Page 56 of SEAL's Sunshine
“Yup. Seems there are a few cells waiting to be activated. Hopefully, Chrissy can dig up more when she gets the DNA back from the fabric.”
“I’m so glad I told Miranda about the tracker and that she found a way to take it with her.”
“No shit. Her purse was still at the apartment. They shot through the lock to get in. It didn’t look like there was a struggle.”
“She was in the shower when I took Halo out for the walk.”
“The captain called her father. They’re keeping it out of the news for now. No one wants it to get out if we can help it.”
“I bet he was fucking thrilled.”
“You got that right. He was ready to go to POTUS again. Like what the hell could he do?”
“Activate the FBI. Did he?”
“No. The captain talked him down, but don’t be surprised if he shows up here tomorrow.”
“That’s okay, we’ll have her back by then.” Cam was positive they would find her and bring her home alive. He had to be. No other outcome was acceptable.
Chapter 17
By the time they stopped,Miranda was sore, bruised, scared shitless, and determined not to allow them to hurt her like last time. After reliving every moment of her treatment at the hands of the Taliban last time, she would not give in easily. There was a reason she’d taken all those self-defense classes and now was the time to see if they worked.
Not knowing if Cam was alive or dead didn’t help. What if they’d taken him too? Would Tex know to check where she was? The rest of the team wouldn’t look for them until tomorrow sometime. Or maybe it was today already.
If there was one thing she was thankful for at that moment, it was that she’d told Cam she loved him. If she was going to die, it was important that he knew what was in her heart, and she knew what was in his. As she focused on the memory of his face when he said the words, the doors were thrown open and a disgusting stench filled her nostrils. Fish? Death? It was horrible and she gagged.
“You’ll get used to it, bitch, if you last long enough.” This voice was different, not the same accent as at the apartment. This was an American. Hopefully, she’d live long enough to tell Chrissy she was right about the terrorist cell.
Holding on tight to her anger, she was determined to get through this or die trying. Everyone had faith in Tex, so sent him messages, praying that he’d find her and send the team to the rescue.
“Come on,” he said as he dragged her from the vehicle by her feet and dropped her on the ground. “Get up.”
What an asshat, and what she would give to see his face when someone put a bullet in his brain. Too bad it wouldn’t be her. As she struggled to stand, he grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her to her feet. Then he dragged her along and she struggled to stay upright. With no idea where she was, and unable to see anything, the only clue to her location was the awful smell. As he pulled her along it got stronger.
The ground felt like small pebbles under her feet and she tried to imagine where that would be. Then he stopped. There was a squeal of a metal door, and then a blast of heat like you get when you opened a closed box that’s been out in the sun too long. He shoved her inside and slammed the door.
“Hello?” But there was no answer. Reaching out with her tied hands she shuffled forward until she reached a wall. Or maybe it was the door. He’d locked her inside something, and she was alone. Reaching up, she pulled off the hood. It wasn’t all that different and still pitch black, but at least she could breathe easier without it.
As she felt along the walls, she got a sinking feeling that she was in a shipping container. How would Cam find her now? Picturing a dock loaded with shipping containers, thousands of them all lined up in rows. Trying to find her would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. She banged on the wall, but all it did was hurt her hands. No answering sound came from outside. Even if someone was around, they wouldn’t hear any sounds she made inside.
Terrified, hot and thirsty, she wondered if they planned on leaving her to die in there. Were they going to put it on a ship and send her somewhere? How would anyone find her? She doubted the tracker would work inside the metal box. But she could check. Why hadn’t she thought about that sooner?
“Because you were paralyzed with fear and anger, stupid.” Hearing her own voice helped settle her down. She could do this, and if they came back for her, she’d try to get away. She should have tried to get away at the apartment, but the gun had freaked her out. No move she’d learned was any match for a gun.
Why had they left her bound if she was alone? Maybe they were coming back? Or maybe they were just assholes. Her mother would never forgive her for being taken again. She didn’t envy whoever drew the short straw and got to tell her. That would not be a pleasant conversation. It almost made her giggle, almost. Then she heard a sound outside. Was someone there?
Pounding the walls with all her strength, she hoped they’d hear her. Over and over she banged on the metal walls. Pain vibrated in her hands and the zip-tie sliced into her wrists. “Please, can you hear me? Help. I’m locked in here.”
When the door slid open she had a moment of hope. But it dissipated as fast as it appeared. “No one can hear you. Why bother? Even if they could, they’d never figure out which container you’re in.”
That’s what she’d been afraid of. She recognized the voice. It was the man who’d taken her from the apartment. He pointed a flashlight at her and she was blinded by the bright light after the dense darkness. It was probably better that way.
“Bring the chair, put it there.” It figured that he wasn’t alone and being bound up she couldn’t do much of anything. So far, they hadn’t hurt her, but she didn’t know how much longer her luck would hold out.
“Grab the girl and put her in the chair.”
“Should we put the hood back on?” It was the American. Interesting, so the other guy was in charge. She wished she could see their faces so she could identify them if she made it out of this mess.
