Page 1

“I ordered you to stand down, Marine!”
“Sir, if I don’t–”
“If you do, you’re both dead!”
The panic in Dillan Knot’s voice is the only reason Aaron locks down impatient muscles itching to run toward the dilapidated shack. The hovel where Sadie is currently fighting for her life.
Aaron followed Sadie’s kidnappers from Manila, aided by the tracking watch she and all Knot operatives wear. The watch was taken from Sadie, along with all of her clothes, before the kidnappers locked her in the hut’s small second room with a single, dingy cot.
The crudely constructed prison is only able to hold the former Marine thanks to the bars bolted over the two small window openings.
“They don’t want her dead, Hosfeld,” my boss says through the radio.
“Maybe not, but they don’t seem to have any qualms about raping her!”
So far, only one has tried, the one currently being suffocated between Sadie’s clenched thighs. Aaron watched the slime ball creep into the makeshift cell while Sadie pretended to sleep. She was naked and vulnerable, and he couldn’t do a fucking thing to help her.
Knot speaks calmly, despite the worry both men feel. “She won’t let that happen.”
Aaron doesn’t bother reminding his boss that his partner is being held prisoner by six men. “Oh, shit!”
“What?!” Knot bellows.
“The others heard the struggle.”
Aaron’s stomach falls as the other five kidnappers rush into the small room. Two grab for their friend while the other three beat Sadie to get her to let go of the would-be rapist.
“They’re killing her!”
“No, they’re not, dammit. These guys may be amateurs, but they’re greedy fuckers. They don’t want to miss their big payout.”
Aaron watches helplessly as Sadie’s body goes limp, finally succumbing to the vicious beating. Her attacker is pulled free, but the asshole’s already dead. Sadie doesn’t move.
The men drag the dead guy from the room, leaving Sadie listing off the filthy cot. Aaron holds his breath as he watches her bare chest hoping for signs that she’s still breathing. There. Shallow, though.
“Aaron, SitRep!”
“They got their man and left her. Sadie’s hurt. I don’t know how bad, but she’s alive, at least.”
“Lieutenant Hill’s SEAL team is close. As soon as they jump, we’ll patch them into your radio. Until then, you keep a cool head. This isn’t over yet.”
Aaron again focuses his long-range scope on Sadie’s naked, battered form and whispers to himself. “Hold on, Sadie. I’m getting you out of here.”
It’s another half-hour before the former Marine Raider hears from Lieutenant “Fish” Hill. Aaron doesn’t have to worry about guiding the warriors to his location. They’re following the signal from his own tracker.
The eight-man squad finds Aaron holding in a grove of trees one hundred yards from the building. The guy is in noticeably lousy shape, barely containing his rage. “Update, Hosfeld,” Fish orders the distressed man.
“One of the guys put his hands on Sadie. She fought him off, and during the struggle, she got her legs around his neck. The other guys came in and started beating on her to get her to let go, but she wouldn’t release him until she’d been knocked unconscious. By then, the guy was already dead, and two others carted him off in the truck. They haven’t come back yet.”
“What about Sadie?”
Aaron looks away and takes a deep breath. “She’s still unconscious, naked, and a fucking bloody mess, but she’s breathing.”
Fish sighs in relief and asks, “Which way did the undertakers go?”
Aaron points northwest, and the SEAL lieutenant squares his shoulders and issues orders to his team. “So, we’ve got two loose ends that could come back at any time. Hawk, I want you watching that road in case they do. Devil, you move to the edge of the trees and take out anyone that even looks at Sadie once we start closing in on the building. Judge, you and Skin move to the north side of the hut and catch any runners. Wrench, Ink, and I will take the front. Bandaid, you’ve got Sadie.”
“I’ve got Sadie!” Aaron insists.