Page 2 of SEAL's Sunshine
“Do you know who’s behind it? What else do we know?” Rafe asked, his expression grim, which mirrored everyone else’s on the team. As usual, they were short on intel and time to figure it out.
“Not much. It appears to be an offshoot of ISIS that has joined up with Al-Qaeda.
“Fuck, this is a thing now?” Murph asked.
“Yeah, we’ve been picking up chatter about this partnership for the last few months. But this is the first intel we’ve got that is verified.”
“Do we have any idea who’s involved? Names? Locations? Anything? You’re not giving us much to go on and we’re stuck on this plane for two and a half hours,” Jake asked, shooting questions one after another at Lynch.
“I know it sucks. But we do know one name, and it’s familiar to you too. Azfaar.”
“What the ever living fuck? How did he go from the Taliban to ISIS and Al-Qaeda?”
“Apparently, he took the missionary group without approval from his superiors. When it turned into a shit show, he had the choice to disappear or die. He went running to the biggest rats for protection and now he has an ax to grind.”
“Is that why he’s going after POTUS?”
“It’s how he sold it to his new friends. But we think his real target is a smaller fish—Senator Stanhope. But Stanhope wouldn’t have made a big enough impact for them to agree. Taking out POTUS would put them in the upper echelon of all the terrorist groups. They’d be back in the game with no shortage of money and supporters.” Lynch spread out a map of the area around the airfield.
“Any indication where they might be holed up?” Jake asked.
“Not yet. I have my contacts working on it, but I may not hear anything else until we land.”
“Okay, you heard him. Be prepared to hit the ground running. The clock is ticking gentlemen and the fate of the free world depends on us and we’ll have a little over three hours to pull it off,” Captain Knox said.
It was way over the top even for the captain and sounded like a fucking recruitment commercial, but when Cam thought about it, he was right. If Azfaar pulled this off, it would set off a string of events that would change the world.
“One other thing, other than the people you’re looking at, no one else has been briefed. We don’t know who can be trusted after the leak. Until this threat is diffused, we are on our own.”
“Copy that.”
“Get some rest. Wheels down in just over an hour,” the captain said as he and Lynch walked toward the front of the plane. It wouldn’t surprise Cam if there was information they’d held back. It wouldn’t be the first time and definitely not the last. But they would do whatever it took to complete their mission.
“So it looks like Miranda’s father is the real target. Cam, can you keep your head in the game?”
“Fuck, seriously, Jake? Would you ask Rafe or Murph? Rafe has just as much invested in taking out Azfaar as I do. I’m a SEAL, the job is first always.”
“Just checking, and I’ve already asked Rafe. So get that chip off your shoulder. I need to make sure everyone’s head is where it needs to be.” It was his job. Cam understood but it still rubbed him the wrong way. Luckily, Jake didn’t ask for specifics, because he’d be lying if he didn’t admit to the desire to tear Azfaar’s head off with his bare hands.
* * *
It wasa beautiful sunny morning in Atlanta, and Miranda Stanhope was taking advantage of the peace and quiet by having her coffee in the backyard. The garden was filled with color, the azaleas were covered in pink and red blooms. The peonies and roses were also loaded with colorful flowers. The fountain in the corner gurgled and Miranda sighed with pleasure as she sipped from her mug. This was her favorite time of day. Her mother was still asleep, her father was away on a trip, and she had the little slice of heaven all to herself.
Shifting in her chair to alleviate the residual pain in her side from her broken ribs at the hands of the Taliban, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Inhaling the scents of the flowers helped push away the sudden fear she was being watched. The backyard was secluded and surrounded by a tall brick wall. It had to be her imagination, or PTSD if she listened to Cam, or Charlie, one of the other missionaries who’d been abducted. Either way, it didn’t make it any easier living with the pain. The angry scars that covered both of her legs from her thighs to her knees were another constant reminder of her time in captivity.
Her father said it was common for not just the military but also those who’d been in traumatic situations. One thing they all suggested was for her to talk to a professional to help her work through her issues. She’d resisted. Unable to remember everything that happened, she’d still experienced nightmares and woke up drenched in sweat and shaking more times than not.
Eventually, she and Charlie talked, and it had helped a bit. The nightmares didn’t come every night now, although they still popped up at least once a week. More when she was stressed.
Charlie’s experience hadn’t been the same. She’d been separated from the main group and when they’d found out she was a senator’s daughter. But he’d almost lost his sister, Meghan when she’d tried to help rescue them and almost died in the process.
The Deliver Hope Ministries had been working hard to gather the resources to send another group to finish what they’d started. Charlie volunteered to lead the group, but most of the others had bowed out. Not that she blamed them, it was a terrifying trip and not an experience she wanted to repeat either. But she felt obligated to help the women. Even though going back was the last thing Miranda wanted, she knew how much they needed the school built and teachers brought in. Charlie had been thrilled when she told him she’d go with him, but she’d held off telling Cam so far.
It had been over three months since she’d seen him, and she’d still been using crutches. There had been something between them from the first moment she’d seen him. He’d been part of the SEAL team who’d rescued her, and she’d be grateful forever, but with Cam, it was more than just gratitude. In the beginning, she told herself it was just hero worship but the more time they spent together the more she realized it was different. He was special in a way she hadn’t felt about anyone before.
Dating a Navy SEAL had its drawbacks, mostly since she never knew when they’d have a mission. When he was gone she never knew where he was or when he’d be back. It was a bit easier for her since her father worked for the CIA before he retired and entered politics. Growing up, she’d known he traveled a lot but not what he did. It wasn’t until he retired that she found out. Secrecy had always been part of her life.
Just thinking about Cam made her smile. And Halo. She loved that dog. He’d been the first one to reach her in the cave and then helped to keep her calm. But it was Cam’s kind blue eyes that had erased the fear. The other SEAL, Ryan, took care of her injuries, but Cam held her hand to make sure she’d stayed calm. After they left her at Bagram with the medical staff, she thought she’d never see any of them again.
