Page 33 of SEAL's Providence
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Tony glanced at her before returning his eyes to the road. He wasn’t as familiar with this part of Norfolk, and he didn’t trust the map software. Another byproduct of his job.
“When we rescue them, where will they go? I don’t have room to take in five women and a little girl.”
“Don’t worry. Mike is already looking into that too. Hopefully, we’re going to have a couple of options for them. It will depend on whether they want to stay in the U.S. or return to their countries.”
Providence shook her head. “You’re already ten steps ahead, aren’t you?”
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be worth much as a commander. I’m responsible for the health and welfare of my teams. It’s a burden I’m proud to carry every time I send them out. But I need to know I’ve done all I can to ensure they come home safely to their families. Your operation isn’t any different.”
“You’re pretty amazing, you know that, Tony?”
“I don’t know that I’m amazing, but if you think I am then I’ll do my best to live up to your beliefs,” he said as he pulled the car into an open spot. They were a few houses away from the address the GPS identified.
“Is that it?” Providence released her seatbelt and leaned forward. “It looks like a crack house.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if it was.” Tony turned off the lights but left the engine idling. “What time does the salon close tonight?”
“They close every night at eight. But it takes them longer to leave since they have to clean up before they go.”
“Good. They should show up soon, if this is the right place.”
Providence pulled out her tablet and opened the tracking app. “The signal is still pinging from inside there.”
“Mary must have stashed the phone rather than risking carrying it with her. Has she texted you at all? Or made any contact?”
“No. It’s part of what has me worried. What if they found the phone and this isn’t even where they are? Or if it’s a trap?”
“It’s definitely a possibility, and another reason not to take any chances tonight. We’ll see if theyshow up. If they do, then it’s probably the house. I don’t think they would risk moving them around.”
Tony could feel Providence’s tension increase as every minute ticked by. He wished he could do something to reassure her, but it wasn’t an option. Luckily, they didn’t have long to wait. A white panel van drove past them and pulled into the driveway of the rundown two story brick home. Tony opened the console and pulled out a camera. He took photos of the plate number and of everyone who exited the van.
He shot a few more photos as they made their way to the side of the house and down a set of stairs. It figured they’d keep them at basement level. No windows either. It would make extraction more difficult, but not impossible.
After he was sure there was no other movement, he turned to Providence. She’d been splitting her focus between watching the women and gazing at him as he clicked the shutter on the camera. When he was done, he tucked the camera back into its hiding spot.
“How are you holding up, baby?”
“Honestly? I’m not. I think I’ve been hoping all along I was wrong. That none of this was true, even though I knew in my heart it was. Seeing the proof is a lot harder.”
“I get it. It’s difficult to accept that people can treat others like that.”
“What are you going to do with the photos?”
“As soon as I get back to my computer, I’ll send them to Mike. He’ll run them through facial recognition software to see if we can identify any of them.”
“How long will that take?”
“Hopefully, we’ll have something by sometime tomorrow. We’ve gotten all we can for now. Let’s get you home.”
She nodded. After she clicked her seatbelt, he eased from between the two vehicles he’d used to hide their presence. Maintaining their stealth mode, he didn’t turn on the headlights until they reached the stop sign at the end of the street. His heart twisted, as he watched Providence turn around to stare at the house as they drove away.
CHAPTER 9
PROVIDENCE
The ride back to Providence’s house was quiet, broken only by the occasional small talk. She didn’t know what to say. Her thoughts raced through her mind at hyper speed. Fueled by worry, anger, and the urge to do something—anything—made her want to climb out of her skin. Everything Tony had said as they drove to check on the location made complete sense, even if she didn’t like it.
Huddling in the corner of the front seat, she tried to make herself as small as possible. As she stared out the window, her frayed emotions ripped at her.
