Bewitched (Coronado Series Book 6) Read online

“What else you got strapped to that drone?” Frisco asked.

  “Everything,” Bryce answered succinctly. “I’m embracing the SEAL ethos and thinking outside the box.”

  “God damn, I love these kids,” Will said quietly. “I can retire in peace and know the world is in good hands.”

  “How does it feel to be the old man?” Blake asked as he checked his weapon.

  “The fact that I made it to the ripe old age of thirty-eight is a damn miracle. So, old man suits me fine.”

  “We’re not far behind you, brother. If I live another five years, then I’m going to throw the biggest damn party San Diego has ever seen,” Frisco said.

  “Five heat signatures,” Bryce said. “Three on Charlie red. One Alpha white, and the last one is Bravo black.”

  Blake flipped his NVGs down and studied the structure. “The women are probably Charlie red, along with what I’m guessing is a guard. The other two heat signatures are probably guards, as well.”

  “Not picking up any exterior alarms or cameras. I’ll jam the signal just in case,” Bryce added.

  Blake squatted and took his knife out of his kit and drew the building in the loose dirt at his feet. “Bryce, is this what you’re picking up?”

  The young SEAL moved next to the commander and studied the drawing in the dirt. “There is a third exit on the Red wall.”

  Using his knife, Blake added it and then studied the drawing for a minute. “Will, you’re Bravo black. Secure the Tango and move to the staircase. Frisco, you’re Bravo white, same. Bryce and I will climb this wall and enter Charlie green and move toward the targets. Once we enter the building, listen for my command on three.” Looking at the group, he asked, “Questions, comments or suggestions?”

  Frisco squatted beside him and studied the drawing. “Any reason to believe they rigged the place to blow if captured?”

  Blake nodded. “Absolutely. Doubt they’re planning on coming out of this alive. Our objective is to bring the women home. HQ did not indicate they needed to chat with the Tangos. So, let’s not give them a chance to take the building down before we get out.”

  “Answers my question,” Frisco responded.

  Bryce landed his drone and folded everything into his pack while the men checked their weapons. “Ready?” Blake said quietly into his mic. He received three affirmations and the group moved into position.

  Blake and Bryce moved to the west side of the castle, and Blake let out a small chuckle. “These old stone buildings are a bitch. Smooth as silk and hard to get a hold.” He took his rope out and threw it over the balcony above their heads. “A buddy uses a rubber stopper he invented, and he gave me one. Promised me it would hold all two-hundred-plus pounds of me. Let’s see if he’s right.”

  Blake glanced over at his young charge and noticed his look of disbelief. “What else are we going to do?”

  “Yes, sir,” Bryce responded.

  Blake pulled on the rope and felt it was as secure as it was going to get. Looking up, he grinned. “Just like the high wall back in Coronado.” He pulled the slack out of the rope, hauled himself up the side of the building, and landed as quietly as a cat on the balcony. “Easier than I thought,” he said quietly.

  Shaking the rope, he signaled that it was Bryce’s turn. Holding on to the rope, he watched the kid scramble up like he was doing the cargo net on the O-Course. Once Bryce was up and over, Blake pulled the rope up and stored it in his pack. Slinging his gun around, he lowered his NVGs and looked through the window. “Clear.”

  Plans often didn’t survive contact with the enemy, but tonight Blake hoped they caught a lucky break. Two women were counting on them, so they needed as much luck as they could get.

  Blake spoke quietly into his coms and signaled the start of the mission. “On three.” Quietly he counted, and when he hit three, he and Bryce moved into the building. The women were being held in a room directly across from them if the heat signatures had been correct. Blake moved point across the room and heard a small scuffle downstairs. He assumed that Will and Frisco took care of the Tangos and all they had left was to get the women out of there. As they quietly crossed the hall, Blake held up his hand and stopped at the door. He heard voices and knew the women were still alive.

  The third Tango was an unknown element. He had no idea if he was still in the room and what he was armed with. These ISIS assholes were known the carry all kinds of crazy shit. His first instinct was to throw a flashbang and stun everyone. But if the guy was rigged, then he could panic and blow everyone to kingdom come.

  The next sixty seconds would determine how well the next couple of hours were going to unfold. Taking a breath, he signaled Bryce to enter on his right hip, which meant they were sweeping the room in a half circle the moment they went through the door. They had surprise in their favor, and he prayed it would be enough.

  ***

  Paige and Amy looked at one another when a thump was heard downstairs. It was followed a moment later by a second thump. Had the terrorists suddenly become clumsy, knocking into walls or something? The man keeping watch over them hadn’t shown any indication that he’d heard the sounds. Whatever was on his phone was holding his interest, and he seemed unconcerned with any possible threats.

  “Do you think he’s checking Snapchat?” Paige asked.

  Amy looked over and let out a small snort. “I think that goes against everything they hold sacred.”

  “Of course it does, which would make the irony unbelievable.” Paige glanced over at their captor and wondered how much he believed in the cause. Whatever that cause was. The men who had dragged them out of the car and shot their driver didn’t seem concerned with Allah. After all, cold-blooded murder was wrong no matter how many holy cloths you wrapped it up in. But of course, that was a very simplistic view of a war that had been in the making for centuries.

  She and Amy sitting on the floor in this abandoned building wasn’t going to change the struggle for power in any way. They were just pawns in a game that no one understood and might never end. What must it be like for Muslims, to have terrorists contort their faith in such way? The only thing she could compare it to was what Catholics must’ve experienced during the Inquisition.

  Their guard continued to study his phone with much the same concentration Paige’s youngest sister studied her Instagram feed. Whatever was on that little screen had captured his attention fully and made him miss the sound of the door opening. Paige wondered if more terrorists had arrived or the cavalry was coming. Closing her eyes, she sent up a silent prayer and promised to do her best in life if she was spared.

  In an instant, two large men swept into the room dressed in black, large assault rifles raised, and heads covered in helmets with NVGs pulled down. They shouted “Nankab,” which meant get down in Arabic. Their captor was stunned momentarily, as his phone slipped from his hands. The two men advanced quickly and continued to shout as they kept their guns pointed at the terrorist’s chest. The larger of the two moved to the right and the other moved to the left. Within seconds the larger one stood between them and their captor. The other man put the terrorist in zip ties and was relieving him of weapons and a tablet.

  Paige heard the larger man say, “God damn asshole beating women. What the hell kind of god tells you that’s okay?” Someone had sent in the cavalry and one of them was from Texas. Hearing his accent was like a balm to her battered psyche. Sweet Lord, they might live another day.

  “Secure and check if he’s rigged,” the larger soldier commanded as he flipped up his goggles and grinned at the women. “Hey, ladies. We were in the area and thought we’d save you from these ISIS assholes. My name is Lieutenant Commander Blake Carmichael, and the man over there is Lieutenant Bryce Andrews. We’re US Navy SEALs, and we’ve come to take you home.”

  “Thank you,” Paige stuttered as she watched the lieutenant lift Amy and slit the binding on her hands and feet with a huge KA-BAR knife. He then repeated the process for her. Shaking her arms out, she f
elt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Stumbling forward, she was caught in the man’s big hands. Looking up, she found herself mesmerized by his smile.

  “What say we get out of here? We have some friends coming by in a Blackhawk in a couple of hours, and we still need to hump it back to the mountain for our exfil.”

  “Yes, please,” Amy said quietly.

  All Paige could do was nod as she looked up into Lt. Carmichael’s, warm flashing smile. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  “The fucker is rigged to blow. We have ninety seconds to get out of here,” Bryce said as he hit the man on the back of the head with the butt of his gun.

  “Clear the building. Explosives ninety seconds,” Lieutenant Commander Carmichael said into his coms.

  Bryce spun around, flipped Amy over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold, and dashed toward the door. Blake did the same thing to Paige and flew out of the room. The men clambered down the stairs, and just as they were about to clear the door, a deafening blast filled the air.

  As they were thrown into the air from the explosion, Paige briefly wondered if the whole martyr thing ever worked out. Was it possible they showed up in heaven and God told them they had gotten it wrong, and killing people wasn’t the way to achieve everlasting salvation after all? Before the world went black, Paige heard Blake yell, “I got you.”

  Please, God, let that be possible.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Blake lay on the ground as his lungs filled with the scent of tar and burning wood. Bastards must’ve used C4 in their explosive device. Shaking his head, he barked into his mic, “Sitrep, check in.”

  After he heard Frisco and Will check in, he waited for Bryce. It was hard to tell where he and the woman landed after the explosion. Thirty seconds passed, which seemed like thirty minutes as he waited to hear from the kid.

  “Secure, sir. Diplomat has sustained injuries,” Bryce replied.

  “Roger that,” he mumbled as he lifted himself off Paige and checked her pulse. It was there, faint but steady. As he rolled over, he realized that he had dislocated his shoulder when they were thrown into the air. Must’ve happened when he grabbed her and rolled on top to save her from the blast. Rolling to his knees, he cringed. Damn shoulder, hurt like hell.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the building was decimated along with the Tangos. The area was in flames as the dry trees and brush burned. “Nice day for a campfire,” Blake muttered. “Frisco, meet me at Bravo white, a half click north. Diplomat is unconscious and I have to shove my shoulder back in place.”

  “Roger that. Ninety seconds.”

  Blake ran his hand over Paige again and tried to ascertain what sort of injuries she’d sustained in the blast. He didn’t detect any broken bones but would have Will give her an examination when they cleared the area.

  A large tree caught fire and the sky lit up as the wall of flames grew larger. Looking down, he saw that Paige was a lot prettier than in her State Department photo. The fact that he noticed it in the middle of a mission meant his shoulder wasn’t the only thing out of whack.

  Frisco came running around a group of trees, and Blake waved. “Shove my shoulder back in.” The tingling sensation was starting to run down his arm and the next thing was numbness. No time for that when they still had to clear to their rendezvous point.

  “Ready?” Frisco asked as he helped Blake up.

  “Yeah.” Closing his eyes, he waited.

  “How many times have I done this for you, man?”

  “Too many,” Blake answered. “Why is the bad shoulder always taking the abuse?”

  Frisco didn’t answer. Instead, he braced his hand on Blake’s back and lifted his shoulder into position. “Relax and breathe.” Raising Blake’s arm in one motion he swiveled it up and back into the socket. “There you go, good as new.”

  “Thanks, man.” Blake started to kneel in preparation to pick up Paige when he felt Frisco’s hand on his shoulder. “What?”

  “Let me. Give that shoulder a break.”

  Frisco stepped in front of Blake and lifted Paige into his arms. “Ready when you are.”

  Blake nodded and instructed the team to meet at the rendezvous point in twenty minutes. From there they could confirm their extraction. Blake adjusted his pack, checked his kit, and slid his weapon out. “Let’s hope they don’t have backup coming in hot.”

  “Affirmative,” Frisco responded.

  Blake took one last look at Paige and wondered why seeing her in Frisco’s arms knotted his stomach. Didn’t make any sense. Seeing a woman he didn’t know in another man’s arms had never pissed him off before. But right now…he wanted to punch Frisco in the face. Crazy!

  Turning, he started along the trail that would take them down the mountain. The sound of sirens filled the evening air as they trudged through the trees and bushes that covered the hill they were traversing. “Hope the locals can contain the fire,” Blake said quietly. “Would be a shame to have half the valley burn.”

  “How come women always smell good?” Frisco asked as he followed Blake. “Hold them in captivity, put them through a blast, and add some fire to it and they still smell freaking amazing. You and I smell like an old goat, but this one smells like a garden.”

  Blake didn’t respond because his gut did that knife-twisting thing again. The idea of Frisco going after Paige bothered the shit out of him because the man was a dog and went through women faster than he went through bullets. Not that anything was going to happen. They would deliver the two women to the hospital and put them in the care of the embassy and then never see them again. Just like every other op he’d been on; it wasn’t a damn cocktail party where they could all get to know one another.

  “Another question…” Frisco muttered. “This one doesn’t weigh much, but she has some nice, soft curves. How do they do that?”

  “No idea,” Blake said. Why Frisco decided this was the moment for a chat about women was beyond him. The last thing he wanted to be discussing was how freaking great Paige smelled and felt. Tightening his grip on his weapon, he decided that he was going to be the one to carry her to the extraction point after they got done with their sitrep meeting. Damn Frisco didn’t need to have his hands anywhere near Paige.

  ***

  Their group assembled two clicks away from where the women had been held. Bryce set up his drone and then sent it out into the dark night sky to see if any hostiles were on the way. “Ten minutes and I should have some intel,” he said as the drone cleared the trees.

  Will began examining Amy. “You did okay, kid, considering you just survived your first explosion.”

  Amy pushed her hair out of her face and grinned. “Actually, I’ve survived three bombings. One in Tangiers, another in Darfur, and now this one.”

  Will sat back on his haunches and laughed. “Damn, kid. Had no idea.” He gave her a solid fist bump and then tilted her head back as he lifted the gauze off her scalp. “Head wounds are a bitch because they bleed so much. I’ll give this one a couple more minutes and then I’ll use the fancy new gel to close it up.”

  “Thanks, Will.”

  Blake sat next to Paige and checked her pulse; it was steady, but she hadn’t regained consciousness yet. Sliding his hand across her cheek, he felt her smooth skin and wondered if there was anything softer or more enticing than this woman. Probably not. Definitely not.

  Why was he having these thoughts in the middle of a mission? God damn, he was losing his shit. Lifting his hand away, he rubbed it on his pant leg, and hoped like hell whatever was happening to him would stop.

  Clearing his throat, he checked his tablet and waited for the updated satellite images he requested. There hadn’t been any significant movement from the borders a couple of hours ago and, God willing, that hadn’t changed.

  Frisco stood on point and swept the surrounding area. “Clear,” he said quietly.

  After a few minutes, images started to pop up on Blake’s tablet. There were six large vehicles traveli
ng on the highway from the Syrian border. Tapping a message, he asked for additional intel from HQ. They were only sixty miles away from Daraa, so if the terrorists missed a check-in, it wouldn’t take long for backup to show. Intel hadn’t been made available to the team regarding the who and what of the snatch, so they had no idea how big this thing could get. “Are you getting any movement, Bryce?”

  “Negative, sir. The drone hasn’t made it to the road yet, though.”

  Checking his watch, Blake calculated how long they had until their ride would arrive. They were right on target for the twelve o’clock pickup. That gave them a little over an hour to make it up the mountain. They had around five miles to cover, so they shouldn’t have a problem.

  Will came over to Paige and checked her neck, head, and shoulders. “She’s got a goose egg the size of a golf ball on the back of her head. That’s going to give her a hell of a headache.” Running his hands down her torso, he shook his head. “Don’t like this.”

  Blake watched him lift her shirt away from her body, and they both saw a jagged piece of wood embedded in her abdomen. “Shit, I didn’t feel that when I initially checked her,” Blake said.

  “It probably got moved around when you guys hiked over,” Will said. He flicked on his mini-mag and handed it to Blake. “Hold it up and let me take a closer look. I don’t want to take it out if I don’t have to.”

  Blake held up the light and watched Will inspect the wound. The area where her skin had been punctured was dark red and inflamed. “What do you think?” Blake asked.

  “If I take it out, then she could start leaking profusely. We’re an hour away from our ride showing, and I don’t want to risk blood loss like that if I don’t have to.”

  “Let’s grab the car and drive back to Amman. If the roads are clear, we can make it back in forty-five minutes,” Frisco said. “They probably have some local doctors and maybe even a clinic nearby,” he added.

  “Don’t want to be stuck in this valley like a sitting duck,” Blake said. “I’m guessing some locals gave the terrorists intel. They didn’t just happen to be in the area when Paige and Amy showed up.”