes at her feet. When he picked her up it was like lifting a doll, she was so tiny and limp.
“Go, I’m going to grab what I can find and be right behind you.”
