Page 47 of A Soldier's Temptation
“Or what? You’ll have your SEAL take me out? You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” The urge to tell him off was so strong she had to literally bite her tongue. She didn’t give a crap who he was, and she knew as sure as she knew her name, that John would wipe the floor with him.
“I didn’t tell him like you asked. So do this for me. Just let me hear that she’s okay.” Maybe pleading wasn’t the best idea, but if they thought she was weak it would help her later.
More muffled voices and then the one she’d been praying for.
“Ari?”
“Shira, thank God. Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Shira said, her voice weaker than usual, but it was definitely her.
“There, you have your proof. Now if you want to see her alive you’ll do exactly what I tell you.”
“Okay.” Ari was so relieved the nauseousness she’d been struggling with subsided until he started talking again.
“Do you know where the old warehouse district is in San Diego?”
She did know it, and it was the perfect place to kill someone and never have their body found. Most of the buildings were closed down. “Yes.”
“Come to the corner of Fourth Street and Market. Go with the man who approaches you and he’ll take you the rest of the way. Come alone and make sure you’re not followed. If we see anyone with you, your friend dies. If you tell anyone, your friend dies. If you don’t show up, your friend dies. Do you understand?”
“I do. How long do I have to get there?”
“I’d suggest you hurry.”
The line went dead and Ari took a deep breath and met John’s eyes. As long as she focused on him, maybe she could hold it together.
“You did great,” Colin said as he took off his headphones. “We’ll get these sonsofbitches and Shira will be fine.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
“It’ll be okay, Baby. This is what we anticipated. I don’t like it, but you’ll be wearing the tracker. My team is the best and we’ll be watching,” John said as he massaged some of the tension from her neck and shoulders.
“Are you ready?” Colin asked, then he slid a little plastic case holding a memory card across the table.
“Yes.” It was a lie, but she would fake it until she got to Shira. It couldn’t be worse than when she was arrested and put in jail. She’d never been more terrified.
“Don’t forget, we have your six,” Elwood the big SEAL team boss said from the doorway. “They’ll never see us coming, it’s what we do.”
“I don’t want you to get into trouble. You’re not supposed to do anything on American soil.” It had been one of the things bothering Ari since they’d come up with the plan the day before.
“We’re not going to be doing anything. Colin will handle it once the police are involved. It’ll be fine,” John said. He’d spent most of the night before giving her a million reasons why it was okay for them to help.
Between Chase and his team, the SEALs, and Colin she couldn’t ask for better back up. Too bad she was the weak link in this scenario. A few months of self-defense classes were probably not going to be much help when she had to deal with the kidnappers.
“Can I talk to Ari alone for a minute?” John asked.
“Make it quick, the clock is ticking,” Colin answered pointing to his watch. Then he left with the SEALs.
“I know you’re scared. I’d be worried if you weren’t. But we’ll be close even if you can’t see us. You need to trust me.”
“I do, more than anyone, but there’s so much we don’t know. What if there are ten people there and they shoot me as soon as I show up.”
“They won’t, they’ll want to make sure you have the memory card first. That will give us the time to get there.”
“Okay.” Ari’s insides were jelly, but it was time to suck it up. Big girl panties or not, she had to save her BFF and make sure no one else got hurt. She could do it. Maybe if she kept saying it over and over she’d convince herself.
“Good girl. In a couple of hours, this will all be over, and I’ll take you out for a wonderful dinner, just you and me.”
